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IAM1
B.V. Info-a-holic
Joined: Sep 01, 2006
Posts: 5467
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 Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:23 am Post subject: THE TRANS-AFGHANISTAN PIPELINE |
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Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, the Taliban and the Pipeline Consortium
Map of the Turkmenistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan Pipeline
8/17/08
By Dr. Chris
'Pipelines and oil deals seem to be spreading out all over Central Asia. The players include all of the major oil companies, especially those with close ties to the Bush Administration, along with Russian oil companies, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Central Asian republics themselves. Only the Afghanistan pipeline seems to be moving slowly.'
It's quite probable that the central banks and the controlling global elites had to secure the oil in Iraq first before Iran got control of it. So don't let the "moving slowly" scenario fool anyone about the reasons for the Bush administration starting an illegal war in Afghanistan for a pipeline project to be built. There is more than just the construction of an oil or gas pipeline that got them there. They also had to implement their Iraq puppet government that would serve their global interests.
They've got their corrupt fingers in all the worlds pies because they make a profit from controlling the poppy fields and implementing their puppet government leaders who will bend to Western (the Bush administration) wills. According to a 14 Feb 2002 article in the Israeli newspaper, Ma'ariv "If one looks at the map of the big American bases created (in Afghanistan), one is struck by the fact that they are completely identical to the route of the projected pipeline to the Indian ocean".
As these global elitists spread across the worlds continents creating their financial security powers of benefiting from the creation/formation of gas and oil pipelines for their fellow elitists, it doesn't matter to them who, or how many, people get killed in the process. Just as long as they accomplish their agendas for world power, world control of all the major resources and eventually, the control of all the people through their fascist World government. The imperialistic invasion wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan were transparent excuses to gain control over newly emerging energy resources, which will fill the pockets of all the elitists who have a vested interest.
Watch this video {below} which aids in understanding this global domination of fascism and imperialism to attain their agendas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuCg_LYJ6gk
YouTube - Blood for Oil: A Pipeline in Pakistan
The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAP or TAPI) is a proposed natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank. The pipeline will transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. The Afghan government is expected to receive 8% of the project's revenue.
The original CentGas project, also known as the Central Asian Gas Pipeline Consortium, was made up of Unocal (U.S., 47% share), Delta Oil (Saudi Arabia, 15%), Government of Turkmenistan (7%), Itochu oil Exploration (Japan, 6.5%), Indonesia Petroleum [INPEX] (Japan, 6.5%), Hyundai Engineering and Construction (5%), and the Crescent Group (Pakistan, 3.5%). Source: MediaChannel.org
The 1,680 km pipeline will run from the Dauletabad gas field to Afghanistan. From there TAPI will be constructed alongside the highway running from Herat to Kandahar, and then via Quetta and Multan in Pakistan. The final destination of the pipeline will be the Indian town of Fazilka, near the border between Pakistan and India. The pipeline will be 1,420 mm in diameter with a working pressure of 100 atm and the capacity of 33 billion cubic meter (bcm) of natural gas annually. Six compressor stations are to be constructed along the pipeline. The cost of this international infrastructure is estimated at US$3.5 billion (2005 figures). Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the Silk Road. The Afghan government is expected to receive 8% of the project's revenue.
Bridas Corporation
Bridas Corporation is an independent oil and gas holding company based in Argentina....
Bridas Corporation has focused in the South America Southern Cone and Central Asia. Its activities includes four principal areas of operations:
* exploration and development of oil and gas reserves and the production of oil and gas;
* marketing and transportation of oil, gas and oil products;
* gathering, treatment, processing and distribution of gas and power generation;
* drilling and well services.
In addition to its operations in Argentina, Bridas has been active in the international market since 1978. The Company has focused its efforts in the South America Southern Cone and in countries of Central Asia.[1][/b]
Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline controversy
'A BBC regional correspondent says the proposal to build a pipeline across Afghanistan is part of an international scramble to profit from developing the rich energy resources of the Caspian Sea.' -BBC News, December 4, 1997[2]
In 1997, Bridas was one of two companies negotiating with the Taliban to build the Trans-Afghanistan Gas Pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan. Another company was Unocal. Unocal was also the third largest member of the recently completed and opened Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Although the agreement with Unocal-led corporation CentGas was reached with the Taliban, the deal later failed. The failure was believed to be because the deal was going to be struck with Bridas. The pipeline was not built, due to instability in Afghanistan an inability of CentGas and the Taliban to come to a mutually acceptable economic understanding although rumours about a deal with Bridas were widespread. In 2006, Bridas indicated interest to continue with the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline project. [3]
India to join Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan gas pipeline
'Officials said the pipeline from Turkmenistan would be more easier to implement than the Iran-Pakistan-India line as it already had the backing of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Moreover, unlike IPI, the project does not run the risk of being blacklisted for participation by US and European financiers and companies. US has been encouraging Pakistan to abandon the IPI project and consider TAP for meeting its gas needs. The Bush administration accuses Tehran of harbouring nuclear weapon ambitions and has called for its isolation.
