HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
As I remember, Bush Sr. had oil rights or something like that in Somalia. I will research it and see what I can find, but I am sure I read something back when the US invasion on Somalia took place. D > HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK > --------------------------- > > I have a rather unusual place for you to look for more information. When I > was working for the World Bank many years ago (just before the Somalia > 'humanitarian mission' which provided the grist for the movie 'Black Hawk > Down'), I noticed that the World Bank's magazine had an article about the > immense new oil finds just off the coast of Somalia. Based on what was > exposed in that article, i.e., the large virgin oil fields, America's > 'humanitarian mission' to Somalia suddenly made 'American sense'. > > Just a few words. Carry on comrades, the truth will refuse to dwell > permanently under a bushel basket. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bill Howard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:> > Sent: Monday, January 07, 2002 21:07 > Subject: THE OIL FACTOR IN SOMALIA [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] > > >> HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK >> --------------------------- >> >> >> [Via Communist Internet... > http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] >> >> [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] >> . >> . >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Dale Pfeiffer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2002 6:18 PM >> Subject: Re: [mobilize-globally] THE OIL FACTOR IN SOMALIA >> >> >> I thought the following article was interesting because I have never >> heard >> of Somalia as an oil producing country. In an effort to confirm it, I did >> a >> thorough search of numerous energy-oil sites, including dieoff, hubbert >> peak, >> policy pete, alexandre's oil & gas connection, wtrg economics, >> petroleumworld, >> and the energy information administration (eia) site. >> >> The only thing I have been able to find was on the eia site, in a paper >> on >> the international oil outlook. Here is the paragraph mentioning Somalia: >> >> North African producers Egypt and Tunisia produce mainly from mature >> fields and show little promise of adding to their reserve posture. Their >> production volumes are expected to decline gradually throughout the >> forecast. Sudan and Equatorial Guinea are expected to produce modest >> volumes early in this decade. Eritrea, Somalia, and South Africa also >> have some resource potential, but they are not expected to produce >> significant amounts until after 2005. >> >> http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/oil.html >> >> There is no other mention of Somalia anywhere. The conclusion I draw >> is that Somalia has no past history of oil production. Perhaps it does >> hold some undiscovered off-shore deposits, but I would doubt that >> they are anything major. >> >> What Somalia does have, is the world's richest deposit of uranium. >> >> Dale Allen Pfeiffer >> >> On Sat, 05 Jan 2002 15:21:05 +0200 secr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >> >> ------ Forwarded Message >> From: Martin Sall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Date: Sat, 05 Jan 2002 00:04:58 -0500 >> To: (Recipient list suppressed) >> Subject: [CitizensAgainstBush] THE OIL FACTOR IN SOMALIA >> >> They have it, we want it, and we will do anything necessary to have it no >> >> matter what the cost. Another from my friend's archives is worth >> revisiting considering that Somalia is likely to be back in the news >> sometime soon. >> m/ >> >> http://www.netnomad.com/fineman.html >> THE OIL FACTOR IN SOMALIA >> FOUR AMERICAN PETROLEUM GIANTS HAD AGREEMENTS WITH THE AFRICAN NATION >> BEFORE ITS CIVIL WAR BEGAN. THEY COULD REAP BIG REWARDS IF PEACE IS >> RESTORED >> By MARK FINEMAN >> January 18, 1993 >> >> DATELINE: MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Far beneath the surface of the tragic >> drama >> of Somalia, four major U.S. oil companies are quietly sitting on a >> prospective fortune in exclusive concessions to explore and exploit tens >> of >> millions of acres of the Somali countryside. >> >> That land, in the opinion of geologists and industry sources, could yield >> >> significant amounts of oil and natural gas if the U.S.