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Is there a relationship between the bombing
of Lebanon and the inauguration of the World's largest strategic pipeline,
which will channel more than a million barrels of oil a day to Western
markets?
Virtually unnoticed, the inauguration of
the Ceyhan-Tblisi-Baku (BTC) oil pipeline, which links the Caspian sea to the
Eastern Mediterranean, took place on the 13th of July, at the very outset of
the Israeli sponsored bombings of Lebanon.
One day before the Israeli air strikes,
the main partners and shareholders of the BTC pipeline project, including
several heads of State and oil company executives were in attendance at the
port of Ceyhan. They were then rushed off for an inauguration reception in
Istanbul, hosted by Turkey's President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in the plush
surroundings of the Çırağan Palace.
Also in attendance was British
Petroleum's (BP) CEO, Lord Browne together with senior government
officials from Britain, the US and Israel. BP leads the BTC pipeline
consortium. Other major Western shareholders include Chevron,
Conoco-Phillips, France's Total and Italy's ENI. (see Annex)
Israel's Minister of Energy and
Infrastructure Binyamin Ben-Eliezer was present at the venue together with a
delegation of top Israeli oil officials.
The BTC pipeline totally bypasses the
territory of the Russian Federation. It transits through the former Soviet
republics of Azerbaijan and Georgia, both of which have become US
"protectorates", firmly integrated into a military alliance with
the US and NATO. Moreover, both Azerbaijan and Georgia have longstanding
military cooperation agreements with Israel. In 2005, Georgian companies
received some $24 million in military contracts funded out of U.S. military
assistance to Israel under the so-called "Foreign Military Financing
(FMF) program".
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Israel has a stake in the Azeri oil
fields, from which it imports some twenty percent of its oil. The opening of
the pipeline will substantially enhance Israeli oil imports from the Caspian
sea basin.
But there is another dimension which directly relates to the war on Lebanon.
Whereas Russia has been weakened, Israel is slated to play a major strategic
role in "protecting" the Eastern Mediterranean transport and
pipeline corridors out of Ceyhan.
Militarization of the Eastern
Mediterranean
The bombing of Lebanon is part of a
carefully planned and coordinated military road map. The extension of the war
into Syria and Iran has already been contemplated by US and Israeli military
planners. This broader military agenda is intimately related to strategic oil
and oil pipelines. It is supported by the Western oil giants which control
the pipeline corridors. In the context of the war on Lebanon, it seeks
Israeli territorial control over the East Mediterranean coastline.
In this context, the BTC pipeline
dominated by British Petroleum, has dramatically changed the geopolitics of
the Eastern Mediterranean, which is now linked , through an energy corridor,
to the Caspian sea basin:
"[The BTC pipeline] considerably changes the status of the
region's countries and cements a new pro-West alliance. Having taken the pipeline
to the Mediterranean, Washington has practically set up a new bloc with
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Israel, " (Komerzant, Moscow, 14 July
2006)
Israel is now part of the Anglo-American
military axis, which serves the interests of the Western oil giants in the
Middle East and Central Asia.
While the official reports state that the
BTC pipeline will "channel oil to Western markets", what is rarely
acknowledged is that part of the oil from the Caspian sea would be directly
channeled towards Israel. In this regard, an underwater Israeli-Turkish
pipeline project has been envisaged which would link Ceyhan to the Israeli
port of Ashkelon and from there through Israel's main pipeline system, to the
Red Sea.
The objective of Israel is not only to
acquire Caspian sea oil for its own consumption needs but also to play a key
role in re-exporting Caspian sea oil back to the Asian markets through the
Red Sea port of Eilat. The strategic implications of this re-routing of
Caspian sea oil are farreaching.
In April 2006, Israel and Turkey announced
plans for four underwater pipelines, which would bypass Syrian and Lebanese
territory.
"Turkey and Israel are negotiating the construction of a
multi-million-dollar energy and water project that will transport water, electricity,
natural gas and oil by pipelines to Israel, with the oil to be sent onward
from Israel to the Far East,
The new Turkish-Israeli proposal under discussion would see the
transfer of water, electricity, natural gas and oil to Israel via four underwater
pipelines.
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“Baku oil can be transported to Ashkelon via this new pipeline and to
India and the Far East.[via the Red sea]"
"Ceyhan and the Mediterranean port of Ashkelon are situated only
400 km apart. Oil can be transported to the city in tankers or via specially
constructed under-water pipeline. From Ashkelon the oil can be pumped through
already existing pipeline to the port of Eilat at the Red Sea; and from there
it can be transported to India and other Asian countries in tankers. (REGNUM )
Water for Israel
Also involved in this project is a
pipeline to bring water to Israel, pumping water from upstream resources of
the Tigris and Euphrates river system in Anatolia. This has been a long-run
strategic objective of Israel to the detriment of Syria and Iraq. Israel's
agenda with regard to water is supported by the military cooperation
agreement between Tel Aviv and Ankara.
The Re-routing of Central Asian Oil
Diverting Central Asian oil and gas to the
Eastern Mediterranean (under Israeli military protection), for re-export to
Asia, serves to undermine the inter-Asian energy market, which is based
on the development of direct pipeline
corridors linking Central Asia and Russia to South Asia, China
and the Far East.
Ultimately, this design is intended to
weaken Russia's role in Central Asia and cut off China from Central
Asian oil resources. It is also intended to isolate Iran.
Meanwhile, Israel has emerged as a new
powerful player in the global energy market.
War and Oil Pipelines
Prior to the bombing of Lebanon, Israel
and Turkey had announced the underwater pipeline routes, which bypassed Syria
and Lebanon. These underwater pipeline routes did not overtly encroach on the
territorial sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria.
On the other hand, the development of
alternative land based corridors (for oil and water) through Lebanon and
Syria would require Israeli-Turkish territorial control over the Eastern
Mediterranean coastline through Lebanon and Syria.
The implementation of this project
requires the militarisation of the East Mediterranean coastline, sea ways and
land routes, extending from the port of Ceyhan across Syria and Lebanon to
the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Is this not one of the hidden objectives of the war on Lebanon? Open up a
space which enables Israel to control a vast territory extending from the
Lebanese border through Syria to Turkey.
"The Long War"
Israeli Prime minister Ehud Olmert has
stated that the Israeli offensive against Lebanon would "last a very
long time". Meanwhile, the US has speeded up weapons shipments to
Israel.
There are strategic objectives underlying
the "Long War" which are tied to oil and oil pipelines.
The air campaign against Lebanon is
inextricably related to US-Israeli strategic objectives in the broader Middle
East including Syria and Iran. In recent developments, Secretary of State
Condoleeza Rice stated that the main purpose of her mission to the Middle
East was not to push for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but rather to isolate Syria
and Iran. (Daily Telegraph, 22 July 2006)
At this particular juncture, the
replenishing of Israeli stockpiles of US produced WMDs points to
an escalation of the war both within and beyond the borders of Lebanon.
Annex
The BTC
Co. shareholders are: BP (30.1%); AzBTC (25.00%); Chevron (8.90%); Statoil
(8.71%); TPAO (6.53%); Eni (5.00%); Total (5.00%), Itochu (3.40%); INPEX
(2.50%), ConocoPhillips (2.50%) and Amerada Hess (2.36%). (source BP)
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