Former Shell chief 'to run Iraqi oil industry'

Times Online ^ | 4/25/03

[areafiftyone]

The United States will next week appoint a former head of Shell Oil to run Iraq's oil industry, it was reported today.

"The US Government is setting up Iraq's oil industry to run much like an American corporation, with a chief executive and management team vetted by US officials who would answer to a multinational board of advisers," the Wall Street Journal Europe reported.

The advisory board would be chaired by Philip J Carroll, a former chief executive of Shell Oil, the US unit of the Dutch-British oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell, the newspaper reported.

Mr Carroll would work closely with an Iraqi vice-chairman, expected to be Fadil Othman, who worked as an Iraqi oil executive before Saddam Hussein came to power.

The interim management team would be composed of current and former Iraqi oil sector officials, the newspaper said.

Newly appointed executives would answer to the advisory board which in turn would answer to Jay Garner, the US civil administrator for Iraq.

The chief executive, who would have basically the same role as former oil ministers and would also have a seat on the advisory board, would represent Iraq at the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Washington has been the subject of sharp criticism that one of the motivations behind its military campaign in Iraq was to gain control of Iraq's oil reserves, estimated to be the second-biggest in the world after those of Saudi Arabia.

[ladtx]

Washington has been the subject of sharp criticism that one of the motivations behind its military campaign in Iraq was to gain control of Iraq's oil reserves, estimated to be the second-biggest in the world after those of Saudi Arabia.

Wonder why they felt the need to add this line to the report?

[Smile-n-Win]

[RonF]

There's no way in hell that we can have an American sitting on the OPEC board representing Iraq. It would be taken as confirmation of everything that has been said about "Blood for Oil".

[HiJinx]

Obvious answer...

A good journalist always puts the point of his story in the last line, 'cause he thinks we're too stupid to figure it out, and wants us to remember the last thing we read.

After all, it really was all about the oil... < /sarcasm>

[N. Theknow]

Remember the old calculator trick?

142 Arabs fought 154 Israelis over 69 oil wells for 5 days who was the winner? (Put into calculator as 14215469 X 5 and hit the equals key. Read the numbers displayed upside down to see who wins.)

[Smile-n-Win]

Wonder why they felt the need to add this line to the report?

Must be for the same reason they don't feel a need to add, "Saddam Hussein has murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis" when they report about how some Hollywood peacenik whines about the "countless civilian casualties."

[areafiftyone]

I don't know how credible this paper is. Well they said next week. We will see then. It should be all over the Financial papers next week if it is true! This could be a false report!

[Seruzawa]

Well? Who should be put in charge?

Ben and Jerry?

[Smile-n-Win]

There's no way in hell that we can have an American sitting on the OPEC board representing Iraq. It would be taken as confirmation of everything that has been said about "Blood for Oil".

If we put a non-American there, he would be accused by the left of being "a paid puppet of American oil interests." The left always finds something to whine about, no matter what we do. So why give a damn about the subject of their whining? Why let them influence our actions by their whining? They sure won't stop it if we reward them for it...

[Mr. Bird]

There's no way in hell that we can have an American sitting on the OPEC board representing Iraq. It would be taken as confirmation of everything that has been said about "Blood for Oil".

I'd love to be a fly on the wall at that first OPEC meeting. Sidney Poitier could play the American role in the movie.

Screw the "no blood for oil" crowd. In the first place, it's not a very wise motto, and in the second place it's been made quite clear that the oil belongs to Iraq.

[RicocheT]

I have no problem with the USA keeping a very close eye on how the second-biggest in the world source of oil is run. It is in our national interest to make sure it never again is in the hands of the enemy.

What the so called world opinion thinks of that comes second to our national interest. The left and the one worlders want the USA to go down. We need to ensure our survival by doing whatever is necessary.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

good one !

[Solson]

huh?

[livius]

Good move. No matter what we do, we're going to get criticized. We might as well do the smart and practical thing right off the bat and just shrug off the criticism.

Reorganizing the Iraq/UN mess of an oil industry there along functional American lines would be a true gift to the Iraqi people.

[marlon]

Oh boy Bush really screwed this one up. Every thinking person knows they should have appointed Ralph Nader or maybe even Grey Davis to the job.

[ewing]

I like it, who gives a darn what the libs say, no one is listening to them anyway..

[Smile-n-Win]

LOL!

[N. Theknow]

If you have a calculator put in 14215469 and multiply it times 5. The result is 71077345. Turn the calculator display upside down and read the result as if they are letters of the alphabet and see what they spell out.