Ever read US House of Representatives Committee on International Relations Doc. 48-119 CC / 1998?

[NNN0LHI]

http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa48119.000/hfa48119_0.htm

48–119 CC
1998
U.S. INTERESTS IN THE CENTRAL ASIAN REPUBLICS

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

FEBRUARY 12, 1998

Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations

1998 — February 12th - John Maresca, a UNOCAL executive, clarified the situation when he told the House Sub-Committee on Asia and the Pacific, “construction of the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan cannot begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments, lenders, and our company.” In other words, a stable government, uniting all of Afghanistan, was seen as crucial to protecting their investments.

The second option is to build a pipeline south from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean. One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed for American companies because of U.S. sanctions legislation. The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which has of course its own unique challenges. The country has been involved in bitter warfare for almost two decades, and is still divided by civil war. From the outset, we have made it clear that construction of the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments, lenders, and our company.

Mr. Chairman, as you know, we have worked very closely with the University of Nebraska at Omaha in developing a training program for Afghanistan which will be open to both men and women, and which will operate in both parts of the country, the north and south.

Unocal foresees a pipeline which would become part of a regional system that will gather oil from existing pipeline infrastructure in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. The 1,040-mile long oil pipeline would extend south through Afghanistan to an export terminal that would be constructed on the Pakistan coast.

This 42-inch diameter pipeline will have a shipping capacity of one million barrels of oil per day. The estimated cost of the project, which is similar in scope to the trans-Alaska pipeline, is about $2.5 billion.

Given the plentiful natural gas supplies of Central Asia, our aim is to link gas resources with the nearest viable markets. This is basic for the commercial viability of any gas project. But these projects also face geopolitical challenges. Unocal and the Turkish company Koc Holding are interested in bringing competitive gas supplies to Turkey. The proposed Eurasia natural gas pipeline would transport gas from Turkmenistan directly across the Caspian Sea through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey. Of course the demarcation of the Caspian remains an issue.

Last October, the Central Asia Gas Pipeline Consortium, called CentGas, in which Unocal holds an interest, was formed to develop a gas pipeline which will link Turkmenistan's vast Dauletabad gas field with markets in Pakistan and possibly India. The proposed 790-mile pipeline will open up new markets for this gas, traveling from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Multan in Pakistan. The proposed extension would move gas on to New Delhi, where it would connect with an existing pipeline. As with the proposed Central Asia oil pipeline, CentGas can not begin construction until an internationally recognized Afghanistan Government is in place.

[conscious evolution]

1. ButButBut

what about the terrorists?
Good find. Of course most people here will not understand the implications of this.

[ixion]

2. kick... if only we had a press that did it's job

this shit would never get off the planning board.

[Robb]

3. Oddly enough, yes.

But I didn't read it until September of 2001. Then wrote about some of it: http://www.bartcop.com/060402pipe.htm

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Sorta explains that little fracas in Georgia, don't it?

All ANYONE has to do is look at map of the area, impose a map of pipelines, and one of military bases, and they all line up.
And this is not a secret, either. Google provides exactly that function, many people have stated the obvious about the real reasons for our imperialism.

[Sinti]

5. Yep - that's why we're there

In my sig there is a link to a free to download three-part film called The Power Of Nightmares - it tries to most of the Neocon/AlQaeda fiction, without stepping on so many toes as to keep itself off BBC TV (IOW many people get a pass that should not, but much truth is told in the process).

[shraby]

6. Good find, now google Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce

and look who is/was on the board.

[pscot]

7. Pepe Escobar of the Asia Times

has written a number of articles that unpack this story. He's kind of high key, and no particular friend of the U.S., but he provides a lot of useful information.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

8. It sickens me when all the dots are connected....and so much bull shit happens on our watch.