That's old news. There's a new storyline today. While some will still quibble, largely for tactical reasons, whether BTC will or will not happen, I believe the big question today is a different one. Whether that happens will depend on decisions Kazakhstan and its foreign producers make in the near future, and these decisions cannot be postponed any longer. Regarding gas, we have refocused on how to realize an early gas delivery system from the Caspian to Georgia, and Turkey.
Negotiations are well advanced on a project from Azerbaijan.
We would still like to see Turkmenistan join the project when it is ready. But the energy needs of Georgia and Turkey can't wait for decisions that may, or may never, be made elsewhere. The Azeri project will be a vital complement, both economically and politically, to the work on the main export pipeline for Caspian oil. President Clinton called the signings one of the most significant foreign policy accomplishments of 1999. Now, it is time to extend this spirit of cooperation to include the governments and companies operating here on the eastern, side of the Caspian.