US backs Southern Corridor bypassing Russia

WASHINGTON, June 3 (Itar-Tass) -- The U.S. administration strongly
supports the Southern Corridor project which is to deliver Caspian gas to
Europe bypassing Russia while Moscow plans its own South Stream pipeline
to deliver gas to Europe.
Richard Morningstar, U.S. energy envoy for the Eurasian region, told a
House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Thursday Azerbaijan and Turkmenia
are likely to supply natural gas for the project.
Three pipeline consortiums are competing to bring natural gas from
Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas field to Europe, and the investment decisions
to make that possible should be made by the end of this year, Morningstar
said.
Other countries are also likely to contribute, including Turkmenistan,
which Morningstar said was investing in infrastructure that could export
gas to the West.
He said Iraq would be able to export gas but reiterated the United
States does not want the pipeline to deliver gas from Iran.