Iran meets Iraq over oil pipeline

[DoYouEverWonder]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3522285.stm

Monday, 1 March, 2004

US-led occupation authorities in Iraq have backed plans to build an oil pipeline to Iran to help speed up the flood of oil out of the country.

The 10km pipeline across the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which Iraq and Iran once fought over, will ease the oil jam building up at the Gulf port of Basra.

"We have agreed in principle to an offer from Iran," Iraq's oil minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum told the FT.

<snip>

This is even though US president George W Bush strained relations between Washington and Tehran after he declared Iran part of an "axis of evil".

"We leave the whole diplomatic question in the hands of the Iraqis. Paul Bremer (the US chief administrator in Iraq) says he realizes they (the Iraqis) have to have good relations with all their neighbours," one senior coalition official said.



Gee, I guess those Iranians aren't so bad after all. Especially, since the US can't get one single drop of oil out of Northern Iraq since we took over in April. The oil execs who keep W in power must be getting po'ed because millions of gallons on Northern Iraq oil is being poured into reservoirs everyday. It's amazing how fast your enemy can become your business partner when Bu$hCo and oil are involved.

[I AM SPARTACUS]

1. headline inaccurate, should read: Axis of Evil Meets Thief of Baghdad

[PATRICK]

2. Seems to be in context

In order to loosen the flow of oil and really boost the market hopes at least for the November election things have to offset the rising prices. But for leverage to suddenly influence these uncomfortable Iran/Iraq alliances surely that is another high motivation to get the Chavez coup quickly underway.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Seems that Bremer never heard of

the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act?

The Iran-Libya Sanctions Act passed in 1996 and amended in 2001 allows the U.S. president to punish non-U.S. firms investing more than $20 million annually in the energy sectors in Libya or Iran.

Ah, what the heck are rules and laws for anyway? They're such a bother when helping W get reselected is so much more important?