Chossudovsky: The War on Lebanon and the Battle for Oil

Original source URL:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CHO20060726&articleId=2824
[original has maps]

The War on Lebanon and the Battle for Oil
By Michel Chossudovsky

July 26, 2006

Is there a relationship between the bombing of
Lebanon and the inauguration of the World's
largest strategic pipeline, which will channel
more than a million barrels of oil a day to
Western markets?

Virtually unnoticed, the inauguration of the
Ceyhan-Tblisi-Baku (BTC) oil pipeline, which
links the Caspian sea to the Eastern
Mediterranean, took place on the 13th of July, at
the very outset of the Israeli sponsored bombings
of Lebanon.

One day before the Israeli air strikes, the main
partners and shareholders of the BTC pipeline
project, including several heads of State and oil
company executives were in attendance at the port
of Ceyhan. They were then rushed off for an
inauguration reception in Istanbul, hosted by
Turkey's President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in the
plush surroundings of the Çraan Palace.

Also in attendance was British Petroleum's (BP)
CEO, Lord Browne together with senior government
officials from Britain, the US and Israel. BP
leads the BTC pipeline consortium. Other major
Western shareholders include Chevron,
Conoco-Phillips, France's Total and Italy's ENI.
(see Annex)

Israel's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer was present at the venue
together with a delegation of top Israeli oil
officials.

The BTC pipeline totally bypasses the territory
of the Russian Federation. It transits through
the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and
Georgia, both of which have become US
"protectorates", firmly integrated into a
military alliance with the US and NATO. Moreover,
both Azerbaijan and Georgia have longstanding
military cooperation agreements with Israel. In
2005, Georgian companies received some $24
million in military contracts funded out of U.S.
military assistance to Israel under the so-called
"Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program".

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/states/GA.html

Israel has a stake in the Azeri oil fields, from
which it imports some twenty percent of its oil.
The opening of the pipeline will substantially
enhance Israeli oil imports from the Caspian sea
basin.

But there is another dimension which directly
relates to the war on Lebanon. Whereas Russia has
been weakened, Israel is slated to play a major
strategic role in "protecting" the Eastern
Mediterranean transport and pipeline corridors
out of Ceyhan.

Militarization of the Eastern Mediterranean

The bombing of Lebanon is part of a carefully
planned and coordinated military road map. The
extension of the war into Syria and Iran has
already been contemplated by US and Israeli
military planners. This broader military agenda
is intimately related to strategic oil and oil
pipelines. It is supported by the Western oil
giants which control the pipeline corridors. In
the context of the war on Lebanon, it seeks
Israeli territorial control over the East
Mediterranean coastline.

In this context, the BTC pipeline dominated by
British Petroleum, has dramatically changed the
geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean, which
is now linked , through an energy corridor, to
the Caspian sea basin:

"[The BTC pipeline] considerably changes the status of the
region's countries and cements a new pro-West alliance.
Having taken the pipeline to the Mediterranean, Washington
has practically set up a new bloc with Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Turkey and Israel, " (Komerzant, Moscow, 14 July 2006)

Israel is now part of the Anglo-American military
axis, which serves the interests of the Western
oil giants in the Middle East and Central Asia.

While the official reports state that the BTC
pipeline will "channel oil to Western markets",
what is rarely acknowledged is that part of the
oil from the Caspian sea would be directly
channeled towards Israel. In this regard, an
underwater Israeli-Turkish pipeline project has
been envisaged which would link Ceyhan to the
Israeli port of Ashkelon and from there through
Israel's main pipeline system, to the Red Sea.

The objective of Israel is not only to acquire
Caspian sea oil for its own consumption needs but
also to play a key role in re-exporting Caspian
sea oil back to the Asian markets through the Red
Sea port of Eilat. The strategic implications of
this re-routing of Caspian sea oil are
farreaching.

In April 2006, Israel and Turkey announced plans
for four underwater pipelines, which would bypass
Syrian and Lebanese territory.

