Iraq Government in Control of Oil Sector

[adios]

Well this is a significant development and is speaks loudly and clearly about the Bush administration intentions for Iraq. Reagan's military buildup was despised by the leftists as well (they still deride it) but in looking back Reagan was right. Bush is too.

Iraq Government in Control of Oil Sector (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=15&u=/ap/20040608/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_oil_5)

Iraq Government in Control of Oil Sector

Tue Jun 8, 2:10 PM ET

By KATARINA KRATOVAC, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials declared Tuesday that the interim government has assumed full control of the country's oil industry ahead of the June 30 handover of sovereignty from the U.S.-led occupation administration.


"Today the most important natural resource has been returned to Iraqis to serve all Iraqis," Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said. "I'm pleased to announce that full sovereignty and full control on oil industry has been handed over to the oil ministry today and to the new Iraqi government as of today."


The announcement came as Allawi and Oil Minister Thamir Ghadbhan toured the al-Doura oil refinery in southern Baghdad.


After meeting and shaking hands with the refinery workers, the two ministers thanked oil sector workers.


"We are totally now in control, there are no more advisers," Ghadbhan said. "We are running the show, the oil policies will be implemented 100 percent by Iraqis."


Allawi said the handover of the oil ministry before June 30 reflects "our full confidence in the oil minister. It's evidence that oil ministry has worked perfectly."


Referring to the former regime of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), Allawi said that "in the past, Iraqi oil was used in building palaces, buying weapons to achieve one person's goals."


Iraq (news - web sites) has the world's second largest oil reserves, with more than 110 billion barrels of crude oil and about 100,000 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, Allawi said.


A force has been established solely for the protection of the oil infrastructure, made up of about 14,000 guards.

[ThaSaltCracka]

what is your point?

[Cyrus]

"Reagan's military buildup was despised by the leftists as well (they still deride it) but in looking back Reagan was right. Bush is too."

I would sympathise with the temporary suspension of critical abilities in people, on account of the sentimentality caused by Ronal Reagan's passing, were this not a seemingly persistent condition for Dubya acolytes. At least, until November.

/images/graemlins/cool.gif

So, let's see : The Iraqi puppet government (what would you call an unelected, imposed-from-abroad government?) claims it "has assumed control" /images/graemlins/smile.gif of the Iraqi oil fields and hey, presto, the whole quagmire is justified! I guess this must be what they call wishful thinking.

(And, by the way, why did Dubya order that the lights be dimmed in the White House? Was this really a show of respect for Reagan's passing or a desperate and meaningful cry for help?)

/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Cyrus]

So that's why the man is so confident they are gonna wipe out the anti-American terrorists. Takes one to know one.

The new PM was blowing up children-carrying buses in Saddam's Baghdad years ago, at the pay of the CIA. I think Iraq is in safe hands...

NY Times Report (http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/09/politics/09ALLA.html)

[Chris Alger]

One could say with as much sense that "Norwegians" took control of their government in February 1942 with the appointment of Vidkun Quisling as political "leader". Allawi has as much control over the foreign troops in his land.

Of course, maybe Iraqis would have voted for Allawi if the U.S. had allowed them. Here's a slogan: "Allawi: he doesn't work for the CIA anymore." Or "Vote for me: the chances that one of my bombs killed someone you love is probably low."

So there's some consensus that the hundreds of billions that Reagan flushed down the military rathole to defend the country form a paper tiger were well spent? Certainly the arming and training of the mujahideen in Afghanistan was a spectacular success. Definition of a conservative: someone who believes everything he's told.