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Deal likely on trans-Afghan pipeline
afghanistan.org ^ | 21 December 2002

Posted on 12/22/2002 12:05:51 AM PST by Stultis

Deal likely on trans-Afghan pipeline
Saturday, 21-Dec-2002, 5:38pm

Dec 21 (Hoovers) -- Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan are scheduled to meet on December 26-27 to sign an agreement for construction of a trans-Afghan pipeline that would carry gas from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan and possibly, including India at a later stage.

The three heads of state — Afghanistans Hamid Karzai, Pakistans Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and Turkmenistans President Suparmurat Niyazov — are scheduled to gather in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat to ink the deal.

Several issues related to the project, including financing are yet to be worked out. Currently the Asian Development Bank(ADB) is conducting a series of studies and has bids out for companies that will conduct a major feasibility study next year.

The three participating countries have requested ADB to mobilise co-financing for the project after the feasibility study is completed. This would be from private sector participants and also from other multilateral and bilateral donor agencies.

The project if implemented has great potential for the economic development of the region and pave way for similar pipelines. The proposed Iran-India gas pipeline is an example.

The multi-billion project has been hanging fire due to apprehensions of India about feasibility of a gas pipeline through Pakistan given the hostilities between the two countries. Construction of the Turkmenistan-Pakistan muti-billion pipeline may begin in 2004.

According to the ADB (Pakistan) director, Marshuke Ali Shah a million dollars had been allocated for study of six aspects of the project " and may be the gas would be sold to India."

The gas framework agreement could trigger a chain of several agreements for commercial, financial and technical aspects between the three nations and various international donors and companies to bring the longstanding project on ground.

The agreement on December 26-27 would be followed by detailed negotiations on commercial terms which would pave the way for the constitution of the consortium to lay the pipeline from central Asia to South Asia.

The project has seven stages including feasibility, survey, design and engineering, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance and installation of gas processing plant in Gwadar.

The ADB has held very positive talks with India on the project. The 1,700 km pipeline would transport up to 20 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from the SouthEast Turkmenistan. The project is estimated to cost between 3 to 3.2 billion and work is likely to be completed in four years. Heads of state of the three countries are to meet every quarter to resolve key issues concerning the project.

The ADBs technical assistance is expected to begin next month and completed by August 2003.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; naturalgas; pipeline; southasialist; warlist
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1 posted on 12/22/2002 12:05:51 AM PST by Stultis
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To: Stultis
Ya gotta believe that one warlord or another will blow up some part of this pipeline every week, unless he gets his baksheesh. Whaaaaat a country.
2 posted on 12/22/2002 12:10:17 AM PST by Nick Danger
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To: Stultis
We haven't seen many of the "Carlyle Group" tin foilers lately here on FReeRepublic, But this should get them tuning in :-)
3 posted on 12/22/2002 12:10:42 AM PST by MJY1288
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To: Stultis
Turkmenistan is desperate to get this thing built. And Afghanistan needs it just as bad, as this would be her only source of income not related to goats, heroin, or mayhem.

But while I am rooting for them all the way, I certainly wouldn't want to invest my money in it. A thousand miles across the toughest terrain in the world, and completely vulnerable to any disgruntled worker with a souvenir handgrenade.
4 posted on 12/22/2002 12:18:17 AM PST by marron
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To: Stultis
So this is about oil...

what a drag, I thought I was being patriotic and I've just been duped AGAIN!!

I gotta learn, one of these decades!!

5 posted on 12/22/2002 12:21:07 AM PST by Nitro
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To: MJY1288; Stultis
"SEE?! It was all about oil! We just had to get our dirty hands on that pipeline! Karzai worked for Unocal! Karzai is a Bush puppet! FOLLOW THE MONEY!"

(Since most of the Pipeline crowd aren't here anymore, I felt I had to pay them a little homage. <|:-D )
6 posted on 12/22/2002 12:24:23 AM PST by hellinahandcart
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To: hellinahandcart
LOL, It was all about oil in 1991 too..... Wasn't it?

I remember the NYT's and their claims back then and they differ very little today from the other blame America Firsters who think it's all about OIL.

What is so sad is that so many of our finest have shed their blood or given their lives fighting for the freedom of others around the globe and we have never profited monetarily from our toils.

All the usual suspects who subscribe to the thought that we are in this for the oil are liberals who are to utterly spineless to stand up against anything.

7 posted on 12/22/2002 12:37:55 AM PST by MJY1288
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To: MJY1288
All the usual suspects who subscribe to the thought that we are in this for the oil are liberals who are to utterly spineless to stand up against anything.

Well, there were a lot of them *here*, too.

Just seems like a lot of trouble to go to in order to build a pipeline. LOL

8 posted on 12/22/2002 12:44:49 AM PST by hellinahandcart
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To: dighton
Bad news, bub. Hope you're sitting down.
9 posted on 12/22/2002 12:45:44 AM PST by hellinahandcart
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To: hellinahandcart
Jeez, I've never understood the oil-is-evil crowd. I mean I understand why the libs strive to damn and quash development. They just wanna keep the LBPs (Little Brown People) in their mud huts lest they become evil, Gaia-raping, over-consumers like us. But what the hell is it with the anti-oil freepers?
10 posted on 12/22/2002 1:17:26 AM PST by Stultis
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To: hellinahandcart
Wot, no art students?
11 posted on 12/22/2002 6:13:51 AM PST by dighton
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To: Nick Danger
Beat me to it. It's nuts to build a vulnerable system like this in so politically unstable an area. They'd need to station an armed guard every 100 yards or so.

Unless, of course, Bechtel Perpetual War Reconstruction Company keeps a crew on the ground there.

Hmmmm...!

Note to self: Call broker Monday am sure...

12 posted on 12/22/2002 6:24:41 AM PST by Dick Bachert
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To: Stultis
an oil pipeline in Afghanistan is about as good an idea as parking a Porsche in South Central L.A.

If you think the oil pipeline in Columbia is a mess, you haven't seen anything yet, this thing will be blown to kingdom-come several times a week!

13 posted on 12/22/2002 6:35:45 AM PST by ContentiousObjector
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To: Nitro
So this is about oil...

No. It's about progress.

I guess I'm not as cynical as yourself.

14 posted on 12/22/2002 6:46:36 AM PST by DoctorMichael
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To: *southasia_list; *war_list
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list
15 posted on 12/22/2002 7:17:43 AM PST by Free the USA
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Comment #16 Removed by Moderator

To: hellinahandcart
The plans for the trans-Alaska pipeline were laid before Seward purchased the territory! /tinfoil
17 posted on 12/22/2002 8:04:58 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: 1rudeboy
The plans for the trans-Alaska pipeline were laid before Seward purchased the territory!

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Originally it was supposed to be a reeeeeeeeealy long coal chute.

18 posted on 12/22/2002 8:31:34 AM PST by Stultis
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Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

To: DoctorMichael
Psst...Nitro and I were *both* being sarcastic...he was just being more suble than me, for a change. ;D
20 posted on 12/22/2002 12:36:40 PM PST by hellinahandcart
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