ASBAREZ Online [07-13-2006]

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07/13/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Last Stretch of Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline Inaugurated 2) NATO Leaders to Propose Peace Plan 3) Ghoukassian Meets with AEF Delegation 4) Reporter Beaten Up in Yerevan 5) Kocharian Meets With Catholic Church Delegation 1) Last Stretch of Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline Inaugurated CEYHAN, Turkey (AFP) - The leaders of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey have formally inaugurated the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, a major US-backed project conceived 12 years ago to supply oil to Western markets that bypasses Russia and Iran. The four-billion-dollar (3.145-billion-euro) conduit will bring oil from the Caspian Sea fields, the world's third largest reserve, to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, from where tankers will transport the crude to energy-hungry Western markets. The pipeline is seen as a project of geostrategic significance, loosening Russia's long-standing grip over oil exports from former Soviet republics, bypassing US foe Iran and easing Western reliance on Middle East crude supplies. In a message read out at the ceremony here, US President George W. Bush hailed the project as an "impressive achievement... (that) marks a new era," and crucial for "providing energy security and enhancing regional cooperation." One of the longest in the world, the pipeline stretches over 1,109 miles from Azerbaijan to Ceyhan via Georgia, going underground at times and crossing rivers and mountains more than 9,240 feet high at others. In almost identical words, speakers at the ceremony celebrated the inauguration as "a dream come true" a reference to widespread skepticism in the initial phases of planning that the pipeline was commercially unviable and difficult to build. Washington has staunchly backed the route, lobbying hard for the exclusion of Iran, also an oil producer, whose participation would have made the conduit both shorter and more profitable. "We always felt the support of the United States and we are very grateful for their efforts," Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the pipeline "the Silk Road of the 21st century," saying it would boost economic development, cooperation and stability in a region that was once the Cold War frontier between NATO and the Soviet Union. Aliyev, Erdogan and presidents Ahmet Necdet Sezer of Turkey and Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia, joined by top executives of the share-holding companies, constructed a symbolic mini-pipeline, marking the formal opening of the conduit. To applause from the audience, each laid a segment of pipe bearing the flag of their respective countries or the emblem of their companies. A curtain was then raised behind the stage, revealing the Ceyhan terminal, where a British tanker loaded with 600,000 barrels of Azeri Light was moored, ready to sail for the Italian port of Genoa later in the day. The Turkish authorities laid on heavy security for the ceremony, with 5,000 police and troops deployed at the venue and its environs, including snipers positioned on rooftops. Senior officials from about 30 other countries and international organizations, including the United States and the European Union, attended the gathering. The BTC's longest stretch 671 miles runs through Turkey with the remaining 275 miles in Azerbaijan and 163 miles in Georgia. It was built by an international consortium led by British oil giant BP, which holds the largest stake of 30.1 percent. The 10 other shareholders are public and private oil companies from Azerbaijan, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, Turkey and the United States. The pipeline is designed to carry up to 50 million metric tons of crude a year but is not likely to operate at full capacity in the short term, experts say. Last month, Kazakhstan signed an agreement to join the project, committing an initial 7.5 million metric tons annually, with a pledge to raise the amount to 20 million metric tons in the longer term. The inauguration of the pipeline is a major boost to Ankara's claim of becoming a regional energy hub between Western consumers and the natural gas and oil producers of the Caspian and the Middle East. Ceyhan, on Turkey's eastern Mediterranean coast, is already the end-point of another pipeline from the oil fields of neighboring northern Iraq. Turkey also plans to make it the terminal of yet another oil conduit from Turkey's Black Sea port of Samsun. Work is also under way on several other pipeline projects to carry Caspian and Iranian natural gas to Europe via Turkey. The BTC route also avoids the Bosphorus Strait, where congestion and tanker accidents often endanger the environment and the safety of residential quarters on the banks of the narrow waterway, which passes through Istanbul, a city of 12 million. 2) NATO Leaders to Propose Peace Plan YEREVAN (YERKIR)NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Pierre Lellouche has made proposals to the Azeri and Armenian presidents over the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "These proposals will be presented to the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia as initiatives of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly President for the resolution of the conflict," a source in the Azeri Parliament reported Wednesday. "Lellouche will present several points to the parties." "These will help avoid political and other complications after signing a peace treaty, as well as include a number of economic initiatives in exchange for compromises, to which Azerbaijan and Armenia will agree for resolving the conflict," the source said. The NATO leader plans to present his initiatives to the parties to conflict during his visit to Azerbaijan and Armenia scheduled in the fall, reported the Interfax news agency. 3) Ghoukassian Meets with AEF Delegation STEPANAKERT (Armenpress)Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Arkady Ghoukassian Thursday met with Los Angeles-based Armenian Educational Foundation board member Hagop Baghdassarian and AEF's Yerevan Office Executive Director Stepan Nalbandian. According to the president's press office, the guests updated President Ghoukassian on the progress of AEF programs in Armenia and Karabakh. The guests noted that since 1999, with the efforts of AEF, 50 educational establishments have been reconstructed and built in Karabakh, and another three projects are currently underway. Speaking about future AEF programs, Baghdasarian discussed a program aimed at upgrading the technology at a number of educational centers in Karabakh. In his turn, Ghoukassian thanked the guests and the AEF for their continued efforts to enhance educational needs of Karabakh and pledged continued cooperation with the organization. 4) Reporter Beaten Up in Yerevan YEREVAN (RFE/RL)The Aravot newspaper reported Thursday that one of its freelance correspondents, Gagik Shamshian, was attacked and beaten up late Tuesday by a group of men allegedly linked to Mher Hovannisian, Yerevan's Nubarashen district mangaer. The attack took place just hours after the RFE/RL Armenian service aired an interview with Shamshian, in which he claimed to have been threatened by Hovannisian's father for reporting that two alleged bank robbers arrested last week were related to the prefect. The paper quotes Shamshian as saying that Hovannisian's brother Ruben was among the assailants. Another newspaper reported that Edik Baghdasarian, a prominent investigative journalist and the editor of the Hetq.am online publication, has a received a series of threatening e-mails for publishing articles critical of tycoon Gagik Tsarukian. The author of letters referred to Tsarukian as a "king." 5) Kocharian Meets With Catholic Church Delegation YEREVAN (Armenpress)Armenian President Robert Kocharian met July 13 with a delegation from the Armenian Catholic Church headed by Archbishop Nshan Karagian. The presidential press service informed Armenpress that during the meeting the guests discussed the progress of implementation of Catholic-church sponsored programs in Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.