The pipeline would offer a much-needed financial boost to war-ravaged Afghanistan in form of transit fee. “Of course there are security implications but once Afghans see huge economic benefits flow in the form of jobs and multi-million dollar transit fee, they will ensure the pipeline is safe,” an official said.' -Independent Bangladesh, 31 March 2008[4]
It's fairly obvious that there's more than just the transport of oil and gas going on for this pipeline project and its benefactors. Just look at what's going on presently with Georgia, Ossetia and Russia, conflict and war. The Bush Administration immediately focused on a war in Afghanistan, getting rid of the Taliban leaders to make it secure for a puppet leader and a pipeline to carry oil and natural gas from the landlocked Caspian Sea. And
the Federation of Soviet republics surrounding the Caspian Sea (particularly Kazakhstan) have the potential to become the biggest oil producing nations on Earth. "By 2050," reports the Asia Times, "the Persian Gulf/Caspian Sea will account for more than 80 percent of world oil and natural gas production.
Together, the Persian Gulf and the Caspian may have an estimated amount of around 800 billion barrels of oil, and an energy equivalent amount in natural gas. Compare this figure with oil reserves in the Americas and in Europe: less than 160 billion barrels. And they will be exhausted before 2030." Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan want to build a pipeline to carry their oil and gas out to deep-sea ports. The shortest possible route would go through Iran, which the U.S. has declared part of an "Axis of Evil", which actually should be the other way around. The second shortest route is via Afghanistan, a dangerous proposition that the Clinton and Bush Administrations have nonetheless encouraged during and after Taliban rule.
By Email, By Facsimile to White House, from....
....Karl W. B. Schwarz
President, Chief Executive Officer
Patmos Nanotechnologies, LLC
Mr. President [Bush],
I am a Conservative Christian Republican that has no intentions of voting for you in this year's election and many other Conservative Republicans are following me.
America demands the TRUTH and not after the elections; this nation demands the truth from you RIGHT NOW! This letter and an identical email will be going out to hundreds of thousands by me, millions by others. The following content was sent to the White House by facsimile earlier today from Ground Zero in New York City.
1. I demand as an American citizen that you lift the "gag order" on Sibel D. Edmonds and let Americans know what foreign names and what AMERICAN NAMES she uncovered in her FBI translations that were involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and the financing of 9-11. Her facts and your "official story" lies do not add up. Americans demand the truth on that matter before the election.
2. I demand to know what energy companies were in that Cheney Energy Task Force meeting and what discussions there were as to the steps that would be taken to remove the Taliban and Bridas Corporation as the last remaining obstacle to the United States controlling the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline. I met that company in 1999 and have known since then about the Bridas v Unocal, $15 billion interference of contract lawsuit in US District Court, Southern District of Texas. I also know about the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision on September 9, 2003 that upheld the Bridas $500 million arbitration settlement and the March 22, 2004 denial of Writ of Certiorari at the United States Supreme Court, Case 03-1018, Turkmenneft v Bridas.
3. I demand to know how many prisoners are being held at GITMO and other places that are either BRIDAS EMPLOYEES or are persons that know all about Bridas Corporation and what your administration did to get control of that Trans-Afghanistan pipeline.
4. I demand to know how many board meetings Condoleezza Rice and Thomas Kean sat in on at Chevron and Amerada Hess where it was discussed how they were going to deal with making the billions in "Big Oil" investments into a land locked Caspian Basin and how to get rid of the Taliban and Bridas so they could turn those investments into cash flow. How many times did Big Oil ask for military force to complete a commercial transaction they could not get under their control, and on what exact date did you agree to provide such military force - prior to 9-11? Isn't it true Mr. Bush that the Cheney Energy Task Force discussed that attack on Afghanistan and removal of the Taliban / Bridas obstacle once and for all - and did so well in advance of 9-11?
5. I demand to know why you appointed 10 persons to the 9-11 Commission, 8 of which are directly benefiting by the Taliban / Bridas "contract" obstacle being removed - breached with military force, and the big Caspian Oil deals that are now coming to market. No, America does not 'thank you' for that nor do we hold such despicable conduct up high.
6. I demand to know what US Oil Company stepped up as the sponsor of that OPIC and Asia Development Bank funded Trans-Afghanistan pipeline and what US company is constructing that pipeline right now, and what US firms are supplying the key components and their relationship to your administration.
7. I demand that you identify the company and persons who were going around Bridas to be "natural gas suppliers" to the US owned natural gas electrical generation plants in Pakistan (Dynegy - Illinova /Tenaska, El Paso (2 OPIC financed transactions) and others.
8. I demand to know why you have not been truthful with the American public that your GWOT and military policy are protecting the Caspian Basin Oil and Gas deals for many of your Bush Pioneers, some $9.6 trillion in oil and about $3 trillion in natural gas, now mostly in the hands of your elite wealthy contributors and some elite Liberals to keep this all quiet.
9. I demand to know what role the post-bankruptcy ENRON (Prisma Energy International, Cayman Islands) is playing in the Caspian Basin area, the same Enron that uses the law firm of Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw [Richard Ben Veniste, 9-11 Commission] that established the offshore SPE's for assets that were never under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
10. I demand to know why you appointed Richard Ben Veniste to the 9-11 Commission when it was his law firm that was stalling Bridas Corporation at the Fifth Circuit US Court of Appeals in the matter of Bridas Corporation v. Turkmenneft and his law firm is directly involved in Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and your administration.
11. I demand to know the exact date of the order that had our military practicing in early 2001 the invasion of Afghanistan to take out the Taliban and Bridas Corporation and make that pipeline under control of US interests, many of your Bush Pioneers, and the exact date that our military started practicing and preparing for that invasion.
12. I demand to know who Remington Holdings Ltd is, and Western Acquisitions, Inc, both Baker & Botts clients and the lucky recipients of OPIC financing to acquire oil and gas deposits in Pakistan.
