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Greetings all, Thanks for this, Dirk. I did think that the US only would be targetted, but it sounds like all countries are being embargoed? Oil prices at the pump in the US state I live in jumped four days ago from $1.30 p.gallon to $1.50 approx. There's been no reporting of this in the media. How are pump prices in the UK, elsewhere? Philippa Winkler ===== Original Message From Dirk Adriaensens <dirk.adriaensens@skynet.be> ===== >[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] > >Hello all, >latest news on Iraq. I thought I'd let you know. >Dirk. > > BAGHDAD, April 8 (AFP) - Iraq stopped oil exports for 30 days >from Monday in protest at Israel's offensive against the >Palestinians, President Saddam Hussein announced in a speech to the >nation. > Iraq's leadership decided to "completely halt oil exports as of >this afternoon, April 8, 2002, through the pipelines carrying >(crude) to the Turkish port on the Mediterranean and through our >ports in southern Iraq," Saddam said in his televised address. > The stoppage will last "30 days, after which we will review (the >decision), or until the armies of the Zionist entity have >unconditionally withdrawn from the Palestinian territories they have >occupied and (until they) respect the will of the Palestinian people >and the Arab nation," he said. > Saddam urged other Arab and Muslim oil producers to follow suit >and suspend crude exports. > "Our Arab and Muslim brethren and all believers will hopefully >encourage our move ... by taking similar measures in the case of >those who have oil," he said. > Arabs and Muslims without oil wealth should take "effective >measures" in accordance with their own means, the president added. > The oil ministry said in a statement that oil exports stopped at >1000 GMT from Mina al-Bakr terminal on the Gulf and the Turkish >Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, the two ports through which Iraq's oil >flows. > The price of oil promptly jumped above 27 dollars a barrel in >London before settling back. > Benchmark Brent North Sea crude for May delivery surged to 27.35 >dollars from 25.99 on Friday evening, then eased to 26.91. > Oil prices had risen even before the Iraqi announcement, after >Israel pressed ahead with its siege of the West Bank, ignoring calls >from US President George W. Bush for a pullout from Palestinian >territories it reoccupied in the past 10 days. > But an OPEC source in Vienna told AFP the oil cartel had no >plans to organize a collective ban on crude exports following the >Iraqi move. > The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries "is for order >and harmony in the oil market and should not be dragged into a >political crisis in the (Middle East) region," the source said. > In Doha, OPEC general secretary Ali Rodriguez told AFP on the >sidelines of an oil conference that he was consulting member >countries about Iraq's gesture. > Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Islamic >oil-producing countries Friday to suspend their exports to Western >countries and those that have relations with Israel "for a symbolic >period of one month." > Libya voiced suport for the call. > Saddam said the decision to halt exports was taken at a joint >meeting of Iraq's ruling Revolution Command Council, Baath Party >leadership and cabinet. > "This decision is essentially aimed against the Zionist entity >and the aggressive US policy, not against anyone else. It is not >meant to harm anyone except those who have decided to harm the Arab >nation, including the heroic Palestinian people," he said. > Saddam accused the United States of being Israel's accomplice in >the blitz on West Bank towns. > "The Zionist aggression in which our brothers and sisters are >being killed in front of TV cameras is being perpetrated by common >arrangement between the Zionist entity and the US administration," >the Iraqi leader charged. > "Its objective is not only to occupy Palestinian and Arab lands >as happened in 1948 and 1967, but also to break the Palestinians' >and Arabs' will and force them to surrender to the Zionist-American >alliance," he said. > The office administering Iraq's oil-for-food program with the UN >said on April 2 that the volume of oil exported by Baghdad under UN >supervision surged from 6.7 million barrels to 16.5 million barrels >the previous week. > Iraq has periodically halted exports under the UN oil-for-food >scheme in recent years, the last time on June 4, 2001, for a month >in protest at efforts to introduce "smart sanctions" against >Baghdad. > OPEC member Iraq has proven reserves of 112 billion barrels and >a current production capacity of 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd). > >BAGHDAD, April 8 (AFP) - Iraq stopped exporting oil at 1000 GMT >on Monday, the oil ministry said in a statement. > Exports were halted at the Mina al-Bakr terminal on the Gulf and >the Turkish Mediterranen port of Ceyhan, the two ports through which >Iraq's oil flows. > President Saddam Hussein announced exports would stop for 30 >days as a protest against the Israeli military assault on the >Palestinians. > Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Islamic >oil-producing countries Friday to suspend their exports to Western >countries and those that have relations with Israel "for a symbolic >period of one month. > >BAGHDAD, April 8 (AFP) - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is >vowing to fight to the last, but US military action against Baghdad >looks increasingly uncertain as Middle East violence spirals out of >control. > "If half your anti-air defences were to be destroyed, you would >defend with the other half and if the remaining half also came to be >destroyed, you would fight with your daggers like your brothers in >Palestine are doing," Saddam told senior military officials late >Sunday. > "You are strong and your enemy is weak because you are right and >he is wrong," the Iraqi strongman charged. > In another sign of his pugnaciousness, Saddam announced Monday >that Iraq had stopped oil exports in protest at Israel's offensive >against the Palestinians, sending world crude prices jumping in an >indication of what might happen if Washington attacked. > US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony >Blair warned Saturday they were considering "all options" against >Iraq, which has refused to allow in UN arms inspectors since a >December 1998 US-British bombing blitz. > Blair delivered his bluntest warning yet to Iraq a day later, >speaking of possible military action to topple the "brutal, >repressive" regime of Saddam Hussein. > The two leaders received short shrift in the Iraqi media on >Monday, with Al-Jumhuriya daily branding them "criminals". > "Bush, the villain, and Blair, the stupid, have attacked Iraq >with their idiotic statements to cover up their crimes in >Afghanistan and ... their isolation in Europe on Iraq, Palestine, >and Afghanistan," it said. > Babel newspaper declared that the Israeli offensive against the >Palestinians "is part of a plot ... which starts in Palestine and >ends in Iraq." > The daily run by Saddam's son Uday warned that "what the >Palestinians are going through can be repeated in any other Arab >country." > "We are keeping some surprises for enemies despite all the >precautions they may take," Babel said, underlining Baghdad's >determination to defend itself against any US-led attack. > But the London-based The Times, citing sources close to Bush and >Blair, reported Monday that while the two leaders have agreed on a >military campaign against Iraq, no action is likely for at least a >year. > They sketched out a "three-phase plan" to overthrow Saddam: >"First recreating a coalition for action by convincing Iraq's >neighbours that Saddam can be ousted; then taking military action >against him and finally ensuring that a successor regime is capable >of running the country." > Blair said Sunday there would be no precipitate action against >Iraq, but added: "We must be prepared to act where terrorism or >weapons of mass destruction threaten us." > But the two men have seen their plans to topple Saddam thwarted >by the bloodshed from Israel's latest military offensive in >Palestinian territory, which has been strongly condemned in the Arab >world, notably by all of London and Washington's most faithful >regional allies. > Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Sunday that military >strikes against Iraq would be a mistake and counter-productive. > "Talk of using force today, when other means exist, is for the >least politically incorrect, and would be a mistake," Putin said. > Fellow "axis of evil" nominee Iran also reiterated its >opposition to any US strike on neighbouring Iraq on Monday, saying >that the region "cannot bear a new war". > "Resorting to force to change a government is against >international law, principles of democracy and morality. It is up to >the people to carry out such a change," foreign ministry spokesman >Hamid-Reza Asefi said. > > > > > >_______________________________________________ >Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. >To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss >To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk >All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk