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Jewish World Review April 23, 2003 / 21 Nissan, 5763

Dick Morris

Dick Morris
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NO OIL FOR BLOOD


http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | WHY do you think France, Russia and China sided with Saddam Hussein in the United Nations Security Council against the invasion of Iraq? Because their support was bought and paid for by the Iraqi dictator. Now, in the ruins of his empire, the question is whether the world will honor his promised bribes.

In 1997, Saddam hit on a bright idea for obstructing U.S. efforts to interrupt his grand design for regional domination. To get United Nations approval to lift sanctions and allow unrestricted oil sales, he passed out oil bribes to France, Russia and China so that they would vote his way in the Security Council.

The bribes came in the form of a contingent right to develop Iraq's major oil fields. Sitting atop the world's second-largest reservoir of oil reserves (after Saudi Arabia), Saddam gave companies from the three nations contracts letting them develop the fields once the sanctions were lifted.

Now the main beneficiaries of this dictatorial largesse are demanding that the new management in Baghdad honor these contracts made with the corrupt dictator for an evil purpose.

TotalFinaElf, France's biggest oil company, which got contracts for two of the four fields, is fighting hard, in the words of chief executive Thierry Desmarest, "in order to have the best chances for participating in the reconstruction of the country's [Iraq's] oil industry."

Marching in lockstep is Lukoil, the Russian oil company that secured contracts to develop some of Iraq's biggest petroleum fields. Leonid Fedun, the company's vice chairman was quoted in The Financial Times as saying, "From a legal point of view, those are our reserves. If Lukoil is squeezed out, we will go to the arbitration court in Geneva, which will then immediately freeze the reserves."

His reserves? By what act? Are the contracts passed out by Saddam Hussein to parcel up Iraq's patrimony in return for Security Council support for his corrupt regime truly to be honored under international law?

The United States and the United Kingdom should announce that these contracts are null and void, as are all other contracts entered into by Saddam Hussein's corrupt regime. We must start from scratch in allocating oil-development rights and be guided by one basic principle: Those who helped Saddam stay in power in their craven attempt to profit from his oil should not share in the fruits of his dethronement.

In other words, we should tell the French, Russian and Chinese oil companies that entered into these contracts to take a hike.

On the other hand, President Bush must take great care not to be seen passing out spoils to his Texas oil cronies as souvenirs of his Baghdad invasion. To reward Republican Party stalwarts with oil goodies would demean the deaths of the brave U.S. and U.K. troops who fell to free the people of Iraq and to liberate the world from Saddam's threats.

America and Britain should also make quick work of the ridiculous position of France, Russia & Co. that they will not co-operate in lifting U.N. sanctions against the sale of Iraqi oil.

Now that Saddam is done, there is obviously no rationale for these sanctions. If Paris and Moscow persist in their posturing, the United States should simply confirm the United Nations' irrelevance by selling all the oil we want to whomever we want - provided, of course, that the Iraqi people benefit from the money.

In a broader sense, the United States has a chance to show a doubting world how little money and oil mattered in our decision to invade Iraq. By refusing to regard Iraq's oil as patronage to be passed out to U.S. companies and, equally, declining to honor Saddam's corrupt contracts, we can demonstrate a degree of selflessness which will stand in sharp contrast to the corrupt diplomacy of France and her friends.

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JWR contributor Dick Morris is the author of, among others, "Power Plays: Top 20 Winning and Losing Strategies of History's Great Political Leaders" Comment by clicking here.

