Bergalad
02-15-2003, 08:35 AM
Two of the three 'Axis of Evil' countries are heavily invested in by France.
First Iran:
PARIS -- French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said Monday that he rejoiced in a $2 billion contract signed between a leading
French oil company and Iran to explore natural gas fields and rejected what he called American attempts to impose its laws on the world.
"Nobody accepts that the United States can pass a law on a global scale," said Jospin, a Socialist. "American laws apply in the United
States. They do not apply in France."
Nevertheless, the United States indicated Monday that it would invoke the Iran-Libya sanctions act, passed by Congress last year, which authorizes the president to impose sanctions on any company investing more than $40 million in either country because of their ties with terrorism. At a time when the Clinton administration has expressed
concern at what it sees as Iran's efforts to build a nuclear arsenal, the French decision to pour money into Iran is particularly sensitive.
Defending the contract signed with the National Iranian Oil Company, Jacques Rummelhardt, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Monday that it was "compatible with our policy toward Iran." He described the
French policy as based on frank political exchange and the conviction that "it is counterproductive to impose restrictions on the development of commerce with Iran."
But in Washington, Christopher Bush, a State Department spokesman, said the United States intended to apply the law fully.
"Our position on any investments in Iranian gas and oil fields is clear," he said. "Such investment makes more resources available for Iran to use in supporting terrorism and pursuing missiles and nuclear weapons."
Total, a private company in which the French state long held a large stake and still retains some shares, last week sold its largest American unit, Total Petrol North America, to Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp. in exchange for an 8 percent stake.
Thomas Fell, a spokesman for Total, said that the sale had long been planned and happened on the eve of the signing of the Iranian contract merely by coincidence. The sale would make it more difficult for any
sanctions to be applied.
That was all in 1997 under Clinton. Now jump to two weeks ago when Iran says they will start processing their own fuel rods, meaning they will begin harvesting weapons-grade plutonium. US fears proven correct but disregarded by the French for their gain.
Iraq:
Fri 14 Feb 2003 A senior Pentagon adviser accused France of striking a deal with Saddam Hussein to oppose military action in return for a lucrative oil contract.
Richard Perle, a former US Assistant Defence Secretary, said the French anti-war stance was driven by economic interests. French oil giant TotalFinaElf has exclusive exploration contracts worth $US40-50 billion to develop the massive Majnoon and Bin Umar oilfields in southern Iraq, he said.
"What's distinctive about the Total contract is that it's not favourable to Iraq, it's favourable to Total," Mr Perle, the chairman of the Pentagon's Defence Policy Board, said during an address in New York.
"One can suspect that there's some arbitrage there, that in between the real value of that contract and the cash value of that contract there's a certain amount of political support.
"It's entirely possible that Saddam negotiated that deal because that along with the revenues ... he could get something else."
He said oil experts who had analysed the deal described it as "extraordinarily lopsided" in favour of the French company.
"This is not your normal oil exploration contract."
Total is currently barred from working on the oil fields because of the economic sanctions against Iraq.
If Saddam is overthrown the new regime is likely to nullify existing contracts and invite oil companies from around the globe to compete for new deals.
"The French interest in the propagation of contracts that will only go forward with this regime is perfectly obvious."
So...
First Iran:
PARIS -- French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said Monday that he rejoiced in a $2 billion contract signed between a leading
French oil company and Iran to explore natural gas fields and rejected what he called American attempts to impose its laws on the world.
"Nobody accepts that the United States can pass a law on a global scale," said Jospin, a Socialist. "American laws apply in the United
States. They do not apply in France."
Nevertheless, the United States indicated Monday that it would invoke the Iran-Libya sanctions act, passed by Congress last year, which authorizes the president to impose sanctions on any company investing more than $40 million in either country because of their ties with terrorism. At a time when the Clinton administration has expressed
concern at what it sees as Iran's efforts to build a nuclear arsenal, the French decision to pour money into Iran is particularly sensitive.
Defending the contract signed with the National Iranian Oil Company, Jacques Rummelhardt, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Monday that it was "compatible with our policy toward Iran." He described the
French policy as based on frank political exchange and the conviction that "it is counterproductive to impose restrictions on the development of commerce with Iran."
But in Washington, Christopher Bush, a State Department spokesman, said the United States intended to apply the law fully.
"Our position on any investments in Iranian gas and oil fields is clear," he said. "Such investment makes more resources available for Iran to use in supporting terrorism and pursuing missiles and nuclear weapons."
Total, a private company in which the French state long held a large stake and still retains some shares, last week sold its largest American unit, Total Petrol North America, to Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp. in exchange for an 8 percent stake.
Thomas Fell, a spokesman for Total, said that the sale had long been planned and happened on the eve of the signing of the Iranian contract merely by coincidence. The sale would make it more difficult for any
sanctions to be applied.
That was all in 1997 under Clinton. Now jump to two weeks ago when Iran says they will start processing their own fuel rods, meaning they will begin harvesting weapons-grade plutonium. US fears proven correct but disregarded by the French for their gain.
Iraq:
Fri 14 Feb 2003 A senior Pentagon adviser accused France of striking a deal with Saddam Hussein to oppose military action in return for a lucrative oil contract.
Richard Perle, a former US Assistant Defence Secretary, said the French anti-war stance was driven by economic interests. French oil giant TotalFinaElf has exclusive exploration contracts worth $US40-50 billion to develop the massive Majnoon and Bin Umar oilfields in southern Iraq, he said.
"What's distinctive about the Total contract is that it's not favourable to Iraq, it's favourable to Total," Mr Perle, the chairman of the Pentagon's Defence Policy Board, said during an address in New York.
"One can suspect that there's some arbitrage there, that in between the real value of that contract and the cash value of that contract there's a certain amount of political support.
"It's entirely possible that Saddam negotiated that deal because that along with the revenues ... he could get something else."
He said oil experts who had analysed the deal described it as "extraordinarily lopsided" in favour of the French company.
"This is not your normal oil exploration contract."
Total is currently barred from working on the oil fields because of the economic sanctions against Iraq.
If Saddam is overthrown the new regime is likely to nullify existing contracts and invite oil companies from around the globe to compete for new deals.
"The French interest in the propagation of contracts that will only go forward with this regime is perfectly obvious."
So...