-Caveat Lector- For Marty Miller, Central Asia is a Texas oilman's dream come true.
Marty Miller: Central Asia, and if you go even further north up into western and central Siberia, there's a tremendous amount of oil, one of the world's most prolific oil provinces. And historically, the pipelines out of the area have gone generally to the west. What is really needed are pipelines that can transport that oil to what we call the Asia-Pacific market, which is the fastest-growing energy market in the world. ~snip~ US Official: Our strong preference is that Caspian petroleum resources reach western markets by non-Iranian routes. ~snip~ Stan Correy: Today Baku is booming again as it did last century. Foreign entrepreneurs are making fortunes, and the New York Times reports that the streets gleam with luxury cars, and swimming pools and tennis courts are paid for with suitcases full of $100 bills. There are 12 casinos in Baku. All this, and yet the first drop of oil only left Azerbaijan last week. ~snip~ The politics of the Caspian may be questionable, and the pipeline maps may read like a spider web out of control, but the Caspian Basin has heaps of oil, and there's an important bonus. In this area you can actually own the resources, unlike in Saudi Arabia or the Gulf, where no foreign investment is allowed. That's why so many of the world's biggest oil companies rushed to the Caspian after the end of the Soviet Union. ~snip~ That can-do Texan, Marty Miller, of Unical was in Turkmenistan last week to sign an agreement to build a gas pipeline through war-torn Afghanistan to Pakistan. But that may not be the end of it. The Taliban still haven't reached any agreement with Unocal, and thought not the official government, they have to be factored in. Not a problem if you're an oil man from Texas. Marty Miller: You know, it wasn't too long ago when people couldn't even contemplate the idea of investing in a place like Beirut. It wasn't too long ago that people could not even conceive the idea of, or even being able to do business in Central Asia. You know, Western companies doing business, with Izbekistan or Turkmenistan or Kazakhstan, you know, before the fall of the Soviet Union. So fair exchange. And while you characterise the Taliban or any of the other Afghan factions as being tough fighters, you're right on that. But on the other hand, I've met them and I've looked them right in the eye and I've talked to them, and they have concerns just like you and I do in terms of wanting to have a job or to be able to educate their kids, or to have a normal life. And what we are doing is explaining to all of the factions, the Taliban, the people in the north, the benefits of a project. And we also remind them that the fighting's got to stop and they've got to come together and form this government that I was talking about that the world's lending institutions would look at and say, 'Well, we believe these are people we can work with, and we can provide finance for the projects.' And without finance, particularly on the gas pipeline project, it's going to be very difficult to meet the price expectations on the gas for the Turkmen and the Pakistanis. for more, see: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s10511.htm __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Check out Yahoo! Shopping and Yahoo! Auctions for all of your unique holiday gifts! Buy at http://shopping.yahoo.com or bid at http://auctions.yahoo.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
