Hollande Says No to Stock Release

摘要

France would withdraw support from a US-British plan to release strategic oil stocks if Socialist front-runner Francois Hollande beats President Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential election runoff on May 6, the energy adviser to Hollande said on Thursday. France joined Britain and the United States last month in talks to tap into strategic stocks, saying a move could happen in a matter of weeks. While Sarkozy's right- leaning government is pushing for a drawdown of emergency inventories to cut fuel prices, the Socialists say stocks should only be used in case of a severe supply disruption, not to manage prices.