Up

04/21/03: The war that network news lost in Iraq
04/15/03: Media meltdown
04/10/03: Giving government a good name
04/03/03: Polls' message to Bush: Relax and win the war
03/31/03: Bomb as you need
03/28/03: The strong grow weak through inhibition
03/26/03: Carping pessimism of TV anchors and interviewers fails to give Americans a sense of defeatism
03/17/03: Poll: Get on with it
03/13/03: It's time for U.S. to play hardball at U.N.
03/10/03: The whole (Hispanic) world is watching
03/07/03: Anti-war errors
03/05/03: Domino theory II: Toppling Mideast despots
03/03/03: Europe's triangulators: Chirac and Blair
02/27/03: Invasion? More like a coup
02/21/03: The first casualty of Iraq war: Liberal credibility
02/19/03: Old Europe's last hurrah
02/14/03: Corzine throws down gauntlet on Wall St. fraud
02/12/03: An exile deal for Saddam
02/07/03: The Dems give up the House
02/05/03: France: Saddam's ally
02/03/03: War critics will suffer
02/30/03: Even by Clinton standards, it's sheer chutzpah
01/24/03: Rebirth of the balanced budget Republican
01/22/03: Next to Bubba, Dubya's got it good
01/16/03: End racism in affirmative action
01/13/03: The new swing voter
01/10/03: Political e-mailing comes of age
01/07/03: In Dem race: Home field no advantage
12/31/02: Hey, Hillary: Want to appear like a stateswomyn? Stay silent
12/19/02: Kerry in the lead
12/19/02: Lieberman the frontrunner
12/17/02: In defense of Lott
12/02/02: An issue for Bush: Drugs
11/27/02: Women gone wobbly?
11/25/02: The U.N. over a barrel
11/15/02: Gore's suicide
11/15/02 One-party control is an illusion
11/13/02 The House of Extremes
11/08/02 I have egg on my face
11/01/02 Is Bush losing control over events?
10/25/02What is causing Bush's free fall?
10/25/02: Anybody sense a trend?
10/23/02: A deadline for Iraq
10/18/02: Only sure bet of 2002 elections is voter angst
10/16/02: Endangered incumbents
10/11/02: Why multilateralism doesn't work
10/09/02: Hey, Dems: Believe NYTimes polling at your own risk
10/03/02: Dem suicide: Let's count the ways
09/30/02: The Dems just can't stop themselves
09/26/02: The perils of polling
09/19/02: W. boxed in the U.N.
09/19/02: Welfare reform: Keep on keeping on
09/12/02: Are Dems insane on Iraq?
09/09/02: Twin shadows of Election '02
09/05/02: GOP should triangulate
08/28/02: Trust the military
08/22/02: It's not the economy, stupid
08/09/02: As America unites, Gore goes divisive
08/01/02: Bush must focus on big picture
07/23/02: Election 2002: Advantage Dems
07/19/02: Rudy for SEC tough cop
07/17/02: The investor strike
07/15/02: Door open for drug testing students --- go for it, GOP!
07/12/02: Dubya looking out for No. 1?
07/03/02: The DNA war for Bush's soul
06/21/02: Why are conservatives winning?
06/19/02: Learning to love the feds
06/14/02: Hey, journalists and Dems: Dubya is doing just fine
06/12/02: It's terrorism, stupid!
06/10/02: Sanctions are a potent weapon
06/04/02: Al Qaeda's more dangerous new front
05/31/02: Why '04 looks tough for liberal Dems
05/24/02: Democratic self-destruction
05/22/02: The Clinton failures
05/15/02: Pataki positioned to win
05/08/02: A wakeup-call for American Jewry
05/03/02: Give Bush back his focus
05/01/02: Immigration fault li(n)es
04/25/02: It's the war, stupid
04/17/02: Bush goes small bore
04/12/02: Bush must be a gentle partisan
04/10/02: In defense of polling
04/08/02: Focus on Iraq, not the Palestinians
04/01/02: Only Internet will bring real campaign finance reform
03/27/02: Where W's drawn a line in the sand
03/22/02: Enron scandal will not trigger a wave of economic populism
03/20/02: Term-limited --- by war
03/15/02: Europe doesn't have a clue
03/11/02: Bush popularity = GOP win?
03/01/02: Will America be forced to chase its tail in its war on terrorism?
02/27/02: The Arafat/Saddam equilibrium must be destroyed
02/21/02: Campaign finance reform won't hurt GOPers
02/13/02: Dodd scurries for cover
02/11/02: U.S. 'unilateralism'? The Europeans don't have a case
02/06/02: WAR: What women want
02/01/02: They all talk in the end
01/30/01: The odd couple: Chris Dodd and Arthur Andersen
01/22/01: His father's son? Bush better get an 'Act II' fast!
01/18/01: Dubya & the 'vision thing'
01/14/01: The Rumsfeld Doctrine 01/03/01: A President Gore would have been a disaster
01/03/02: Clinton's priority: Political correctness over fighting terror
12/27/01: Terror network grew out of Clinton's inaction, despite warnings
12/24/01: Call 'em back, George
12/18/01: What Bush did right
12/13/01: Libs worry too much
12/11/01: "Open Sesame": Feinstein's proposed bill allows 100,000 non-immigrant students from anti-American countries to our shores
12/07/01: The non-partisan president
12/05/01: Both parties are phony on stimulus debate
11/29/01: When terrorists can enter legally, it's time to change the laws
11/21/01: Go for the jugular!
11/16/01: You are all incumbents
11/14/01: Clinton's failure to mobilize America to confront foreign terror after the 1993 attack led directly to 9-11 disaster
11/12/01: To the generals: Don't worry about losing support
11/08/01: The death of the white liberal
11/07/01: Our leaders are being transformed in a way unprecedented in post-World War II history

© 2002, Dick Morris