Afghan official blames Iran's blockade for fuel shortage

Afghan official blames Iran's blockade for fuel shortage

2011-01-17 18:50:34 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) - Afghanistan's commerce minister has blamed Iran for the country's fuel shortage, the DPA news agency reported on Monday.

"Afghanistan is suffering. The stoppage of fuel tankers has created great problems and a crisis for us in terms of fuel supply," Anwarul Haq Ahadi told journalists.

Iran cut its fuel supply route to Afghanistan for more than a month without providing a convincing reason in early December. It has been allowing only small numbers of trucks, 40 tankers a day, to cross the border. There were still about 1,800 to 1,900 tankers on the other side, Ahadi said.

Afghanistan was importing 2,000 tons of fuel daily through Iran before the problem started.

Meanwhile, the government and the private sector have approached other fuel sources, like Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. In addition, according to the minister, Russian oil companies had concluded a number of deals with private companies in Afghanistan, and the fuel would reach Kabul in three weeks.

Afghans protests have increased since the month-long blockade started. Five demonstrations took place in front of the Iranian Embassy in Kabul where protesters also threw stones, DPA reported.

Fuel prices have gone up across the country by up to 35 per cent with the first snows of winter falling earlier this week in the capital.

Afghanistan annually needs at least two million tons of fuel to supply its domestic needs. Around 40 per cent of the fuel, according to officials, usually comes from Iran.

NATO arranges its fuel needs separately.

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