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OfflinePsilocybeingzz
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Registered: 12/15/02
Posts: 14,463
Loc: International waters
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
to the victors.................
    #1866510 - 08/30/03 05:13 PM (20 years, 6 months ago)

To the Victors Go the Spoils of War

British Petroleum, Shell and Chevron Win Iraqi Oil Contracts

By Pratap Chatterjee and Oula Al Farawati
CorpWatch
August 8, 2003



In the hours and days before the United States and Britain invaded Iraq, a team of British Petroleum (BP) engineers in Kuwait taught combat troops from the 516 Specialist Team Royal Engineers how to run the oil fields in southern Iraq. As soon as the troops had secured southern Iraq, Robert Spears, a Scottish manager from BP, was drafted by the British government to help direct the effort to rebuild the refineries.

In mid-July BP took possession of its reward -- one of the first tankers of oil from Southern Iraq, having won 25% of the initial sale of 8 million barrels of the existing stockpiles of Iraqi oil. The previous month California-based Chevron shipped back an equal quantity of oil from southern Iraq.

Retired engineers from Royal Dutch/Shell Group also helped in training the troops in Nottingham, England. Once the oilfields had been seized by the invaders, company workers were drafted by the British army and sent into southern Iraq to help with the reconstruction.

"We leveraged the private sector," US Brigadier General Robert Crear commented to the Wall Street Journal. Crear commands the Southwestern Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which is in charge of reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

While the Bush Administration is under fire for failing to produce a single Iraqi weapon of mass destruction three months after the official close of the war, critics claim that the motive for the invasion all along was control of Iraqi oil. And if the bonanza in oil contracts won by giant oil companies is any indication, Washington is moving swiftly to secure access to Iraq's oil wealth once and for all.

To the Victors Go the Spoils
Shell along with Chevron, BP and seven other oil giants, have won contracts to buy Iraq's new oil production of Basra Light crude. The contracts cover production from the Mina Al-Bakr port in southern Iraq from August to December of this year. Under the deal, Iraq will supply 645,000 barrels per day (bpd) for export, an increase on the 450,000 bpd produced in July but still just a third of pre-war levels.

BP and Shell will each send one very large tanker every month to Iraq to pick up their two million barrels. Among the other companies that have signed deals to buy the oil are ConocoPhillips, Valero Energy and Marathon Oil, Total of France, Sinochem of China and a company from the Mitsubishi group, which is buying for Japanese refineries.

Iraq's northern export pipeline from the Kirkuk fields through Turkey has remained closed since the US occupation because of sabotage bombings and war damage.

The main job of overseeing the repair work of Iraq's oil infrastructure was discreetly awarded to Halliburton, a company formerly headed by United States Vice President Dick Cheney, just after the invasion of Iraq was completed. The company is the favorite to win the two contracts for reconstruction of the oil industry, one for the oil industry in northern Iraq and the other for the south. A total of 220 projects are planned which must be completed for Iraq's oil production to reach prewar levels. The projects are divided into three phases, with a total estimated cost of $1.14 billion.

Working in Iraq has helped bolster Halliburton's finances. The company made a profit of $26 million, in contrast to a loss of $498 million over the same time period a year earlier. The company stated that 9 percent, or $324 million, of its second-quarter revenue of $3.6 billion came from its work in Iraq.

Meanwhile the reaction to this news in the streets of the Arab world has been one of anger. Radwan Aziz, an Emirati citizen in Dubai, said: "Oil is what the US was after from all this."

Russia Left Out in the Cold?
The sales contrast sharply with contracts signed by the previous regime of Saddam Hussein with Russia and France. "Unfortunately, not a single Russian company managed to clinch a contract, as we went for the best price," says acting oil minister Thamer Ghadhban.

But Russian companies are worried that they are being shut out of new contracts and may even lose previous agreements. For example, in 1997 Russia's Lukoil signed a 23-year contract for the West Qurna field as the head of a consortium. The project is expected to produce 600,000 barrels of oil per day.

Shortly after the invasion in March Leonid Fedoun, vice president of Lukoil, told the Russian daily Kommersant that his company would sue any rival for Iraq's huge West Qurna oil field for at least $20 billion.

"Nobody can develop this field without us in the next eight years. If somebody decides to squeeze Lukoil out, we are going to appeal in the Geneva arbitration court [the International Commercial and Industrial Arbitration Court], which will immediately arrest this field," said Fedoun. The case could last up to eight years. Fedoun also threatened to have tankers of Iraqi crude halted to keep from losing the $3.7 billion investment in West Qurna.

