[CTRL] Iraqi Oil To Israel? What A Shocker!
-Caveat Lector- Published on Monday, August 25, 2003 by Ha'aretz (Israel) US Checking Possibility of Pumping Oil from Northern Iraq to Haifa, via Jordan by Amiram Cohen The United States has asked Israel to check the possibility of pumping oil from Iraq to the oil refineries in Haifa. The request came in a telegram last week from a senior Pentagon official to a top Foreign Ministry official in Jerusalem. The Prime Minister's Office, which views the pipeline to Haifa as a "bonus" the U.S. could give to Israel in return for its unequivocal support for the American-led campaign in Iraq, had asked the Americans for the official telegram. The new pipeline would take oil from the Kirkuk area, where some 40 percent of Iraqi oil is produced, and transport it via Mosul, and then across Jordan to Israel. The U.S. telegram included a request for a cost estimate for repairing the Mosul-Haifa pipeline that was in use prior to 1948. During the War of Independence, the Iraqis stopped the flow of oil to Haifa and the pipeline fell into disrepair over the years. The National Infrastructure Ministry has recently conducted research indicating that construction of a 42-inch diameter pipeline between Kirkuk and Haifa would cost about $400,000 per kilometer. The old Mosul-Haifa pipeline was only 8 inches in diameter. National Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky said yesterday that the port of Haifa is an attractive destination for Iraqi oil and that he plans to discuss this matter with the U.S. secretary of energy during his planned visit to Washington next month. Paritzky added that the plan depends on Jordan's consent and that Jordan would receive a transit fee for allowing the oil to piped through its territory. The minister noted, however, that "due to pan-Arab concerns, it will be hard for the Jordanians to agree to the flow of Iraqi oil via Jordan and Israel." Sources in Jerusalem confirmed yesterday that the Americans are looking into the possibility of laying a new pipeline via Jordan and Israel. (There is also a pipeline running via Syria that has not been used in some three decades.) Iraqi oil is now being transported via Turkey to a small Mediterranean port near the Syrian border. The transit fee collected by Turkey is an important source of revenue for the country. This line has been damaged by sabotage twice in recent weeks and is presently out of service. In response to rumors about the possible Kirkuk-Mosul-Haifa pipeline, Turkey has warned Israel that it would regard this development as a serious blow to Turkish-Israeli relations. Sources in Jerusalem suggest that the American hints about the alternative pipeline are part of an attempt to apply pressure on Turkey. Iraq is one of the world's largest oil producers, with the potential of reaching about 2.5 million barrels a day. Oil exports were halted after the Gulf War in 1991 and then were allowed again on a limited basis (1.5 million barrels per day) to finance the import of food and medicines. Iraq is currently exporting several hundred thousand barrels of oil per day. During his visit to Washington in about two weeks, Paritzky also plans to discuss the possibility of U.S. and international assistance for joint Israeli-Palestinian projects in the areas of energy and infrastructure, natural gas, desalination and electricity. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=""ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Iraqi Oil, American Bonanza?
-Caveat Lector- Iraqi Oil, American Bonanza? In a Post-War Iraq, U.S. Companies Could be Major Players By John W. Schoen MSNBC November 11, 2002 The most visible dogfight over Iraq's future is playing out in diplomatic circles, as the U.S. tries to convince its skeptical allies that a regime change is imperative and military action inevitable. But another high- stakes, much less visible struggle is also quietly taking shape. Once U.N. economic sanctions on Iraq are lifted, who will develop - and control - Iraq's vast oil reserves? Since U.N. sanctions choked off the flow of Iraqi oil a decade ago, Baghdad's role in world energy markets has been severely curtailed. Iraq's oil output is so low that many analysts believe that even a complete shut-off of Iraqi supplies would easily be made up by other oil producing countries. In fact, they may already have. Led by Saudi Arabia, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries quietly boosted production in September, raising output some 10 percent above official quotas, according to the latest figures from the International Energy Agency. But Iraq's vast oil reserves remain a powerful prize for global oil companies. Iraq is sitting on an estimated 112 billion barrels of crude, a pool of oil second in size only to Saudi Arabia's 264 billion barrels. (By way of comparison, proven U.S. reserves total about 22 billion barrels; the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve holds about 600 million barrels.) Development of those Iraqi reserves will be no small project. After years of decay, Iraq's oil infrastructure will require years of work and billions of dollars in