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Baghdad tells the world: "It's our oil"
Sun Jul 05 12:45PM
After a massive build up, the live broadcast proved a big letdown. Iraq offered six oil fields and two gas fields to international energy companies last week, but only one offer was taken up.There were gasps from the conference floor when delegates saw the gap between what the government was offering and what the bidders wanted. The faces gathered around beneath a giant stage erected for the day's proceedings told the story; it had been a disappointment.
Iraq needs money. The country's public services are a shell of their former selves. It is often said that Iraq had one of the best, if not the best- educated populations in the Middle East in the 1970s. But that was the 1970s.
Three wars and 18 years of sanctions put paid to a strong education service. Ahead of Tuesday's energy auction, Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani said the "huge amount" of money raised would "finance infrastructure projects across Iraq -- schools, roads, airports, housing, hospitals." That was his pitch.
Barely 24 hours after the event he went on national television and denied the auction had been a failure. Oil production will increase, meaning more money as planned, as a result of the successful British-Chinese bid for the biggest oil field on offer, assuming of course that complex contract terms are agreed in the coming months.
But Shahristani's "It's our oil" tone could not have been clearer, as he told the local audience that the foreign companies would end up getting less than one dollar per barrel produced under the deal. Mr Shahristani was clearly trying to appease his fellow Iraqis, mindful that he could be accused of conducting a sell-out.
His comments have not been lost on the international business and diplomatic community in Baghdad. "He might have been talking to Iraqis, but we heard him too," one such individual said.
In this blog, reporters and editors for global news wire AFP blog about the news they report and the challenges they face covering events from Baghdad to Beijing, the White House to Darfur. Arthur Macmillan reports for AFP from Baghdad.Comment on this article
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We went into iraq to free them from a dictator not for there oil reserves. well thats the official line anyway. so what is the issue here. They need an income otherwise they will always need handouts.
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gypsyqueens2: I recall one of my teachers (a science teacher I think it was) whom predicted entirely the same thing as yourself in the 70s and made similar comments with regard to the same
. I personally doubt if the world would be ready at this time for a sizeable reduction in the availability of crude oil. Economic chaos is likely, simply because we are STILL too reliant upon oil based fuel and seemingly too fond of using cars for transport, instead of more fuel economical options (i.e. public transport!). Alternatives are available, but apart from nuclear power, other alternatives are still marginalised. As in the 70s, the sensible people in 2009 recognise that the world needs to wake up to the fact, that despite development of much newer sources of oil (i.e. Russia and Far East), it truly WILL NOT last forever! What a shame that we have not been anywhere as efficient with it's use of the last 40/50 years, as we should have been!!!!
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People who are not in this country providing a piece to the solution to many problems should shut their damn mouths. Why do people who have the means of achieving enlightenment into certain situations do nothing about it. Instead regergatate the things they hear on the news or read in the paper. Find out for yourself what is actually happening don't just take someones word for it. You hippy liberal f**ckin idiot.
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Yes Iraq oil belongs to Iraq not ours to steal or take whether we like it or not we did destroy everything in Iraq and now we want their oil next to nothing (cheaper than bottle water) how dare we lets show them we are great by re-building Iraq to its former self so they can be self sufficent
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It was bound to happen !
the whole point of the war was for oil and nothing to do with saddam....
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I was just about to comment on gipsyqueens2's ignorance when I saw on page 2 that richardrandomk had already caught the feeling for me.
I am currently reading about the history of the world, ' a concise edition' I am fascinated to read that so much culture began in the middle east while in the west were still living in the woods.
The English educational system omitted any reference of culture in that part of the world.
Oh, and with the comment "They have no industry, no nothing" is the gypsy implying that we have some industry left?
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Had we stayed clear of Iraq and not deceived the world with imaginary weapons of mass destruction, none of the problems would exist and we could still take the family for day out on about 50 pence a litre for petrol.
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Had we stayed clear of Iraq and not deceived the world with imaginary weapons of mass destruction, none of the problems would exist and we could still take the family for day out on about 50 pence a litre for petrol.
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This 'great' country of ours is run by a democratically elected government, this current government is supported by approx.17% of the voting public.
Whatsay, China comes to liberate us from the Evil dictatorship of Messrs Gordon Brown and Mandy Mandleson?
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And more power to Iraq, although it will lead to huge conflict, i wonder who the protagonists will be... and the knock on effect will lead to another oil 'shortage' which will further bankrupt the average Joe, which in turn will further demonise the middle east and lead the sheeple of the world to believe that the Iraqi's are wrong as the media will make sure of this... the nation has one of the most valuable resources in the world yet the population remains in poverty and destitution because of the greed of a minority of Iraqi elites and other world powers...
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