-led military >> mission >> can restore peace to the impoverished East African nation. >> >> According to documents obtained by The Times, nearly two-thirds of >> Somalia >> was allocated to the American oil giants Conoco, Amoco, Chevron and >> Phillips in the final years before Somalia's pro-U.S. President Mohamed >> Siad Barre was overthrown and the nation plunged into chaos in January, >> 1991. Industry sources said the companies holding the rights to the most >> promising concessions are hoping that the Bush Administration's decision >> to >> send U.S. troops to safeguard aid shipments to Somalia will also help >> protect their multimillion-dollar investments there. >> >> Officially, the Administration and the State Department insist that the >> U.S. military mission in Somalia is strictly humanitarian. Oil industry >> spokesmen dismissed as "absurd" and "nonsense" allegations by aid >> experts, >> veteran East Africa analysts and several prominent Somalis that President >> >> Bush, a former Texas oilman, was moved to act in Somalia, at least in >> part, >> by the U.S. corporate oil stake. >> >> But corporate and scientific documents disclosed that the American >> companies are well positioned to pursue Somalia's most promising >> potential >> oil reserves the moment the nation is pacified. And the State Department >> and U.S. military officials acknowledge that one of those oil companies >> has >> done more than simply sit back and hope for pece. >> >> Conoco Inc., the only major multinational corporation to mantain a >> functioning office in Mogadishu throughout the past two years of >> nationwide >> anarchy, has been directly involved in the U.S. government's role in the >> U.N.-sponsored humanitarian military effort. >> >> Conoco, whose tireless exploration efforts in north-central Somalia >> reportedly had yielded the most encouraging prospects just before Siad >> Barre's fall, permitted its Mogadishu corporate compound to be >> transformed >> into a de facto American embassy a few days before the U.S. Marines >> landed >> in the capital, with Bush's special envoy using it as his temporary >> headquarters. In addition, the president of the company's subsidiary in >> Somalia won high official praise for serving as the government's >> volunteer >> "facilitator" during the months before and during the U.S. intervention. >> >> Describing the arrangement as "a business relationship," an official >> spokesman for the Houston-based parent corporation of Conoco Somalia Ltd. >> >> said the U.S. government was paying rental for its use of the compound, >> and >> he insisted that Conoco was proud of resident general manager Raymond >> Marchand's contribution to the U.S.-led humanitarian effort. >> >> John Geybauer, spokesman for Conoco Oil in Houston, said the company was >> acting as "a good corporate citizen and neighbor" in granting the U.S. >> government's request to be allowed to rent the compound. The U.S. Embassy >> >> and most other buildings and residential compounds here in the capital >> were >> rendered unusable by vandalism and fierce artillery duels during the clan >> >> wars that have consumed Somalia and starved its people. >> >> In its in-house magazine last month, Conoco reprinted excerpts from a >> letter of commendation for Marchand written by U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. >> Frank >> Libutti, who has been acting as military aide to U.S. envoy Robert B. >> Oakley. In the letter, Libutti praised the oil official for his role in >> the >> initial operation to land Marines on Mogadishu's beaches in December, and >> >> the general concluded, "Without Raymond's courageous contributions and >> selfless service, the operation would have failed." >> >> But the close relationship between Conoco and the U.S. intervention force >> >> has left many Somalis and foreign development experts deeply troubled by >> the blurry line between the U.S. government and the large oil company, >> leading many to liken the Somalia operation to a miniature version of >> Operation Desert Storm, the U.S.-led military effort in January, 1991, to >> >> drive Iraq from Kuwait and, more broadly, safeguard the world's largest >> oil >> reserves. >> >> "They sent all the wrong signals when Oakley moved into the Conoco >> compound," said one expert on Somalia who worked with one of the four >> major >> companies as they intensified their exploration efforts in the country in >> >> the late 1980s. >> >> "It's left everyone thinking the big question here isn't famine relief >> but >> oil -- whether the oil concessions granted under Siad Barre will be >> transferred if and when peace is restored," the expert said. "It's >> potentially worth billions of dollars, and believe me, that's what the >> whole game is starting to look like." >> >> Although most oil experts outside Somalia laugh at the suggestion that >> the >> nation ever could rank among the world's major oil producers -- and most >> maintain that the international aid mission is intended simply to feed >> Somalia's starving masses -- no one doubts that there is oil in Somalia. >> The