VZCZCXRO1822
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHAK #2009/01 1030417
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 130417Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4775
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002009 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDOC FOR 4212/ITA/MAC/CPD/CRUSNAK 
DOE FOR CHARLES WASHINGTON 
EUR ALSO FOR MATT BRYZA AND STEVE MANN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2016 
TAGS: EPET ENRG EINV TU AZ GG
SUBJECT: TURKEY: BTC AND BOTAS AT ODDS OVER COST OVERRUNS 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 1705 
 
     ¶B. ANKARA 1527 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROSS WILSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: While construction of the BTC oil pipeline 
is still reportedly on track for a first tanker loading at 
Ceyhan on May 27 and a formal opening ceremony on July 13, 
BP and the Turkish pipeline construction company BOTAS, 
which has a lump sum, turnkey contract for construction of 
the Turkish portion of the pipeline, are increasingly at 
odds over how to allocated financial responsibility for 
cost overruns for construction in Turkey.  In conversations 
in Ankara with a variety of GOT officials April 4-6, EUR 
DAS Bryza emphasized the BTC project,s strategic importance 
and 
potential impact on the reputation of BOTAS and Turkey, 
especially 
in the context of other potential pipeline projects .  While 
it 
seems unlikely that BOTAS bears no fault for BTC,s cost 
overruns, 
BOTAS, ability to take financial responsibility is 
politically 
hampered by an environment in Turkey of almost constant 
investigation and accusations of corruption and poor 
management at BOTAS.  End Summary. 
 
------------------------------------ 
BTC AND BOTAS - HE SAID; SHE SAID... 
------------------------------------ 
 
 ¶2.  (C)  In meetings with GOT interlocutors, DAS Matt 
Bryza raised concerns about cost over-runs and delays in 
bringing the BTC pipeline into operation.  (BP/BTC has made 
what it describes as a generous and reasonable offer of 
funding $250 million of the $330 million in BOTAS claims 
that are not solely attributable to scope changes in the 
pipeline, leaving BOTAS to cover $80 million -- see ref 
B.)  Bryza made the case that the most important objective 
was timely completion of this critical and strategic 
pipeline.  He said he could not make a technical commercial 
assessment of who was at fault for cost overruns, but 
wondered 
if international markets would accept that none of the 
disputed 
claims were attributable to BOTAS.  Bryza noted that this 
could 
affect Turkey's and BOTAS' reputation for regional energy 
projects 
as well as the domestic energy investment environment. 
Moreover, arbitration would be a contentious, 
time-consuming, and expensive process.  At the same time, 
Bryza told his interlocutors that he understood that it 
would be difficult for BOTAS or even the Minister of Energy 
to take responsibility for such a decision, given a political 
climate in which agreement to pay compensation to private 
companies 
might prompt allegations of corruption, as has often occurred 
in the 
recent past.  Should BOTAS agree to pay a portion of the cost 
overrun, 
there might come a time when it will need to seek approval to 
do so 
from the Prime Minister.  Senior BOTAS officials nodded their 
heads 
affirmatively. 
 
¶3.  (C) Energy Minister: Energy Minister Hilmi Guler 
asserted to Bryza on April 5 that BOTAS was not responsible 
for the disputed claims, claiming that they were due to 
scope changes that came from the BTC Consortium.  Guler 
said that BOTAS was not doing this project for profit; 
rather, Turkey and BOTAS supported BTC for prestige and 
strategic reasons.  He said that BP and the Consortium were 
not acting like partners to BOTAS and Turkey.  The Minister 
argued that Turkey had been on track to finalize the 
project early and on budget by the time of the elections in 
Azerbaijan last year, but that BP had initiated significant 
scope changes and had suddenly adopted an intransigent 
position on paying claims, which delayed the project,s 
 
