Saakashvili Urges BP to Observe Environmental Safety Measures
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili urged the British Petroleum (BP) company, which heads the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil export pipeline, to observe stricter environmental safety measures.
?The project is important for Georgia, but the health of my population is more important. I urge the BP company to observe special safety measures to avoid the damage of the pipeline,? Saakashvili said after the talks with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington on August 5.
The issue of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline construction was one of the many issues discussed during the talks between Saakashvili and Powell.
On July 22 the British Petroleum (BP) company suspended construction works in the Borjomi valley in western Georgia for two weeks, as requested by the Ministry of the Environment of Georgia.
The Georgian Ministry was seeking the observation of stricter environmental safety measures in the Borjomi district.
A group of independent experts will arrive in Georgia on August 6 to develop mechanisms for ensuring the safety of the pipeline.
Before August 14 British Petroleum, along with foreign experts, should submit an integrated plan of pipeline safety which will be further considered and approved by the National Security Council of Georgia.