investment, according to Nathaniel Kern, a Middle East analyst at Foreign Reports, Inc. in Washington. It's in terrible shape, he said. The pipelines are leaking lakes (of oil), refineries are dumping toxic waste. It is a broken down industry. POTENTIAL WINDFALL Such a massive rebuilding effort represents a huge opportunity for the companies chosen to tackle it. As the Bush administration has been working to rally support among its allies for a military strike, Saddam Hussein has been using the promise of lucrative oil contracts to weaken that U.S. effort and boost opposition to tougher U.N. resolutions. Some major deals are already in place. In 1997, Russia's LUKOIL signed contracts to develop Iraq's West Qurna oil field. The same year, the China National Petroleum Corporation bought a 50 percent stake in the al-Ahdab oil field. (Both have been barred from developing those reserves by U.N. sanctions.) More recently, France's TotalFinaElf has reportedly negotiated agreements to develop the much larger Majnoon field, but has not yet signed firm contracts to do so. Over the years, those deals complicated U.S. efforts to win support for tough action against Baghdad in the U.N. Security Council, where France, Russia and China are permanent members. WAITING THEIR CHANCE So far, U.S. oil companies have been stuck on the sidelines of the Iraqi oil rush. Even if Saddam wanted to enlist U.S. firms in the rebuilding of Iraq's oil infrastructure, U.N. sanctions - as well as U.S. laws - have barred American oil companies from dealing with Baghdad. But some analysts say it's unlikely that American firms will be left empty- handed if the U.S. follows through on threats of military action. If you turn up and it's your tanks that dislodged the regime and you have 50,000 troops in the country and they're in your tanks, then you're going to get the best deals, said Credit Suisse First Boston oil analyst Mark Flannery. That's the way it works. The French will have three men and a 1950s tank. That's just not going to work. American oil companies are also hoping to benefit from the industry's unusually strong ties to the White House. President Bush, himself the former head of a Texas oil company, has pursued an national energy policy that relies on aggressively expanding new sources of oil. Vice President Dick Cheney is the former CEO of oil services giant Halliburton. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice is a former director of Chevron. So far, U.S. oil companies have been mum on the subject of the potential spoils of war. A spokesman for ChevronTexaco would say only that we don't speculate and we don't comment on speculation. Officials at ExxonMobil did not respond to calls for comment. NOT SO FAST It's anyone's guess just who will decide how Iraq's oil resources are developed. But some analysts say it's likely those decisions will be made by Iraqis. Iraqis are pretty nationalistic, said James Placke, a Middle East analyst at Cambridge Energy Research. The assumption that the U.S. will just walk in and call the shots - I think that's simplistic. Unless we behave like a colonialist occupier, we're not going to call the shots. Some analysts note that a large-scale, occupying army would further inflame anti-American sentiment in the region and destabilize Iraq's oil-rich neighbors, notably Saudi Arabia.
[CTRL] Iraqi Oil
-Caveat Lector-
From http://fiot.1accesshost.com/iraqioil.html
If that means I can't drive me fricking car anymore, so be it!
[ Kristine S]
This will be something to watch. You may be prescient! Oh! Change best happens
from the inside out. AER
}}}Begin
US Again Becomes Top Consumer of Iraqi Oil; Congress Considers Ban
DUBAI, May 11 (AFP) - The majority of Iraq's oil exports since shipments resumed
May 8 after a month-long embargo will again go to the United States, the Middle East
Economic Survey (MEES) reports in its Monday edition.
MEES soundings indicate that Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) has
already confirmed sales and scheduled liftings for around 850,000 barrels per day
(bpd) and may be able to export as much as 1.4 million bpd, the industry newsletter
says.
MEES further understands that most of the exports are destined for the US with
some to Europe, Morocco, South Africa, India and Taiwan.
Major buyers include Valero, Chevron, Arcadia, Petrola, Glencore, TotalFinaElf,
Sinochem, Vitol and Cepsa, the weekly adds.
The US Senate in April voted overwhelmingly in favor of an amendment to an energy
bill that would prevent the United States from buying oil of Iraqi origin.
The House of Representatives now has to vote on the amendment.
In 2001, the United States imported some 10.6 million barrels of oil per day,
according to official figures. Most of that came from Canada, Saudi Arabia and
Venezuela, but around nine percent was from Iraq.
Iraq has an export capacity target of 2.2 million barrels per day, and most of the
shortfall is due to the loss of exports during the first week of the month before
President Saddam Hussein ended an embargo in support of the Palestinians.
The United Nations estimated Iraq's loss from the embargo at 1.2 billion dollars.