"Turkey and Israel are negotiating the construction of a
multi-million-dollar energy and water project that will
transport water, electricity, natural gas and oil by
pipelines to Israel, with the oil to be sent onward from
Israel to the Far East, The new Turkish-Israeli proposal
under discussion would see the transfer of water,
electricity, natural gas and oil to Israel via four
underwater pipelines.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961328841&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

"Baku oil can be transported to Ashkelon via this new
pipeline and to India and the Far East.[via the Red sea]"
"Ceyhan and the Mediterranean port of Ashkelon are situated
only 400 km apart. Oil can be transported to the city in
tankers or via specially constructed under-water pipeline.
From Ashkelon the oil can be pumped through already existing
pipeline to the port of Eilat at the Red Sea; and from there
it can be transported to India and other Asian countries in
tankers. (REGNUM )
Water for Israel

Also involved in this project is a pipeline to
bring water to Israel, pumping water from
upstream resources of the Tigris and Euphrates
river system in Anatolia. This has been a
long-run strategic objective of Israel to the
detriment of Syria and Iraq. Israel's agenda with
regard to water is supported by the military
cooperation agreement between Tel Aviv and Ankara.

The Re-routing of Central Asian Oil

Diverting Central Asian oil and gas to the
Eastern Mediterranean (under Israeli military
protection), for re-export to Asia, serves to
undermine the inter-Asian energy market, which is
based on the development of direct pipeline
corridors linking Central Asia and Russia to
South Asia, China and the Far East.

Ultimately, this design is intended to weaken
Russia's role in Central Asia and cut off China
from Central Asian oil resources. It is also
intended to isolate Iran.

Meanwhile, Israel has emerged as a new powerful
player in the global energy market.

War and Oil Pipelines

Prior to the bombing of Lebanon, Israel and
Turkey had announced the underwater pipeline
routes, which bypassed Syria and Lebanon. These
underwater pipeline routes did not overtly
encroach on the territorial sovereignty of
Lebanon and Syria.

On the other hand, the development of alternative
land based corridors (for oil and water) through
Lebanon and Syria would require Israeli-Turkish
territorial control over the Eastern
Mediterranean coastline through Lebanon and Syria.

The implementation of this project requires the
militarisation of the East Mediterranean
coastline, sea ways and land routes, extending
from the port of Ceyhan across Syria and Lebanon
to the Lebanese-Israeli border.

Is this not one of the hidden objectives of the
war on Lebanon? Open up a space which enables
Israel to control a vast territory extending from
the Lebanese border through Syria to Turkey.

"The Long War"

Israeli Prime minister Ehud Olmert has stated
that the Israeli offensive against Lebanon would
"last a very long time". Meanwhile, the US has
speeded up weapons shipments to Israel.

There are strategic objectives underlying the
"Long War" which are tied to oil and oil
pipelines.

The air campaign against Lebanon is inextricably
related to US-Israeli strategic objectives in the
broader Middle East including Syria and Iran. In
recent developments, Secretary of State
Condoleeza Rice stated that the main purpose of
her mission to the Middle East was not to push
for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but rather to isolate
Syria and Iran. (Daily Telegraph, 22 July 2006)

At this particular juncture, the replenishing of
Israeli stockpiles of US produced WMDs points to
an escalation of the war both within and beyond
the borders of Lebanon.

Annex

The BTC Co. shareholders are: BP (30.1%); AzBTC
(25.00%); Chevron (8.90%); Statoil (8.71%); TPAO
(6.53%); Eni (5.00%); Total (5.00%), Itochu
(3.40%); INPEX (2.50%), ConocoPhillips (2.50%)
and Amerada Hess (2.36%). (source BP)

For details on th Campaign against the pipeline
see
http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk/more_info/bp_pipeline.htm

See related articles:

The Militarisation of the Eastern Mediterranean:
Israel's Stake in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline

- by Michel Chossudovsky
Planned US-Israeli Attack on Iran, by Michel Chossudovsky

Is Israel running out of Bombs? New Deliveries of
WMD "Made in America" The Replenishing of Israeli
WMD stockpiles points to escalation both within
and beyond the borders of Lebanon, by Michel
Chossudovsky

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