By Catherine Belton in Moscow
Published: February 28 2007 02:00 | Last updated: February 28 2007 02:00
Russia stepped up pressure on a key asset held by TNK-BP, BP’s Russia venture, yesterday as Lord Browne, BP chief executive, arrived in Moscow for talks and the end-game neared for a possible transfer of part of a key asset to the state.
Oleg Mitvol, the official who led the state campaign against Shell’s oil and gas venture in Sakhalin2, said yesterday that Russia’s Natural Resources Ministry would not budge on threats to revoke TNK-BP’s licence to develop its vast east Siberian Kovykta gas field in three months time.
“The conditions can be changed only one way,” said Mr Mitvol of TNK-BP’s calls to soften licence terms that it says are impossible to meet. “You tear up the license agreement and the state sells it off at an auction anew.”
Mr Mitvol’s ministry has declared TNK-BP in violation of conditions to develop the field and has given the joint venture group three months to start producing 9bn cubic meters of gas, as the license stipulates, or have its license revoked.
TNK-BP produces a fraction of that amount and has said the terms are impossible to meet as there is not enough demand for that volume of gas in the local region.
The attack on TNK-BP’s Kovykta licence is seen by many industry watchers as part of a wider political strategy as TNK-BP moves into a crucial phase and the state tightens its grip over the energy sector.
TNK-BP’s Russian billionaire shareholders are believed by many analysts to be readying to sell their stakes in the venture to a state-controlled company such as Gazprom. A moratorium on any change of ownership at TNK-BP is due to expire this year. TNK-BP’s Russian shareholders have repeatedly denied that any such sales are contemplated.
But Vladimir Milov, the former deputy energy minister in the Putin government, said Gazprom was stepping up the pressure on TNK-BP.
Sergei Kupriyanov, Gazprom spokesman, declined to comment on whether talks were ongoing about Gazprom becoming BP’s new partner in Russia.
But he said Gazprom was not interested in Kovykta by itself. “TNK-BP is more interested in bringing us into this project than we are,” he said.
TNK-BP declined to comment on Mr Mitvol’s remarks yesterday.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
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Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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