Russia, Turkmen, Kazakh leaders discuss energy ties

TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan, May 12 (Reuters) Russian President Vladimir Putin, seeking to cement Moscow's position as broker of Central Asian natural gas, discussed energy ties with the leaders of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan today.

The talks, held in the Caspian Sea port of Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan, were widely expected to lead to a new pipeline agreement, analysts have said.

New gas finds in Turkmenistan and a new leader in President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov have raised the possibility of the country, the largest gas producer in Central Asia, seeking new export routes.

The United States, Europe and China would like direct access to Turkmen gas, most of which flows to Russia at below-market prices.

''If we reach an agreement this will mean more supplies of energy resources to Europe and the world's markets,'' Putin said at the start of Saturday's talks. ''This is very good for economic development.'' Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who pledged this week to keep most of his nation's oil exports flowing through pipelines that cross Russia, denied any political overtones to the three-way energy summit.

''This is a purely pragmatic commercial project,'' he said, in a apparent reference to a new pipeline proposal. ''There is no politics there.'' REUTERS SZ HT1228