A worker walks next to pipelines at Hungarian oil group MOL's main Duna (Danube) refinery in Szazhalombatta Jan. 8, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

BUDAPEST, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Economics Minister Janos Koka said on Monday he would order the release of Hungary's strategic oil reserves if deliveries from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline, halted on Monday, are not restarted within 24 hours.

    Koka and Zsolt Hernadi, the chairman of Hungarian oil company Mol, both said the domestic supply of oil, oil products and gas would not be jeopardized by the disruption.

    Deliveries through the pipeline to Europe were halted on Monday in the wake of a price dispute between Russia and Belarus.

    Earlier in the day, Mol underlined that Hungary has more than 90 days of reserves.

    "Mol experts do not believe it likely that the supply difficulties will continue for any longer period of time, but the over 90 days worth of reserves give us ample time to schedule shipments from elsewhere including the Adria pipeline," said a Molstatement.

    Jozsef Toth, vice chairman of MSZKSZ, the company managing strategic energy reserves, pointed out that oil deliveries had been interrupted several times over the past couple decades, whether due to weather or maintenance.