US Department of State
Taxpayers Dollars Used To Protect Oil Pipeline
Thu Jul 17 18:05:13 2003
63.155.104.57

The Bush administration has spent at least $64 million in U.S. taxpayer funds to train a “counterterrorist” force in Georgia. Critics have charged that the real aim is to reduce the threat of sabotage to the BTC pipeline by unfriendly groups. MSNBC reported in August 2002: “Georgia has said its U.S.-trained special forces troops could be used to protect the pipeline, a promise that helped secure investment in the pipeline.” [see outline]
Last year it was reported that the Bush administration would provide $4.4 million in military aid to Azerbaijan in an effort to help that country secure its maritime borders. At the time, a dispute between Azerbaijan and Iran over the rights to the oil beneath the Caspian Sea was escalating. The conflict was of concern to the BTC pipeline’s investors because an unfavorable outcome for Azerbaijan would result in a smaller quantity of oil being transported by the pipeline, meaning less of a profit for its investors. [see outline]
Members of the Bush administration, as well as people close to it, appear to have financial ties to the project, including James Baker III, Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Dick Cheney, and Richard Armitage. [Elite Watch]
The BTC pipeline consortium is represented by the law firm Baker and Botts, whose principal attorney is James A. Baker III. [Chicago Tribune. Muwakkil, Salim. “Pipeline politics taint U.S. war.” March 18, 2002 ]
On July 3, 2003, President Bush announced that he had sent James A. Baker III to Georgia to discuss political and economic issues. According to a statement from the White House, upcoming Parliamentary elections would be a central concern of Baker’s visit. The elections could have an impact on the future of the pipeline, given that 73% of the Georgian population is opposed to its construction. On the same day that the White House announced Baker’s trip, a Georgian District court said that it would allow a local NGO, Green Alternative, to take legal action against the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. The action, if successful, could possibly postpone or even put an end to the pipeline project. [US Department of State, 7/3/03; Eurasianet, 6/26/03; Eurasianet, 7/3/03]

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