CRAWFORD, Texas, Aug 20 (AFP) - The United States has no plans to tap into its strategic oil reserve or to stop filling it in order to ease oil prices, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday.
"To stop filling it would have a negligible impact," McClellan told reporters here, where President George W. Bush is vacationing on his ranch for the week.
The strategic reserve "is not there to manipulate prices for political purposes," the spokesman said.
"It is there for national emergencies or in the event of a severe disruption of supply in order to protect consumers and our economy," McClellan said.
The price of oil marked new highs Friday, as markets were nervous about fighting in Najaf, Iraq, where rebel militias loyal to Shiite radical leader Moqtada Sadr have clashed with US and Iraqi forces for more than two weeks.
On Friday, New York`s benchmark contract, light sweet crude for delivery in September, surged 70 cents over Thursday`s price to 49.40 dollars a barrel within five minutes of the start of official trade.
Crude prices have risen nearly 50 percent since January 1.
Bush said in November 2001 that he would fill the reserve to its capacity of 700 million barrels. The reserves are kept in salt mines on the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas.
Bush, a Republican, faces Democratic nominee John Kerry in an election to be held November 2.
Democrats attacked the Republican administration Friday for failing to address the high price of oil on international markets.
McClellan also called legislators to vote on an energy plan that the White House presented to Congress in 2001, but which has still not been adopted.
The plan calls for increased drilling in the United States, including increased nuclear power and the controversial exploitation of oil under an Alaska wildlife reserve.