Polish president rips German Baltic gas pipeline ahead of Berlin trip

IRNA ^ | March 4, 2006

[lizol]

Polish president rips German Baltic gas pipeline ahead of Berlin trip Berlin,

March 4,IRNA

Germany-Poland-Kaczynski

Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Saturday harshly criticized the construction of a new gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany ahead of his first-ever visit to Germany next week.

"There are no economic reasons for this pipeline. We are allies of Germany, joint members of NATO and the EU. So why is there a need for this pipeline bypassing Poland?" Kaczynski told Der Spiegel news magazine in an interview due to hit the newsstands on Sunday.

Kaczynski who took office on December 23, 2005, will hold talks with his German counterpart Horst Koehler, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Parliament President Norbert Lammert in Berlin on Wednesday.

The conservative Polish leader called Merkel a 'very sympathetic woman' but his talks with her on the pipeline matter had 'so far proven unsatisfactory for Poland'.

The German chancellor has defended the construction of the 1,200- kilometer pipeline, saying it was 'not aimed against Poland or any other country'.

Merkel visited Poland in late November only four days after being elected chancellor by the German parliament.

[lizol]

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[TimSkalaBim]

At least this time they're bypassing Poland to get to Russia's resources.

[GSlob]

Well, about 500 years ago there was a somewhat similar situation in the spice trade - and the Portuguese King sent Vasco da Gama to open a direct supply route. The caravan routes to the Levant dried up, and the toll takers [the Turks, the Persians plus an assortment of Afghani and Indian princelings] did not like the development one iota. On this occasion it makes the economic sense to the "spice growers", and thus the initiative comes from them.
One needs to take a broader look: building the Baltic bypass pipeline will take several years - and this is the time window to create an alternative energy infrastructure. Also, the gas supply is not infinite, and would dry up anyway in a space of a few generations. Thus, one would need to build an alternative energetics anyway, and the present situation ought to be looked at as a prod and a call to action. There is even a proverb, like "grom ne gryanet - muzhik ne perekrestitsya" [if there's no thunderclap, a peasant will not cross himself].

[lizol]

Good one :-)))

[lizol]

Ping to #3 :-)))

I must remember this comment.

[Lukasz]

Indeed this is a significant progress ;-) Why we complain at all?

[Grzegorz 246]

It's really hard to except that Germans will care about Polish interests more than Polish governments. We are going to build at least one or two nuclear power plants and have not enough knowledge and technology to do It on our own, so government should offer following deal: these nuclear contracts for German companies If they put pressure on Russia to build the new pipeline through Baltic states and Poland. If they rejected this deal then something would be really wrong and we shouldn't think only about civilian nuclear program.

[dighton]

Polish president rips German Baltic gas pipeline

That has got to take muscles.

;-)

[Malesherbes]

I read some time ago that Estonia was trying to block the pipeline on the grounds that it would run through Estonia's extended territorial waters and was a potential environmental hazard. Any information on that?

[lizol]

Yep, Poland is trying to do the same.

It was discussed here, some time ago, but I can't find the thread at the moment.

[Lukasz]

There is the difference between territorial waters (with Estonia want to establish with Finland) and economic zone of Poland.

[Lukasz]

Estonia would must to establish sea border with Finland and I think that the Finns are not to keen to start with Russians.

[Atlantic Bridge]

Ping to #3 :-)))

HeHe!

Aunt Angela and Uncle Puttie say that the times are a changing...

Why should we use a fu**ing battleship since nowadays we all live in the yellow submarine to lay pipelines and drink wodka...

[kaiser80]

Ping to #3 :-)))

A realy good one!

[Grzegorz 246]

It's really hard to expect ...