For Immediate Release

Pipeline politics have always been the real motive for the war in Afghanistan

Toronto, June 19, 2008: The Canadian Peace Alliance, Canada's largest umbrella peace group, applauds the recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives which highlights the politics of pipeline construction in Afghanistan. For years the peace movement has known that the real motives for the invasion of Afghanistan are geopolitical and are about western control of the energy resources of the region.

“The need to build the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline has always been the real motive for US and Western foreign policy towards Afghanistan.” Said Sid Lacombe Coordinator of the Canadian Peace Alliance. “From the days of the Carter administration up to now the need to build a pipeline that can bring Caspian sea oil and gas to Indian and Pakistani ports has been paramount.”

The proposed Trans-Afghan Pipeline has gone through many manifestations over the decades. Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien has been instrumental in signing deals between Canadian Oil and Gas corporations for pipeline construction projects in the area. In September 2004, Jean Chretien went to Turkmenistan to negotiate a deal between Edmonton based Buried Hill Energy and the government of Turkmenistan to develop oil and gas resources the Caspian area. Chretien also met with the president of Turkmenistan to discuss involvement of Canadian corporations in the Trans-Afghan pipeline.

With more than 80 Canadian soldiers and thousands of Afghan civilians dead in a war that is both wrong and a failure. The CPA calls on the government of Canada to respect the wishes of the majority of Canadians and bring the troops home now.

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For more information please contact: Sid Lacombe, Coordinator of the Canadian Peace Alliance - 416-588-5555 (office) 416-333-7567 (cell)

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