US Asks Turkey in 'Anti Russia-Iran Project'
By Mirza Cetinkaya, Enes Cansever

http://www.zaman.com/?bl=internation...50416&hn=18509

Published: Saturday 16, 2005
zaman.com

The power struggle between Moscow and the US over the former Soviet republics in a tussle over a series of "soft" revolutions is continuing in the Caspian region now.

The US is now trying to control the region to influence the Ural region, Russia's industrial center. According to Moscow based news, the US Department of Defense is working on projects with Azerbaijan and other countries in the region to form the Caspian Guard Forces Organization.

Russia, meanwhile, is building up its Navy in Caspian Sea. US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld discussed the issue with his Azari counterpart Sefer Abiyev in Azerbaijani capital Baku this week.

According to the news, Turkey will also participate in the Caspian Guard Forces that will be formed with the participation of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkey as a "Rapid Reaction Force" to prevent possible sabotages on oil pipelines.

The forces will most probably be based in Baku. The US is said to be arming the coast guards of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan for the purpose. The five countries that border on the Caspian Sea and dispute the sharing of its rich energy sources now defend their territorial waters separately but Russia has the strongest force in the region.

Meanwhile, US is establishing strong cooperations with all the regional countries except Russia and Iran to protect its rich energy sources.

Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Turkmenbasi asked the United Nations (UN) to protect oil pipelines in 1997. According to some claims, the US insists the base be located in Baku as it wants to control Russia and pressure Iran constantly in the region.