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Monday, 4 September, 2000, 17:16 GMT 18:16 UK French protest hits fuel supply

Blockades by farmers and truck drivers protesting against the price of diesel fuel are paralysing fuel distribution in France. On Monday afternoon, nearly 2,000 vehicles had reportedly joined the protest, sealing off about 60 of the country's 70 fuel depots and refineries.

Protest organisers, the Federation of Road Hauliers (FNTR) said it did not expect a petrol shortage for a week, but fear of impending fuel shortages triggered panic buying in some areas, with lines of motorists queuing at petrol stations to fill up their cars.

By mid-morning police reported that several petrol stations had run dry as a result of panic buying in the Alpine region of Greenbelt.

Fears of shortages has prompted many to stock up The protest comes four days after French fishermen - also concerned about the high price of fuel - managed to secure a package of concessions from the French Government by blockading ports.

The protests have hit northern France hardest, with hundreds of trucks and farm vehicles blockading petrol refineries in Feyzin near Lyon, Donges near Nantes in the west, Dunkerque in the north, Reichstett near Strasbourg, Fos near Marseille and Gonfreville and Grand Couronne in Normandy.

The central Auvergne and Correze regions and the Reithstett refinery near the eastern city of Strasbourg have also been affected, but the Paris region has escaped major disruption so far.

At least one facility, a Total refinery in Lamede in southern France, was under police guard, requisitioned by local authorities to assure fuel supplies.

One truck firm owner, speaking to French radio from a blockade near Rouen, said: "We don't like doing this because it makes us unpopular, but frankly we've no choice."

The FNTR is angry about a 50% rise in the price of diesel in the past 18 months

The FNTR says it will lift its blockade only "when the authorities come to their senses and recognise the serious plight of the road haulage sector because of the continued hike in diesel".

No agreement

On Monday afternoon, a meeting between the French Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot and leaders of the three unions behind the protest, ended without agreement.

Truckers are determined to force government concessions In a statement, the National Federation of Truckers said it was more determined than ever to continue the protest.

"This is a profession that, today, is strangled," said its representative Yves Battisatel speaking to on French television.

Prime Minister Lionel Jospin has promised to look at ways to lessen the impact of high fuel costs and said the government would try to persuade the cartel of oil-producing countries, Opec, to lower the price of crude.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_909000/909611.stm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 04, 2000

Answers

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! This makes about as much sense as rioters in the inner city burning down their own neighborhoods.

-- JackW (jpayne@webtv.com), September 04, 2000.

I could never begin to understand this sort of thing; what's to be gained? It should be obvious that such actions only exacerbate the problem.

-- Nancy7 (nancy7@Hotmail.com), September 04, 2000.

Panic buying as blockade squeezes pumps dry

By John Lichfield in Paris

5 September 2000

Petrol stations in several French cities were beginning to run out of fuel last night at the end of the first day of a national blockade of oil refineries and depots by truck drivers and farmers.

Pumps in Lyons, Grenoble, Marseilles and Toulouse were besieged by panic-buying motorists from early morning, soaking up several days' normal supply. Oil companies said that some stations had already run out of the most popular grades of fuel.

With private ambulances, bus companies, taxi drivers, waste disposal firms and even forestry workers joining, or threatening to join, the barricades in the next couple of days, France appears doomed to another week of oil-fired discontent. Talks with the three main road transport federations at the ministry of transport in Paris broke up last night without reaching a settlement.

Negotiations with the truck drivers, as well as farmers and taxi drivers, are expected to resume today. All the groups are demanding some form of government tax cut, subsidy or compensation for the world-wide rise in oil prices.

Their demands have been hardened, or encouraged, by the generous package of cuts in social payments and harbour charges given to fishermen last week to end their two-day blockade of French ports.

The first lorry and tractor barriers moved into place at the gates of refineries, petrol depots and ports at 60 strategic points around the country on Sunday evening.

By the morning, many refineries were besieged by a bizarre collection of heavy trucks, ambulances, tractors and coaches. The Paris area was spared at first but all the fuel depots around the capital were reported to have been sealed off by last night.

Lorries also barricaded access to the airport at Nice and Mulhouse, to stop supplies of aviation fuel reaching the airlines. Taxi-drivers blocked the centre of Montpellier but much bigger taxi demonstrations, to disrupt traffic in Paris and other large cities, are planned for Thursday.

