Afghanistan's pipeline dreams resurface - Feb. 8, 2001
By Sarah Horner for eCountries
http://www.afghanradio.com/news/2001/february/feb8n2001.html
The ongoing civil war in Afghanistan has long stalled any ambitious plans to
build a potentially lucrative oil pipeline. In the last year, however, talk
of a new pipeline ha begun to resurface. But the old problems remain.
Building a oil and gas pipeline across the shattered country of Afghanistan
has long been the dream of many oil companies. But the ongoing civil war
always gets in the way.
In the 1980s, the country was officially estimated to be capable of
producing 100m barrels of oil. Untapped oil reserves are believed to
be considerably higher - especially given the Soviet interest in oil
extraction during its occupation of Afghanistan from 1979-89. Likewise,
proven coal reserves have been put at 100m tonnes but are reckoned to
be around four times that figure.
The biggest potential money-spinner, however, is a pipeline that would link
the huge untapped oil and gas reserves of the former Soviet state of
Turkmenistan with the energy-needy countries of South Asia, particularly
India. The most direct route is across western Afghanistan - which has
Turkmenistan on its northern border and Pakistan to the south.
A $6bn trans-Afghan pipeline was once the ambition of the US-based UNOCAL,
a energy company that often works in "difficult" countries. Representatives
from UNOCAL and from their Saudi partners, Delta Oil, frequently did the
rounds of Afghanistan's warring factions in 1996 and 1997. In particular,
relations with the Taliban movement, which was on the rise during this
time, were cultivated by UNOCAL.
The Afghan capital, Kabul, fell to Taliban forces in September 1996.
UNOCAL and Delta spent the next year trying to get a deal with the Taliban
and with the opposition Northern Alliance, which then controlled the
northern one-third of Afghanistan.
The two companies formed the Centgas consortium in October 1997 with
the Turkmen government, Itochu of Japan, Hyundai of South Korea and
Pakistan's Crescent Group. The Russian firm, Gazprom, was due to
sign on at a later date. UNOCAL began to offer donations to aid
agencies in Afghanistan, although most turned down the funds.
The company also tried to get a training project of the ground that
would train Afghans to work on the pipeline.
It all came to nothing. As the hard-line policies of the Taliban gained
international notoriety - particularly the movement's harsh treatment
of women - UNOCAL was forced to distance itself from the extreme Sunni
Muslim group. In early 1998 UNOCAL finally announced that it was putting
the pipeline plan on hold, owing to financing problems. As long as
Afghanistan remained unstable, the company said, it could not proceed.
Vying with UNOCAL to build a pipeline was the Argentinean firm, Bridas,
which also managed to build close relations with the Taliban. The firm had
previously signed an agreement with the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani,
which was ousted by the Taliban in 1996 but is still recognized by the UN
as the government of the Afghanistan. But, Bridas fell out of favour with
the Turkmen government - each party took out lawsuits against the other -
and then faded from the scene.
But the pipeline dreams have surfaced again. In May 2000 there were
reports of discussions of the issue involving Afghanistan, India, Pakistan,
Iran and Turkmenistan. And the Taliban newspaper, the Kabul Times, recently
reported that the mine and industries minister, Mullah Mohammed Isa
Akhond, met representatives of the Central Asia-based US company, Central
Asia Oil and Gas Industry. The newspaper quoted company representative,
Rafiq Yadgar as saying: "Central Asia Oil and Gas Industry is ready to
invest in Afghanistan in the field of oil and gas extraction and meanwhile
is willing to build an gas and oil refinery in Afghanistan." He added
that Turkmen authorities are ready to co-operate with his company.
No doubt they are. The country's dictatorial president, Saparmurad Niyazov,
has long engaged the Taliban, in a bid to stem off cross-border instability.
Niyazov has squashed any squeaks of opposition but manages to appease his
poor population with promises of future oil riches.
