5.23.2003 ET

(CSRwire) Washington, DC -- A proposed $ 4.7 billion oil and gas pipeline connecting the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean could have severe implications for the human rights of the thousands of people living in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, according to a new Amnesty International report published today, Human Rights on the Line: The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Project.

The report examines the legal framework of agreements governing the construction and operation of the Turkish section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BCT) Pipeline Project, undertaken by a consortium led by BP p.l.c. Amnesty International warns that agreements signed by the Turkish government and the pipeline consortium effectively create a 'rights-free corridor' where the human rights of thousands of people in the region will not be protected.

"While BP claims to be socially responsible, as the leader of the BCT consortium, it has essentially encouraged the Turkish government to sign away its ability to fully uphold human rights," said Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA). "But in contractual agreements between companies and governments, human rights are not negotiable items ? they are the bottom line."

Amnesty International warns that both the construction and operation of the pipeline could have devastating effects on human rights in the region. These include land acquisition and resettlement for the 30,000 people who will be forced to give up their land rights to make way for the pipeline; the inadequate enforcement of health and safety legislation to protect workers and local people; a serious risk to the human rights of any individuals who protest against the pipeline; and limited access to water for local populations.

Furthermore, there are grave concerns that the Host Government Agreement (HGA), negotiated between pipeline consortium leader BP and the Turkish government, creates a huge disincentive for Turkey to protect human rights because the government has agreed to pay compensation to the consortium if pipeline construction or operation is disturbed.

"The agreed upon HGA sets disturbing political and legal precedents," noted Zafra Whitcomb, Business and Human Rights Associate for AIUSA. "The requirement for Turkey to pay compensation to the consortium for any 'disruption to the economic equilibrium of the project' means that Turkey is caught between an obligation to protect human rights and a disincentive to do so when rights conflict with business imperatives."

The United States government has long-supported the development of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline. Amnesty International is calling on the US government to make no public funding in the form of aid, loans or export credit guarantees available to the BTC project unless major revisions to the legal agreements occur. The organization recommends that:

* Clauses should be inserted into the HGA saying explicitly that no part of that agreement shall make it more difficult for Turkey to comply with its human rights obligations under national and international law;

* An independent stakeholder committee, including local representatives, should be made responsible for monitoring standards and hearing grievances throughout the lifetime of the project; this committee should have powers to intervene in the project when it is deemed necessary;

* The consortium should sign contracts with all those employed to provide security for the pipeline making human rights obligations explicit and enforceable.

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