Human
rights groups dismiss ECGD decision to back Baku-Ceyhan pipeline
as politically motivated
Human rights
groups [1] investigating BP’s hugely controversial Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
(BTC) oil pipeline were today dismissive of the decision of the
Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) of the UK government
to provide $150 million in support for the project, calling it
politically motivated.
The groups
expressed surprise at the benefits the ECGD claimed would flow
from the BTC project [2], given that many of the claims are contradicted
by readily available evidence. For instance, ECGD claims that
the pipeline "will serve to promote regional stability".
In the past two months, there has been a revolution in one of
the pipeline’s host countries, Georgia; elections in another,
Azerbaijan, that have been called "fraudulent" by the
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe [3]; and
major bomb attacks in the third, Turkey.
Similarly,
ECGD touts "the establishment of high quality operations
to international standards", when a recent report from the
Baku-Ceyhan Campaign identified no fewer than 173 violations of
mandatory World Bank standards [4].
"It’s
pretty obvious that the ECGD has decided to back the BTC project
for the same reason everybody else has: massive political pressure
from the US", said Anders Lustgarten of the Baku-Ceyhan Campaign.
Added Greg
Muttitt of PLATFORM, one of the groups involved in the campaign,
"We presented ECGD with extensive research showing how the
pipeline violates their own standards on numerous counts. It seems
the standards don't count for much."
Kerim Yildiz,
of the Kurdish Human Rights Project, another group in the campaign,
said, "The ECGD maintains that the project complies with
international human rights and environmental standards. However,
this is clearly not the reality. KHRP is in the process of submitting
cases to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of a large
number of villagers, who state that their human rights have already
been violated".
Noted Hannah Griffiths of Friends of the Earth, "ECGD shouldn't
be using taxpayers’ money to support projects that will further
fuel climate change. We're bitterly disappointed that despite
its so-called commitments to the environment, ECGD is still supporting
unsustainable projects."
"The ECGD has recognised that the project is not yet satisfactory
and has set conditions before cover is made available", concluded
Nick Hildyard of the Corner House. "No money should be provided
until the public has been able to comment on the conditions and
on BP's fulfillment of them. Taxpayers must be satisfied that
BP has addressed longstanding concerns over compensation and new
allegations - admitted by BP - of faulty welding."
Notes for
editors
[1] Groups
involved in the Baku-Ceyhan Campaign, which has extensively investigated
the BTC project and advocates that it should not be awarded public
money while it still fails to meet mandatory human rights and
environmental criteria, include Corner House, Platform, Friends
of the Earth and the Kurdish Human Rights Project.
[2] See ECGD’s
announcement and note of decision of December 17 2003 at http://www.ecgd.gov.uk/home/news_home/btc_statement.htm
[3] BBC Radio
4 Today Programme, 24 November 2003, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Chairman-in-Office
of the OSCE and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the
Council of Europe: "You know that not only in Georgia but
also in Azerbaijan and Armenia - two other countries in that important
region - there were fraudulent elections quite recently."
The full interview can be found on the BBC website.
[4] For this
report, compiled as part of the 120 day disclosure period for
the BTC project, see EIA review
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