US Started Iraq War ‘Just for Oil?’ Not really!

Iraq has concluded the bidding for oil-development and production from its largest and most lucrative fields.  American oil companies were absent from the field of winners, dominated by oil companies from China, Russia, Angola, Japan, France, Britain, the Netherlands and Malaysia.

[ex]Iraqi officials said this proved their independence from U.S. influence and that their two bidding rounds this year for deals to tap Iraq's vast oil reserves, the world's third largest, were free of foreign political interference.

The Oil Ministry on Saturday ended its second bidding round after awarding seven of the oilfields offered for development, adding to deals from a first auction in June that could together take Iraq up to a capacity to pump 12 million barrels per day.[/ex]
No boon for U.S. firms in Iraq oil deal auction
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BB18Q20091213">http://www.reuters.com/article

Only one U.S. firm bid in the second round.  Of the four fields bid on by U.S. firms in the first round, only Exxon Mobil won a major prize, as part of a group awarded a contract for the West Qurna Phase One field.  U.S.-based Occidental was able to participate with a minor stake in a group that won a contract for the Zubair field.

[ex]"For us in Iraq, it shows the government is fully free from outside influence. Neither Russia nor America could put pressure on anyone in Iraq -- it is a pure commercial, transparent competition," said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh.  "No one, even the United States, can steal the oil, whatever people think."

"The results of the bid round should lay to rest the old canard that the U.S. intervened in Iraq to secure Iraqi oil for American companies," said Philip Frayne, a spokesman at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.  The results run counter to predictions of some critics of the U.S.' 2003 Iraqi invasion, who envisaged domination of Iraqi oil by U.S. oil majors.

"We haven't really seen U.S. companies, and that is because of intense competition ... The issue is financial and technical and not at all political. This confirms Iraq can manage its oil policy and activities without politicization," said Thamir Ghadhban, a prime ministerial advisor and former oil minister.[/ex]

While American companies continue to develop properties and rights in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and gas fields in Qatar, other nations have been touting their success in the bidding wars for Iraqi oil “Production Sharing Agreement” (PSA) rights, which allow foreigners to participate in development while retaining oil revenue for the Iraqi government and its citizens.

These include Russia:
Lukoil-led group signs deal for prized Iraqi oilfield”
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BP10420091229?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&rpc=76

China and France:
Iraq initials deal for Halfaya oilfield
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE5BL02X20091222
Malaysia and Japan:
Petronas group to invest up to $8bln in Iraq field
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE5BK0NM20091221
and the Dutch and Britain:
Iraq, Shell ink deal on supergiant Majnoon field
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BJ0GO20091220

Can we expect retractions, corrections, apologies?  No, the “believers” will ignore facts and continue to harp on the “American war for oil.”