only question: How much? >> >> "It's there. There's no doubt there's oil there," said Thomas E. >> O'Connor, >> the principal petroleum engineer for the World Bank, who headed an >> in-depth, three-year study of oil prospects in the Gulf of Aden off >> Somalia's northern coast. >> >> "You don't know until you study a lot further just how much is there," >> O'Connor said. "But it has commercial potential. It's got high potential >> . >> . . once the Somalis get their act together." >> >> O'Connor, a professional geologist, based his conclusion on the findings >> of >> some of the world's top petroleum geologists. In a 1991 World >> Bank-coordinated study, intended to encourage private investment in the >> petroleum potential of eight African nations, the geologists put Somalia >> and Sudan at the top of the list of prospective commercial oil producers. >> >> Presenting their results during a three-day conference in London in >> September, 1991, two of those geologists, an American and an Egyptian, >> reported that an analysis of nine exploratory wells drilled in Somalia >> indicated that the region is "situated within the oil window, and thus >> (is) >> highly prospective for gas and oil." A report by a third geologist, Z. R. >> >> Beydoun, said offshore sites possess "the geological parameters conducive >> >> to the generation, expulsion and trapping of significant amounts of oil >> and >> gas." >> >> Beydoun, who now works for Marathon Oil in London, cautioned in a recent >> interview that on the basis of his findings alone, "you cannot say there >> definitely is oil," but he added: "The different ingredients for >> generation >> of oil are there. The question is whether the oil generated there has >> been >> trapped or whether it dispersed or evaporated." >> >> Beginni 1986, Conoco, along with Amoco, Chevron, Phillips and, briefly, >> Shell all sought and obtained exploration licenses for northern Somalia >> from Siad Barre's government. Somalia was soon carved up into >> concessional >> blocs, with Conoco, Amoco and Chevron winning the right to explore and >> exploit the most promising ones. >> >> The companies' interest in Somalia clearly predated the World Bank study. >> >> It was grounded in the findings of another, highly successful exploration >> >> effort by the Texas-based Hunt Oil Corp. across the Gulf of Aden in the >> Arabian Peninsula nation of Yemen, where geologists disclosed in the >> mid-1980s that the estimated 1 billion barrels of Yemeni oil reserves >> were >> part of a great underground rift, or valley, that arced into and across >> northern Somalia. >> >> Hunt's Yemeni operation, which is now yielding nearly 200,000 barrels of >> oil a day, and its implications for the entire region were not lost on >> then-Vice President George Bush. >> >> In fact, Bush witnessed it firsthand in April, 1986, when he officially >> dedicated Hunt's new $18-million refinery near the ancient Yemeni town of >> >> Marib. In remarks during the event, Bush emphasized the critical value of >> >> supporting U.S. corporate efforts to develop and safeguard potential oil >> reserves in the region. >> >> In his speech, Bush stressed "the growing strategic importance to the >> West >> of developing crude oil sources in the region away from the Strait of >> Hormuz," according to a report three weeks later in the authoritative >> Middle East Economic Survey. >> >> Bush's reference was to the geographical choke point that controls access >> >> to the Persian Gulf and its vast oil reserves. It came at the end of a >> 10-day Middle East tour in which the vice president drew fire for >> appearing >> to advocate higher oil and gasoline prices. >> >> "Throughout the course of his 17,000-mile trip, Bush suggested continued >> low (oil) prices would jeopardize a domestic oil industry 'vital to the >> national security interests of the United States,' which was interpreted >> at >> home and abroad as a sign the onetime oil driller from Texas was coming >> to >> the aid of his former associates," United Press International reported >> from >> Washington the day after Bush dedicated Hunt's Yemen refinery. >> >> No such criticism accompanied Bush's decision late last year to send more >> >> than 20,000 U.S. troops to Somalia, widely applauded as a bold and costly >> >> step to save an estimated 2 million Somalis from starvation by opening up >> >> relief supply lines and pacifying the famine-struck nation. >> >> But since the U.S. intervention began, neither the Bush Administration >> nor >> any of the oil companies that had been active in Somalia up until the >> civil >> war broke out in early 1991 have commented publicly on Somalia's >> potential >> for oil and natural gas production. Even in private, veteran oil company >> exploration experts played down any possible connection between the >> Administration's move into Somalia and the corporate concessions at >> stake. >> >> "In the oil world, Somalia is a fringe exploration area," said one Conoco >> >> executive who asked not to be named. "They've overexaggerated it," he >> said >> of the geologists' optimism about the prospective oil reserves there. And >> >> as for Washington's motives in Somalia, he brushed aside criticisms that >> have been voiced quietly in Mogadishu, saying, "With America, there is a >> genuine humanitarian streak in us . . . that many other countries and >> cultures cannot understand." >> >> But the same source added that Conoco's decision to maintain its >> headquarters in the Somali capital even after it pulled out the last of >> its >> major equipment in the spring of 1992 was certainly not a humanitarian >> one. >> And he confirmed that the company, which has explored Somalia in three >> major phases beginning in 1952, had achieved "very good oil shows" -- >> industry terminology for an exploration phase that often precedes a major >> >> discovery -- just before the war broke out. >> >> "We had these very good shows," he said. "We were pleased. That's why >> Conoco stayed on. . . . The people in Houston are convinced there's oil >> there." >> >> Indeed, the same Conoco World article that praised Conoco's general >> manager >> in Somalia for his role in the humanitarian effort quoted Marchand as >> saying, "We stayed because of Somalia's potential for the company and to >> protect our assets." >> >> Marchand, a French citizen who came to Somalia from Chad after a civil >> war >> forced Conoco to suspend operations there, explained the role played by >> his >> firm in helping set up the U.S.-led pacification mission in Mogadishu. >> >> "When the State Department asked Conoco management for assistance, I was >> glad to use the company's influence in Somalia for the success of this >> mission," he said in the magazine article. "I just treated it like a >> company operation -- like moving a rig. I did it for this operation >> because >> the (U.S.) officials weren't familiar with the environment." >> >> Marchand and his company were clearly familiar with the anarchy into >> which >> Somalia has descended over the past two years -- a nation with no >> functioning government, no utilities and few roads, a place ruled loosely >> >> by regional warlords. >> >> Of the four U.S. companies holding the Siad Barre-era oil concessions, >> Conoco is believed to be the only one that negotiated what spokesman >> Geybauer called "a standstill agreement" with an interim government set >> up >> by one of Mogadishu's two principal warlords, Ali Mahdi Mohamed. Industry >> >> sources said the other U.S. companies with contracts in Somalia cited >> "force majeure" (superior power), a legal term asserting that they were >> forced by the war to abandon their exploration efforts and would return >> as >> soon as peace is restored. >> >> "It's going to be very interesting to see whether these agreements are >> still good," said Mohamed Jirdeh, a prominent Somali businessman in >> Mogadishu who is familiar with the oil-concession agreements. "Whatever >> Siad did, all those records and contracts, all disappeared after he fled. >> . >> . . And this period has brought with it a deep change of our society. >> >> "Our country is now very weak, and, of course, the American oil companies >> >> are very strong. This has to be handled very diplomatically, and I think >> the American government must move out of the oil business, or at least >> make >> clear that there is a definite line separating the two, if they want to >> maintain a long-term relationship here." >> >> Fineman, Times bureau chief in Nicosia, Cyprus, was recently in Somalia. >> >> >> >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> >> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor >> ADVERTISEMENT >> >> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >> >> >> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service >> <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> . >> >> ------ End of Forwarded Message >> >> >> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor >> ADVERTISEMENT >> >> >> >> >> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >> >> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. >> >> >> >> Empowerment/Songsof the March Hare >> http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/empowerment >> http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/5309 >> The Linnet's Song >> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/059514683X/qid%3D984839641/107-600 >> 0916-1315753 >> >> > > > ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
