HEADLINE: Iraq, Iran relations "excellent", sign deal on shared oilfield

[Bluebear]

VIENNA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Iraq and Iran plan to develop oilfields that straddle their border and Iraq will pump crude to its neighbour's refineries, deepening commercial ties between the two oil producers, Iraq's oil minister said on Tuesday.

Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani told Reuters in an interview that an agreement between Iraq and Iran will be signed in a few months after technicians mark out the common oilfields.

The deal, first explored by Iran and Iraq in the 1970s, entails both countries defining their reserves in the cross-border field and then pumping the crude jointly.

"We have already agreed to the unitisation principles. As soon as the technical people meet and mark the shared field (with Iran) then we will sign the agreement," he said.


http://today.reuters.com/news/articlebusiness.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=nL12813644&from=business

=====

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here Tuesday assessed as "excellent" bilateral ties between the Iranian and Iraqi governments and nations.

Ahmadinejad made the remark at a joint press conference with the visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki after the two sides held private talks.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq enjoy deep-rooted historical relations beyond normal ties between the two neighboring states," he said.

He added that Tehran and Baghdad have close relations in cultural and religious fields, saying, "We regard progress, independence and territorial territory of Iraq as our own." He urged all to support the popular government in Iraq, stressing, "A united and independent Iraq will be beneficial to security and progress of the entire region."

http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0609129513151613.htm

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. Iraq: Our best friends, the Iranians . . . .

Way to go, Uncle Don. That post-war planning really worked out, no?

you POS killer. I wonder how you can sleep at night. When the revolution comes, you and condi and Uncle Dick will be among the first up against the wall.

[Imagevision]

14. Can this mean Bush's oil plans for Iraq need to be revised??

[ChairmanAgnostic]

21. I thought they were Cheney's plans. Bush couldn't

plan his way out of a one door closet. with the lights on.

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. Is that a real pic of chimpboy? nt

[Anakin Skywalker]

4. He's crying for his mommy! Waaaaaah!

[Bluebear]

5. Oh, it is alright!

[SammyWinstonJack]

15. Wow! What phony photo op was that for? I know he was faking it.

[soup]

22. Whether or not it depicts the actual event,

(and I don't think it does) I've always associated that picture with this:

>>In the week before execution, Bush says, Bianca Jagger and a number of other protesters came to Austin to demand clemency for Tucker. "Did you meet with any of them?" I ask.

Bush whips around and stares at me. "No, I didn't meet with any of them," he snaps, as though I've just asked the dumbest, most offensive question ever posed. "I didn't meet with Larry King either when he came down for it. I watched his interview with , though. He asked her real difficult questions, like 'What would you say to Governor Bush?' "

"What was her answer?" I wonder.

"Please," Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, "don't kill me."

This charming little vignette comes from Tucker Carlson's profile of George W. Bush in the premiere issue of Talk.
more:
http://www.nationalreview.com/daily/nr080999.html

>>The ugliness of a sitting governor mocking a prisoner's plea to spare her life horrified Carlson, especially after he looked up the transcript of Karla Faye Tucker's appearance on Larry King Live and discovered that nowhere did it show the prisoner asking Bush to stay the execution. It horrified a lot of other conservative journalists, too, including George Will, Richard Brookhiser, and the editorial page of the Manchester Union Leader in New Hampshire.

What Bush said to Carlson was so obviously awful that he had no choice but to deny he ever said it, however unconvincingly:

"Mr. Carlson misread, mischaracterized me. He's a good reporter, he just misunderstood about how serious that was. I take the death penalty very seriously. I take each case seriously. I just felt he misjudged me. I think he misinterpreted my feelings. I know he did."
>snip<

But then something peculiar happened. With the passage of time, reporters decided to forget the incident had ever happened. I can find no evidence that the anecdote has been reported anywhere during the past two years. Carlson himself weirdly steered around it in his memoir, "Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites". In the book, Carlson expresses bafflement that the Talk piece stirred any controversy at all. He writes that he was surprised that Bush went ballistic over Carlson quoting him saying the word "fuck" and that Bush felt "wounded" by a wisecrack in the piece about Bush's taste in clothes. Carlson relates his own fury when Bush's spokeswoman, Karen Hughes, spread the word that Carlson had invented the quotes in the Talk piece. Nowhere, though, does Carlson reveal what was most obviously damaging to Bush's candidacy — the piece's horrifying description of Bush mocking Karla Faye Tucker.
more:
http://www.slate.com/id/2131451/

Have I mentioned lately that **bush is a despicable little sack of slime?

[whistle]

3. Wait a minute, was that the freedom which Bush promised Iraqis?

[Old and In the Way]

6. Is there any real doubt that Iraq is slipping into Iran's Orbit?

This is an interesting development...hell, it might even benefit the Iraqi's to have Iran become a seperator and mediator in resolving the major religious factionalism. I suppose Saudi Arabia could play a similar role for the Sunni's. Iraq could well split along religious lines and prefer absorption into these countries as an option to long term civil war, chaos, and general destruction.

It really didn't need to happen, but kicking out a thug that kept Iraq reasonably functional and replacing it with, well, basically nothing was a pre-ordained disaster. I haven't forgotten that many here on DU predicted the very quagmire we are stuck in now. With a defective, deceiving Decider at the wheel of the bus to NeverNever Land.


Obviously, the Bush braintrust will decide that this is another manifestation of Growing Global War on Terror (GGWOT) and trade between these countries is a threat to our national security.

[shadowknows69]

7. With 100 Iraqis dying every day

an our army apparently unable or unwilling to to the job of keeping them safe who could blame them for looking for other allies. Iraq knows its an occupied country with landlords that have nothing of the average citizen's welfare in mind. I love seeing you post Old and in the way, Your name and that picture of Pig trigger in me many a fine road memory.

[Old and In the Way]

19. Thanks for nice words!

Glad to hear my moniker has such pleasent associations for you, it does for me too!

[Erika]

9. We don't have the $ to chase after W's wars anymore

Nor the will. We smarted up.

[FSogol]

8. Mission Accomplished? n/t

[Bluebear]

11. ...

[CarlVK]

10. mark it - The Islamic Federation of Iraq and Iran

I said, YEARS AGO, that this stupid war would pave the way for an Iraqi Islamic Republic, shi'a led, which would then naturally ally with the Shi'as in Iran.

But who the fuck listens to contract laborers in Mesquite, NV?

[moondust]

17. Some call it Iranq. n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

12. Yup, Ol' George is a uniter, all right. n/t

[Bluebear]

20. Well that IS true as it turns out! nt

[Imagevision]

13. Checkmate, this is so bad news for Bush freedom & democracy plan

The timing couldn't be worse for the chimp

[AntiFascist]

16. Great, we just lost Iraq....go going Mr. President! n/t

[Imagevision]

18. Iraq and Iran plan to develop oilfields together, let's go, troop withdraw

Iran will quell scetarian violence in a snap and Bush can just keep an eye on the two of them, it just cost the USA 390 billion, smart move Bush!