Monday, May 8 2006 09:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Stressing that oil has become an economic risk for the country, US President George W Bush has said that America will have to get rid of its dependence on oil from the Middle East, and one of the ways is to focus on alternative ways to drive automobiles.

In an interview to a German Television station yesterday, Bush said that if greenhouse gases are a problem then attention should be on nuclear power as a renewable source of energy; and it made no sense to sign the Kyoto Treaty because it did not include countries like India and China.

"Oil has become an economic risk for us... If the demand for oil goes up in India or China, fast-growing economies, it affects the price of gasoline in the United States and in Germany. It's also a national security issue, obviously. Oil comes from unstable parts of the world. So I'm absolutely serious about getting off of oil," Bush said.

Bush rejected the notion of raising taxes as a solution to problems and instead pointed to technological change.

"The best way to do it is through technological change. You don't have to tax the working people," Bush said.

"And so the best way to solve the problem is to spend money on research and development and come up with alternative ways to drive our automobiles. We think we're close to a breakthrough to have a battery in our vehicles that will enable an urban dweller to drive the first 40 miles without using gasoline," he added.