Who are the parties involved in those entities by name and benefited from such governmental magnanimity? Is this transaction a payoff? Since American taxpayers are footing the bill, we have the right to know - right now.
13. I demand to know why you could not find 10 people to sit on the 9-11 Commission that are not directly benefiting from the actions you have taken and the lives you have cost or otherwise ruined. Why would you select people not motivated to find the truth for that would impact "their bottom line"?
14. I demand a full disclosure from your administration as to the Citibank / IFTRIC / OPIC / Export-Import Bank financing of American / Israeli based deals in Islamic nations on behalf of your major campaign contributors.
"IFTRIC and Citibank have an agreement allowing Citibank to finance approved IFTRIC-backed transactions. Citibank Israel CEO Nandan Mar said: 'The Citibank branch, and the Structured Trade Finance Group, view IFTRIC's program as a basic product for the bank's domestic activities.'"
I see distinct differences between "terrorism" and "outrage" (Shurtan II) at your policies.
15. I demand to know why you wanted an entire new division of the CIA for Argentina. As an American citizen I take umbrage to your belligerence towards a nation that is not an enemy of the United States by any stretch of the imagination, except possibly yours. It is abundantly clear that your intentions were solely to intimidate Argentina and Argentina based Bridas Corporation into silence and that is NOT AMERICA. That has every appearance of the United States acting as the terrorist and a state sponsor of terrorism. Yes, you are wrapped in a flag but I clearly see that it is not the one you purport it to be.
16. I demand to know why your administration has never disclosed that DynPort Vaccine, LLC, owned by DynCorp and now owned by Computer Sciences Corporation, a Bush Pioneer, is a possible source for where the weaponized Ames Strain of anthrax came from that was used against this nation. How did your administration manage to miss one of your campaign contributors and a company doing large volumes of business with your administration and even being known euphemistically (DynCorp) as The Mercenary Company? Who put that Contract on America?
17. I demand to know how you can claim a pretense of being a Christian while sponsoring and condoning the torture of prisoners, including sodomizing children, at Abu Ghraib prison.
18. I demand to know how your administration can send firms overseas as "representatives of this nation" that were convicted of running a flesh trade in little girls in Bosnia, specifically one DynCorp. Convicted in Texas and the United Kingdom according to reports I have seen and apparently detested in Afghanistan. You do recall that DynCorp is the company providing security to protect your puppet Karzai in Afghanistan and your other puppet Zalmay Khalilzad is deterring anyone from running for President in that bogus "free" democracy?
19. I demand to know why your administration keeps running the name and photos of Adnan G. El Shukrijumah as the "dirty bomb boogeyman" and on March 25, 2003 the FBI knew exactly where to find him and did not go after him. That telephone call was made from my telephone by a Canadian friend that was in Little Rock on that date, Mr. Bush, so do not pretend "national security" with me.
I am "first person" on this matter and all of America deserves to know the extent that your administration has been and is lying to us all - and someone that is not Al Qaeda is probably "dropping a suspect name" as they set up a dirty bomb attack. Sure have pushed up the oil and gas prices with your strategy though, guess we can consider that another "Mission Accomplished".
20. I demand to know why your administration keeps referring to Adnan G. El Shukrijumah as a "Saudi" when the FBI knows full well he is not Saudi. His family is from Guyana in South America and they have lived in Florida since 1986 without incident. His grandparents were from Yemen, moved long ago to South America and his mother is from Trinidad & Tobago.
21. I demand to know why you alerted India, Pakistan and "Axis of Evil" member Iran of your intentions to attack the Taliban / Bridas well before 9-11, and not notify the citizens of this nation. That matter was reported on June 26, 2001 in India newspapers.
22. I demand to know the exact date that the first meeting, first page of the Patriot Act was started by your administration.
23. I demand to know why it is you, your backers, certain Democrats that apparently "hate our freedoms" more than these purported GWOT Islamic fundamentalists, hence the Patriot Act that treats all Americans with the same degree of contempt and disdain you treat all non-wealthy Americans.
24. I demand to know why Homeland Security is protecting this government and not protecting this nation.
25. I demand to know why any dissent or objections to your Orwellian, imperialistic, pro-corporate agenda is referred to the Homeland Security Counter-Terrorism Division.
26. I demand to know why you defile everything you touch and try to twist it into something that is pro-Bush Backers and anti-American citizens and then try to alter our rights as Americans via Patriot Act measures that are designed to force America into submission and does nothing to protect this nation, only this government.
27. I demand to know why your administration is planning a "pro-Bush Pioneers pharmaceutical program" derived from TMAP (Texas Medical Algorithm Project) and PENNMAP (Tom Ridge, Pennsylvania) to have Americans tested under guidelines prepared by your Bush Pioneers and force psychotropic drugs on Americans.
28. I demand to know why your administration keeps injecting our troops with an anthrax vaccine known to be deadly and harmful to the health of our soldiers and now apparently wish to inject that into all Americans under Project BioShield and martial law. Is that why you have no concern whatsoever for the 3 million jobs lost, for between your TMAP lunacy and Project BioShield lunacy, well over 3 million Americans could perish if the same statistical rates hit the general population as has hit our military? Can you explain away Holocaust with "brilliant strategy policy" driven by unmitigated greed?
29. I demand to know why Li Ka-shing was denied Global Crossing on national security grounds (very public) yet allow him in the back door in Savi Technology (not disclosed), the RFID technology company that is purportedly protecting our ports from insertion of a nuclear bomb into this nation via "ocean going containers". How many doors are left wide open by your administration in this GWOT Fable?
