BP dismisses Azeri pipeline security concern
Zerkalo, Baku
10 Mar 05
Text of C. Bayramova’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 10
March headlined “The pipeline is safely buried” and subheaded “The
terrorists of the whole world can never reach the country’s main oil
artery”
Are Azerbaijan’s oil “veins” threatened by terror attacks?!
[Azerbaijani] Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sarifov does not seem to have
any doubts about it and does not rule out that they may be committed
by Armenia. The high-ranking official has recently called for tougher
measures to prevent possible terror attacks along the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), Baku-Novorossiysk and Baku-Supsa pipelines.
Sarifov, who is also the chairman of the state commission for
emergencies, said that the government did not have logistics and
resources enough to eliminate the consequences of possible acts of
sabotage.
What made the deputy prime minister make a statement of this kind? Has
he observed drawbacks in the work of both the government and the
operators of the mentioned oil projects, which are, in fact, to watch
for the security of the pipelines? Or, is there another reason
involved? Why should not one suppose that the hypothetical threat of
terror attacks may be a successful pretext for stationing NATO troops
near the pipeline? It would open up opportunities to explain the
deployment of US military bases in our country.
“Special security measures to protect the BTC pipeline were devised
well before the implementation of the project and they are being
carried out now,” the head of the press service of BP [Azerbaijan],
Tamam Bayatli, has told Zerkalo. “One of the basic elements of the
security of the BTC, which stretches 1,770 km, is that it is buried
underground, except some terminals on the ground such as: Ceyhan,
Sanqacal, Nasosni [Tagiyev settlement outside Baku] etc. where special
security measures are also arranged.”
Besides, the design of the pipeline is also important. “The thickness
of the pipes, the quality of steel, cementing, the alarm system – all
this is in conformity with advanced international standards for
building pipelines. Moreover, the population in the nearby areas also
acts as a sort of guard together with constant BP supervision. We
regularly conduct appropriate training with those people and are
planning to make them highly qualified security staff after the BTC is
commissioned,” Bayatli said.
Meanwhile, commenting on possible negative occurrences, including
terror attacks near the BTC, our interlocutor said that there are more
attractive places for terrorists than the BTC pipeline, which has been
placed deep underground and “secured”. “It is not easy to find it,”
the head of the BP press service stressed.
Commenting on Sarifov’s statement, political analyst Rasim Musabayov
has not ruled out possible acts of sabotage by Armenia. In other
words, anything may happen given that the Karabakh conflict has not
been resolved yet and both countries are still at war. But the
political analyst said that even the most extremist circles in Armenia
can hardly ever try to attack the BTC pipeline as long as there are no
military operations in place so far, realizing that this will be
directed not much against Azerbaijan, but against the interests of the
great powers and the biggest transnational corporations.
Sarifov’s statement was most probably aimed at extracting extra funds
from the budget and the consortium to carry out security measures, he
said.
“I think that Sarifov expresses his concern on the one hand and wants
to draw additional money to resolve the tasks that have been assigned
to him on the other,” Musabayov stressed. Sarifov in no way aims to
give the “green light” for NATO military forces in Azerbaijan.
“At least because the deputy prime minister himself does not deal with
issues of this kind. It is not in his competence,” our interlocutor
stressed.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress