Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signs a pipe during a ceremony to launch gas at ‘Dalneye’ gas-distribution station in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signs a pipe during a ceremony to launch gas at ‘Dalneye’ gas-distribution station in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk March 19, 2011. Putin on Sunday offered Japanese companies stakes in two major Siberian gas fields which hold total reserves of about 3.2 trillion cubic metres. The pipe reads ‘Gas’. REUTERS/Alexsey Druginyn/RIA Novosti/Pool (RUSSIA – Tags: POLITICS ENERGY BUSINESS) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ORG XMIT: YUZ02 ORG XMIT: CHI1103191229482492