"With the establishing of this project the mutual interest of both sides
will be secured," the Taliban's mine and industries minister told the
Kabul Times. But even the shared goals may not ensure that this plan,
or any other, will get off the ground. Afghanistan has been at war for
more than 20 years. Its infrastructure is shattered, its economy in
tatters and the worst drought in three decades is compounding the misery
of its long-suffering population. The sole remaining opposition to the
Taliban, the United Front, is trying to hang on to the 5-10% of the
country that it still controls. Should any pipeline actually get off
the ground it will be a prime target for sabotage the United Front whose
leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, excels at guerrilla tactics.
And wider, international interests may also get in the way. Iran would
like to see Turkmen reserves flow across its borders while Russia would
like any pipeline to head its way. Also staking a claim is the US,
which would like Turkey to be the end-point for Turkmen oil and gas.
The pipeline plan looks set to remain on the drawing board for the
foreseeable future.
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The Crescent Group has been in the business for more than fifty years, and
constitutes a premier financial and industrial conglomerate in Pakistan. The
diversity of The Group is reflected through its thirty five independent
operating companies all over Pakistan. They include companies that are market
leaders in textiles, jute, sugar, engineering, investment, banking, insurance,
leasing, software development and marketing services. The Crescent Group
employs over 15,000 people and has revenues exceeding Rs 20 billion from its
quoted (excluding the financial sector) private companies. This constitutes
almost 1% of GNP and over 1% of the market capitalization of Pakistan.
http://www.crescent.com.pk/crescent/group.html
Crescent Steel and Allied Products Ltd. (CSAPL), a unit of one of Pakistan's
largest business houses, the Crescent Group, is engaged in the manufacture of
large Diameter Double Submerged Arc Spiral Welded (DSAW) Steel Pipes.
http://www.crescent.com.pk/crescent/spira.html
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Afghan Radio... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.afghanradio.com/azadi.html
Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1999 The United States Department of State
fingers South Asia as Hub for International Terrorism. May 1, 2000.
http://www.afghanradio.com/azadi.html
atterns of Global Terrorism: 1999
The United States Department of State fingers South Asia as
Hub for International Terrorism. May 1, 2000.
Afghanistan
Islamist extremists from around the world--including North America; Europe;
Africa; the Middle East; and Central, South, and Southeast Asia--continued
to use Afghanistan as a training ground and base of operations for their
worldwide terrorist activities in 1999. The Taliban, which controlled most
Afghan territory, permitted the operation of training and indoctrination
facilities for non-Afghans and provided logistic support to members of various
terrorist organizations and mujahidin, including those waging jihads in
Chechnya, Lebanon, Kosovo, Kashmir, and elsewhere.
Throughout the year, the Taliban continued to host Usama Bin Ladin--indicted
in November 1998 for the bombings of two US Embassies in East Africa--despite
US and UN sanctions, a unanimously adopted United Security Council resolution,
and other international pressure to deliver him to stand trial in the United
States or a third country. The United States repeatedly made clear to the
Taliban that they will be held responsible for any terrorist acts undertaken
by Bin Ladin while he is in their territory.
In early December, Jordanian authorities arrested members of a cell linked
to Bin Ladin's al-Qaida organization--some of whom had undergone explosives
and weapons training in Afghanistan--who were planning terrorist operations
against Western tourists visiting holy sites in Jordan over the millennium
holiday.
On 25 December the Taliban permitted hijacked Indian Airlines flight 814 to
land at Qandahar airport after refusing it permission to land the previous
day. The hijacking ended on 31 December when the Indian Government released
from prison three individuals linked to Kashmiri militant groups in return
for the release of the passengers aboard the aircraft. The hijackers, who
had murdered one of the Indian passengers during the course of the incident,
were allowed to go free. The Taliban stated that the hijackers, who
reportedly are Kashmiri militants, would leave Afghanistan even if they were
unable to obtain political asylum from another country. Their where
abouts remained unknown at year end.
http://www.afghanradio.com/special/terrorism_may_20_2000_files/image001.jpg
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Taliban commander boasts Red China helping to fight America
http://disc.server.com/Indices/149495.html
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http://www.thewinds.org/2001/10/state_torture.html
WHY THE GOVERNMENT AND MAJOR MEDIA KEEP YOU IN THE DARK REGARDING THE
BENEFITS OF COLLOIDAL SILVER.
http://www.anthraxsafe.com/politics.htm