30. I demand to know why you search the world for mythical terrorists and cannot find robber barons and financial terrorist right under your nose. That many of them are Bush Pioneers and even backers of the Democratic Party, and have plundered the investors, workers and citizens of this nation, is very apparent to Americans and not very pro-family on your part.
Christians do not lie, Mr. Bush, for that is an affront to God. A Christian would not willfully mislead this nation, nor send our troops into Harm's Way for a lie while your wealthy contributors take over a $9.6 trillion oil, $3.0 trillion natural gas deal and already maneuvering for Africa. You are proving to the world that you are terrified of the truth and have impeded every investigation into the truth.
Your actions prove that you are not an upstanding Christian, nor are you a Conservative Republican worthy of that designation.
Your position as President does not make you unaccountable to the citizens of this nation, nor does it entitle you to act as a tyrant, an emperor, or serving only those Americans that dole out money for your political ambitions and agendas. I see no "stewardship" in your conduct whatsoever.
You have "Mission Accomplished" three times - the removal of Taliban / Bridas to control that pipeline, radically escalated the price of oil and gas for some of your major backers, and the death and maiming of many due to your lies. Your "Iraq Strategery" makes perfect sense to me, since all of you needed a diversion away from Afghanistan, the Caspian Basin and what you did to Bridas Corporation to get control of that $9.6 trillion in oil, $3 trillion in natural gas.
Go back home and wrap yourself in the flag of Texas and the shame you alone are responsible for creating. Your resume is your doing and yours alone.
If you were running against me this year, you would not have the guts to stay on the stage in a debate with me.
Shame on all of you, both sides of the aisle that have lied to America and gotten so many killed and maimed for a lie, and no, I am not an antiwar person. Just adamantly opposed to what you stand for, for that is lower than Clinton on his worst day.[5]
Sincerely,
Karl W. B. Schwarz
President, Chief Executive Officer
Patmos Nanotechnologies, LLC
Footnotes/Links:
[1] BBC News | West Asia | Taleban in Texas for talks on gas pipeline
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/west_asia/37021.stm
[2] OilVoice | Bridas CorporationDescription http://www.oilvoice.com/Description/Bridas_Corporation/e67b6a93.aspx
[3] Bridas Corporation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridas_Corporation
[4] India to join Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan gas pipeline
http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/200803313829/business/india-to-join-turkmenistan-afghanistan-pakistan-gas-pipeline.html
[5] Picasso Dreams: The Real Karl Schwarz and an Apology
http://www.picassodreams.com/picasso_dreams/2004/10/teh_real_karl_s.html |
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IAM1
B.V. Info-a-holic
Joined: Sep 01, 2006
Posts: 5467
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:04 am Post subject: |
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Turkmenistan Still Interested In Trans-Afghan Pipeline
Russia -- Turkmen President, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov in Moscow, 23Apr2007
July 5, 2007 -- Turkmenistan says it is still interested in a $2 billion project to build a gas pipeline across Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov made the comment to his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, who started a two-day visit to Turkmenistan today.
Berdymukhammedov also said his country will be ready to ship 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually through the pipeline. Karzai said all countries along the pipeline's route would stand to gain.
A spokesman in Kabul said earlier in the day that Afghanistan is hoping the project will create 12,000 jobs for Afghans and eventually bring in $300 million in annual transit tariffs. |
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IAM1
B.V. Info-a-holic
Joined: Sep 01, 2006
Posts: 5467
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:21 am Post subject: |
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Russia: Energy Summit Gives Putin New Trump Card
Presidents Nazarbaev (left), Putin (center) and Berdymukhammedov after their summit in Turkmenbashi
May 16, 2007
By Jean-Christophe Peuch
May 16, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin last week clinched a deal that, at least on paper, ensures that his country will remain the world's largest natural-gas exporter for many years to come. Whether Russia will be able to capitalize on the short-term political dividends it may expect from this arrangement remains unclear, however.
For Kremlin officials and most Russian media, the outcome of the three-way summit that took place on May 12 in the Caspian Sea city port of Turkmenbashi is a major victory for Putin.
The plan envisages the construction of a new pipeline and the modernization of old ones to carry Turkmen and Kazakh natural gas to Russia and on to Europe.
One of the most immediate political fallouts of the talks the Russian president had with his Kazakh and Turkmen counterparts, Nursultan Nazarbaev and Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, is that they eclipsed a rival high-level meeting that took place the day before in Krakow, Poland.
The Turkmenbashi deal left U.S. and EU Caspian energy polices "in ruins." -- Analyst Vladimir Socor
Nazarbaev, who had initially confirmed his presence at this pro-Western energy summit that was to focus on Caspian oil projects for European consumer countries, dispatched instead a deputy energy minister, Lyazzat Kiinov.
Analyst Vladimir Socor wrote in the May 14 issue of the Jamestown Foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor that the announcement made in Turkmenbashi "cast a dark shadow on the Krakow summit" and left U.S. and EU Caspian energy policies "in ruins."
In a joint statement released at the end of their meeting, the Russian, Kazakh, and Turkmen leaders said they had instructed their respective governments to proceed with the construction of a new export pipeline to Russia along the Caspian Sea coast.
The declaration said a final agreement on the Caspian shore gas pipeline would be signed by September 1 and that its implementation would begin in the second half of 2008.
