That is a good observation especially concerning Russia. Russia in voting for the resolution has almost guaranteed the presence of NATO in Iraq. NATO’s encroachment is a sore spot with Putin yet Russia seems to consider NATO preferable to the United States by their vote. NATO’s role will free the United States to attack Iran or Syria, again something I would think France, Russia and Germany are against. Deals were struck.
The other thing is NATO is becoming our ‘cleaning lady’. When Bush goes into his ‘war every 70 days’ mode NATO is going to be shoveling our crap all over the world. Let’s see how much NATO enjoys being a whore for Bush when the fighting intensifies.
This weekly added that the U.S. Department of Defense has set a new objective: to transfer military manpower to far distant regions within ten days, dominate enemy forces within thirty days from that day, and finally, prepare for another battle within 30 days from the end of that domination. Such an operational plan has materialized in a report titled “Research of Operational Possibility,” which was categorized as “Confidential” in 2003, reported Defense News. #msg-3240413
Bush Seeks Wider NATO Role in New Iraq
Updated 9:31 AM ET June 9, 2004
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
SEA ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - President Bush, hoping to build on momentum from a U.N. Security Council victory on Iraq, said Wednesday that he envisions a wider role for NATO in post-occupation Iraq.
Standing alongside his top ally in the war in Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush noted that many NATO nations already are part of the coalition in Iraq and he hoped to "expand it a bit."
The United States and its biggest allies are proclaiming that Tuesday's unanimous U.N. vote will heal their bitter divisions over Iraq.
Terrorists now "know they have the whole world against them," Blair said.
Some 15 NATO nations have forces in Iraq.
Asked if he envisioned a larger role for NATO, Bush said he did. "I think NATO ought to stay involved and I think we have a good chance of getting it done," Bush said.
Bush did not elaborate, but administration officials said that the United States would like to see NATO get involved in training the new Iraqi army, in addition to having NATO members currently in Iraq remain there.
Bush and Blair met for a private session before Wednesday's first business session of the Group of Eight major industrial powers. Bush drove Blair to their meeting at an exclusive resort on Sea Island in a modernistic, electric, golf-cart sized car emblazoned with the red, white and blue colors of the U.S. flag.
Bush was touting the success on Iraq in a one-on-one meeting with the new interim Iraqi president, Ghazi al-Yawer, on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit.
"I'm going to tell him we're pulling for him," Bush told reporters.
Bush also said he would tell the Iraqi president that he and Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi "must make wise decisions on behalf of the Iraqi people."
He said he would emphasize to al-Yawer that "he is the president of a sovereign nation."
Blair said the next step in the process was to make sure Iraqis can take care of their own security.
"This is a process of change and we have to help people manage it," Blair said.
And, he added, "It's not just about security measures. It's not just about force."
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The United States supports Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organization, President Vladimir Putin’s aide Sergey Prikhodko told reporters. Speaking after a meeting of the Russian and US leaders at a G8 summit, he said: “It was unambiguously said that the US leadership supports Russia’s entry into the WTO and is in favor of a rapid conclusion to this process.” At the same time, Mr. Prikhodko said Washington insisted that some other issues, including the protection of intellectual property rights, be solved first.
According to the presidential aide, Mr. Putin informed George Bush on the situation on intellectual property rights in Russia, Reuters reports.
In late May, Russia and the European Union signed a protocol on the completion of talks on Russia’s WTO entry. The protocol lays down obligations on cutting import tariffs and providing access to Russia’s markets of banking, insurance and telecommunications services.
About ten countries had formally supported Russia in its bid for WTO membership, but their number increased threefold after the Russia-EU protocol was signed. According to the Russian President, the signing of the protocol was a “long-awaited and balanced agreement”. “The WTO is a key aspect of our cooperation with the European Union. The document is a compromise, and it will have a positive impact on Russia’s WTO talks with the United States, China and other countries,” he added.
Why is Russia being so cooperative and backing the UN resolution regarding Iraq? One trade probably is the US backing of Russia’s WTO bid. Another trade could be the possibility that the international conference for the reconstruction of Iraq might include Russia, France and Germany reclaiming some or all of the oil contracts lost before the war. #msg-3290184 #msg-3291165
But this could be the big one, the deal that has made Putin somewhat of a compliant adversary lately. The U.S. Export-Import Bank may help finance a $15 billion project to develop the Shtokman field in Russia. U.S. officials have been pursuing long-term agreements with Russia that would bolster its exports to America. This text is followed by China’s countermove.
