- #1
- 2,862
- 88
Specifically pertaining to the oil resources in the country.
How about the US allowing a special UN appointed team of international oil/energy experts into Iraq (under full American military protection to ensure their peace of mind) ? The inspectors would take full stock of existing oil resources in the territory, thereby arriving at a reasonably accurate estimate of current and potential resources, and current and projected plausible production of oil out of Iraq. These figures would have to be made completely public. All actual details of oil production and export out of Iraq would have to remain public while under occupation by foreign forces. The figures should be scrutinised by an independent committee (free of pressure from Americans and OPEC) to ensure that no unfair hoarding of oil resources is being effected by anyone party. There should be a full public accounting of the money side of things, to ensure that the oil is being sold at fair market value on a fair basis (with no monopolisation), and all net proceeds are going directly to Iraq's economy (which is to be administered by whatever indigenous government is in place in Iraq). The US and its allies should get no proceeds whatever from the sale of this resource, and should be expected to pay a fair price for it like everyone else.
This arrangement should go on until sovereignty of Iraq has been completely passed over to a government democratically elected by the Iraqi people, and every last American/allied soldier has left Iraq's soil. After that, what they do with their oil is their business.
In a sense the UN inspectors would be playing a much similar role to nuclear inspections carried out on Saddam's regime, which I'm sure the US heartily supported. These oil inspections, too, are indispensable to convince the world that the primary wealth of Iraq is going to the people who rightfully deserve it, viz. the innocent civilians in Iraq.
How about the US allowing a special UN appointed team of international oil/energy experts into Iraq (under full American military protection to ensure their peace of mind) ? The inspectors would take full stock of existing oil resources in the territory, thereby arriving at a reasonably accurate estimate of current and potential resources, and current and projected plausible production of oil out of Iraq. These figures would have to be made completely public. All actual details of oil production and export out of Iraq would have to remain public while under occupation by foreign forces. The figures should be scrutinised by an independent committee (free of pressure from Americans and OPEC) to ensure that no unfair hoarding of oil resources is being effected by anyone party. There should be a full public accounting of the money side of things, to ensure that the oil is being sold at fair market value on a fair basis (with no monopolisation), and all net proceeds are going directly to Iraq's economy (which is to be administered by whatever indigenous government is in place in Iraq). The US and its allies should get no proceeds whatever from the sale of this resource, and should be expected to pay a fair price for it like everyone else.
This arrangement should go on until sovereignty of Iraq has been completely passed over to a government democratically elected by the Iraqi people, and every last American/allied soldier has left Iraq's soil. After that, what they do with their oil is their business.
In a sense the UN inspectors would be playing a much similar role to nuclear inspections carried out on Saddam's regime, which I'm sure the US heartily supported. These oil inspections, too, are indispensable to convince the world that the primary wealth of Iraq is going to the people who rightfully deserve it, viz. the innocent civilians in Iraq.