GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING ARMENIAN CHAMPIONSHIP HELD IN YEREVAN
Noyan Tapan
Jan 28, 2008
YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The Greco-Roman Wrestling
Armenian Championship was held in Yerevan. Roman Amoyan (55 kg),
Artak Haroutiunian (66 kg), Edgar Babayan (74 kg), Tigran Sahakian
(84 kg, all of them from Yerevan), Khosrov Melikian (60 kg), Arman
Geghamian (96 kg), and Ara Arakelian (120 kg, all three from Gyumri)
became champions.
Reuters
Jan 27 2008
Turkish nationalists charged with plotting: report
Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:59pm EST
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish authorities charged on Saturday 13
ultra-nationalists, including retired army officers, with involvement
in plans for a violent uprising against the government, Turkish media
said.
The court decision followed the arrests of dozens of people this week
in a police investigation into a far-right group known as Ergenekon.
Turkish media say the group had been plotting a series of bomb
attacks and assassinations.
Retired brigadier general Veli Kucuk, retired major Zekeriya Ozturk
and lawyer Kemal Kerencsiz were among those facing charges of
inciting people to armed revolt, private broadcaster CNN Turk said.
Kerencsiz is well known in Turkey for prosecuting writers and
journalists, including Nobel Literature Laureate Orhan Pamuk, under
article 301 of the country’s penal code that makes it a crime to
insult "Turkishness".
Officials have declined to comment on the Ergenekon case, which began
with the seizure of explosives and weapons at a house in Umraniye,
Istanbul, last summer.
Turkish newspapers said this week the group had been planning to kill
Pamuk, author of novels such as "Snow" and "My Name is Red", as well
as several Kurdish politicians.
The newspapers also said the group was preparing a series of bomb
attacks aimed at fomenting chaos ahead of a coup in 2009 against
Turkey’s centre-right government, whose European Union-linked reforms
are opposed by the ultra-nationalists.
The Ergenekon group may have been behind the murder last January of
Hrant Dink, a prominent Turkish Armenian journalist, outside his
office in Istanbul, newspapers have quoted police sources as saying.
Some commentators have seen in the Ergenekon case the workings of a
"deep state", a phrase used to denote ultra-nationalists in the
security forces and state bureaucracy who are ready to subvert the
law for their own political ends.
Police have been observing Ergenekon, which is named after a valley
in Turkish nationalist mythology, for several years and have compiled
a 7,000-page dossier on the group and its activities, newspapers say.
(Reporting by Gareth Jones; Editing by Elizabeth Piper)
Serzh Sargsyan: I will never give cause to anyone voting for me to
regret
2008-01-26 20:24:00
ArmInfo. "I’ll never give cause to anyone voting for me to regret",
Armenian Prime Minister, Leader of the Republican Party of Armenia, and
currently a presidential candidate, Serzh Sargsyan said at a meeting
with the residents of Nork-Marash community of Yerevan, Saturday.
According to him, the main resource of Armenia’s development is the
Armenian people, who live not only in Armenia. "There is a program to
create a special body which will take up the issues of Diaspora. I
spoke about this during the past parliamentary election", he said,
adding: "If we manage to use 15% of our compatriots’ opportunities,
we’ll be twice as strong as without them". Touching upon science and
education, Sargsyan stressed that the state budget of 2008 stipulates
$400 mln for the sphere of education and science. "The best way to
become wealthy in the 21st century is to have knowledge and education.
Our institutions of higher education shouldn’t differ from European
ones", he said.
Weeken d Edition
January 26 / 27, 2008
Why Bush Wants to Legalize the Nuke Trade with Turkey
Exonerating Neo-Con Crimes
By JOSHUA FRANK
According to FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds there is a vast black
market for nukes, and certain U.S. officials have been supplying
sensitive nuclear technology information to Turkish and Israeli
interests through its conduits. It’s a scathing allegation which was
first published by the UK Times two weeks ago, and Edmonds’ charge
seems to be on the verge of vindication.
In likely reaction to the UK Times’ report, the Bush Administration
quietly announced on January 22 that the president would like Congress
to approve the sale of nuclear secrets to Turkey. As with most stories
of this magnitude, the U.S. media has put on blinders, opting to not
report either Edmonds’ story or Bush’s recent announcement.