Bush Makes Sure US Companies Go Unchallenged
But legally there is not much that the Iraqis or Russians can do to contest this in the United States because of an executive order signed by president George Bush in late May. Executive order number 13303 states "any attachment, judgment, decree, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process is prohibited, and shall be deemed null and void", with respect to "all Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein."

With this, Bush granted Iraqi oil a lifetime exemption provided US companies are involved in the oil's production, transport, or distribution. This order applies to Iraqi oil products that are "in the United States, hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons." (Under US law, corporations are "persons.")

"In other words, if ExxonMobil or ChevronTexaco touch Iraqi oil, anything they or anyone else does with it is immune from legal proceedings in the US," explained Jim Vallette, an analyst with the Sustainable Energy & Economy Network of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC.

"Anything that has happened before with oil companies around the world -- a massive tanker accident; an explosion at an oil refinery; the employment of slave labor to build a pipeline; murder of locals by corporate security; the release of billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; or lawsuits by Iraq's current creditors or the next true Iraqi government demanding compensation -- anything at all, is immune from judicial accountability," he says.

"Effectively Bush has unilaterally declared Iraqi oil to be the unassailable province of US oil corporations," Vallette added.


Pratap Chatterjee is Program Director/Managing Editor of CorpWatch. Oula Al Farawati is a reporter for Pratts News Service based in Jordan.




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Offlinepattern
multiplayer

Registered: 07/19/02
Posts: 2,185
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 4 years, 15 days
Re: to the victors................. [Re: Psilocybeingzz]
    #1866555 - 08/30/03 05:34 PM (20 years, 6 months ago)

I wonder if they are paying for that oil in Euros, like they would have under Saddam, or in American Dollars...

Euros vs Dollars


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man = monkey + mushroom

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Invisiblewingnutx

Registered: 09/24/00
Posts: 2,287
Re: to the victors................. [Re: Psilocybeingzz]
    #1866725 - 08/30/03 07:01 PM (20 years, 6 months ago)

My heart bleeds for france and russia.

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OfflineCornholio
A liberal guy(on hiatus)

Registered: 01/13/03
Posts: 845
Loc: Austin, TX
Last seen: 20 years, 4 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: wingnutx]
    #1867004 - 08/30/03 09:20 PM (20 years, 6 months ago)

psilocybeingzz said:
"Bush Makes Sure US Companies Go Unchallenged"

wingnutx said:
"My heart bleeds for france and russia."

The Iraqi invasion secured business that would othersise have gone to other countries.

I say let's invade more countries where we don't have a large enough share of the contracts!


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OfflinePsilocybeingzz
Male User Gallery

Registered: 12/15/02
Posts: 14,463
Loc: International waters
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: Cornholio]
    #1867028 - 08/30/03 09:35 PM (20 years, 6 months ago)

"My heart bleeds for france and russia. "

judging from your avatar you heart bleed for NO ONE , except yourself


and I dont care if france or russia get shit either


However I can think of a reason that I boycott America , Russia and CHINA(of course!)

Right after september 11th Bush asked for friends to "fight terror"
who were the countries that came to his side first???
Russia and China

about a year later the International criminal court was being formed
and what three countries refused to join?????

RUSSIA, CHINA , and (of course) America

what does this tell me about their polices????
That individuals and small groups conducting terror is OK, but state terror like Russia ruthlessly ingauged in and Chinas, general treatment really , of their people and Americas history of terror that streches back BEFORE WW2


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Invisiblewingnutx

Registered: 09/24/00
Posts: 2,287
Re: to the victors................. [Re: Psilocybeingzz]
    #1867143 - 08/30/03 10:23 PM (20 years, 6 months ago)

Judging by my avatar?

What, you don't like cARViN guitars or something?

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Offlinemonoamine
umask 077(nonefor you)

Registered: 09/06/02
Posts: 3,095
Loc: Jacksonville,FL
Last seen: 18 years, 6 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: wingnutx]
    #1867416 - 08/31/03 12:07 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

I'm a Fender man myself.


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People think that if you just say the word "hallucinations" it explains everything you want it to explain and eventually whatever it is you can't explain will just go away.It's just a word,it doesn't explain anything...
Douglas Adams

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OfflineCornholio
A liberal guy(on hiatus)

Registered: 01/13/03
Posts: 845
Loc: Austin, TX
Last seen: 20 years, 4 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: Psilocybeingzz]
    #1867464 - 08/31/03 12:31 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

You know, it's funny.  I think people's avatars have a bearing on how other people perceive them.  I always thought wingnutx was an ass until a few other other liberal posters said he was one of the more reasonable conservative posters.  After that I realized he was.  His av threw me. 

