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First pipeline from Caspian Sea opened - -

By Aida Sultanova

By AIDA SULTANOVA, Associated Press Writer

SANGACHAL, Azerbaijan - The presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey pulled orange levers Wednesday to send the first flow of Caspian Sea crude into a $3.2 billion pipeline seen as key to reducing the West's reliance on Middle East oil.

By year's end, the 1,100-mile pipeline is to ship up to 1 million barrels a day to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

President Bush, whose administration is seeking to diversify energy sources, said in a letter read at the ceremony by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman that the pipeline "opens a new era in the Caspian Basin's development."

"The United States has consistently supported (the pipeline) because we believe in the project's ability to bolster energy security, strengthen participating countries' energy diversity, enhance regional cooperation and expand international investment opportunities," Bush's letter said.

The U.S.-backed pipeline realizes several crucial goals for Washington, including reducing dependence on Russian pipelines and avoiding