The White House Press Release claims that President Clinton signed off
on the Turkey deal way back in 2000:
"However, immediately after signature, U.S. agencies received
information that called into question the conclusions that had been
drawn in the required NPAS (Nuclear Proliferation Assessment
Statement) and the original classified annex, specifically,
information implicating Turkish private entities in certain activities
directly relating to nuclear proliferation. Consequently, the
Agreement was not submitted to the Congress and the executive branch
undertook a review of the NPAS evaluation My Administration has
completed the NPAS review as well as an evaluation of actions taken by
the Turkish government to address the proliferation activities of
certain Turkish entities (once officials of the U.S. Government
brought them to the Turkish government’s attention)."
What "private entities" the press release refers to is not clear, but
it could well include the American Turkish Council, the "entity"
revealed in the Times’ article.
The Bushites seem to be covering their own exposed backsides, for the
timing of Bush’s call to sell nuke secrets to Turkey is certainly
suspicious, if not overtly conspicuous.
It appears the White House has been spooked by Edmonds and hopes to
absolve the U.S. officials allegedly involved in the illegal sale of
nuclear technology to private Turkish "entities". One of those
officials is likely Marc Grossman, the former ambassador to Turkey
during the Clinton Administration who also served in the State
Department from 2001-2005. Grossman has been named by Edmonds who
claims he was directly involved in the nuclear smuggling ring that she
says has allowed the intelligence agencies of Pakistan, Israel and
Turkey to operate in the U.S. with impunity. Totally complicit in the
nuke trade, the U.S. government, according to Edmonds, has known of
the vast criminal activities of these foreign nations’ presence in the
States, which has included all sorts of illegal activities like drug
trafficking, espionage and money laundering.
Edmonds says "several arms of the government were shielding what was
going on" which included an entire national security apparatus
associated with the neoconservaties who have profited by representing
Turkish interests in Washington. As Justin Raimondo recently reported
in Antiwar.com:
"this group includes not only Grossman, but also Paul Wolfowitz,
chief intellectual architect of the Iraq war and ex-World Bank
president; former deputy defense secretary for policy Douglas J.
Feith; Feith’s successor, Eric Edelman; and Richard Perle, the
notorious uber-neocon whose unique ability to mix profiteering and
warmongering forced him to resign his official capacity as a key
administration adviser Edmonds draws a picture of a three-sided
alliance consisting of Turkish, Pakistani, and Israeli agents who
coordinated efforts to milk U.S. nuclear secrets and technology,
funneling the intelligence stream to the black market nuclear network
set up by the Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan. The multi-millionaire
Pakistani nuclear scientist then turned around and sold his nuclear
assets to North Korea, Libya, and Iran."
Is the Bush Administration seeking to exonerate these "officials" with
its plea to allow Turkey to obtain U.S. nuclear secrets? Besides
Grossman, who else was involved in Edmonds’ grim tale of the
nuke-for-profit underground? As the news that U.S. officials have
allegedly been supplying Turkey with nuclear technology begins to
creep in to the mainstream media, the Bush team appears to be moving
to legalize the whole shady operation.
If Congress does not block or amend Bush’s legislation to sell nukes
to Turkey within 90 days, it will become law automatically, likely
acting retroactively to clear the alleged crimes of Marc Grossman and
his neocon, nuke-trading friends.
Joshua Frank is co-editor of DissidentVoice.org and author of Left
Out! How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush (Common Courage Press,
2005), and along with Jeffrey St. Clair, the editor of the forthcoming
Red State Rebels, to be published by AK Press in June 2008.
ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE AGAINST KARABAKH
AZG Armenian Daily
25/01/2008
Karabakh conflict
Delegation of Azerbaijani Milli Meclis will raise the issue of Karabakh
conflict in the Summit of Organization of the Islamic Conference
(OIC) to focus the attention of the Islamic world on the issue,
Azerbaijani mass media reported.
It’s worth to mention that official Azerbaijan has many times used
the tribune of the above-mentioned organization to make anti-Armenian
statements.
ANALYTICAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS AZERBAIJAN’S ENERGY SIGNIFICANCE FOR WEST IN 2007
Turan News Agency
January 10 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan’s growing geopolitical role and significance in diversifying
world energy markets became further visible in the year of 2007,
a think tank group affiliated with independent Turan news agency
has concluded. With fierce rivalry between the West and Russia,
Azerbaijan managed to initiate and carry out several crucial energy
projects to transport oil resources from the Caspian Sea basin to
energy markets, the analytical piece said. The report also found
out that the nuclear row between the USA and Iran bodes ill for
Azerbaijan because of the latter’s subtle geographical location and a
conflict with Armenia over Karabakh. According to the piece, Russia’s
neo-imperial ambitions are on the rise as it tries to regain lost
positions in the former Soviet backyard through energy sabotage and
re-igniting protracted conflicts. The year of 2007 saw progress in
the relations of the Turkic-speaking countries under the leadership
of Turkey, the piece noted. The following is the text of Turan report
on 10 January headlined "Foreign policy results of 2007"; subheadings
have been inserted editorially:
Rise in geopolitical significance
The year of 2007 was marked by sharp rise in significance of Azerbaijan
in terms of geopolitics, energy and communications, and, in particular,
its alternative (with regard to Russia) role for the West (the USA
and Europe).
The events of last year showed that the oil factor has now acquired the
highest priority across the world, and the attention of all leading
countries and organizations has again shifted to the energy issue,
at times, to the detriment of other important directions (environment,
democracy, culture and so on).
Throughout last year, the feverish interest in the energy carriers
and collisions of oil price policy were observed across the world,
and the escalation in the US-Iran tension continued with growing
confrontation in cooperation between the West and Russia.
All these, one way or another, were conducive to the reinforcement of
geopolitical struggle over the possession of the Caspian Sea energy
resources, rise in the strategic significance of this region and
growing the alternative (oil and transit) mission of Azerbaijan.
With the realization of the strategic Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
and the completion of the work for the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas
pipeline, the struggle has entered a new intriguing phase by securing
the start of the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway,
bringing strenuously the idea of the "Transcaspian gas pipeline" to
the forefront, adding mighty impulse to various alternative projects
(NABUCO, Baku-Odessa-Brody).
So the geopolitical, energy, transport and communications game of the
West in the region, with blocking of the interests of Russia and, an
"alternative role-playing" of Azerbaijan, shifted to a new and more
global and active phase in 2007.
The implementation of these projects, no doubt, promises good
opportunities for Azerbaijan: it is hard to overestimate their
political significance for our country and the whole Caspian Sea
region. Actually, the country’s long-standing pro-Western strategy
has begun to bring real material benefits and acquire a certain
geopolitical immunity.
>From the economical point of view, the implementation of all these
energy projects give start to huge inflow of petrodollars and
investment in the country which opens up opportunities to intensify
development processes. But at the same time, all these also reinforce
real risks for the country to become a hostage to "oil card" and a
geopolitical duel between the West and Russia.
Dangers of 2007
Suffice it to list only several dangerous threats and tendencies which
became distinctly apparent in 2007 and have not been fully removed from
the agenda: a US threat of war against Iran. Both sides throughout
the year of 2007 were actively engaged in war preparations and this
factor kept the whole region in tension and exerted significant
influence on the whole foreign policy issues of Azerbaijan.
In case of war, it would be difficult for Azerbaijan to completely
secure itself against and remain its neutrality. Throughout the
year, Azerbaijan manoeuvred successfully, trying to avoid dangerous
extremes of real involvement in the anti-Iranian coalition and active
counteraction of the military plans of the USA.
The clash of interests of Russia and the USA on the "Iranian issue"
and the growth of the geo-strategic significance of Azerbaijan enabled
official Baku to pursue a successful game along all the directions
(northern, southern and western) without carrying it through the
necessity of a confrontational choice. It is noteworthy from this
point of view that the active diplomatic games around the US military
bases or the Qabala radar station were let drop.
Russia’s neo-imperial ambitions
– the rise in neo-imperial ambitions of Russia on the waves of sharp
growth of its energy pressure and the re-emergence of its imperial
policy across the world and the Caspian Sea. Throughout the year Russia
undertook active steps to block all "alternative" energy projects and
pro-Western integration tendencies in the countries of this region,
including Azerbaijan.
