SHARES FOR KOSOVO SUPPORT
A confidential offer from Russias gas giant Gazprom to buy a majority stake in Serbias state-run oil monopoly NIS created unrest within the government in Belgrade and a bitter public debate on the price of Kremlins political support regarding the future status of Kosovo.
Sources said, on condition of anonymity, that Gazprom had requested it be given a 51 per cent stake in NIS on January 18, which is just two days before parliamentary elections. The Russian company also insisted that its offer be given exclusivity. The deal includes a clause on delaying the implementation of European Union environmental standards and a protectionist ban on non-Russian imports until 2012. The offer is said to have been sweetened with a pledge to invest 500 million euro over the period 2008-2012.
The Serbian economy minister Mladjan Dinkic said the offer was degradingly low and unacceptable as NIS has a 60 per cent share of the local gas market and an even larger part of the fuel market.
TURKEYS GAS SUPPLIES CUT
Iran has cut gas supplies to Turkey to the lowest level acceptable because of bad weather conditions in Central Asia and the cut in Turkmeni gas supplies to Tehran.
The gas supplies from Turkmenistan to Iran were halved to 10 million cubic metres and then cut completely on December 31 for the foreseeable future, the spokesperson of the Iranian gas monopoly Ebadola Ganbari said, as quoted by international media. The official reason given was that the bad weather had caused technical difficulties in the export of Turkmeni gas. The former Soviet republic supplies about five per cent of Tehrans needs for gas or 20-23 million cu m a day.
CYPRUS AND MALTA ADOPT EURO
Cyprus and Malta were the two newest entrants to the eurozone. The two Mediterranean island states adopted the common European currency on January 1 this year. Now 15 countries use the euro as their currency.
The eurozone expansion followed a year after Slovenia joined, the first post-communist state and the first country from the European Union enlargement in 2004.
Neither Cyprus nor Malta staged huge celebrations for the occasion.
SERBIA WITH KOSOVO RESOLUTION
Days before the new year, Serbia adopted a resolution that effectively deters the countrys entry to the European Union and provides the political instrument that allows it to cut off diplomatic ties with any country that recognises Kosovos independence.
The resolution reiterates Serbias rejection of an independent Kosovo and slams Nato as the alleged supporter of separatist Kosovo Albanians.
