Danish PM attacks oil producers, urges change
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Sunday attacked Middle Eastern oil producers for using oil as a weapon in world politics and urged Western consumers to undermine this by cutting their use of oil and gas.
Rasmussen's comments came just after world leaders in Washington D.C. on Saturday pledged to tackle the worst financial crisis in decades and agreed to give emerging nations more say in running financial affairs.
Western nations' oil dependence meant vast cash flows were being paid to authoritarian regimes, he said in a speech to the Liberal Party's convention.
"We have seen that they collect the money in huge funds and that they use the money to buy our companies that in the meantime have perhaps been undermined by high energy prices," the prime minister said.
"We have also seen how a number of countries in the Middle East use and abuse (the) oil weapon as in foreign and security politics," Rasmussen said.
"We will strive to liberate the free world by weakening the dependence on oil and gas," Rasmussen said, adding: "We will raise our security by reducing the transfers to those who threaten our freedom."
Rasmussen noted that Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela were among the largest oil exporters in the world. "Think about that and if these are our closest allies in the fight for freedom and democracy," he said.
Of Russia's invasion of Georgia, Rasmussen said: "There can be no doubt that this happened in Georgia this autumn when Russia moved into the country. That was about strategic interest in the region. It was about oil and gas, don't doubt that."
Skirmishes between separatists and Georgian troops erupted into war in August when Georgia sent troops to retake the pro-Russian rebel region of South Ossetia. Russia responded with a counter-strike that drove the Georgian army out of South Ossetia. Moscow's troops then pushed further into Georgia, saying they needed to prevent further Georgian attacks.
(Reporting by Kim McLaughlin)
