BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Critics said the 2003 US invasion of Iraq said was driven by oil, but United States oil majors were largely absent from an Iraqi auction of oil deals snapped up instead by Russian, Chinese and other firms.
Iraqi officials said this proved their independence from US influence and that their two bidding rounds this year for deals to tap Iraq’s vast oil reserves, the world’s third largest, were free of foreign political interference.
The Oil Ministry yesterday ended its second bidding round after awarding seven of the oilfields offered for development, adding to deals from a first auction in June that could together take Iraq up to a capacity to pump 12 million barrels per day.
“For us in Iraq, it shows the government is fully free from outside influence. Neither Russia nor America could put pressure on anyone in Iraq — it is a pure commercial, transparent competition,” said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh.
“No one, even the United States, can steal the oil, whatever people think.”
Russia’s Lukoil yesterday clinched a deal to develop Iraq’s supergiant West Qurna Phase Two oilfield after having failed to convince Iraq to bypass the auction and revive an old Saddam Hussein-era deal for the field. During a visit to Baghdad earlier this year, Lukoil executives had invited the press to a news conference where they had expected to announce the renewed Saddam deal. After a few terse comments, they left empty-handed and visibly annoyed.
