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Fuel Blockades Threaten to Paralyze Europe

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JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, as widespread grassroots fuel blockades plague Europe, most political leaders are refusing to lower the high taxes on gasoline and diesel. As both sides dig in, the paralyzing effects of the standoff are intensifying.

Here is CNN senior international correspondent Richard Blystone.

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RICHARD BLYSTONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Belgium, the protest and four days of piled up garbage are both getting old. Major streets in the European capital Brussels, a good place to sit.

Across Europe the gathering protest against high fuel taxes meant empty roads here and just the opposite there, Central London, tied up as defiant truckers brought a massive crawlathon close to the center of British power. Hundreds of trucks were held back by police. But even among those inconvenienced, sympathy for the protesters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A great deal of sympathy for the truckers and the farmers despite the fact that I've been stuck here for about 20 minutes...

BLYSTONE: And little sympathy for British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tony Blair's been too stubborn. I think he should be out of the job at the moment. He's never getting my vote ever again.

BLYSTONE: Newspapers blamed Mr. Blair's government for underestimating the strength of public resentment at fuel prices.

(on camera): The British, famously long-suffering, this time have taken their cue from the French, whose blockades regularly win concessions from the Paris government.

(voice-over): Under government orders, dozens of fuel tankers pulled out of terminals, but motorists sucked the stations dry faster than they could be replenished. This oasis, one of the one-third of British stations that had anything to burn, finally ran out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I literally have my orange lights on. I have no fuel left at all. I'm going to have to leave the car here. BLYSTONE: As the shortage started to drive British hospitals, schools, post offices, food stores, and factories into hibernation, across the continent Belgian blockades, more in the Netherlands, and talks under way to stave off others in Spain and Ireland. While Belgian officials were trying to negotiate a way out of the crisis, British leaders were hanging tough

JOHN PRESCOTT, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: And our job is to govern and it isn't to negotiate outside refinery stations.

BLYSTONE: Even if the government were disposed to talk, the British protest is so loosely organized that there'd be no single body to talk to. Prime Minister Blair has staked a lot on a flat no to fuel tax cuts, and his political future could depend on how long it takes for the protesters to run out of steam or fuel.

Richard Blystone, CNN, London.

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WOODRUFF: As Richard is suggesting, with few British fuel pumps running, millions of lives are being disrupted, and even the most vital services are feeling the pinch.

Caroline Kerr reports.

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CAROLINE KERR, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): At University Hospital Cardiff, medical staff had to cancel 45 nonurgent operations yesterday and they're planning to do the same today. The hospital says staff are making every effort to get to work, but if the fuel shortage continues it will face serious difficulties.

CLARE HERBERT, STAFF NURSE: Most of us are car sharing at the moment if there is anybody with petrol and we're working 14 1/2 hour shifts to try and cover for the girls that can't work. So we're pretty good, we work quite well as a team here, and we seem to be covering the shifts at the moment.

But obviously, as time goes on, more and more people are running out of petrol and it's becoming a little bit hard.

KERR: Elsewhere in the country, there are fears that banks could run out of cash before long. Bank staff in some branches in the Midlands have warned they're already running low. In the north of England, staff at some supermarkets say there has been a big increase in sales as people stocked up with essential supplies. But grocers are appealing to customers not to panic since so far deliveries are getting through.

In Scotland, football fans are concerned that this weekend's fixtures could be canceled. Today, the Scottish Premier League is holding an emergency meeting to decide whether the weekend's top five matches can go ahead. Meanwhile, British Midlands has told their pilots to refuel abroad when they're flying into East Midlands Airport, because it's now running out of fuel.

The CBI says large parts of the economy will shut down by the end of the week unless this dispute is resolved. Many of their members are reporting serious difficulties with fuel, which could cause factory shutdowns.

(on camera): With more and more aspects of daily life being affected by this crisis, the post office says that its service is now seriously threatened, too. Priority will be given to Social Security payments, but all other mail is now subject to delays.

Caroline Kerr, ITN, Central London.

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