Posted on 02/04/2003 12:11:11 AM PST by kattracks
Edited on 05/26/2004 5:11:27 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
February 4, 2003 -- CRITICS of President Bush say he has failed to rally our "traditional allies" - like France - to support his aggressive efforts to disarm Saddam Hussein. But since the Gulf War, in which France had token involvement, Paris has never been our ally where Iraq is concerned. Indeed, it has been more allied with Iraq than with us.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
By Paul Thomasch
NEW YORK, Dec 17 (Reuters) - American bombs may be falling on Baghdad but U.S. oil companies on Thursday said they expect to remain the biggest buyer of Iraqi crude in the months ahead.
The U.S. over the past year was the biggest single buyer of Iraq's oil, accounting for nearly 40 percent of its exports under the United Nations humanitarian ``oil-for-food'' programme, according to U.N. data. U.S. Energy Department figures show Iraq was the fifth largest source of American oil imports in October, providing nearly 8 percent of U.S. foreign crude.
The reason U.S. companies have been such big buyers is simple: Iraqi crude is cheap. Despite the current hostilities, the U.S. refiners expect to keep buying.
``Our assumption is that exports are going to continue, and even if there is an interruption, it won't affect things until February,'' said an oil trader for one of the top three U.S. companies, echoing a view taken by much of the oil community on Thursday.
The largest American companies, such as Mobil Corp. (MOB.N), Exxon Corp. (XON.N), Chevron Corp. (CHV.N), and Valero Energy Corp. (VLO.N), all have been big buyers of Iraq's oil.
The record 650,000 barrels per day of Iraq oil imports in October was more than twice the level witnessed during the summer, and up from virtually none at the end of last year, according to preliminary figures from the Energy Department.
U.S. oil companies don't buy oil directly from Iraq, since they have been frozen out of contracts as punishment for Washington's hardline stance against Baghdad. They now buy it second-hand, primarily from a myriad of Russian trading companies, given contracts as a reward for Russia's support for an easing of sanctions against Iraq.
The U.S. concerns expect the oil to keep coming in as the U.N. works to ensure that, despite the military escalation, the humanitarian programme continues to provide revenue to buy food and medicine for ordinary Iraqis.
``My gut feeling is that the United Nations will do all that can be done to keep exports flowing,'' said another trader, who works for a large U.S. buyer of Iraqi oil.
However, traders said an unexpected halt in Iraq supply would send U.S. buyers scrambling to replace them and push up oil prices.
``All of the (Iraqi) barrels that are pulled off the market, and which have already been committed, will send traders scrambling to cover those requirements in the Mediterranean,'' said one trader.
15:42 12-17-98 Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited.
No. It was not France Iraq's largest oil customer. It was United States.
But does that matter? No it does not. Why? Because it is propaganda time before a war.
At the same time VERY close US allies deal with a Middle Eastern terrorist state Iran.
UK 'sells' bomb material to Iran
DTI is accused of approving controversial exports
British officials have approved the export of key components needed to make nuclear weapons to Iran and other countries known to be developing such weapons. An investigation by BBC Radio 4 programme File on Four will disclose that the Department of Trade and Industry allowed a quantity of the metal, Beryllium, to be sold to Iran last year.
That metal is needed to make nuclear bombs.
Britain has had an arms embargo to Iran since 1993 and has signed up to an international protocol which bans the sale of Beryllium to named countries, including Iran.
MP's concerns
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, Menzies Campbell, who has been alerted to the BBC programme's material, is said to be extremely alarmed.
Beryllium is a metal with a limited number of high-tech uses in civilian industry, but is mostly used in defence applications and is a vital component in a nuclear bomb.
Nam Vet
Who says that France was our ally during WWII?
The truth is that France caved in surprisingly fast to the Germans and then enthusiastically became Vichy France. They persecuted the Jews, they persecuted the VERY few members of the French underground, and they actively opposed us in the N. Africa campaign and in naval necessities in the Atlantic.
After WWII, when confronted with the need to oppose the Soviet Union, it was France who tipped the apple cart by telling America that our soldiers were not welcome on French soil. In Vietnam, incapable of containing a budding communist movement, the French didn't ally with America....they pulled out. Oh, Korea.....Korea was a UN action. Does anyone know what France contributed? ONE (1) Battalion and ONE (1) Naval Vessel -- they were right up there with Ethiopia and Columbia. Battalions were larger at that time -- in the neighborhood of 1000 troops -- so this isn't an attempt to impugn the 260 French who died in the Korean War. However, it does say that a nation the size of France seems suspiciously underrepresented.
When has France been our ally?
Desert Storm. That's it. I believe they had a brigade or division perform a blocking action on the western edge of Schwarzkopf's "hail Mary."
France is a country without a moral clue.
As another Freeper said, in 50 years they will be the slaves of the Muslims in their country.
All the French pride in the world won't stop that from happening.
I agree. I read recently that 1 out 3 French births are now muslim.
When have they been our ally since 1789?
The Kings of France were our allies, but France, while ready for us to rescue them in WWI and WWII, has never been our ally.
So9
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