[Sosfbay-discuss] Plundering Iraq Would Ensure More, Longer War; Proposed Iraqi Hydrocarbon Law Would Require Prolonged U.S. Occupation, Say Greens

[JamBoi]

One of our GPUS Media Committee press releases actually made it into
the Alt Press!  :-)  Yeah!!!

http://www.progress.org/2007/greenp43.htm

Plundering Iraq Would Ensure More, Longer War

Proposed Iraqi Hydrocarbon Law Would Require Prolonged U.S. Occupation,
Say Greens

Here are excerpts from statements by the Green Party of the United
States and authors Antonia Juhasz and Raed Jarrar.

Green Party leaders warned that the new 'hydrocarbon law' up for
approval in Iraq would lead to a prolonged, possibly permanent U.S.
presence in Iraq, with U.S. military and Iraqi civilian casualties for
years to come.
"The Iraqi hydrocarbon law, if approved by Iraqi lawmakers, will
provide lucrative profits for U.S. energy corporations by placing up to
2/3 of Iraqi oil resources under foreign control," said Liz Arnone,
co-chair of the Green Party of the United States. "The U.S. government,
whether led by Democrats or Republicans, will be committed to
protecting American energy company operations and investments in Iraq
by keeping U.S. troops there."

Greens noted that passage of the law will aggravate Iraqi and regional
anger over the U.S. invasion, which has cost the lives of hundreds of
thousands of Iraqi civilians (as well as over 3,100 U.S. troops),
destroyed Iraqi infrastructure, and ignited a sectarian civil war.

"Iraqis should be allowed to decide how their resources will be used,
without the pressure of the U.S. occupation and demands from the Bush
Administration," said Katey Culver, co-chair of the Green Party of the
United States and co-chiar of the Green Party of Tennessee. "The
hydrocarbon law amounts to legalized pillage by a foreign country, and
that's how Iraqis will interpret it."

The Green Party has called for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from
Iraq and has urged Congress to cut off funding for the war to compel
President Bush to order the safe return of American service personnel.

"The Iraqi oil law shows that 'blood for oil' was a major reason for
the Iraq War all along. It demonstrates that President Bush didn't
invade Iraq because of claims about WMDs, conspiracy between Saddam
Hussein and al-Qaeda, liberation and democracy for the Iraqi people, or
other reasons that have proved fraudulent," said Green Party co-chair
Jim Coplen.

The Iraqi hydrocarbon law, which was secretly drafted with the help of
BearingPoint, a U.S. consultancy firm, provides 'production-sharing
agreements' (PSAs) allowing major Western energy companies like
ExxonMobil, Shell, ChevronTexaco, and BP to sign deals of up to 30
years to extract Iraq's oil. The PSAs appear to allow Iraq to retain
legal ownership of its oil, but will ensure major profits for non-Iraqi
companies that invest in infrastructure and operation of the wells,
pipelines and refineries.

Iraq would be the only major Middle Eastern oil producing nation whose
oil production is controlled by foreign companies. The hydrocarbon law
will turn Iraq into an oil spigot for western nations, rather than a
resource that benefits Iraqis.

The drafting process was secretive; few Iraqi officials were allowed to
read the text, until it was leaked over the Internet. The law was
approved by the Iraqi cabinet on February 26 and now heads to the Iraqi
Parliament, which is under heavy pressure from the U.S. to pass it.

Antonia Juhasz and Raed Jarrar write:

The new oil law gives foreign corporations access to almost every
sector of Iraq’s oil and natural gas industry. This includes service
contracts on existing fields that are already being developed and that
are managed and operated by the Iraqi National Oil Company (INOC). For
fields that have already been discovered, but not yet developed, the
proposed law stipulates that INOC will have to be a partner on these
contracts. But for as-yet-undiscovered fields, neither INOC nor private
Iraqi companies receive preference in new exploration and development.
Foreign companies have full access to these contracts.
The exploration and production contracts give firms exclusive control
of fields for up to 35 years including contracts that guarantee profits
for 25-years. A foreign company, if hired, is not required to partner
with an Iraqi company or reinvest any of its money in the Iraqi
economy. It’s not obligated to hire Iraqi workers train Iraqi workers,
or transfer technology.

The daily lives of most people in Iraq are overwhelmed with meeting
basic needs. They are unaware of the details and full nature of the oil
law shortly to be considered in parliament. Their parliamentarians, in
turn, have not been included in the debate over the law and were unable
to even read the draft until it was leaked on the Internet. Those
Iraqis able to make their voices heard on the oil law want more time.
They urge postponing a decision until Iraqis have their own sovereign
state without a foreign occupation.

Passing this oil law while the political future of Iraq is unclear can
only further the existing schisms in the Iraqi government. Forcing its
passage will achieve nothing more than an increase in the levels of
violence, anger, and instability in Iraq and a prolongation of the U.S.
occupation.


___________________

JamBoi
Jammy The Sacred Cow Slayer

"Live humbly, laugh often and love unconditionally" (anon)
http://dailyJam.blogspot.com


 
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