It is clear that Russia has yet no reason to resort to direct
pressure on Azerbaijan (as it is done with regard to Georgia). With
permission of the authorities, the process of peaceful and creeping
"re-occupation" of Azerbaijan’s economic, cultural and, in part,
political space by Russia is under way.
Supporting reactionary regimes actively, Moscow in response tries
to again create a basis for cultural-economic and military-political
presence in countries of the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia.
Backing the reaction, Moscow, in that way, shrouds its return in
reactionary (imperial) tone, which, in its turn, creates a real
threat for sovereignty, statehood and prospects of development of many
"stray" post-Soviet countries.
– "the Karabakh card" again threatens to become an instrument of
dangerous manipulation in the hands of competing superpowers with
the situation in Azerbaijan and in the region. The re-launched
active attempts of coercing Azerbaijan to defeatist peace or to the
"Kosovo model" of settling the conflict may have very dangerous and
unpredictable consequences.
In case official Baku agrees to a defeatist peace this may cause a wave
of public protest and gradually lead to protracted destabilization
of domestic political situation at home. In case of principled
refusal, it would lead to unavoidable paralysis and breakdown of the
negotiating process and growth in a temptation to a military solution
of the problem.
The resumption of the hostilities under the current indefinite
and perilous geopolitical background in the region is fraught with
unpredictable consequences.
The deepening vagueness and antipathy of the country’s foreign policy
course and the growth of negative tendencies and collusions in the
domestic policy arouse serious concern about Azerbaijan’s nearest
prospect.
It is incomprehensible where the country heads for, whose example
follows, how it is governed. The permanent hesitations and manoeuvres
between the West and East (in particular, between Washington and
Moscow), democracy and totalitarianism, neo-Sovietism and liberalism,
extreme and reforms, a sovereign and "banana role" have anyway already
weakened the "immune system" to the highest degree and mobilizational
capacities of the public and the state. The strengthening syndrome of
haphazard governing of the state in the situation of the growth of the
foreign policy threats forebode very dark prospects for the country.
Fruitful year in Azerbaijani-Turkish relations
The year 2007 turned out to be very intensive and productive in
the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations and wider in the context of the
overall integration of the Turkic states. The matter is even not
in the number of summits and meetings at the highest level but in a
qualitative breakthrough in cooperation of the Turkic states under
active patronage of the renewed political leadership of Ankara.
By virtue of latest impetuous strengthening of geo-strategic, energy
corridor and military-economic potential, Turkey has transferred into
a mighty factor of influence in the region and started to carry out
more independent and active policy in all directions, including in
the issues of integration of the Turkic-speaking world.
The 11th congress of the Turkic states and societies is noteworthy
in this regard. Although this imposing forum was held in Baku for
the first time, it actually "proceeded" from dictation of Ankara to
which testify not only bold integration "directives" of the congress
but also Turkey’s active role in the issue of quickest implementation
of these decisions into life.
Turkey, which pretends realistically to the role of the main regional
power, is fairly very keen on forming around itself a strong and
solid bloc of the Turkic-speaking countries.
The implementation of Turkey’s plans for the integration of the
Turkic-speaking countries, possessing advantageous geographical,
transit, communications and energy opportunities, are able to change
the geopolitical balance of forces throughout the whole region of
the Black and Caspian seas and have a significant influence on the
course of the political and economic processes across the world.
This impartially is in the interest of the Turkic-speaking states.
Undoubtedly, Azerbaijan, which has both close historic, ethnic,
cultural, socio-economic ties and also close geopolitical and energy
partnership relations with Turkey, can play an important role in the
implementation of those plans.
TURKEY ARRESTS 33 IN CRACKDOWN ON NATIONALIST GROUP, AKSAM SAYS
By Ben Holland
Bloomberg
Jan 23 2008
Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) — Turkish police detained 33 people in a
crackdown on a nationalist group suspected of involvement in the
murder of journalist Hrant Dink and other violent attacks, Aksam
newspaper reported.
Those detained include a retired general, a journalist and a lawyer
who brought charges of "insulting Turkishness" against novelist Orhan
Pamuk, Aksam said. They were arrested in Istanbul and other regions
in dawn raids yesterday, the culmination of an eight-month operation,
the newspaper said.
