More gridlock fears as French step-up fuel protest

PARIS, France -- Queues were forming at filling stations across France as hauliers, farmers and ambulance drivers vowed to step-up a protest over fuel prices which threatens to bring the country to a standstill.

On the eve of the latest threatened action, scheduled for Monday, innocent motorists hoped to avoid being caught without petrol.

The protestors say they are determined to force the government to meet their demand for a cut of almost 20 percent in the price of diesel fuel.

Last week, the French government was forced to give fishermen concessions over fuel prices after ports, including St Malo, Calais, Dunkirk and Le Havre, were blocked, leaving thousands of tourists stranded.

About 2,000 heavy lorries are expected to block some 70 depots and refineries from Cherbourg to Ombes, and Alsace, Nice, the Pyrenees and the Rhone River.

The action is being led by the FNTR, France's leading road haulage federation, which is expecting support from smaller groups and some ambulance and taxi drivers.

On Friday, farmers and taxi drivers blocked roads to protest against high fuel prices, a move which followed a similar protest by fishermen, who ended a three-day blockade of ports after winning concessions from the government.

The FNTR has said its blockade "will only be lifted when the authorities come to their senses and recognise the serious plight of the road haulage sector because of the continued hike in diesel."

An FNTR spokesman said: "Fuel represents approximately 25 percent of hauliers' operating costs so how can we stand still when diesel has risen in price by 40 percent in the past 12 months and by 50 percent in the past 18 months?"

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin has promised to look at ways to ease the impact of soaring fuel costs.

Citing runaway crude oil prices as the source of the problem, he said the government would approach the OPEC oil producers group to press them to get prices under control.

Following last week's ports blockade, Jospin's government agreed to compensate fishermen for a 75 percent increase in the cost of the untaxed fuel that powers their boats.

Finance Minister Laurent Fabius has also announced cuts in fuel oil taxes as of September 21 as part of a package of tax reductions for French households and businesses.

Oil prices were at near-decade highs on Friday, with benchmark Brent crude for October at $31.57 a barrel, well above a $30 flashpoint cited by the U.S. as unacceptably expensive.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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FNTR: The Federation of Hauliers (In French)

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