Posted on 10/22/2006 11:10:09 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
According to a report published by Stratfor, the Strategic Forecasting consultancy, in late 2002, "tankers bearing Russian crude from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk would unload at Israel's Mediterranean port of Ashkelon. After that, the oil would traverse the Tipline to Israel's Red Sea port of Eilat, where it would be reloaded onto tankers for shipment to Asia. The Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Co. estimated the pipeline will be ready for Russian crude in mid-2003." Russia is emerging as a major oil supplier and a serious challenge to the hegemony of Saudi Arabia and OPEC... Russia also hopes to neuter the rapprochement between Israel and the Islamic nations of Turkey and Azerbaijan, traditional adversaries of Moscow. Israel is the second largest buyer of oil from Azerbaijan. It is one of the sponsors of a pipeline from the Baku oilfields to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. The pipeline stands to compete with a less costly and more hostile to the West Russian-Iranian route.
(Excerpt) Read more at globalpolitician.com ...
Tell that to Belarus, Ukraine and the EU.
yitbos
Heh...
>political stability
Do you question it? We are way more stable than during Yeltsin, when his policy depended on quality of vodka he consumed.
>Tell that to Belarus, Ukraine and the EU.
Belarus & Ukraine refuse to pay in total, to pay in time. EU fell victim of Ukraine's lack of money, nothing more.
Ashkelon does have an interesting history.
He writes:
"But Russia stands to gain whichever way. Middle East tensions, in Palestine and Iraq, have ratcheted oil prices up resulting in a much-needed budgetary windfall..."
Where's Palestine?
LOL!
Aha! The Narcissist. Thought I recognized the name...suffers from it himself, I seem to recall. Writes well. I copied out the symptoms of narcissism and gave them to a 'friend' - haven't heard from him since...wonder why? LOL!
He refers to Ariel Sharon as the PM of Israel who went to Russia for talks last month (July). He refers to our war in Iraq as fighting Saddam in the present tense.
If the guy wants to reference Stratfor and American Foreign Policy Council, he should link it or at least avoid a whacko analysis.
yitbos
Something was lost in the translation?
yitbos
Although of recent publication date, the article commences:
"In October 2002, Russia and Israel - erstwhile bitter Cold War enemies - have agreed to make use of Israel's neglected oil pipeline, known as the Tipline. The conduit, an Iranian-Israeli joint venture completed in 1968 is designed to carry close to a million barrels per day, circumventing the Suez canal..."
And he refers to 2002 all the way through...it's a little misleading to say the least...
this makes no sense.
why would crude oil go in the opposite direction
of the Suez Canal?
To reach Asian markets without having to go through the Suez Canal.
an Iranian-Israeli joint venture completed in 1968In 1967 the Six Day War resulted in the closing of the Suez Canal, retaliation for Egypt's and Saudi Arabia's attempt to close off Israeli seagoing trade through the canal and through Aqaba.
my point is,
there could be a swap benificial to both sides,
when you effectively have crudes being transported
in opposite directions past themselves.
send Russian oil to the Med,
Middle East oIl to the Orient
perhaps Egypt is paying Putin personally,
for this stupidity
Their point is, the Russians want to sell oil wherever it's being consumed, particularly at the prices people are willing to pay. This also gets revenue flowing to Israel (the transshipper) and enhances Russian influence in the region.
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