Nearly Four Decades Later, U.S. Oil Companies Return to Iraq

Four oil companies are in the final stage of contract negotiations to regain drilling rights in Iraq -- thirty-six years after they lost them. Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP -- founding partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company -- are currently in talks with Iraq's Oil Ministry "for no-bid contracts to service Iraq's largest fields." Joining them are Chevron and several smaller oil companies. The deal is expected to be approved by the end of the month and "will lay the foundation for the first commercial work for the major companies in Iraq since the American invasion, and open a new and potentially lucrative country for their operations." The no-bid process has frozen out 40 other oil companies, including Indian, Russian and Chinese competitors. A spokesperson for the Oil Ministry said that "the no-bid contracts were a stop-gap measure to bring modern skills into the fields while the oil law was pending in Parliament." He added that the companies chosen already had a relationship with the government, "advising the ministry without charge for two years before being awarded the contracts." While the current contracts are relatively small, they represent a foot in the door for much more lucrative future deals.

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Sooner or later we will find out that there was a direct link between the secret energy policy meeting held by VP Dick Cheney and the Iraq war. This "all of a sudden" influx of Big Oil Companies to "advise" the Iraqis just before the elections is a final effort by this Administration to meet their ultimate goal in that country. So we the people and our militia provided the men and money to make this happen under the guise of a nuclear threat. I cannot understand why this isn't making greater front page news and isn't fodder for the Democrats. Is it because our desperation for lower cost oil has dampened the impact and interest allowing the Administration to "get away with it"?