ANKARA 00002009  002 OF 003 
 
 
completion. 
He said that BP now wanted to 
buy BOTAS International Ltd (BIL), the separate operating 
company for BTC, and had taken a different approach to the 
company.  Guler reaffirmed BOTAS' commitment and ability to 
complete the project for the lump sum turnkey (LSTK) amount 
of $1.4 billion.  He asserted that Turkey had completed 
two-thirds of the length at one-third of the total cost, 
complaining that the Georgia portion had created delays and 
lost money for the consortium.  The Minister also claimed 
that the consortium was adopting tactics to seek to avoid 
having to pay a $300 million bonus due to BOTAS as a result 
of 
BOTAS (supposedly) fulfilling its contractual obligations. 
(Comment:  This claim contradicts BTC Corporation,s 
arguments 
that BOTAS, failure to fulfill its obligations resulted in 
cost overruns, for which BOTAS is liable under BTC,s 
lump-sum 
turnkey contract.  End comment.)  Guler said 
that he was closely following the project in monthly 
meetings.  Guler noted that BOTAS had been ready to send 
oil from Pump Station 3 (ref A), but said the Consortium 
arbitrarily delayed the progress of oil through the 
pipeline for "pigging experiments."  (Note: Both sides 
accused the other of using "go slow" tactics.  However, 
given the high costs of delay for the BTC consortium, it 
is illogical that the Consortium would intentionally delay 
the project.  End Note.)  Finally, Guler defended the 
expertise of BOTAS, noting that it had successfully built 
over 4000 km of pipelines. 
 
¶4.  (C)  The Ambassador noted that arbitration could be 
messy and expensive, and would show lots of "dirty 
laundry"; negotiating a solution would be a much better 
path.  Guler said his preference is to avoid arbitration. 
Guler said that the Prime Minister was aware of the issues, 
but the $80 million offer was not "worthy" of him.  The 
Minister added Turkey is committed to achieving first 
tanker loading on May 24 -- and a formal celebration on 
July 13. 
 
¶5.  (C) MFA Meetings: Bryza also raised the issue with 
Foreign Minister Gul (septel) and with the Prime Minister's 
foreign policy advisor Ahmet Davutoglu at separate 
meetings.   The Foreign Minister expressed appreciation for 
the comments and the mutually strategic importance of the 
project, but said that these issues should be raised with 
the Minister of Energy.  MFA Energy Deputy Director General 
Mithat Rende, who was present for the meeting with the 
Energy Minister did not express a position on the issue. 
Finally, incoming MFA high-level Energy Coordinator 
Ambassador Mithat Balkan expressed an understanding of the 
broader strategic issues and perceptions, as well as the 
political and fiscal difficulty for anyone at BOTAS or the 
Energy Ministry to accept responsibility for any over-runs. 
He promised to research the issue and brief his Minister. 
 
¶6.  (C) BOTAS: Bryza raised the disputed claims with BOTAS 
acting DG Riza Ciftci and his staff in a separate April 5 
meeting.  Deputy Project Director Gokmen Cologlu was 
adamant that the disputed claims of $330 million (he said 
BOTAS had dropped $20 million from the true number of $350 
million) were not the responsibility of BOTAS.  He said 
they stemmed from scope changes from the client and were 
not the fault of BOTAS.  Articulating a message very 
similar to that of the Minister of Energy, he argued that 
BOTAS was doing the project on a non-profit basis and 
expressed great frustration with BTC management.  He said, 
"We have succeeded against nature and the BTC Consortium." 
 
¶7.  (C) Bryza responded to Ciftci that the most important 
goal was to complete the project, noting that the LSTK 
contract (and GOT Treasury guarantee) had been instrumental 
to getting the deal done.  He noted that the cost overrun 
dispute and potential arbitration could affect the 
international 
reputation and investment environment of BOTAS and Turkey. 
The BOTAS officials noted that U.S. firm Stone and Webster 
did a feasibility study, which identified the cost in Turkey 
at $1.2 billion.  This study put in question 
 
ANKARA 00002009  003 OF 003 
 
 
the Consortium's assertion that the same scope project now 
cost $1.7 billion.  The BOTAS officials asserted that the 
cost increase was due to changes in scope and standards. 
As an example, they mentioned a significant change in the 
specs for the pipe material to be able to handle sweet or 
sour crude.  (BP has not disputed responsibility for this 
client-driven scope change.)  The BOTAS officials argued 
that BTC had initiated many work stoppages without 
adequated cause.  Thus, they concluded that BOTAS was 
sincere.  They remained hopeful for a settlement, but they 
had approval to take the dispute to arbitration. 
 
¶8.  (C)  DAS Bryza has cleared this message. 
 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON