Raed Jarrar: New Iraq oil law

[ken hanly <northsunm@xxxxxxxxx>]

There are many links to analyses etc. at Jarrar's
website:
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2007/02/new-iraqi-oil-leaked.html

The mainstream press seems completely silent on the
new law since the first drafts back in January and
very little was said even then.

Sunday, February 18, 2007
The New Iraqi Oil: Leaked
The last few of weeks were very busy. I spent a couple
of weeks in Malaysia and South Korea, and I'll share
two of my pictures with you below.

But more importantly, I spent the weekend translating
this leaked copy of the Iraqi oil law with niki (thank
you salam for sending me the link). Translating legal
documents can be really hard!

We just finished the translation, and you can download
it by clicking here or here

Please feel free to widely distribute this document.
It's important to start a stronger debate and to try
to educate Iraqis and Americans about this
catastrophic law that will facilitate the further
looting of Iraqi oil, and will achieve nothing other
than increasing the levels of violence and anger in
Iraq.

This law legalizes PSAs (production sharing
agreements) in Iraq. Iraq will be the only country in
the middle east with such contracts privatising Iraqi
oil and giving foreign companies crazy rates of profit
that may reach to more than three fourth of the
general revenue. Iraq and Iraqis need every Dinar that
comes from oil sales. In addition to the financial
aspects of this law, it can be considered the funding
tool for splitting Iraq into three states. It
undermines the central government and distributes oil
revenues directly to the three regions, which sets the
foundations for what Iraq's enemies are trying to
achieve in terms of establishing three independent
states.

Privatizing Iraq's oil and splitting Iraq into three
regions are just two negative features of this 29
pages law. I am translating some important analysis
written by Iraqis and other Arabs, and am also working
with British and U.S. experts to publish more analysis
soon. [UPDATE: click here to download a very important
analysis by Mr. Al-Ameer translated by me, click here
to to see what the General Union of Oil Employees in
Basra think about the new law, and click here to read
a related New York Daily News article]





Blog:  http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html