-Am
U.S. looks to Russia as supplier of natural gas
Friday, June 11, 2004 MOSCOW As the United States grapples with the specter of a shortfall in its natural gas supply, U.S. officials are pursuing long-term agreements with Russia that would bolster its exports to America.
The officials - including Spencer Abraham, the U.S. energy secretary, and Kyle McSlarrow, the deputy secretary - have participated in a series of meetings here over the last several weeks with some of the biggest Russian gas producers, including Gazprom, the natural gas monopoly; Yukos, the giant oil company; and Transneft, the oil pipeline monopoly.
Gazprom - which is the best placed of the three to win any contract - is eager to sign a deal to develop the giant Shtokman gas field, a move that would accelerate its projects to liquefy gas in the Arctic and possibly reel in an American oil company as a partner.
The U.S. government is so serious about pursuing natural gas deals with Russia that the U.S. Export-Import Bank may help finance a $15 billion project to develop the Shtokman field.
"The subject of investment has been discussed, including in the context of proposals which U.S. ExImbank may put forward," Ivan Materov, deputy minister of industry and energy, said this week. Materov also said that Russia was interested in having large U.S. energy companies participate in the project.
McSlarrow said projects involving liquefied natural gas, commonly known as LNG, have emerged as one way to stave off an anticipated shortfall in the North American natural gas supply.
"Under everybody's scenario, LNG imports will have to increase," McSlarrow said at a news conference this week. "I think Russia realizes that it ought to be a major player when it comes to LNG."
The Shtokman deposit, located on the shelf of the Barents Sea beyond the Arctic Circle, has an estimated 3.2 trillion cubic meters of gas and 31 million tons of gas condensate.
The license to develop it belongs to Gazprom and a subsidiary of the state-owned oil company Rosneft.
Potential partners for Gazprom mentioned in Russian news reports include Norsk Hydro, ConocoPhilips, ChevronTexaco, Exxon Mobil and Shell.
But industry analysts said they were skeptical about LNG projects involving Gazprom and U.S. companies, given delays that have plagued other energy projects in Russia.
"There is clearly interest in the U.S. on Russian energy exports to the West, whether gas or oil," said Stephen O'Sullivan, an analyst at UFG in Moscow. "There is a lot of talk, but not practical support, for projects like an oil pipeline to Murmansk to go ahead," he said, referring to the region from which Russia would be able to ship oil across the Atlantic to the United States.
But even as foreign companies salivate over the prospect of business with Gazprom, a minority shareholder is raising questions about a trading deal that he claims not only hurts Gazprom's bottom line but appears to benefit an obscure shell company.
Hermitage Capital Management, the largest foreign investment fund in Russia, has alleged that Gazprom cut a trade deal that benefits an unknown third party and is costing shareholders potential profits, thereby undervaluing the share price.
The fund wants its head of research, Vadim Kleiner, to win a seat on Gazprom's board at the company's annual meeting at the end of this month. Specifically, Hermitage is upset about a gas supply contract that allows Eural Trans Gas, an obscure company, whose chairman is Cedric Brown, the former head of British Gas, to handle most of the gas business between two of Gazprom's most lucrative markets: Ukraine and Turkmenistan.
Established less than two years ago, Eural Trans Gas has built up a highly lucrative business, helped partly by Gazprom, which not only yielded its Ukrainian gas market and a part of the markets of Poland and Slovakia to the little-known trading company, but also financed Eural Trans Gas through its own corporate bank, Gazprombank.
At the same time, Eural Trans Gas has been allowed to keep most of its trading revenues while paying a relatively smaller transit fee to Gazprom, Hermitage says.
The latest deal with Eural Trans Gas resembles one struck with a company known as Itera. The relationship between Gazprom and Itera was the subject of an inquiry by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation several years ago, as the agency looked into allegations of asset stripping. Gazprom had also been transferring assets such as gas fields and sales markets to Itera, although its relationship with Gazprom has deteriorated.
Under Alexei Miller, whom President Vladimir Putin installed at Gazprom in 2001 to carry out changes, the energy giant was supposed to regain control of such unusual trading arrangements.
"Gazprom gave up a majority of its market share in Ukraine in the 1990s to Itera," Browder said.
"Despite expectations in 2002 that Gazprom would recover this business, Eural Trans Gas has stepped into Itera's shoes."
