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LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned Sunday that the West would not be held to ransom by Russia and threatened a "root and branch" review of relations between the EU and the Kremlin.
Brown said in an article in the Observer newspaper that Russia's actions in Georgia had underlined the pressing need for Europe to find alternative sources of oil and gas to avoid "an energy stranglehold".
He said he would argue at a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels on Monday that Russia should accept Georgia's territorial integrity and withdraw its troops to the positions they occupied before the military action over South Ossetia.
The prime minister said he had warned Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in a telephone call Saturday "to expect a determined European response" on the issue of Georgia.
"In the light of Russian actions, the EU should review -- root and branch -- our relationship with Russia," he wrote.
Brown said Russia had emerged as an economic power "by reaping the benefits of a stable global order based on agreements that make trade and investment both possible and profitable."
He added: "So when Russia has a grievance over an issue such as South Ossetia, it should act multilaterally by consent rather than unilaterally by force."
Brown said his message to Russia was simple: "If you want to be welcome at the top table or organisations such as the G8, OECD and WTO, you must accept that with rights come responsibilities.
"We want Russia to be a good partner in the G8 and other organisations, but it cannot pick and choose which rules it adheres to."
In the article, Brown said Russia's role as a major gas and oil supplier made it imperative for Europe to quickly take steps to diversify its energy supply.
"No nation can be allowed to exert an energy stranglehold over Europe," he said.
"Without urgent action we risk sleepwalking into an energy dependence on less stable or reliable partners."
Brown said the EU must "more rapidly build relationships with other producers of oil and gas", such as sourcing more energy from the Caspian Sea to reduce over-reliance on Russia.
He also urged European leaders to redouble their efforts to complete a single market in gas and electricity and said he would encourage them to strike collective energy deals rather than separate arrangements with Russia. - AFP/vm
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