[GPRI] FW: GP RELEASE Greens: New Iraqi oil law means prolonged war

[Greg Gerritt]

------ Forwarded Message
From: DC Statehood Green Party <dcsgp9 at hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:32:22 +0000
To: <dcsgpnews2 at yahoo.com>
Subject: GP RELEASE Greens: New Iraqi oil law means prolonged war

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Monday, March 5, 2007

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty at greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene at gp.org


Proposed Iraqi 'hydrocarbon law' will require prolonged U.S. occupation, say
Greens

 Law giving U.S. oil firms control over Iraqi oil resources fulfills an
imperial dream of Bush Administration ideologues, reveals a major motivation
for the U.S. invasion of Iraq


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders warned that the new 'hydrocarbon
law' up for approval in Iraq would lead to a prolonged, possibly permanent
U.S. presence in Iraq, with U.S. military and Iraqi civilian casualties for
years to come.

"The Iraqi hydrocarbon law, if approved by Iraqi lawmakers, will provide
lucrative profits for U.S. energy corporations by placing up to 2/3 of Iraqi
oil resources under foreign control," said Liz Arnone, co-chair of the Green
Party of the United States.  "The U.S. government, whether led by Democrats
or Republicans, will be committed to protecting American energy company
operations and investments in Iraq by keeping U.S. troops there."

Greens noted that passage of the law will aggravate Iraqi and regional anger
over the U.S. invasion, which has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of
Iraqi civilians (as well as over 3,100 U.S. troops), destroyed Iraqi
infrastructure, and ignited a sectarian civil war.

"Iraqis should be allowed to decide how their resources will be used,
without the pressure of the U.S. occupation and demands from the Bush
Administration," said Katey Culver, co-chair of the Green Party of the
United States and co-chiar of the Green Party of Tennessee.  "The
hydrocarbon law amounts to legalized pillage by a foreign country, and
that's how Iraqis will interpret it."

The Green Party has called for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq
and has urged Congress to cut off funding for the war to compel President
Bush to order the safe return of American service personnel.

"The Iraqi oil law proves that 'blood for oil' was a major reason for the
Iraq War all along.  It demonstrates that President Bush didn't invade Iraq
because of claims about WMDs, conspiracy between Saddam Hussein and
al-Qaeda, liberation and democracy for the Iraqi people, or other reasons
that have proved fraudulent," said Green Party co-chair Jim Coplen.

Major points on the Iraqi hydrocarbon law and extended U.S. military
presence in Iraq:

 The Iraqi hydrocarbon law, which was drafted with the help of
BearingPoint, a U.S. consultancy firm, provides 'production-sharing
agreements' (PSAs) allowing major Western energy companies like ExxonMobil,
Shell, ChevronTexaco, and BP to sign deals of up to 30 years to extract
Iraq's oil.  The PSAs will allow Iraq to retain legal ownership of its oil,
but will ensure major profits for non-Iraqi companies that invest in
infrastructure and operation of the wells, pipelines and refineries.  Iraq
will be the only major Middle Eastern oil producing nation whose oil
production is controlled by foreign rather than state-owned companies.  The
hydrocarbon law will turn Iraq into an oil spigot for western nations,
rather than a resource that benefits Iraqis.  The drafting process was
secretive; few Iraqi officials were allowed to read the text, until it was
leaked over the Internet.  The law was approved by the Iraqi cabinet on
February 26 and now heads to the Iraqi Parliament, which is under heavy
pressure from the U.S. to pass it.
http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4020
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0228-05.htm
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2132574.ece

 U.S. control over oil from the Persian Gulf region has been a stated goal
since the late 1990s of the Project for the New American Century, a think
tank whose membership has formed the core of Bush Administration, including
Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, and Zalmay M.
Khalilzad.  The Project recommended waging war on Iraq to assert such
control.
http://www.newamericancentury.org
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/022203A.htm
http://www.crisispapers.org/Editorials/PNAC-Primer.htm

 Michael Hirsh, in Newsweek, reports that while Democratic and Republican
presidential contenders and Congress members are talking about timetables
for withdrawal of U.S. troops, Gen. David Petraeus' 'surge' plan will commit
the U.S. to a longer occupation that may last ten years.  According to a
Reuters report, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on February 27 that the
U.S. may maintain a military presence in Iraq for a "prolonged period,"
comparable to U.S. bases in Germany and South Korea.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17282867/site/newsweek/
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N27242217.htm


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml

"Troop Surge + Oil Grab by U.S. Firms = War Without End"
Green Party press release, January 10, 2007
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_01_10.shtml


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