沙特石油部長:美國的能源獨立想法是幼稚的

Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali al-Naimi says the United States is naive to think it could become independent from Middle East oil.

Al-Naimi told an audience in Washington Tuesday that he welcomes an increase in U.S. oil and gas production as good for the U.S. economy and world oil supplies.

But he said the idea of energy independence is naive and simplistic, because he said global energy markets are interconnected.

Since the 1973 Middle East oil embargo, many Americans, including President Barack Obama and his predecessors, have said the United States must stop depending on foreign oil. They say energy independence is crucial for U.S. national security.沙特阿拉伯石油部長歐那密表示，美國認爲自己不必依靠中東石油，能實現石油獨立的想法是幼稚的。

歐那密星期二在華盛頓演講時表示，他歡迎美國提高石油和天然氣產量，因爲這對美國經濟和世界石油供應是好事。

但是他說，能源獨立的想法是幼稚並過於簡單的，因爲國際能源市場是相互關聯的。

自從1973年中東地區實行石油禁運以來，包括奧巴馬總統及前美國總統在內的很多美國人認爲，美國必須停止依賴外國石油進口。他們說，能源自主對美國國家安全來說是至關重要的。