Schumer calls for probe of Iraqi oil deal

Schumer calls for probe of Iraqi oil deal


Sen. Charles Schumer called Monday for an independent probe into the Iraqi government’s decision to open the country’s oil fields to foreign oil companies.

“This is a head fake by the Iraqi government,” Schumer said just hours after the Iraqis announced their plan. “The Iraqis have shown they will pursue these contracts at all costs, their nation’s political stability be damned.”

Schumer criticized the Iraqi government for signing the deal before an oil revenue sharing law is in place, saying the decision could potentially inflame sectarian tensions within Iraq.

The New York Democrat said he plans to offer an amendment to an upcoming defense authorization bill requiring the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the law’s potential consequences.

Expect other lawmakers to follow Schumer’s lead in blasting the deal, as the announcement is a potential two-for-one special for Democrats, eager to argue that the Bush administration is trying to control Iraqi oil resources and trying to steer the revenues to large oil companies.

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http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0608/Schumer_calls_for_probe_of_Iraqi_oil_deal.html

Related thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3543074&mesg_id=3543074

the oil deal because they only wanted a contractual deal for speeding up production and the oil companies wanted the oil, of course.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/30/9996/

Iraq Fails to Sign Contracts With Global Oil Majors


BAGHDAD - Iraq said on Monday it has failed to sign technical support agreements with global oil majors which were aimed at helping boost the war-torn country’s oil production.

Iraq is negotiating with Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Total, and a consortium of other smaller oil companies, Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani said at press briefing.

“We did not finalise any agreement with them because they refused to offer consultancy based on fees, as they wanted a share of the oil,” he said.

“The TSAs (technical support agreements) are only simple consultancy contracts to help us raise the production during the interim period” before the ministry enters into long-term contracts to develop the oil and gas fields.

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for going along with this in the beginning was for noble purposes?