There is an ongoing debate concerning shipping compressed natural gas from Azerbaijan to buyers elsewhere that could constitute an alternative to the Nabucco gas pipeline for Europe. The need for Nabucco emerged when a disagreement between Russia and Ukraine left Europe in the cold for several weeks in January 2009 as Russian gas monopoly Gazprom shut off the gas. Europe wanted to secure its needs by a safe line to transport gas from the Middle East and Central Asia. Despite political support for the project, supplier nations have been slow to commit themselves and the volume of gas demanded by Europe. If realized, Nabucco would travel across a land route through Turkey to European markets. The Russians are backing yet another route, namely the South Stream gas pipeline that is planned to pass through the Turkish waters of the Black Sea.This week a third idea was floated by Ms. Mariam Valishvili, the deputy prime minister of Georgia, concerning compressed natural gas that could be an alternative to conventional pipelines. She said that instead of pipelines, a compressed natural gas terminal on the Black Sea coast could ship Azerbaijani gas using tankers. She alluded to a recent agreement signed between Azerbaijan and Romania to export Azerbaijani gas to Europe as compressed natural gas. Government officials in charge of Azerbaijani natural resources are reported to have said that they are interested in pursuing the option to avoid the transit charges incurred through pipeline use.
End of a short dream: severing Taliban from al-Qaeda
There have been serious recent efforts to sever Taliban from al-Qaeda and to incorporate it into the Afghan government. The process would start by including moderate insurgents in national reconstruction efforts first and later into the Kabul government.
The plan to bring low- and mid-level Taliban into the international effort to rebuild Afghanistan was discussed at an international conference on Afghanistan in London last week, bringing Afghan President Hamid Karzai together with influential figures such as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The plan resembles the Sons of Iraq program, in which the US recruited insurgents and financed them to fight against the growing al-Qaeda influence in Iraq. However, being in a close relationship with al-Qaeda, the Taliban dismissed the attempt, saying it was a trick of the international community to weaken the insurgency against Western imperialism.
A statement issued by the Taliban reads as follows: “They think the mujahedin will be enticed by money or by positions of power. The only way to end the conflict in Afghanistan is through the departure of foreign military forces.” So another hope and effort to bring Pax Americana to this desolate country has once again failed.
Human rights and Turkey
Human Rights Watch has issued its World Report 2010. It says the main source of obstacles to change in Turkey is the Constitution, which disregards human rights, and mentions the fight to assert civilian control over the military. The top priority of the government and political parties must be to shape a new constitution because numerous provisions of the current constitution restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms.
