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"Crusade against Terrorism" Afghanistan could be more important to America's
oil supply than even Saudi Arabia. In 1997 BBC News reported that the
American Oil company UNOCAL tried to construct a pipeline from The Caspian
Sea. The Caspian Sea is a California-size body
of salt water -- the world's largest landlocked body of water -- that may
sit on as much as 200 billion barrels of oil, which would be 16 percent of
the Earth's potential oil reserves. Even at today's low prices, that could
add up to $3 trillion in oil. (compared to Saudi's 250 billion barrels of
oil and America's own 22 billion barrels - New York Times.) The pipeline was to run from Turkmenistan
via Afghanistan to the Port of Karachi.
However the Taleban refused. Until now America has not been
successful in persuading the Taleban to change its mind. It now seems as though America is using the
pretext of WTC attacks in order to fulfill its economic aims. ~ Muhammad
Abdulrahman Race to Unlock Central Asia's Energy Riches The Presidents of Iran and the Central
Asian republic of Turkmenistan have opened a gas pipeline between their
two countries -- the first out of the Caspian region not to go through
Russian territory. The pipeline links the Korpedzhe gas field in
south-western Turkmenistan to the village of Kord-Kuy in northern Iran.
But there are proposals eventually to extend the pipeline to Turkey and
European markets. These have been opposed by the United States, which is
anxious to exclude Iran from the scramble to develop the rich resources of
neighbouring countries in the Caspian region -- as our regional reporter,
Caroline Hawley, reports. This initial project is relatively small.
It is the result of a 1995 agreement to supply power stations in northern
Iran with Turkmen gas for the next twenty-five years. Gas from Iran's own
fields in the area will then be pumped down for consumption in the
capital, Tehran. But the significance of the project is much wider. This is the first export of Turkmen gas
outside the former Soviet Union, and a step towards President Saparmurad
Niyazov's dream of turning his desert republic into what he hopes will be
a new "Kuwait." Crucial deal for Iran The potential importance of the project for
Iran was underlined by the presence -- at the inauguration ceremony -- of
the Iranian President, Muhammad Khatami, on his first trip abroad since he
took power in August. On Sunday, energy ministers from Iran,
Turkmenistan and Turkey signed an agreement authorizing the Shell oil
company to draw up plans to extend the pipeline. Shell has not yet
commented publicly -- a spokesman said he was still checking the reports. But if the pipeline is eventually extended
to Turkey and Europe via Iran it'll be a major victory for Tehran in its
attempts to break out of its political isolation. American objections The new oil and gas finds in the Caspian
have generated a host of pipeline proposals. Iran offers one of the most
direct routes out of a landlocked region. It's an important alternative to
Russia for the newly-independent states, keen to maintain their
independence from their former masters in Moscow. But there is a serious
drawback. The Iranian route is strongly opposed by the United States,
making it difficult to secure international funding. Alternative route could go through
Afghanistan American oil companies, together with
Pakistan, have shown strong interest in an alternative route that would
carry Turkmen gas, via Afghanistan, to the Pakistani port of Karachi.
Despite the continuing civil war in Afghanistan, there's been fierce
competition between two rival firms -- Bridas of Argentina, and the
US-Saudi consortium UNOCAL -- to construct the pipeline. Both companies
have been negotiating hard with the Taleban movement, which controls two
thirds of Afghanistan, to secure the contract. In May, the Turkmen President, Saparmurad
Niyazov and the Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, signed a protocol
for the pipeline. But no agreement has yet been finalised, and
construction of any pipeline will clearly have to wait until there is an
end to the fighting in Afghanistan. The fact that the Afghan route is being considered so seriously is a measure of the strength of American opposition to the Iranian route. As part of its effort to isolate Iran, the United States imposes sanctions against companies that invest who invest more than twenty million dollars in Iran's energy sector. Earlier this year, American officials said they weren't sure if a gas pipeline via Iran to Turkey would violate its laws against investment in Iran's energy sector. That was interpreted in many quarters as a green light for the project because it was meant to carry Turkmen, not Iranian gas. But American officials have since made clear they're still opposed to Iran's involvement in the race to develop and export Caspian energy. http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/analysis/newsid_43000/43219.stm |