Iraq is allowed to export oil under a UN-supervised oil-for-food program introduced to
alleviate the suffering of the population from crippling sanctions slapped on Baghdad
for invading Kuwait in 1990.
A vote in the Security Council to reform UN sanctions and free up the flow on non-
milltary goods to Baghdad has been delayed for a few days at the request of Russia.
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[CTRL] Iraqi Oil
-Caveat Lector- "OPEC, with the exception of Iraq, agreed to reduce oil supplies by more than 5 million barrels a day in an effort to eliminate the glut (and raise prices) worldwide." I guess we'll just have to keep on bombing Iraq ... Iraq To Develop Giant Oil Field By LEON BARKHO .c The Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq, which is keen to raise its oil output, ordered government engineers to start developing a giant oil field in the south to add 80,000 barrels to daily production, state-run newspapers said Thursday. Iraq's decision to use national resources to bring the Qurna field on stream indicates the government does not expect Russian firms to work under their 1997 contract because of U.N. sanctions. Qurna has estimated reserves of 15 billion and 30 billion barrels. The announcement of plans to drill at Qurna came just two days after the Iraqi Cabinet decided that the country should rely on its own resources to boost oil output. Iraq needs more production to take better advantage of a U.N.-approved program that allows it to export $5.2 billion worth of oil each six months to buy food and medicine. Iraqi sales have been far below the target. Iraq currently produces 2.65 million barrels a day. The Oil Ministry goal is to raise that to 3.5 million barrels during the year 2000. Russia's largest oil company, LUKoil, and partners Zarubezhneft and Mashinoimport have a deal to help develop Iraqi oil fields. They were supposed to spend $200 million on development of Qurna, despite the U.N. trade sanctions, Iraq says. The government-run Al-Jumhuriya said Thursday that the state had begun work on Qurna and that celebrations were held on the drilling site near the city of Basra, 350 miles south of the capital Baghdad. Rafid Dabouni, head of Southern Oil Company, told the newspaper that Iraq aimed to extract 40,000 barrels a day from Qurna in the near future and boost output to 80,000 barrels by the end of this year. U.N. sanctions, imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, limit the sale of oil and prohibit most other financial transactions with the country. The oil-for-food program is a U.N.-approved exception. Crude Oil Declines After US Gasoline Supplies Increase London, June 3 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil declined on concern peak U.S. gasoline demand won't erode a surplus of the fuel, after the American Petroleum Institute reported an increase in gasoline inventories for the week ending May 28. Gasoline inventories rose 2.32 million barrels to 222.3 million barrels, the API said. The largest increase expected was 200,000 barrels, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts yesterday. The rise in gasoline supplies ``wasn't exactly what people expected and could pull prices down in early trade,'' said Tony Machacek, a broker with Prudential Bache Futures Ltd. Brent crude oil for July delivery declined as much as 13 cents to $14.75 a barrel in early morning trading on the International Petroleum Exchange in London. July crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 12 cents from yesterday's close to $16.53 a barrel in electronic trading. Implied demand for gasoline, derived from figures in the API report, was little changed at 8.73 million barrels a day, an increase of 116,000 barrels a day. The U.S. is the world's largest energy importer and consumer of oil and fuels so changes in its supplies are used by traders as a barometer of global demand. Current inventories show gasoline retailers are well supplied for the key driving season between the Memorial Day May 31 and Labor day Sept. 6 holidays. Crude Oil Inventories Still, lower-than-expected gasoline demand could be offset by an unexpected drop in U.S. crude oil inventories, which fell 1.5 million barrels, or 0.4 percent, to 330.9 million barrels during the week ended May 28, the API said. Oil and gasoline prices are linked because oil is refined into fuels such as gasoline. ``Inventories haven't fallen to a critically low level,'' said Machacek, ``but I suspect this will generate some support for oil prices and we could see prices rally later in the day.'' Crude oil supplies are now 16.6 million barrels, or 4.8 percent, lower than a year ago, signaling a plan by 14 global oil producers to reduce supplies is holding together. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries made 91 percent of its promised oil output cuts in May, as part of a wider effort to eliminate a global surplus and lift prices, a Bloomberg survey showed. Prices are up more than 45 percent since mid February on traders' speculation that producers would succeed in reducing a surplus that sent oil prices to a 12-year low in December. OPEC, with the exception of Iraq, and four other oil- producing nations agreed to reduce oil supplies by more than 5 million barrels a day in a series of agreements dating back to last year, in an effort to eliminate the world glut. Jun/03/19995:11 For more stories from Bloomberg News, click
