Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline

HC Deb 12 November 2003 vol 413 cc311-2W

Mr. Best

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the proposed oil pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan. [137520]

Hilary Benn

I refer my hon. Friend to the written statement made on 5 November, which sets out DFID's position on funding by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group, for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.

On 11 November the Executive Board of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) also approved non-concessional funding for the pipeline. DFID took the same position on funding for the BTC project by EBRD as we did by IFC.