Iraqis protest as goverment hikes fuel prices (as much as 3x the amount)

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LON958602.htm

Iraqis protest as goverment hikes fuel prices


BAGHDAD, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Angry Iraqis staged protests across the country on Monday after the government raised fuel prices as much as threefold in a bid to revive the economy.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the streets of Najaf, Kerbala, Sulaimaniya and other towns following the decision, which pushed up the price of fuel for cooking and heating as well as petrol.

The government defended the move, saying fuel was still cheap in Iraq and the hike in prices was necessary to bolster the flagging economy.

Premium gasoline rose by 200 percent while diesel jumped by the same amount. Regular gasoline rose by 150 percent and bottled household gas by 100 percent.

[asjr]

1. So that is why Cheney went to Iraq. He took to them

his "energy" plan.

[TheGunslinger]

5. Those Halliburton execs need their Christmas bonus.

[MissMillie]

2. How come....

higher fuel prices here threaten our economy, but higher fuel prices there would revive the economy?

[w13rd0]

3. Wait...

...are you saying that the government controls the price of gas there? And they get universal health care?

So how do Bush's supporters feel about the US government establishing a socialist state over there?

[Up2Late]

4. And one thing the post above doesn't make clear, Gas is 4 Cents per Liter

now! That's 15 CENTS ($0.15) per Gallon in Iraq! Premium Gasoline went from $0.0532 (5.32) Cents per Gallon to $0.15 Cents per Gallon!

And because of these jerks not planning this unnecessary War correctly, they are having to import almost HALF of all that Gasoline AT A LOSS!

Last time I heard, Halliburton was importing the Gasoline for Iraq at well over $1.00 per Gallon, it's probably more like $1.80 to $2.00 per Gallon. This is one of the major reasons Fuel smuggling his become a major problem, perpetrated by people from neighboring countries coming to Iraq, buying the cheap Gasoline, and then smuggling it back out of the country.

"...Premium gasoline rose by 200 percent while diesel jumped by the same amount. Regular gasoline rose by 150 percent and bottled household gas by 100 percent.

That meant a litre of ordinary gasoline rose from 20 Iraqi dinars -- about 1.4 U.S. cents -- to 50 dinars.

Iraq has the world's third-largest known reserves of oil but decades of war, sanctions, under-investment and now widespread violence and sabotage have left it critically short of fuel.

It has to import nearly half of all its gasoline...."
<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LON958602.htm>

This also could have contributed to the rise of the Insurgency, the smugglers probably brought a LOT of the suicide bombers to Iraq with them, no return trip necessary.

[eleny]

6. Wolfowitz is in the act

"It is under pressure from the World Bank to cut subsidies which keep prices down."