11 Southern Iraqi oil fields to go up for tender

Operation Iraqi freedom, remember....

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http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Business&loid=8.0.185260588&par=0

IRAQ: 11 SOUTHERN IRAQI OIL FIELDS TO GO UP FOR TENDER

Baghdad, 8 July (AKI) - Eleven oil fields in southern Iraq, capable of boosting the country's production to three million barrels a day will soon be tendered to international investors, the Iraqi oil ministry announced Friday. "The ministry needs legislation which will allow it to fix international work criteria with companies that are involved in petroleum investments," said the ministry's spokesman, Asim Jihad.


"Iraq needs capital investments to develop its petroleum industry, he said, adding that the government had estimated that some 25 billion dollars in investments were required to boost oil production to 5-6 million barrels a day.

Jihad also said that the government has no intention to privatise the oil sector, but would remain under state control.

"We will seek foreign investments, that will allow us to develop our industry but without paving the way for foreign monopolies to take over," he said.


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I'm not sure I get it...

That doesn't make any sense, unless the government is a private corporation.

Capital investment but not privatization means they are looking for oil companies to rebuild the infrastructure, i.e. wells, pipelines, refineries, and pumping stations, and in return they will give them a percentage of the revenue generated by the oil industry. The oil infrastucture must be in bad shape if they need $25 billion to get it back up to capacity, but I guess that's to be expected when we go in and bomb the crap out of the entire country.

I somehow doubt that is going to happen. I believe the Oil Companies (Large GOP Contributers) will receive far more than 50% of the value of the oil and that pretty much means Privatization. When the companies make more than owners the GOP will be quite happy. Blood Money they drool over.

No. This is the same thing that many developing countries do. Venezuala has the same arrangement with oil companies. Chavez recently increased the amount of royalties the oil companies must pay the gov't. It will be interesting to see if the Iraqi deals are done on a no-bid basis. It wouldn't surprise me in the least.

between the Iraqi oil ministry and the investors? I mean something apocalyptic like, "thanks for rebuilding our infrastructure, here is your money,, now go away" and the investors refuse to "go away".

Iraq, will almost certainly return to the next generation OPEC type group and when it does, I do not think that being a proxy for corporate interests, especially US corporate interests, will be in Iraq's or OPE C's best interests.

Is there any realistic expectation that this will not eventually take place in some derivation?

It appears the SOP would be to go in and bomb the crap out of them. After all, we can't have people not bowing down to corporate interests, can we?

among the million other ironies related to this story.

Thought it was a typo.Ironic,indeed.

So much for Iraqi nationalism. The Propagandist destroyed that along with many other things with his illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. I just don't see how this is going to sit well at all with the Iraqi citizenry.

But, anything to spread the new colonialism. Gotta keep those corporate donor's bottom lines nice and fat.

Say, I think we should have us a new "Modest Proposal".

French (and, for all I know, the Chinese and Inuktitut) signed with Saddam before 2003?

Or are there unreported regulations stipulating that only US/British firms may bid?

but my understanding before was that France and Russians were just getting oil from Iraq, not running the Iraqi wells and profiting from them.

seems that those lost billions were to be applied to activities such as this. I think * and friends should pay it back out of their own pockets. They shipped all that money as soon as possible knowing it would be lost.

"We're makin' progress!" ?

As Naomi Klein has shown, the threat of Iraq begin carved up and sold to foreign investors is one of the basic drivers of the insurgency. This news can only inflame it greatly, by forcing unionized workers into the arms of the resistance.

the aftermath of British and French invasions 1914-1917 creating the country of Iraq, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan. Nationalism forced out the Brit/French and contributed to further tribal divisions in the Mid-East. Foreign invasions have done nothing to bring stability to the region over the course of many years. The beat goes on in the quest for power over Mid-East riches.

another burr up their ass. As we wonder why they're pissed.

we are actually fighting for freedom-This definition however is questionable.
I beleive that when these guys get on T.V. and tell us this war is for freedom they actually feel like they are telling the truth!
The definition to them of freedom is :freedom to do Business unopposed

by the time Iraq gets it's fields on line and ready to make money, the price of oil will be at 100$ a barrel and no one will be using it at the level we are now.

Just one more bullshit line put to bed that the fucked up admin and moron* fed us. "the revenues from the Iraqi oil fields will pay for the rebuilding".

Colossal failure*

more double speak. Sounds like he was trained by the U.S.

I'll never forget how that sentence etched itself in my mind, the second I heard it. I knew that was bullshit.

Mission accomplished.

Does anyone remember the presidential edict? I can never remember it. Number 14303? We essentially took the assets of Iraq. No ambition my ass.

took over the oil fields in the Mid-East, result of Brit and French war against the Ottoman Empire. History does repeat itself.

Those oilfields had already been contracted out under Saddam Hussein's government. By overthrowing him it provides the opportunity for Iraq's US-controlled puppet government to break the original contracts (most of which were NOT with US Oil companies) and make new ones with US companies.

This is the REAL reason for the Iraq war.

Doubtful the Iraqi puppet government will make sure Iraqi citizens will get their fair share from the reconstruction of oil field development. Again this will further division and political destabilization of the Mid-East. Insurgency and conflict of interests will esculate.

Even though the Iraqi oil companies were perfectly capable of keeping everything running BEFORE the Iraq invasion, suddenly only US companies appear to have this skill.

http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385660105

I'm reading it right now and it explains everything that has been happening (and is probably going to happen). She predicted this.

... it will be interpreted by Iraqis, Arabs, Muslims, etc as a US-driven policy, simply continuing the colonial trend. We could hardly be doing more to increase animosity.