A spokeswoman for Gazprom did not respond to requests for comment.
China may soon sign deal with Russian offshore energy project, official says
Canadian Press
Friday, June 11, 2004
MOSCOW (AP) - Chinese companies and the operator of a major oil and gas project off Russia's Pacific coast may soon sign a gas agreement, the Interfax news agency quoted a Chinese official as saying.
Jiang Weixing, head of the Chinese State Development and Reform Committee said in a meeting with Sakhalin Governor Ivan Malakhov that his country wants to participate in and receive gas from the Sakhalin-2 project.
Along with Weixing's delegation, representatives from Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration & Production Co., a unit of state-owned China Petrochemical, arrived Thursday to familiarize themselves with the $10-billion-US project.
Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., a joint venture set up by Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Mitsui and Mitsubishi Corp., is developing the Piltun-Astokhskoye field and the Lunskoye field in the Sea of Okhotsk off the east coast of Russia's Sakhalin Island.
Together the fields contain estimated recoverable reserves of 1.1 billion barrels of oil and 20 trillion cubic feet of gas. Shipment to international markets is expected by the end of 2007.
To satisfy soaring domestic demand for energy, China is trying hard to secure new energy sources, particularly in Russia, but it faces stiff competition from energy- hungry Japan.
Sakhalin Energy has already signed contracts to supply 3.4 million metric tons (3.75 million tons) of liquefied natural gas to Japan.
"The Chinese market is the best for Sakhalin gas," Weixing was quoted as saying.
CT, here is the pipeline proposal that I found interesting.
Not only will our major non-NATO ally, Pakistan, get a stake in Iran’s South Pars gas field, Islamabad is set to earn an estimated $600 million annually from transit fees alone if the pipeline is built through its territory. The project could give a tremendous boost to the economies of both India and Pakistan. This proposed pipeline is not yet on the map. Iran is also offering LNG to India in another deal. Strategic move on Iran’s part, they may have bought themselves some more powerful allies.
India> Tehran may give stake in South Pars gas field to Pak
Dubai, June 9 Teheran may give equity stake in its gigantic South Pars gas field to India and Pakistan if Islamabad give international security guarantees to the proposed gas pipeline from Iran via Pakistan to India.
The 3,700-square km gas field, which is an extension of the Qatar north dome gas field, is located 105-km southwest of the Asaluyeh port in the Persian Gulf.
It has an estimated 14 trillion standard cubic metres of in-place gas reserves and 18 billion barrels of condensate in multiple strata.
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has decided to develop the Field in phases to secure the increasing internal demand for natural gas.
A report in the Tehran Times has said that Iran is also planning to use it for re-injection in its oil fields and export.
Islamabad says it has no objection to the multi-billion pipeline, with President General Pervez Musharraf assuring that Pakistan would guarantee 100 per cent security to the project.
The project could give a tremendous boost to the economies of India and Pakistan with Islamabad set to earn an estimated $600 million annually from transit fee alone if the pipeline is built through its territory.
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has shown interest in the project in partnership with the Gas Authority of India Limited.
BHP of Australia is said to have conducted a 'desktop' study on the onland option from Iran to Pakistan, pending an extension to India after government-to-government discussions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Flagship overseas firm ONGC Videsh Ltd is likely to get a 20 per cent stake in Khusk and Hosseineieh oil fields in Iran on nomination basis.
Sources in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said Iran has offered 20 per cent share (equal to 60,000 barrels per day or 3 million tonnes of crude oil annually) in Khusk and Hosseineieh fields in exchange for India buying 5 million tonnes of LNG from Tehran.
OVL would be accommodated after Tehran selects operators of the two fields through a bidding round by September-end. OVL would have to participate in the bidding process.
Initially, Iran was keen on getting OVL on board the giant South Azadegan oil field but operator Japan has yet to approve any participation of another party in the field.
"National Iranian Oil Co could also consider offering 25 per cent from its share in the field (about 60,000 barrels per day) to OVL," they said. As per indications, the Japanese prefer participation from one of the major oil multinationals in the project.
As regards finalization of term sheet for LNG imports, an Iranian delegation will visit India this month for further discussions. The term sheet is being finalised by Indian Oil Corp and GAIL (India) with National Iranian Gas Export Co.
Till now, there had not been much progress in allocation of a suitable oil field by Iranians to India on nomination in lieu of LNG that the latter will purchase from Iran under a deal signed early last year.
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