In a second declaration that was reportedly signed beforehand by Uzbek President Islam Karimov, the three presidents said they had agreed to upgrade two old pipelines, including one that carries Turkmen gas to Russia through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Russian officials say the deals should help increase annual imports of Central Asian gas to 90 billion cubic meters, up from current volumes believed to be around 50 billion cubic meters.
Boost For Putin Ahead Of EU Talks
In the absence of information on Turkmenistan's actual gas reserves, which remain a state secret, Putin's victory is first and foremost diplomatic.
The Russian president is scheduled to meet May 19 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European officials for talks that promise to be tense.
Although energy cooperation is unlikely to top the agenda of the upcoming Russia-EU summit, it would be most surprising if the results of the Turkmenbashi meeting were not discussed.
The Interfax news agency on May 12 quoted an unidentified Kremlin official as saying the deals secured that day in Turkmenistan gave Russia "additional arguments" in its energy dialogue with the European-Union.
Russian Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko in turn said that, once implemented, those pipeline agreements would help cover the needs of both the CIS and European gas markets. A price dispute between Russia and Ukraine led to a brief disruption in supplies to Europe (ITAR-TASS)
The EU is wary of its energy dependence on Russia, which supplies roughly one-quarter of the oil and gas consumed by the bloc, and the proportion is set to rise sharply in coming decades.
Energy security has become a top priority for the EU ever since a price dispute between Moscow and Kyiv last year led to a brief disruption of gas deliveries from Russia. Ukraine is a main transit route for the natural gas Russia buys from Central Asian producers and re-exports to Europe.
Brussels insists that Russia ratify an international treaty known as the Energy Charter that would oblige it to offer foreign investors fair access to its hydrocarbon reserves and, more importantly, to its export pipelines.
Putin has rejected the call, saying the treaty runs contrary to Russia's interests.
While trying to overcome Moscow's objections, the EU is seeking ways to buy natural gas directly from Central Asian producers.
Blow To U.S.-sponsored Pipeline Project?
The United States, which backs efforts to loosen Russia's energy grip on the EU, is calling upon the bloc to engage with Turkmenistan's new leadership and is trying to convince the latter to rally to a planned underwater pipeline that would deliver Central Asian gas to Europe through the Caspian Sea, the Southern Caucasus, and Turkey.
Washington argues that should Central Asian countries agree to ship their gas through the Trans-Caspian pipeline they would be able to sell their production at an average $300 per 1,000 cubic meters -- three times what Russia currently pays.
Russian energy officials claim the gas pipeline agreements reached last week in Turkmenistan mean the end of the rival U.S.-sponsored project.
"As of today, the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline project does not exist," Khristenko said in Turkmenbashi on May 12, adding that Russia offered a cheaper, safer, and therefore more attractive alternative to Central Asian producers.
Addressing journalists minutes later, Turkmen President Berdymukhammedov, however, warned it would be premature to write off the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline project.
Commenting on the outcome of the summit, Russia's "Kommersant" daily on May 14 said Putin had failed to secure a commitment from his Kazakh and Turkmen counterparts to not join the U.S.-sponsored project. The newspaper also noted that, in case of necessity, the Kazakh and Turkmen sections of the Caspian shore gas pipeline could easily be connected to an underwater conduit.
"When the Turkmen president said the Trans-Caspian Pipeline Project was still on the agenda, he made the Russian project look as if it was in abeyance," Russian analyst Tatyana Stanovaya of the Moscow-based Center for Political Technologies wrote in a May 14 article posted on the Politkom.ru website.
Doubts Over Kazakh Support
If Turkmenistan's exclusive commitment to the Russian gas pipeline project remains under question, so may be Kazakhstan's.
Russia's "Kommersant" daily reported on May 11 that, despite Kazakh President Nazarbaev's announcement at a meeting with Putin in Astana the day before, the two leaders failed to reach an agreement on the capacity of a Russian-operated pipeline that carries Kazakh oil produced by a U.S.-led international consortium to the Black Sea and on to Western markets.
Kazakhstan has long been threatening to use alternative U.S.-sponsored export routes, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, unless Russia agrees to boost the annual capacity of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium to 67 million tons from a current 30 million tons.
Some observers warn that Russia's continuous objections to the Kazakh demands, officially for profitability reasons, are fraught with risks, especially in light of a recent announcement that Astana and Ashgabat will coordinate their energy-transportation policies.
"Central Asia has two options today -- either make enormous profits by selling its energy resources independently from Russia, with the help of Western investments, but with high commercial risks; or opt for sound commercial guarantees and Russia's firm support but significantly lower selling prices," analyst Stanovaya wrote.
However, she noted that in the absence of a consensual Western energy policy, both domestic political considerations and Russia's "increasing activity on the geopolitical arena" may lead Central Asian leaders to choose the second alternative.
http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1076519.html
[Russia: Energy Summit Gives Putin New Trump Card] |
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IAM1
B.V. Info-a-holic
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:27 am Post subject: |
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South Asia: Afghanistan Joins Pakistan In Regional Organization
Afghan President Hamid Karzai (left) meets with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on April 2
April 04, 2007
April 4, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) completed its 14th summit today in New Delhi with pledges of greater cooperation between member states, despite some doubts whether those promises will materialize into concrete action.
South Asian leaders meeting at the SAARC summit urged the regional economic group today to move beyond words and start taking action toward its goals.
Promises To Reality
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says SAARC needs to seize the initiative of "economic vibrancy and social change" under way within the group's eight member countries.
