Iraq Cabinet OKs Oil Bill

U.S. Helicopter Shot Down, 2 Aboard Rescued With Only Minor Injuries

(CBS/AP) 
The prime minister announced Tuesday that his Cabinet had unanimously approved the oil draft and that the parliament would begin discussing it the following day. He called the bill "the most important law in Iraq."

Twenty-four of the Cabinet's 37 members were present for the vote, amid a boycott by ministers from the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front and the Shiite Sadrist movement over separate political disputes with al-Maliki.

Still, despite al-Maliki's weakened coalition, the approval means parliament is likely to pass the measure. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Cabinet approval came after amendments prompted by the Accordance Front. He did not give details on the changes or the bill's final version.

The issue of oil distribution is a top concern of Iraq's Sunni Arab minority, which is centered in regions of the country with little oil resources and which fears Shiites and Kurds — who now dominate the government — would monopolize profits from the industry.

U.S. officials are hoping that passage of an oil bill will help rally Sunni support for the government and the political process and reduce backing for insurgents.

But Kurds, centered in an autonomous zone in the oil-rich north, rejected previous drafts, believing they did not guarantee them a fair share of revenues in northern oil fields they control or hope to control. Shiites, who control major oil resources in the south, have been reluctant to share revenues with Sunnis, who dominated the regime of Saddam Hussein, which oppressed Shiites and Kurds.

Mr. Bush has pressed al-Maliki to take a series of other political steps — opening jobs to Sunnis who supported Saddam, amending the constitution to satisfy Sunni aspirations and holding local elections — aimed at bringing Sunni Arabs into the political process. With support for the war dropping among Americans, the steps would also help convince the U.S. public and Congress that Iraqi leaders are doing what is needed to halt the violence.

The security crackdown, backed by 28,000 extra U.S. troops deployed in Iraq this year, has aimed to give a margin of stability to allow Iraqi politicians to pass the measures. The offensive in Baghdad and areas to the north and south has fueled a surge in American casualties — though bombings and other attacks appear to have fallen in the capital in recent days.

Negotiations over the oil bill have been plagued by squabbling between Iraqi leaders. Al-Maliki's Cabinet endorsed one version of the oil law on Feb. 26 in what was hailed as a breakthrough, but parliament never took up the measure — and further negotiations brought new changes.

One key sticking point was the issue of who should control lucrative untapped fields, where estimated oil reserves could reach 115 billion barrels. An earlier version put them under the control of a yet-to-be established national oil company, something the Kurds reject.

But the sides agreed last month on the distribution of revenues, with the northern Kurdish autonomous zone getting 17 of the net revenues each month, after deducting federal government expenditures. Kurds make up about 20 percent of the population nationwide, though not all live in the Kurdistan region. The remainder of the funds would be divvied up among the other provinces according to population.

[prinzowhales]

NavyChief8- Here is another link to a story regarding looting and the shooting of security guards by US forces. Its not one of the ones I remember, but contains much of the same information:

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/2003/0415looting.htm

[feelfree1]

Re: "A U.S. military official is charging that Iran is using the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah as a "proxy" to arm Shiite militants in Iraq and that the Quds force %u2014 an elite military force in Iran"

Judging from 99.99% of the information presented by our 'military officials' and 'intelligence' officials in the past; information ranging from embarrassingly incorrect to intentionally deceptive, it seems safe to conclude that these current allegations are equally weak and baseless.

This looks like more product of operation 'Fail and Blame'.

[minminmin-2009]

Agree with bluestardad....where can we find more info about the oil bill? I, for one, want to know what's in it, and who it benefits. Anyone?

[prinzowhales]

NavyChief8--Here's one BBC article on Americans encouraging looters. I'll continue to rumage through the 2003 news to find the articles-- the services don't seem to be keeping them readily available on line when I click the links to these stories.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3003393.stm

[killtheliars]

I hope the Iraqis kick all of the oil companies out of Iraq. Exxon, Texaco, and BP do not deserve to make a dime off of the oil in Iraq.

[navychief8]

When the Americans firt entered Baghdad, they shot security guards and over loudspeakers invited the Shi'ia to loot and pillage government offices and museums...but they carefully guarded the Oil Ministry--not the hundreds of arms depots all over the country

Posted by Prinzowhales at 10:47 AM : Jul 03, 2007

And You personnaly know this How? yes, they did guard the oil ministry. But the part about the loud speakers and encouraging the Shi'ia to loot. I don't think so. Read "Operation Cobra II" It is an unbiased account of the invasion and conduct of the war.

me thinks you are trying to stir an already stirred pot.

[prinzowhales]

When the Americans firt entered Baghdad, they shot security guards and over loudspeakers invited the Shi'ia to loot and pillage government offices and museums...but they carefully guarded the Oil Ministry--not the hundreds of arms depots all over the country

We're there for the oil...and the privatization of the Iraqi people's wealth...in the hands of the Anglo-American elites and their buddies on the Continent. The same people who took the Russian people to the cleaners with the vile Gorbachev and drunkard Yeltsin. The same people who are behind the privatization schemes in the US.

When the Iraqis finally end the occupation and elect a new government, the first act of a free and united Iraq should be to renounce all debts of Iraq, to nullify all contracts with the internationalist corporations and seize their assets, to throw out all of the embassies of the 'Coalition partners' in crime.

The lives and treasure of America are wasted for the privatization schemes, the self-dealing, the villany of Bush, Cheney and their Neo-Con partners in crime.

[bluestardad]

READ THIS REPORT GUYS!

A CABINET OFFICE PUT TOGETHER A DRAFT OIL BILL TO BRING BEFORE THE IRAQI CONGRESS! IT DOES NOT SAY WHAT IS IN IT OR EVEN WHEN IT WILL GO TO THE FLOOR FOR DEBATE!

STEP AWAY FROM THE KOOL AID!

[navychief8]

Iraq Cabinet OKs Oil Bill
U.S. Helicopter Shot Down, 2 Aboard Rescued With Minor Injuries


Don't you love the way CBS can weave to completly opposite stories togother. One positive the other negative. So we as readers can have a hard time making an unbiased judgement. "Is it good, is it bad" "progress, or failure" It is like they are trying to sit on the "fence" with their reporting.

[prinzowhales]

WMDs in Iraq...Hussein can hit London in 45 minutes...death drones...al Qaeda ties with Hussein...

...Sure, My real name is General Delusion and I believe General Bergner...Hezbollah is a Quds Force surrogate and they are Iran's surrogate in Iraq and Quds Force knew of the Karbala attack in advance...Sure. No evidence is presented, so the accusation of my colleague and neccessary complement, General Bergner, cannot be refuted.

Attention all Hindus! Iran killed the cow that jumped over the moon and she is kubideh! You must now side with your good friends, the British.

We have come to free the Iraqis...with our 14 permanent bases for the occupation of Iraq...from radio intercepts from General Bergner to General Delusion. Its all true, I can vouch for General Bergner, and he can vouch for me...