Ukraine Discusses Oil Supply With Libya

TRIPOLI, Lybia -- Visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko called on Monday for energy cooperation with Libya saying her country needed to diversify its energy sources to reduce dependence on Russia.
Our independence (toward Russia) would be greater if we were energy-independent and if we diversified our supply sources," Tymoshenko said after talks with Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmoudi."So far we we dependent 100 percent on only one source (Russia)," she said.Tymoshenko suggested that Libya build an oil refinery in the Ukrainian port of Odessa as well as petrol stations in the former Soviet republic "to distribute its (oil) production in Ukraine and Europe."Tymoshenko, whose remarks were translated into Arabic, also said her country was ready to provide Libya with the means to stock and transport four million tonnes of wheat a year.She likewise suggested aeronautic cooperation between Ukraine and Libya, and added that 17 accords were ready to be signed at a meeting in her country.Mahmoudi, meanwhile, said Libya wanted to cooperate with Ukraine in civilian nuclear energy. "Libya has several offers for civilian nuclear cooperation but we prefer to do it with Ukraine," he said.