"The only way Afghanistan can benefit from this economic cooperation and transit facilities is via Pakistan. Pakistan keeps tight restrictions on the transit [of goods] and economic exchange."
"The time has come to move SAARC from a declaratory phase to action and implementation," he said. "If we can complete work on the tools we need -- such as the SAARC development fund -- and work realistically with each other, there is no reason why we cannot translate the vision of our charter into a solid reality."
SAARC, formed in 1985, aims to promote economic integration, free trade, and cultural links between the nearly 1.5 billion people within its member countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan became the eighth member this week when SAARC expanded for the first time.
But analysts say progress toward SAARC's goals has been crippled by tensions and mistrust between India and Pakistan. They say it also has been hampered by domestic conflicts, political instability, and other regional disputes between members.
Agreement On Pipeline
However, despite the tensions between India and Pakistan, Islamabad and New Delhi today renewed their commitment to build a controversial pipeline that would supply Iranian natural gas to both countries.
Amin Mudaqiq is an RFE/RL Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent at the summit. He says a call for action made on April 3 by Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has been greeted with skepticism from political analysts.
"I don't think that these words, coming particularly from the weak leaders on the Pakistani side, will come into practice," he said. "Shaukat Aziz is, as the Pakistani press puts it, a figurehead or a rubber-stamp prime minister. He does not have that much power to influence these Pakistani generals and Pervez Musharraf to change these words into deeds. There is doubt."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai was scheduled to meet today with Aziz on the sidelines of the summit. Reports suggest Karzai wants to develop economic cooperation with Islamabad in a way that allows Afghan traders to do more business with India.
The talks between Karzai and Aziz follow an announcement by Singh that trade barriers for other SAARC members will soon be lifted.
"I am happy to announce that we will allow duty free access to India before the end of this year to other South Asian neighbors who are least developed countries and further reduce the 'sensitive' list in regard to these countries," he said.
Pakistani Cooperation?
But Mudaqiq says most analysts at the summit do not expect Afghanistan to benefit from India's announcement because its overland trade routes with India pass through Pakistan.
"The observers here and analysts here think that Afghanistan may not get much from the SAARC summit if Pakistan does not cooperate," he said. "That's because the only way Afghanistan can benefit from this economic cooperation and transit facilities is via Pakistan. Pakistan keeps tight restrictions on the transit [of goods] and economic exchange."
Aziz said at the summit that Pakistan has done a lot to help Afghanistan and will continue to do so. The Pakistani premier also says it is in the interest of both Kabul and Islamabad to have a peaceful Afghanistan.
Major powers such as China, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and the United States attended the SAARC summit as observers.
Iran has been given preliminary approval to join SAARC as an observer, despite rising tensions between Tehran and the West over Iran's nuclear program. Tehran has applied to become a SAARC member.
http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1075701.html
[South Asia: Afghanistan Joins Pakistan In Regional Organization] |
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IAM1
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:54 am Post subject: |
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Trans-Afghan Pipeline: new geopolitics in old style
By Dr. Vakhtang Maisaia Chairman, Foreign Policy Association of Georgia
2008.05.12
Recently, the Trans-Afghan gas pipeline (TAP) project has been given new momentum, as Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan are pressing for the TAP project to go forward even though everyone concerned recognizes that fighting in Afghanistan casts serious questions over the entire project. Nevertheless, the project is now estimated to cost US$6 billion and is supposed to export some 33 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas from the Dauletabad field in Turkmenistan annually. The field is not expected to be completed earlier than 2018, so this, like the Iran-Pakistan-India energy coalition, is a project for the future.
American and Saudi Arabia governments initiated the TAP project in 1998 with active participation from a third party, Argentinean Company Bridas, and was intended to connect Turkmenistan to Pakistan and de-monopolize Russian presence in the Central Asia.
However, the pipeline blueprint was dropped because of the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan and due to intensification of Russia’s geopolitical influence in Central Asia. Instability and crisis that has plagued Afghanistan since 2001 put the economic mega-projects, which were to support the pro-American Karzai government in the country, on hold. Meanwhile, the Bush Administration started to lose its geopolitical positions in the region as its military base was shut down in Uzbekistan. The US was unable to jumpstart the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, which would deliver gas from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan.
However, as the US started to recover its positions in Pakistan and in Afghanistan (NATO Bucharest Declaration spirit and increasing military presence in the country), the project has been revived and developed further. In his April 14 interview with China Daily, Pakistan’s President General Musharraf stressed the need to diversify Central Asian energy supplies and China’s engagement in the construction of energy pipelines in Pakistan to deliver resources from Persian Gulf and Central Asian regions. A day earlier, China’s leader Khu Dzintau at Asian Economic Forum in Boao city also expressed a word of support for China’s intentions. Certainly, Musharaff’s proposal directly aimed at renewed and developed the Trans-Afghan energy project with straight away involvement of regional powers, like China, India, and Pakistan and with support stemmed by the USA, Japan, and probably the EU.
In that case, a key target of the renewed campaign seems to be gaining the attention of Turkmenistan with its vast and enormous energy sources. Paving the way for the project was a special bilateral India-Turkmenistan Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in Ashgabat on April 5 for energy cooperation. The cooperation envisages to foster exploration and development of Turkmen energy reserves by Indian companies and to increase Indian foreign direct investment in that field. Moreover, according to the MOU, India will transit the extracted Turkmen gas by TAP. Additionally, the Indian government is seeking the opportunity to build a special factory in Turkmenistan to produce LNG type gas delivery via the project. Later, in Islamabad on April 22-23 of 2008, a meeting between the Energy Ministers China, Pakistan, India and Turkmenistan was held and a preliminary treaty of development for the Trans-Afghan gas (TAP) project was signed.
