How Georgia – Russia war connected to the Iraq’s oil and gas law
In this article on Al-Watan, Al-Bishiti explains the connection between the Georgia - Russia war connected to the approval of the Iraqi gas and oil law.
The writer argues that the approval with this law is now not only an American demand but also a European essential question.
Georgia’s borders on the Black Sea, surrounded from the north, east and south, by four countries Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia and Turkey.
From Azerbaijan, through Russia to Europe are the “corridors of power”, where the energy line passes via the Russian territory, across Georgian territory to Turkey (then to Europe) or to the Black Sea.
It is in the EU interest that “corridors of power” via the Georgian territory to stay safe and secure, and the need for the Russia’s oil and gas, is the strength of the “Russian defense” that the EU will not take the Georgian side.
The U.S. knows this, to “liberate” the EU from the Russian oil and gas, and will dominates the oil and gas export to the EU with Nabucco line (3300 kilometers), which will start in 2010 and become operational year 2013.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited Brussels, seeking an agreement to provide European Union with oil and gas through this pipeline, which will gain Turkey, at the first place more strategic importance in the energy security to the European Union.
Russia, at the same time, established a competitor “gas line” from the Russian Black Sea to Italy, via Serbia and Bulgaria, and probably will be finished before “Nabucco”.
The European Union’s need of Iraq’s oil and gas lies in two things:
The EU escalating level of fear from Russia to use the gas to Europe, as a weapon of political - strategic pressure.
The increase of European Union dependency on Iraq’s oil and gas, and to reduce its dependence on the Russian gas, the EU should reform and rebuilding the Iraqi oil sector, money, technology and expertise. They should also accept the military presence of NATO in Iraq, which is about to reach a convention with the U.S. allows them to keep a permanent military presence in this strategic country, like its military presence in Japan or South Korea or Germany.
The United States will end its occupation of Iraq, after the approval of the oil and gas law. This is the only condition to sign the strategic energy deal between the European Union and the United States through the Iraqi government, which it should enforce its military and security control on the oil sector in Southern Iraq, in the Basra region in particular.
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