Moscow, May 18 :

The Kremlin said today that any attempts to ‘discriminate’ against Moscow in its negotiations to join the World Trade Organisation would bring tou-gher terms for foreign companies seeking access to Russian markets, a policy that could affect US oil firms hoping to dev-elop a massive natural gas field.

“In general, if you discriminate against us in the WTO, you can’t expect us to welcome you with open arms,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Dow Jones Newswires. But Peskov denied that the Kremlin was announcing a direct link between American companies’ potential participation in development of the Shtokman gas field and talks with the United States on Russia’s World Trade Organisation entry. The statement was intended to reflect Kremlin policy “in general,” Peskov said.