TAP suppliers hope to find new customers in Asia, and consumers hope to gain access to new sources of supply. From the Turkmenistan standpoint, the completion of this deal in addition to its existing agreements with China, the resumption of its gas sales to Iran, and its announced intention to sell gas to Europe through the Trans-Caspian pipeline would secure its standing as a major Central Asian energy hub. Namely the Dauletabad is sought to be major source for supplying the TAP project to increase the capacity of the pipeline up to 50 BCM per year; that is equal to the volume of gas being purchased by Gazprom from Turkmenistan since 2007 with the possibly to reach 80 BCM. The TAP will make the country the most privileged energy supplier, not only in Central Asia but also in South-East Asia. If the project becomes possible, Turkmenistan is going to emerge as the Kuwait of Central Asia in nearest future.
TAP implementation is in the hands of US strategic national interests as it strives to achieve several important [elitist] geopolitical missions for Central Asia:
To make the situation in Afghanistan stable and increase Afghanistan’s economic wealth and growth in the nearest future and stimulating Karzai’s regime credibility not only at local levels (among local Tribes and Clans) but also at regional levels (rising Afghanistan regional power status) [so Bush and his cohorts can succeed in their financially profitable genocidal war agenda to occupy and control the middle east];
To promote Pakistan-India as well as the Pakistan-Afghanistan dialogue and stimulating in regional stability for the whole South-East Asia area that is most critical to the USA national interests;
To restore American presence in the Central Asia region and promote the same geopolitical missions that has been in the South Caucasus region with supporting pure geopolitical similar projects: “Nabucco”, “Trans-Caspian Gas Project”, BTC, BTE, etc;
To downplay Gazprom’s dominance in Central Asia and endorse a free [that's hypocritical speech for endorsing an elitist dominated and controlled] competition race for developing the Central Asian energy reserves that make up about 8-9% of the world energy reserves [As long as the US elitists and their cohorts haven't seized/confiscated all the power and control over the energy resources involved in this project, there will continue to be conflict and wars in the region].
http://www.geotimes.ge/index.php?m=home&newsid=10705
The Georgian Times on the Web: Comprehensive news site, daily international, national and local news coverage , breaking news updates, sports, reviews. |
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IAM1
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 10:05 am Post subject: |
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Turkmenistan’s pipeline prospects: China, Russia, India, or Europe?
11 August 2008
As the great powers seek energy security, Turkmenistan is at the center of a number of pipeline proposals.
After years of isolation, Turkmenistan has been host to hundreds of official delegations from the world’s great powers, as Europe, Russia, China, and India pursue energy security with an eye toward the country's gas deposits. President Berdymukhamedov has forsaken at least some of his predecessor’s inward focus, in favor of a “multi-vector” natural resource strategy. The strategy relies on multiple hydrocarbon export routes, and the various gas importers each have a route in mind. Key pipeline proposals include the Caspian coastal pipeline, the Central Asia-China pipeline, the TAPI and IPI pipelines, and the Nabucco and Trans-Caspian pipelines.
Central asia-china pipeline
Only the Central Asia-China project has broken ground; construction began in the summer of 2008. The 1,818 km, $30 billion pipeline is intended to export 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan into Xinjiang, China. The pipeline would connect with the West-to-East natural gas pipeline and extend into Shanghai. The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is requesting a $2.5 billion loan from the China Development Bank to fund construction for the segment in Uzbekistan. This pipeline deal, like others in the region, challenges western predominance in the energy market.
Pre-caspian pipeline
Russia’s hopes lie with the pre-Caspian, or Caspian coastal, pipeline, which would carry 30 bcm of gas from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to Russia. Turkmenistan reaffirmed its commitment to the project in July 2008, following an inter-governmental agreement at the end of 2007 and decisions by Russia to increase its purchase price for Turkmen gas. Construction is projected to begin in 2009 in Kazakhstan and 2010 in Turkmenistan.
Tapi and ipi pipelines
India’s interests would best be served by the TAPI and IPI pipelines. The Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI), or Peace, pipeline is in the negotiation stage. The proposed project would span 1,700 km for a cost of $7.4 billion, double the initial estimates. Besides the increase in price, disagreements over gas transit fees and U.S. opposition could stifle implementation.
The U.S. prefers the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI), or Trans-Afghan, pipeline, which would exclude Iran, and provide a similar $7.6 billion, 1,680 km route. India has quoted over $200 for Turkmen gas, competing with Russia's Gazprom’s hikes. In July 2008, Turkmenistan reaffirmed its commitment to TAPI, and a meeting in India is likely in October. However, the project has been pending for more than 10 years. At present, insecurity in Afghanistan is a major concern. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has conducted feasibility studies and provided technical assistance for the project in the past. Any progress in the pipeline would likely involve ADB assistance as well.