The group’s possible links with other unsolved crimes including the
murders of a high court judge and a Catholic priest in 2006 are being
investigated, Aksam said. It’s also suspected of planning attacks on
Kurdish politicians, the newspaper said.
Dink was killed a year ago after becoming a target for nationalists
because he argued that the World War I killing of Armenians on Turkish
territory constituted a genocide.
SPOKESMAN FOR AZERBAIJAN’S MINISTRY OF CULTURE: "IF A CANDIDATE FROM ARMENIA OFFICIALLY PRESENTS AN AZERBAIJANI SONG AT EUROVISION-2008, AZERBAIJAN WILL COMPLAINT TO THE STEERING COMMITTEE"
Today
ciety/42520.html
Jan 22 2008
Azerbaijan
In case a candidate from Armenia officially presents an Azerbaijani
song at Eurovision-2008, Azerbaijan will complaint to the steering
committee.
The due statement was made by the spokesman for the Ministry of
Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan Zohra Aliyeva commenting on the
information about Armenia’s plans to present an Azerbaijan song at
Eurovision-2008 song contest.
She said it is not possible to raise this issue until Armenian side
makes an official appeal to the steering committee.
At the same time, she noted that the issue concerns several state
structures and companies in Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture
and the agency for author’s rights, as well as a public television,
via which Azerbaijan will take part in the contest, must get involved
into the issue.
Moreover, the spokesman for the Ministry of Culture noted that a
special work group composed of representatives of state bodies and
the Agency for Author’s Rights has been created to investigate the
fact of privatization of Azerbaijani folklore songs and works of
Azerbaijani composers.
"Azerbaijani community must react to it. If each citizen writes
about it to the e-mail of the steering committee of the contest,
it will have a great effect", Z.Aliyeva said.
VARTAN OSKANIAN ATTENDED SAAKASHVILI’S INAUGURATION
armradio.am
21.01.2008 15:03
On January 20 the Armenian delegation headed by RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian participated in the inauguration of the Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili, MFA Press and Information Department
informs.
During the stay in Tbilisi Minister Oskanian had meetings with the
OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and NATO Special
Representative for the South Caucasus Robert Simmons.
During the meeting with the OSCE Secretary General issues related to
the presidential elections in Armenia, particularly the observation
mission of the OSCE were discussed. The interlocutors dwelt on the
results of the recent visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to
the region.
RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and NATO Special Representative
Robert Simmons discussed the process of accomplishment of the
Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and prospects
of development of a renewed IPAP in the second half of the year.
The parties positively assessed the recent active dialogue between
the senior officials of Armenia and the Alliance. Robert Simmons
presented agenda issues of the NATO summit to be held in Bucharest
in April and NATO’s cooperation with colleagues from the CIS.
United Press International
Jan 19 2008
Analysis: U.S. has ally in Azerbaijan
Published: Jan. 18, 2008 at 7:37 PM
By JOHN C.K. DALY
UPI International Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) — In retrospect, 2007 will be remembered
as the high-water mark of Washington’s attempts to develop the
Caspian’s post-Soviet hydrocarbon riches. If early 2008 is any
indication, then the one remaining friend that America has in the
Caspian basin is Azerbaijan. Neither Iran, subject to ongoing U.S.
sanctions, nor the Russian Federation have evinced the slightest
interest in sharing their oil and natural gas reserves with U.S.
companies, while Turkmenistan’s resources are locked up for the
foreseeable future with Russia and China and Kazakhstan has played
hardball with the Western consortium developing Kashagan, wringing
out of its nervous joint partners a doubling of Kazakhstan’s share in
the massive development project. Only Azerbaijan remains as the first
and brightest hope of Western efforts to corral Caspian development,
a post-Soviet republic still firmly committed to its Western
partners.
Azeri interest in maintaining its Western connections amid growing
nationalist settlement in the Caspian basin is personified in the
recent two-day visit of U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., head of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to Baku. On Jan. 14 Azeri
President Ilham Aliyev received Lugar. The Azeri media heavily
covered the event and proclaimed, "The head of the state said that
bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Azerbaijan are developing
successfully in all the fields."
