<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On 15/01/2007, at 12:57 PM, Ken Rosie wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Andale Mono; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; ">Future of Iraq: The spoils of war - How the West will make a killing on Iraqi oil riches.</SPAN></FONT><FONT><BR><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; ">Iraq's massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>It will be interesting how many companies take it up as -<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>1. To operate in Iraq you need security and there apparently 20,000 security contractors there now mostly supporting private firms. I suspect the death toll amongst the security firms is pretty high but they command a commensurate salary.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>2. To operate for any period of time you need a stable government to deal with and it is not clear if the country will hold together let alone the Government.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>3. Iraq even after this long period of occupation still is not producing as much oil as under Saadam. The pipelines keep being blown up by insurgents. They take a dim view of the United States stated aim to finance their occupation by selling Iraqi oil no doubt.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Tony</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Andale Mono; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Andale Mono; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>phone : 02 6241 7659 | <A href="mailto:me@Tony-Barry.emu.id.au">mailto:me@Tony-Barry.emu.id.au</A></DIV><DIV>mobile: 04 1242 0397 | <A href="mailto:tony.barry@alianet.alia.org.au">mailto:tony.barry@alianet.alia.org.au</A></DIV><DIV><A href="http://tony-barry.emu.id.au">http://tony-barry.emu.id.au</A></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>