Nabucco and trans-caspian pipelines
U.S. opposition to IPI is mirrored by Russian antagonism toward Nabucco. Although divisions over energy security exist, the European-Union has made clear its interest in Nabucco and a trans-Caspian pipeline. In many ways, the two projects – Nabucco and trans-Caspian – are interlinked. June delegations to Turkmenistan led to a commitment for 10 bcm of Turkmen gas to be sent to Europe in 2009 and discussions of an impact assessment for a trans-Caspian pipeline. The trans-Caspian route would likely connect Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan, allowing Turkmen gas to be sent via the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) from Baku to Erzurum, Turkey, where it would then be carried by Nabucco to Austria. The route would bypass both Russia and Iran. Major obstacles to the project include Russia, which remains more closely connected to Turkmenistan than Europe, and feasibility, since a trans-Caspian route would require considerable technical input.
Concerns
A main concern in all these projects is the potential lack of accountability for Turkmenistan. Russia and China are unlikely to question Turkmenistan’s human rights offenses or exert reform pressures. Unconditional investment may appeal to free market economics, but support for an authoritarian regime, particularly one able to rely on resource rents, has its risks, both economically and politically. Even Europe may be tempted to turn a blind eye to conditions in the country for the sake of Nabucco. The European Investment Bank (EIB), barring a surprise rejection by the EU Parliament in September, is set to extend its operations into Central Asia with an explicit focus on energy transportation projects. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has prohibitions on countries with poor human rights records, but the EIB seems prepared to forego those considerations for the sake of European energy interests.
Besides these socio-political concerns, the pipelines pose significant risks to the environment and local communities. The problems documented from the South Caucasus and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipelines reveal the challenges ahead, should these new pipeline projects move forward. Of particular concern are the lack of environmental and social safeguards offered by Russia and China and the potential for Europe to lower its standards through EIB financing, given the competitiveness of the market.
Finally, these grandiose pipeline plans could unravel if Turkmenistan’s gas reserves prove less than expected. According to Richard Pomfret,* a scholar specializing in Central Asian economies, Turkmenistan would have to double its exports over the next 15 years to meet its natural gas commitments based on these pipeline plans. Thus, the greatest question is whether Turkmenistan can indeed deliver on its promises. This is particularly relevant for Europe and India, since, for now at least, the TAPI, IPI, Nabucco, and Trans-Caspian pipelines appear near the end of the line for Turkmen gas. China and Russia have used their position in the neighborhood and their best negotiation tactics to take the lead.
*Richard Pomfret, “Turkmenistan after Turkmenbashi” (presentation), Johns Hopkins University, July 16, 2008 |
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cadet
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Location: Right here!
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| Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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I have not read the whole thread, but i do know a bit about the natural gas (caspian sea) pipelines.
We are beginning to see alterior motives for the war in Afghanistan, (e.g. control of natural resources) and i believe most people realised when attacking Iraq for supposed involvement in 911 that it was actually for control of their oil reserves and the prospect of attaining rebuilding contracts, etc, etc.
The troubling thing is that most people do not care.....simple.
If the UK/US/Euro alliance is bullying/attacking/destroying other countries for monetary gain then the people from the countries who are gaining the most will 'turn the other way' and pretend that nothing illegal or unethical is happening.
why??...because the majority of people today enjoy the home comforts that come with a booming economy and they are obsessed with money.So they truley dont care what happens to other cultures aslong as they get plenty of fuel, two holidays a year and nice food on the table.
The point i am trying to make is: What can be done to stop this capitilist conspiracy? When alerting people to the injustices caused throughout the world due to the greed of 1st world nations does nothing to 'wake' people up or make them take a stand, then what can be done to put a halt to this ideology? |
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IAM1
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| Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 4:24 am Post subject: |
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| cadet wrote: |
I have not read the whole thread, but i do know a bit about the natural gas (caspian sea) pipelines.
We are beginning to see alterior motives for the war in Afghanistan, (e.g. control of natural resources) and i believe most people realised when attacking Iraq for supposed involvement in 911 that it was actually for control of their oil reserves and the prospect of attaining rebuilding contracts, etc, etc.
The troubling thing is that most people do not care.....simple.
If the UK/US/Euro alliance is bullying/attacking/destroying other countries for monetary gain then the people from the countries who are gaining the most will 'turn the other way' and pretend that nothing illegal or unethical is happening.
why??...because the majority of people today enjoy the home comforts that come with a booming economy and they are obsessed with money.So they truley dont care what happens to other cultures aslong as they get plenty of fuel, two holidays a year and nice food on the table.
The point i am trying to make is: What can be done to stop this capitilist conspiracy? When alerting people to the injustices caused throughout the world due to the greed of 1st world nations does nothing to 'wake' people up or make them take a stand, then what can be done to put a halt to this ideology? |
Hi cadet! Unfortunately, statistically, we don't have results for whether or not there's a majority of people who care, or don't care, about this empire building elitist imperialism. All we can do is look within ourselves and ask if we see this inhumanity being perpetrated, and then act in some manner to do something positive to prevent it from continuing, or, to change it. We are all responsible for contacting our representatives (anyone can find the numbers on the net, etc.) and alerting them that we want this empire building foreign policy to stop, etc. If we see it happening and do nothing to stop/prevent it, we need to ask ourselves why! Consequences are the result of actions/behavior.... So, if a majority of people do nothing to stop Bush and his gang from invading countries, establishing military posts, robbing resources, paying off elitist cohorts by rewarding them with various contracts, etc., then this world will go along with the majority mindset into the toilet. It's a choice we all have to make. Will you, or any one out there, just sit back and do nothing? Or will you become aware and do something to stop this corruption in anyway that you are able? I personally choose to do something to stop this corruption and I hope you do too   . Do you have any suggestions about what people/citizens can do to prevent this corruption from continuing? |
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