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Facts on Who Benefits From Keeping Saddam Hussein In Power
The Heritage Foundation ^ | February 28, 2003 | Carrie Satterlee

Posted on 03/01/2003 6:20:01 AM PST by Republican_Strategist

Facts on Who Benefits From Keeping Saddam Hussein In Power
by The Heritage Foundation
WebMemo #217

February 28, 2003 |  |

FRANCE

  • According to the CIA World Factbook, France controls over 22.5 percent of Iraq's imports. French total trade with Iraq under the oil-for-food program is the third largest, totaling $3.1 billion since 1996, according to the United Nations.
  • Roughly 60 French companies do an estimated $1.5 billion in trade with Baghdad annually under the U.N. oil-for-food program.
  • France's largest oil company, Total Fina Elf, has negotiated a deal to develop the Majnoon field in western Iraq. The Majnoon field purportedly contains up to 30 billion barrels of oil.
  • Total Fina Elf also negotiated a deal for future oil exploration in Iraq's Nahr Umar field. Both the Majnoon and Nahr Umar fields are estimated to contain as much as 25 percent of the country's reserves.
  • From 1981 to 2001, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), France was responsible for over 13 percent of Iraq's arms imports.

GERMANY

  • Direct trade between Germany and Iraq amounts to about $350 million annually, and another $1 billion is reportedly sold through third parties/countries.
  • It has recently been reported that Saddam Hussein has ordered Iraqi domestic businesses to show preference to German companies as a reward for Germany's "[F]irm positive stand in rejecting the launching of a military attack against Iraq." It was also reported that over 101 German companies were present at the Baghdad Annual exposition.
  • During the 35th Annual Baghdad International Fair in November 2002, a German company signed a contract for $80 million for 5,000 cars and spare parts.
  • German officials are investigating a German corporation accused of illegally channeling weapons to Iraq via Jordan. The equipment in question is used for boring the barrels of large cannons, and is allegedly intended for Saddam Hussein's Al Fao Supercannon project.

RUSSIA

  • According to the CIA World Factbook, Russia controls roughly 5.8 percent of Iraq's annual imports. Under the U.N. oil-for-food program, Russia's total trade with Iraq totaled somewhere between $530 million and $1 billion for the six months ending in December of 2001.
  • According to the Russia's Ambassador to Iraq, Vladimir Titorenko, new contracts worth another $200 million under the U.N. oil-for-food program are to be signed over the next three months.
  • Soviet-era debt of $7 billion through $8 billion was generated by arms sales to Iraq during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
  • Russia's LUKoil negotiated a $4 billion, 23-year contract in 1997 to rehabilitate the 15 billion-barrel West Qurna field in southern Iraq. Work on the oil field was expected to commence upon cancellation of U.N. sanctions on Iraq. The deal is currently on hold.
  • In October 2001, Salvneft, a Russian-Belarus company, negotiated a $52 million service contract to drill two oil fileds in southern Iraq; the Tuba field and the Suba-Luhais field.
  • In April 2001, Russia's Zaruezhneft company received a service contract to drill in the Saddam, Kirkuk, and Bai Hassan fields to rehabilitate the fields and reduce water incursion.
  • A future $40 billion Iraqi-Russian economic agreement, reportedly signed in 2002, would allow for extensive oil exploration opportunities throughout western Iraq.
  • Russia's Gazprom company over the last few years has signed contracts worth $18 million to repair gas stations in Iraq.
  • The former Soviet Union was the premier supplier of Iraqi arms. From 1981 to 2001 Russia has supplied Iraq with 50 percent of its arms.

CHINA

  • According to the CIA World Factbook, China controls roughly 5.8 percent of Iraq's annual imports.
  • China National Oil Company has negotiated a deal for future oil exploration in the Al Ahdab field in Iraq. Total estimate of the contract is unknown.
  • In recent years, the Chinese Aero-Technology Import-Export Company (CATIC) has been contracted to sell "meteorological satellite" and "surface observation" equipment to Iraq. This contract was approved by the U.N. oil-for-food program.
  • CATIC also won approval from the U.N. in July 2000 to sell $2 million worth of fiber optic cables. This and similar contracts approved were disguised as telecommunications gear. These cables can be used for secure data and communications links between national command and control centers and long-range search radar, targeting radar, and missile-launch units, according to U.S. officials. In addition, China National Electric Wire & Cable and China National Technical Import Telecommunications Equipment Company are believed to have sold Iraq $6. million and $15.5 million worth of communications equipment and other unspecified supplies, respectively.
  • According to a report from SIPRI, from 1981 to 2001, China was the second largest supplier of weapons and arms to Iraq, supplying over 18 percent of Iraq's weapon's imports.

Carrie Satterlee, Research Assistant in the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies at The Heritage Foundation, prepared this fact sheet from numerous sources.



TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Free Republic; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: heritagefoundation; iraq; patriotlist; warlist; waronterrorism
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1 posted on 03/01/2003 6:20:01 AM PST by Republican_Strategist
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To: *war_list
War List
2 posted on 03/01/2003 6:22:39 AM PST by Republican_Strategist
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To: Republican_Strategist
Bookmarking. Ewww ... that worm!
3 posted on 03/01/2003 6:22:48 AM PST by BunnySlippers
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To: Republican_Strategist
France's largest oil company, Total Fina Elf, has negotiated a deal to develop the Majnoon field in western Iraq. The Majnoon field purportedly contains up to 30 billion barrels of oil.

