Tadić: Austria to give gas too

Having secured access to German and Hungarian gas yesterday, a similar deal has also been reached with Austria, says President Boris Tadic. Austria will provide around two to three million cubic meters of gas. Tadic: Austria to give gas too "Should it prove necessary we'll take gas from Austria and that will ensure normal supply to Serbia," said the president at the start of a meeting of senior Serbian statesmen with businessmen, bankers and trade unionists to seek a way of getting through the financial crisis. He believes that the key problem over gas supply between Ukraine and Russia will be resolved in the course of the afternoon, adding that "there are already some good indicators," Tadic said last night that the help given by Hungary and Germany to Serbia during the gas crisis demonstrated European solidarity. He said that expected Serbia’s gas supply to be stable today, but that lessons need to be learned from this crisis. The president told B92 that all flats in Serbia would be receiving central heating again, and that the only problem would be with flats that use their own supply of gas for heating. There is a chance that a certain amount of gas will start coming from Ukraine towards Serbia in the next 24 hours, he said. Tadic said that the two million cubic meters of gas from Hungary and three million from Germany would be enough to keep Serbia warm. The president said that the help offered by the two countries showed European solidarity, adding that he “expects help from one other European country.” Serbia would not have been affected by the gas crisis had the Banatski Dvor storage facility been full. The amount added to the facility over the summer cannot cover all of Serbia’s needs and the facility can only provide about 400,000 cubic meters of gas daily, which is not enough. Tadic said that the last government was responsible for this oversight. “We have to learn certain lessons and have alternative heating systems,” the president said. The dispute between Russia and Ukraine could be settled soon. Tadic said that there was an initial agreement for EU member-states to help to pay off Ukraine’s debt to Russia. The president said that this problem could only be solved strategically, by constructing the South Stream pipeline. He has also spoken with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader regarding the gas situation in Croatia, where restrictions are in effect. Tadic and Sanader said that officials from both countries would be in constant contact for the duration of the gas crisis. Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany and Serbian President Boris Tadic (FoNet archive)

Tadić: Austria to give gas too

"Should it prove necessary we'll take gas from Austria and that will ensure normal supply to Serbia," said the president at the start of a meeting of senior Serbian statesmen with businessmen, bankers and trade unionists to seek a way of getting through the financial crisis.

He believes that the key problem over gas supply between Ukraine and Russia will be resolved in the course of the afternoon, adding that "there are already some good indicators,"

Tadić said last night that the help given by Hungary and Germany to Serbia during the gas crisis demonstrated European solidarity.

He said that expected Serbia’s gas supply to be stable today, but that lessons need to be learned from this crisis.

The president told B92 that all flats in Serbia would be receiving central heating again, and that the only problem would be with flats that use their own supply of gas for heating.

There is a chance that a certain amount of gas will start coming from Ukraine towards Serbia in the next 24 hours, he said.

Tadić said that the two million cubic meters of gas from Hungary and three million from Germany would be enough to keep Serbia warm.

The president said that the help offered by the two countries showed European solidarity, adding that he “expects help from one other European country.”

Serbia would not have been affected by the gas crisis had the Banatski Dvor storage facility been full.

The amount added to the facility over the summer cannot cover all of Serbia’s needs and the facility can only provide about 400,000 cubic meters of gas daily, which is not enough.

Tadić said that the last government was responsible for this oversight.

“We have to learn certain lessons and have alternative heating systems,” the president said.

The dispute between Russia and Ukraine could be settled soon. Tadić said that there was an initial agreement for EU member-states to help to pay off Ukraine’s debt to Russia.

The president said that this problem could only be solved strategically, by constructing the South Stream pipeline.

He has also spoken with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader regarding the gas situation in Croatia, where restrictions are in effect.

Tadić and Sanader said that officials from both countries would be in constant contact for the duration of the gas crisis.