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Another Reason Why We Invaded Iraq

HAIRYHAIRY Member Posts: 23,606
edited August 2003 in General Discussion
Paritzky to discuss transfer of oil from Iraq during U.S. visit

By Amiram Cohen and Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Service

The United States has asked Israel to prepare a plan to renew the transport of oil from the Iraqi city of Kirkuk to the Haifa port, Army Radio reported Sunday.

Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky told the station that he intends to leave for Washington within two weeks to discuss the project in meetings with U.S. officials.

"I intend to examine the idea of an oil pipe, but the contacts are only preliminary," Paritzky told the station.

Sources involved in the project said that it has far-reaching economic implications, but that it will not be carried out in the near future due to the instability of Iraq.

The U.S. request followed Paritzky's demand in March this year to examine the possibility of renewing the transfer of oil from Iraq to Israel, as reported by Haaretz.

The pipeline transferring oil from Iraq to refineries in Haifa was shut down after the 1948 war, and the oil was transported to the Mediterranean Sea through Syria. There have been several attempts to renew the line's operation in Haifa, the last one during the Iran-Iraq war, after the Gulf was closed to Iraqi tankers, and after Syria agreed to Iran's request to block the land pipe that transported Iraqi oil to the west.

Then-prime minister Yitzhak Shamir offered Iraq to renew the activity of the old pipeline and transfer the oil to Haifa. [:(!]


It's not what you know that gets you in trouble, it's what you know that just ain't so!
Resident Pyrrhonist

Comments

  • mark christianmark christian Member Posts: 24,443 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a number of friends in the petroleum industry (sorry HAIRY) and the pipeline to Haifa has indeed been shut down for decades. There were actually TWO pipelines through Syria: a southern line which began in Kerkuk and a nothern line which was close to the Turkish frontier. Both of these lines met at the Syrian city of Homs and then merged into a single line which continued onto to the port city of Tartus.

    After the Syrian's shut down the pipeline, Sadam approached the Turks (who hated Iran) with a deal to run a pipeline from western Iraq out to the Turkish port of Iskenderun, just north of Syria. A Turkish oil representitive I met in Bulgaria explained to me that the deal struck would allow Iraq to supply Turkey with ALL of its domestic petroleum needs in exchange for transporting Iraqi product through Turkey-- the Turks needed only to open the tap and take what they needed! The pipeline was moving through Turkey east to the Iraqi frontier at a steady pace when the Gulf War broke out. By then Turks had invested about $1 billion in the pipeline and this money was lost since the sale of Iraqi oil was heavily retricted after the war ended and even if the line was completed there would be no product to move through it in quantity sufficent to even approach the costs of the pipeline. The Turks were far from pleased! A line through Isreal would probably be the most secure route for Iraqi oil.

    Mark T. Christian
  • FrancFFrancF Member Posts: 35,279 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    mark christian, Just asking, is that the sameone Sadams Loyalist Blew up last week or a diff. one?

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    "I know Everything because
    my Wife is a Hair Stylist"
  • mark christianmark christian Member Posts: 24,443 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Franc, I have to be perfectly honest and tell you that I had not even heard about this pipeline explosion until right now! I am simply not paying much attention to Iraq or world events at this time since we are trying to settle my grandmother's estate-- a real can of worms!

    Mark T. Christian
  • FrancFFrancF Member Posts: 35,279 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Mark- Got ya! I know that Can-o-Worms to well, I DON'T Want to read anything into your Situation.

    But I think I know whats up, Take Care. its not fun-
    frankie

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    "I know Everything because
    my Wife is a Hair Stylist"
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