Finally, The Iraq War Explained

[LoungeMachine]

Iraq OKs agreements with foreign oil firms

Posted: 05-03-2008 , 12:49 GMT

Iraq's cabinet has given the nod to the Oil Ministry to ink agreements with foreign oil firms to help boost the country's crude output, a ministry official said Wednesday. According to the AP, the two-year deals, known as technical support agreements, or TSAs, are meant to develop five producing fields to add 500,000 barrels per day to Iraq's 2.4 million barrels per day output.



Late last year, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, BP PLC, ExxonMobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. submitted technical and financial proposals for the five fields and received counterproposals from the Iraqi side. In January, representatives from the firms and Iraq met again in Amman and they will hold a third round of discussions later this month, said the official.





Iraq's average production was 2.4 million barrels per day in January while exports stood at an average of 1.92 million barrels per day. December's exports averaged 1.81 million barrels per day.



The oil giants are among more than 70 international firms that met the ministry's deadline of Feb. 18 to compete to help develop Iraq's oil reserves.



http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Saudi%20Arabia/223142

[LoungeMachine]

Iraqi cabinet gives green light to oil ministry to sign oil deals
The Associated Press
Published: March 5, 2008



BAGHDAD: Iraq's cabinet has given the green light to the Oil Ministry to sign agreements with international oil companies to help increase the nation's crude output, a ministry official said Wednesday.

The two-year deals, known as technical support agreements, or TSAs, are designed to develop five producing fields to add 500,000 barrels per day to the country's current 2.4 million barrels per day output.

Last December, Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB), BP PLC (BP), ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) and Chevron Corp. (CVX) submitted technical and financial proposals for the five oil fields and received counterproposals from the Iraqi side.

In January, representatives from the companies and from Iraq met again in Amman, Jordan, and they will hold the third round of discussions later this month, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to release information.

In Vienna, Iraq's Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani said that Iraq intends to compensate these companies with crude oil rather than in cash, the Dow Jones Newswires reported on Wednesday.

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Speaking to reporters as he arrived for a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, al-Shahristani said the Oil Ministry was still working on the compensation details with the Development Fund of Iraq, controlled by the U.S. and the U.N.

According to the Oil Ministry official, BP will submit a proposal for the Rumaila oil field, Chevron for West Qurna stage 1, Exxon for Zubair, and Shell for Missan and Kirkuk.

Iraq's average production was 2.4 million barrels per day in January while exports stood at an average of 1.92 million barrels per day. December's exports averaged 1.81 million barrels per day.

In dire need of expertise from international oil companies to achieve the Oil Ministry's target of 3 million barrels per day by the end of 2008, Iraq has been relying on a Saddam Hussein-era natural resources law until Parliament approves a new oil law to regulate the international oil companies' work and share Iraq's oil resources among the country's Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.

More than 70 international firms met the ministry's deadline of Feb. 18 to compete for tenders to help develop Iraq's oil reserves, seen as vital to providing the funds to rebuild the shattered country.

Iraq has not said what fields it will tender, or on what terms, but the service and extraction contracts on offer are seen as a stopgap until the oil law is passed, and will not provide the long-term involvement big oil companies want.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/05/africa/ME-FIN-Iraq-Oil-Deals.php

[hideyoursheep]

Okay, so they have a deal for TSA's.

The last sentence in this article says it all. Not exactly what Bush's "base" had in mind though. Cool.

The average production is 2.4 a day.

The average export is 1.9 mil.

That means about 500,000 barrels a day Don't get exported.
An addittional 500 g's would mean that, in 2 years, 1,000,000 barrels
per day would NOT be exported?

How much does the US use per day,
and how much does Iraq itself use per day?

And why the fuck are they waiting in line for gas?

[knuckleboner]

the fact that a dutch oil company got a deal to help iraq export more oil was why the war started?...;)


i have no doubt that a strong factor in the U.S.'s decision to go to war was predicated on the assumed notion that it was in our national security interest to have greater stability in the middle east/oil producing region.


that said, it doesn't preclude the current iraqis from wanting to enhance their main export. and if they benefit from partnering with international (and U.S....) firms, who will also profit, then so be it.

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by knuckleboner
the fact that a dutch oil company got a deal to help iraq export more oil was why the war started?...;)


i

Now you're cherry-picking intelligence. ;)


Originally posted by knuckleboner

i have no doubt that a strong factor in the U.S.'s decision to go to war was predicated on the assumed notion that it was in our national security interest to have greater stability in the middle east/oil producing region.


Well then, Mission Accomplished, I say !!!



Originally posted by knuckleboner


that said, it doesn't preclude the current iraqis from wanting to enhance their main export. and if they benefit from partnering with international (and U.S....) firms, who will also profit, then so be it.

Funny, they seemed to be able to get it out of the ground without our help before.

[knuckleboner]

exactly, Mission Accomplishedtm. getting crazy, oppressive dictator out of power COULD have brought some stability. did the replacement bring stability? uh...saboteuged pipelines, etc? at least not in the short term. obviously, the failure of the war planners to truly understand the compexities of the situation. they could win the war. but they weren't prepared for the rebuilding.


as for iraqis getting their oil out of the ground...well, didn't saddam turn to europe for assistance from time to time?...

[kwame k]

Whatever happened to the:
"Wolfowitz said the U.S. would be greeted as liberators, that Iraqi oil money would pay for the reconstruction, and that Gen. Eric Shinseki’s estimate that several hundred thousand troops would be needed was “wildly off the mark.” [Washington Post, 12/8/05; Wolfowitz, 3/27/03]"

I thought Iraq's oil supply was for reconstruction and to offset the cost of The US "liberating" them.

So now the oil money goes to other countries and we keep spending billions to keep the oil flowing? Oh yeah, thousands dead/wounded too.
You mean I was lied to by Bush and Co?

What next no Easter Bunny?