To put this into perspective, the U.S. Geological Survey, updated May 2000, estimated that ANWR might contain up to 16 billion barrels of oil. Link:

http://www.anwr.org/features/blackgold.htm

4 posted on 03/01/2003 6:44:15 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer (Let's Roll)
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To: *Patriot List; Chunga; backhoe; mewzilla; SeenTheLight; Cindy; snippy_about_it; elfman2; MHGinTN; ..
Patriot List
5 posted on 03/01/2003 8:34:52 AM PST by Republican_Strategist
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To: tm22721; Mr. Jeeves; F-117A; pt17; Jhoffa_; 7 x 77; LibKill; LasVegasMac; white trash redneck; ...
Cross referencing another good one - France now a major trading partner of Iraq (Let's give France back to Germany!)

Although I'd give France to the Blair.
6 posted on 03/01/2003 8:44:42 AM PST by Republican_Strategist
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To: Republican_Strategist
This is greed, pure and simple. The French are trying to play us for fools, pretending their actions are principled or even enlightened self interest. They don't care a wit about the Iraqis - but then again, don't the French also use torture as a tool? Birds of a feather?
7 posted on 03/01/2003 8:44:46 AM PST by GOPJ
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
You should take a look at my Factsheet on ANWR
8 posted on 03/01/2003 8:46:16 AM PST by Republican_Strategist
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To: GOPJ
Newsmax.com said it best:

The cowardly French are so jealous in guarding their multibillion-dollar financial ties to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein that they will endanger the lives of American servicemen.

"Essentially the French are trying to maneuver the U.S. into a position that would maximize U.S. casualties - as if enough US soldiers haven't been killed on France's behalf," a source tells NewsMax.

"French politicians are using the lives of U.S. soldiers as pawns, while the infrastructure of French political freedom lays on the solid foundation of the bones of U.S. servicemen."

Here's the scoop, according to Stratfor.com:

Because of desert heat, any war against Iraq must conclude in April. "The preference to begin the war under moonless skies means that an attack is possible around March 1 or at the end of March - which wouldn't leave enough time for the operation.

"The next moonless night, or night when the moon rises after 4 a.m., will be Feb. 27. The moon re-emerges on March 4. The United States does not want to attack in mid-month, with the full moon. The next open window will come at the end of March. If the weather sets a terminus date of about April 15, that will allow for only a two-week operation before problems might begin to arise from the weather.

"It is no accident that a French proposal suggests another report from chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix on March 14. The French, in this apparently innocent proposal, know they are undermining the U.S. military option. It is also no accident that the United States is insisting that Feb. 28, when Blix is scheduled to give his next report, is the date that Washington is insisting on as the final decision point.

"If France wins, the United States either has to fight the war under less than optimal conditions or postpone the attack. President George W. Bush is not going to start a war at a time when his commanders are saying that it might entail additional risk. If anything went wrong, the president couldn't survive that call."

Newsmax's call - Stop cowardly France! Join the boycott against all things French!
9 posted on 03/01/2003 8:54:11 AM PST by Republican_Strategist
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To: Republican_Strategist
Here's a politically incorrect web site dedicated to the topic - F**k France
10 posted on 03/01/2003 9:02:28 AM PST by Republican_Strategist
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To: Republican_Strategist
bttt!
11 posted on 03/01/2003 9:05:04 AM PST by Libertarianize the GOP (Ideas have consequences)
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To: Republican_Strategist
Bump!
12 posted on 03/01/2003 9:36:46 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Republican_Strategist
Thanks for the ping.

It's interesting that the same source (CIA World Factbook) shows that Australia accounts for 22% of Iraq's imports. Australia's stake is actually much bigger than France's if you consider the relative size of the Australian economy. Yet Australia supports the U.S. position. It seems to me that these other countries (France etc.) just don't like the exercise of American power.

13 posted on 03/01/2003 10:05:51 AM PST by AzJohn
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To: Republican_Strategist
You have to factor in the United Nations use of the EPA in this country and the many agencies in which the UN and EPA are 'parterners'. Alaskans don't own Alaska, the EPA and United Nations do via our own Federal Government and political correctness to all.

I do believe we are dumping oil - who gets the benifits? Interesting question...........

(02/10/2003) Alaska—News Briefs—Enforcement
Ice Plug Costs BP $675,000
(02/07/2003) Alaska—News Briefs—Enforcement
Oil Dumping Problem Persists
(02/06/2003) Alaska—News Briefs—Energy Generation
Democrats Vow to Block ANWR Drilling

14 posted on 03/01/2003 11:13:02 AM PST by yoe
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To: Republican_Strategist
Cliff Notes Version- It's all about money.
15 posted on 03/01/2003 11:15:33 AM PST by Rockitz (After all these years, it's still rocket science.)
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To: Republican_Strategist
FREEDOM FRIES make my day... The French are Fried and are bad for my chloresteral.
16 posted on 03/01/2003 11:38:50 AM PST by Cindy
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To: Republican_Strategist
Hey, and don't forget THIS ! ...



bttt ...
17 posted on 03/01/2003 12:39:32 PM PST by MeekOneGOP (Bu-bye Saddam! / Check out my Freeper site !: http://home.attbi.com/~freeper/wsb/index.html)
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To: Republican_Strategist
...and bookmarked !
18 posted on 03/01/2003 12:40:35 PM PST by MeekOneGOP (Bu-bye Saddam! / Check out my Freeper site !: http://home.attbi.com/~freeper/wsb/index.html)
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To: Republican_Strategist
Thanks for the ping. I can use this information to good advantage (i.e., a nearly-converted).
19 posted on 03/01/2003 12:42:34 PM PST by pt17
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To: Republican_Strategist
It was reported on Tony Snowe (Brit Hume show actually) yesterday that French politicians, including Chirac, have gotten rich through dealing with Saddam Hussein and that if France fails to prevent an Iraq war that Iraq has threatened to reveal these personal fortunes and how they were made.
20 posted on 03/01/2003 12:45:19 PM PST by Eva
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