I think my av may hurt people's perceptions of me as well (Beavis is kind of a dick).  I was thinking about changing it, but since my name is Cornholio, I guess changing it now wouldn't make much sense.  :smirk: 


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Invisiblewingnutx

Registered: 09/24/00
Posts: 2,287
Re: to the victors................. [Re: monoamine]
    #1867466 - 08/31/03 12:32 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

Gibson SG #1 :smile:

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Invisiblewingnutx

Registered: 09/24/00
Posts: 2,287
Re: to the victors................. [Re: Cornholio]
    #1867473 - 08/31/03 12:34 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

my avatar was that little orange 'no hands' kitten for about a year, but somebody monkied with it and turned it into a penis.

I love that kitten :smile:

Yeah, being Cornholio makes for an interesting first impression. I am pro-beavis, myself.

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OfflineCornholio
A liberal guy(on hiatus)

Registered: 01/13/03
Posts: 845
Loc: Austin, TX
Last seen: 20 years, 4 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: wingnutx]
    #1867509 - 08/31/03 12:49 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

I wonder if it would be against forum rules to create a new puppet, and use that instead of Cornholio if I announced it was me???


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Invisiblewingnutx

Registered: 09/24/00
Posts: 2,287
Re: to the victors................. [Re: Cornholio]
    #1867514 - 08/31/03 12:51 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

you could ask the mods to delete you old account, but I don't think they want people having more than one.

Your current one is fine with me.


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OfflineCornholio
A liberal guy(on hiatus)

Registered: 01/13/03
Posts: 845
Loc: Austin, TX
Last seen: 20 years, 4 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: wingnutx]
    #1867529 - 08/31/03 12:57 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

A kitten would be good. Or something like Edame has. How can you get mad at Edame???



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Offlinefireworks_godS
Sexy.Butt.McDanger
Male

Registered: 03/12/02
Posts: 24,855
Loc: Pandurn
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: monoamine]
    #1867626 - 08/31/03 02:13 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

grandmasterfat said:
I'm a Fender man myself.




Fender can burn in hell....

Yeah, I mean, why not suck up all the oil? I mean, its just sitting there, right? I mean, we just sort of showed up in the country killed some people, aren't we entitled to the OIL?

Oh, wait, maybe that is just what we assumed when we were planning the war...
Peace.


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:redpanda:
If I should die this very moment
I wouldn't fear
For I've never known completeness
Like being here
Wrapped in the warmth of you
Loving every breath of you

:heartpump: :bunnyhug: :yinyang:

:yinyang: :levitate: :earth: :levitate: :yinyang:

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OfflinePsilocybeingzz
Male User Gallery

Registered: 12/15/02
Posts: 14,463
Loc: International waters
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: fireworks_god]
    #1869809 - 08/31/03 11:11 PM (20 years, 6 months ago)

epiphone is cool





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OfflinePsilocybeingzz
Male User Gallery

Registered: 12/15/02
Posts: 14,463
Loc: International waters
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: fireworks_god]
    #1869812 - 08/31/03 11:11 PM (20 years, 6 months ago)

epiphone is cool





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OfflinePsilocybeingzz
Male User Gallery

Registered: 12/15/02
Posts: 14,463
Loc: International waters
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: fireworks_god]
    #1869814 - 08/31/03 11:11 PM (20 years, 6 months ago)

epiphone is cool





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Invisiblewingnutx

Registered: 09/24/00
Posts: 2,287
Re: to the victors................. [Re: Psilocybeingzz]
    #1869968 - 09/01/03 12:23 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

so, what do you think about epiphone?


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OfflinePsilocybeingzz
Male User Gallery

Registered: 12/15/02
Posts: 14,463
Loc: International waters
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: wingnutx]
    #1870479 - 09/01/03 04:12 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

well if you are REALLY asking


I have a guitar made by them(the budget line for gibson)

it a good guitar thats all


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Offlineshakta
Infidel
Registered: 06/03/03
Posts: 2,633
Last seen: 19 years, 10 months
Re: to the victors................. [Re: Psilocybeingzz]
    #1873600 - 09/02/03 07:43 AM (20 years, 6 months ago)

I think this shows the French and Russian motivations for not ousting Saddam pretty well. They were content to keep letting Iraqis die, while they got rich off of their cheap oil. The companies buying the oil now are paying for it, and the money will be going to the Iraqis instead of into gold toilets for Saddam's palaces.

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