After the usual government policy of non-resistance to organised social unrest, there was no attempt by police to keep the fuel depots open. The transport and agriculture ministers have promised some kind of help for farmers and hauliers but the first round of talks at the transport ministry appeared to have failed last night.

The Agriculture Minister, Jean Glavany, warned farmers "not to expect too much". He said a farmer using a tractor or other farm machinery could not be compared to a trawler, using thousands of litres of fuel every time it left port.

Lorry owners' federations are demanding a tax rebate of 70 centimes (7p) a litre for up to 1,000 litres, per lorry, per week, all back- dated to 1 January.

The truck owners complain that the rise in fuel prices and high French fuel taxes have made it impossible to compete with trucks from other EU countries. Diesel costs Fr4.70 a litre (47p) in France, compared to Fr3.50 a litre a year ago and Fr3.60 a litre in Spain

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Europe/2000- 09/blockade050900.shtml

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 04, 2000.

French fuel supplies run dry as truckers protest

Fuel stations in several parts of France have run dry and local governments have started rationing petrol as French truckers expanded a blockade on oil refineries and fuel depots.

Motorists faced long lines at the pump as nationwide protests against soaring fuel prices entered a second day, and union representatives resumed talks with Transport Ministry officials, struggling to reach a compromise.

Negotiators have demanded a 20% cut in fuel taxes. In a late-night negotiating session on Monday, the government agreed to a cut of only 10%. Daniel Chevalier, president of the UNOSTRA union, has called the government's initial concessions "completely insufficient."

Truckers, joined by farmers, ambulance drivers and taxi drivers, blockaded more than 85 oil refineries and fuel depots around the country.

Television news stations showed fuel pumps around the country covered with "out of order" signs. Up to 80% of TotalFinaElf's 5,500 gas stations around France had run out of fuel or faced dwindling stocks, said Elisabeth de Beaumont, a spokeswoman for the French oil and gas group.

Dwindling supplies forced officials in many regions to reserve fuel stations for the use of emergency and police vehicles. In the Brittany region of Western France, authorities took over 67 gas stations. About half the gas stations in the southern port city of Marseille had run dry by the evening, and local officials closed off 15 stations for official use only.

Officials in several areas, such as the Limousin region, are rationing fuel to motorists. Some drivers crossed into Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and Spain to fill their tanks.

The truckers' blockade in France affected high-speed TGV trains in southwestern parts of the country when protesters, including farmers and ambulance drivers, burned tyres and straw on the rail lines in support of the truckers.

In the Mediterranean city of Nice, truckers blocked vehicles from entering the international airport. Some travellers were forced to walk with luggage from outside the airport's entrance, said airport spokesman Philippe Bellissent.

Mr Bellissent added that planes flying into Nice from Paris and other European points had been advised to travel with twice the normal fuel load. Demonstrators on Monday had tried to block aircraft from refuelling.

Last updated: 19:05 Tuesday 5th September 2000.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_54072.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 05, 2000.

French Airports Run Out Of Aviation Fuel

Sep 7, 2000

The airport in the western French city of Rennes ran out of aviation fuel today while Nice airport said it expected supply problems by the weekend.

Airlines started advising pilots to tank up in the well-supplied Paris airports or abroad as protests and demonstrations against the high cost of diesel grew and truckers, farmers, taxi and ambulance drivers and others escalated a campaign of barricades and go-slows across France.

In Alsace near Germany, police guarded 27 fuel stations reserved for emergency services to keep away motorists.

Hoping to stop the chain reaction of demands from sectors dependent on diesel and gasoline, Jospin put his foot down yesterday, declaring the government could go no further than the 15 percent diesel tax cut offered to truck owners.

His firm stand only strengthened the protesters' resolve to keep up the fight until the government caved in. The truck owners have demanded a 20 percent cut in diesel tax.

Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande told Europe 1 radio the government might have to use force if the protesters refused to lift their barricades.

"Using force would be the last resort," he said. "If there is a serious risk of paralyzing the economy or a risk for public health or daily life in France, I think we should take action."

The government's offer to truck owners would cut diesel taxes for heavy trucks by 35 centimes to 2.22 French francs (USD$0.293) per litre this year. The full price per litre, including taxes, is 5.51 francs, made up mainly of taxes. http://news.airwise.com/stories/2000/09/968331628.html

-- Doris (reaper1@mindspring.com), September 07, 2000.