US ambassador to Kazakhstan Richard Jones denied Wednesday that an oil export route that the United States favors for transporting Caspian oil to Turkey was "an American dream."
"It is not an American dream, or if it is, we are not the only ones dreaming of it. We like to believe it is our common regional dream," Jones said, referring to the proposed Baku-Ceyhan pipeline to take crude from Azerbaijan to Turkey.
The two-to-three billion dollar link, which would have a capacity of one million barrels a day, has been heavily lobbied for by the United States as a way of reducing the dependence of former Soviet states on Russia or Iran.
Washington is pressing Kazakhstan for a commitment of oil to the Baku-Ceyhan link to the West, without which analysts question its commercial viability. Kazakhstan has kept its options open.
Some oil companies, particularly the French oil giant TotalFinaElf, consider an alternative route for Caspian oil south to Iran may be more economically viable.
But US sanctions against Iran presently hinder such an option.
US interests in resource-rich Kazakhstan suffered earlier this month when Italian company Agip was picked to manage a project to develop what is thought to be the biggest oil field discovered in 30 years.
"Naturally the American government supported the candidacy of an American firm, which we thought was the most qualified," said Jones, possibly alluding to ExxonMobil.
"However the choice was made by the consortium and we are confident the operator will be able to conduct its responsibilities in a professional and successful manner."
The choice of Agip, rather than oil giants such as Total or ExxonMobil, to drive the nine-member Offshore Kazakhstan International Operating Company exploring the Kashagan field in western Kazakhstan surprised many industry watchers.—AFP.
©--Agence France Presse 2001.
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
