Here comes Germany and Russia again

[george]

Europe / Brussels briefing Print article | Email article

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EU’s energy policy brings ‘Hitler’ jibe from Poland
By Daniel Dombey in Brussels
Published: April 30 2006 18:37 | Last updated: April 30 2006 18:37

GraphicEurope’s attempts to forge a common energy policy suffered a serious reverse on Sunday when a prominent EU minister likened a €5bn Russian-German pipeline deal to the Hitler-Stalin pact of 1939.
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Radek Sikorski, Polish defence minister, said Angela Merkel, German chancellor, had refused Warsaw’s request to renegotiate the deal, which Poland fears could leave it vulnerable to a shut-off of Russian gas supplies of the sort Ukraine suffered at the start of this year.

The pipeline under the Baltic Sea, agreed in September by Gerhard Schröder, Ms Merkel’s predecessor, and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, would circumvent Poland and Belarus.

“In Poland we have a particular sensitivity to corridors and deals above our head,” Mr Sikorski said at the Brussels Forum, a transatlantic conference in Brussels organised by the German Marshall Fund. “That was the Molotov-Ribbentrop tradition,” he added, referring to the 1939 agreement to divide Poland between Germany and Russia.

Andris Piebalgs, European Union energy commissioner, also criticised Germany for proceeding with a “project that is not acceptable to others, even not discussing it”.

The comments come only a month after the EU’s leaders proclaimed a common energy policy to reduce the bloc’s dependence on energy suppliers from abroad, such as Russia’s Gazprom.

But a subsequent encounter in Moscow between José Manuel Barroso, European Commission president, and Mr Putin proved deeply frustrating to the EU, with the Russians refusing to accede to European demands to open pipelines and markets to Gazprom’s competitors.

Mr Barroso sounded a note of frustration at the weekend when he criticised “the use of energy resources as an instrument of political coercion”.

Some EU officials worry that the bloc’s bargaining power has been weakened by indications that Tony Blair, UK prime minister, would allow a possible Gazprom bid for Centrica, the UK’s largest gas supplier.

At the same Brussels meeting, James Jones, Nato’s top military commander, said the military alliance could guard shipments of liquefied natural gas against terrorist attacks – a step that could help diversify supply and reduce dependence on pipelines.

“Where you have piracy on the high seas off the Horn of Africa and in the Gulf of Guinea . . . one might think that would be a good thing to do and to think about,” he told the FT in an interview. “We could also, on land, use special forces to assist nations in enhanced security measures along pipelines.”

While Europe imports 25 per cent of its gas from Russia, alternative sources of supplies from Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia may be much more vulnerable to terrorist acts and political risk."


Once again we see Germany and Russia snuggling up in bed once again. Talk about history reapting itself. The more things change the more they seem to remain the same i guess. Reminds me of the old historic saying " Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it ". Hooray for me and F you

[piwo]

george said:

Hooray for me and F you

okay, whatever you want...........

[george]

Hooray for me and F you"

ok whatever you want.........."

I don't need it i get it every day day at work. Sometimes i even get it a home.
I usually get it everytime i open up my paycheck. On my long drive to work i sometimes get a signal from another driver saying as much. I got one a couple of weeks ago from cop who said i rolled tru a stop sign ( i didn't ) What i real hate is when a country that got " F' over during history recent and in the pst by this lovenest is about to get caught in this tryst once again!

[bescheid]

george

My goodness but you have had a very trying week!! I do only trust that this week will be much improved for you..

I conducted a 3rd reading of your presentation and found your findings very resourceful. I mean only just to add to your presentation.

energy security to Poland, is much enhanced by the design and construction of the Baltic (Öst See) under sea pipeline design. It in self will free up political interruptions between user customers and source. With primary German control insured by firmen," BASF/EON safety of the physical and flow will be secure.

Unlike the over land pipe lines in use at present, Gazprom has little actual control of the under sea line.

The law of economics though, will always be the decider in source inventories/consumer needs. In other words, the Russians now must by necessity, keep the source inventories up, to meet consumer and winter demands. It will be incumbent upon them (Russians) to maintain adequate pipe line pressure/volume to insure uninterruptable supplies to fill the industries needs, or, face very steep penalties.

Germany is at the end of the supply chain, and as so, a very large amount of surplus gas (earth gas) supplies are kept in reserve. Primarily as an insurance to meet local industrial/home requirements in the unlikely event of temporary lowering of gas pressure. It can happen in extreme winter weather with associated higher then normal gas draw.

www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=12971

Charles

[george]

Dear Besheid....I'm so happy for you to explain that Russia and Germany is only looking out for the good of the rest of Eastern Europe. Russia will will ensure the free flow of energy and Germany will insure its safe flow. No political tricks here that Ukraine suffered early this year. I'm sure if the Poles , Ukraines and other East Europeons heard this explaination they feel so much better about their future. Whew, what a relief. Law of economics? This pipline will cost so, so much more to build than and above pipline going thru various countries. Where in the world is the economic savings here? No of course not. What we have here is a political deal between two countries who have played this game before. ( Most recent Molotov Ribbentrop treaty WW2). It goes on and on and on. But according to your explaination, other East Europeons can breath a sigh of relief. Why? Because Germany and Russia has only economic intrests involved thats all. No political or money making schemes by its leaders. Only altrusistic thoughts. P.S. Guess who former Chancellor Shroeder is working for nowadays? Thats right, a Russian energy firm. Just a coinsidence i'm sure.

[bescheid]

George

Well, I would only suppose it is of little use to argue with you and I will not do that. You have previously made up your mind of some dissatisfaction of every thing German. And that is ok. You are speaking your mind in an honest out right manner. I do respect your feelings and thoughts. For this is how we insure correctly, good communications exchange.

I realized your anti-German feelings quite some time in the past. And I respeck that. For this is how you feel, and this is very important that you do espress your self. For I am no stranger to those of ill well toward Germans, for every thing, there is a reason.

But, in parting, I would like to disclose of a few facts that have possibly escaped your attention. This being of the currant year of 2006. I am not sure of why you find a need to access as an argument of events that occured so many years ago that have nothing to do with today.

Molotov/Ribbentrop have been dead for many many years and there is no treaty. All of those people are not alive, it is just history from a war that occured long ago.

George, today is 2006! We here, are alive, this is our time, we make our own history.

Herr Shröeder, was the only available excutive with the power to pull this pipline construction project together. The Russians were not even close to gaining financial backing for such a project. But, through the banks of: KFW and Deutsche Bank, Schröeder was able to make it happen. That is the reason, I had thought it was clear, that this pipe line was under German control. It is exactly that, under German control with BASF/EON.

At present though, there are some very serious issues at hand. I will not disclose those issues,as you have not fielded them.

In parting, may I say this:

If you wish to argue with a German, you will lose

Charles

[leslie]

bescheid said:

If you wish to argue with a German, you will lose

Charles

Charles

1914-1918
1939-1945

Leslie ;D

[jimpres]

Leslie,

Perfect.................

Jim

[bescheid]

Leslie and Jim

Ok. You have me...gollies but you guys are quick!


Charles

[rdywenur]

Charles............ahhhh but they haven't met my friend Lotte yet.

1937 - Present ;D

[bescheid]

Chris (RDY)

Ooops now, you did not warn me of Lotte yet and 1937? I wonder what I have gotten my self into here? Now between George, Leslie, Jim, your self, and now Lotte?

I was just thinking about this: Now then, Lotte if she was born in 1937, then she would have been too young even for the Jungmädelbund (league of younger girls) or the BDM (Bund Deutscher Mädchen).

Charles