Lugar had a full agenda during his two-day visit: According to the
Azeri media, among the topics that Lugar discussed were Washington’s
appreciation of Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist efforts, bilateral
cooperation, the first world war’s Armenian "genocide,"
Nagorno-Karabakh, regional energy cooperation, Azeri elections and
Iran’s nuclear program.
Perhaps the most notable of Lugar’s observations came when, following
his discussions with Aliyev, he suggested "George Bush should appoint
a special representative on energy issues in the Caspian region. …
The appointment of special representative will be a signal that U.S.
regards this region as a priority."
Lugar’s comments follow up on a letter that he and fellow Senate
Foreign Relations Committee member Joseph Biden, D-Del., sent on Oct.
4 to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stressing the need for such
a special representative focused on energy issues in the Caspian to
safeguard long-term U.S. interests.
In words that doubtless enchanted his Azeri hosts Lugar added, "These
long-term interests lie in not allowing Russia to be dominant in the
South Caucasus and Central Asia."
The prize is certainly tempting: The Caspian’s 143,244 square miles
and attendant coastline are estimated to contain as much as 250
billion barrels of recoverable oil, boosted by more than 200 billion
barrels of potential reserves, quite aside from up to 328 trillion
cubic feet of recoverable natural gas.
Whatever Lugar says, however, the reality is that in the short term
Russia effectively "dominates" Kazakh and Turkmen energy exports.
Turkmenistan uses the Soviet-era Transneft pipeline monopoly, while
Kazakh oil exports currently flow westward through the 938-mile
Caspian Pipeline Consortium joint venture. The CPC pipeline opened in
2001 and has a current capacity of 700,000 barrels per day. While
Chevron, LUKoil, ExxonMobil, BP, Rosneft, Shell, BG and KazMunaiGas
are all CPC partners, the pipeline pumps oil westward from western
Kazakhstan and Siberia to Russia’s Novorossiisk Black Sea port.
The West’s great success is Azeri production, which now sends more
than 800,000 barrels per day through both the Baku-Supsa and
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipelines; BTC is designed to handle up to 1
million bpd and in 2008 Baku is hoping to increase exports up to 1.2
million bpd. In 1994 Azeri President Geidar Aliyev signed the
"Contract of the Century" with Western energy concerns to develop
Azerbaijan’s Caspian Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields. In 1997 the
Baku-Novorossiisk pipeline opened to export Azeri oil from the black
Sea to Western markets, but initial throughput was limited to 40,000
bpd. Two years later Baku’s export options broadened with the opening
of the $600 million, 515-mile Baku-Supsa 100,000 bpd pipeline,
followed by the inauguration of the $3.6 billion, 1,092-mile,
million-barrel-per-day Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which had a
capacity of 1 million bpd. The opening of the BTC pipeline allowed
Azerbaijan to cut itself adrift from Russia’s pipeline monopoly and
represented the culmination of Washington’s dream of a Caspian export
route that bypassed both Russia and Iran.
Since then however, Washington’s reveries of controlling Caspian
production have run into some nasty geopolitical realities. Last
month Iran reiterated its previous position that Caspian offshore
waters should be shared equally among coastal nations, setting back
for the foreseeable future any definitive division of the Caspian’s
territory, a crucial element in Washington’s strategy of constructing
undersea pipelines.
Even worse, Kazakhstan forced its Kashagan partners to rewrite the
contracts for production of the massive Caspian offshore field, the
world’s largest single discovery of the last 30 years. Under the
original joint venture agreement Kazakhstan’s national hydrocarbon
concern KazMunaiGas and Japan’s Inpex each held an 8.33 percent share
in the project, while ConocoPhillips holds a 9.26 percent share. Four
major foreign oil companies that dominated the project — Italy’s
Eni, France’s Total, U.S. ExxonMobil and Anglo-Dutch Shell — all
held 18.52 percent stakes each. Under the new terms, State-run
KazMunaiGas will pay $1.78 billion to increase its share from 8.33
percent to 16.81 percent at the expense of its foreign partners, with
Eni, Shell, Total and ExxonMobil seeing their stake drop from 18.52
percent to 16.81 percent, while ConocoPhillips and Inpex will also
have "slight" adjustments made to their stakes.
For all of Lugar’s calls to action, the appointment of a U.S.
"special representative" for Caspian affairs would seem to be a
classic case of too little, too late.