From: Adam <""4thwormcastfromthemolehill\"{at}the field.near
the bridge">

Ah well....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6649169.stm

"Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to build a new
natural gas pipeline around the Caspian Sea.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced the deal at a summit with
Central Asian leaders in Turkmenistan.

The agreement ensures Russia's access to Turkmenistan's gas, and is setback
to rival US and European Union plans.

They had hoped to pipe Turkmen gas across the Caspian sea, in order to
reduce the EU's dependence on Russian-controlled energy."

Has to be said that certainly the Turkmeni leadership is still not very
nice nor frankly terribly competent & the pro-Soviet nature of the
leaders of both there & Kazachstan probably played a role.

However given the gas is turkmenistan's major export....& given
Russia/Gasprom can suddenly decide not to deliver it (just as it has shown
itself capable of non-supply)......

Some day the place will get a competent leadership but by then....Iran will
probably be a firm democratic beacon to all, Turkey will be part of the EU
& and there will be a whole set of Turko-Euro pipelines for them to
choose from.

Adam

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