Russia Rebuffs Objection To Lukoil's Repsol Stake Push-Report
March 01 2009 - 7:00AM
Dow Jones News
Russian President Dimitri Medvedev sharply criticized objections
voiced publicly in Spain over Russian oil firm OAO Lukoil Holdings'
(LKOH.RS) possible purchase of a stake in Spanish oil firm Repsol
SA (REP), talking in an interview published in Spain's El Pais
newspaper Sunday.
Some people were reacting to a possible entry of Lukoil into
Repsol with a logic resembling fears of "the Russians a coming,"
and alleging dangers of the independence of the Spanish state,
Medvedev said.
"I think that's a harmful and idiotic logic," Medvedev said.
"Dividing investors into good ones and bad ones, into correct ones
and incorrect ones, means building a new economic Berlin wall," he
added.
The Russian president also said that if Ukraine did not to pay
for Russian gas deliveries as agreed in a recent deal, Russia may
oblige the country to pay in advance for its supplies. Medvedev
added that if troubled Ukraine wasn't able to pay, an international
consortium should step in to help Ukraine financially.
-By Madrid bureau, djmadrid@dowjones.com, +34-618-526-915