PIPELINE TALKS WITH GDF NOT SUSPENDED: TURKISH MINISTER

Agence France Presse — English
April 11, 2007 Wednesday

Turkey has not suspended talks with Gaz de France (GDF) over the
proposed acquisition by the French group of a stake in a major gas
pipeline project, Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said on Wednesday.

"Nabucco (the pipeline) is a very important project for us and the
process is continuing as normal. Gaz de France has not been suspended
from the project," Guler was quoted by Turkish television as telling
reporters here.

A press report claimed last Thursday that the talks had been suspended
because of a political row sparked by French pressure to label Turkish
action against Armenians during World War I as genocide.

The consortium building Nabucco is seeking a sixth partner for the
six-billion-dollar (4.5-billion-euro) project, with GDF seen as the
leading candidate.

Guler said that Turkey would take a final decision on the sixth partner
"according to its national interests."

He said that economic, strategic and political interests, including
France’s stance on the Armenian genocide issue, would be taken into
account when choosing.

The current five-company Nabucco consortium involving BOTAS plans to
build a 3,300-kilometre (2,000-mile) pipeline that will carry natural
gas from the Middle East and Central Asia to the European Union via
Turkey and the Balkans, bypassing Russia.

The other partners in Nabucco are Austria’s oil and gas group OMV,
Hungary’s MOL, Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz and Romania’s Transgaz.