Protest targets Shell, BP, US
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Campaigners with a 12-foot puppet of American vice-president Dick Cheney will demonstrate in London today (Saturday, 11 October) against US and British pressure to hand control of Iraq’s oil to corporations including UK-based BP and Shell.
The protest takes place just two days before energy firms meet Iraq’s oil minister, Husayn al-Shahristani, in London to discuss contracts that opponents claim threaten to deepen conflict and poverty and extend the war and occupation for many years.
It also comes 100 days before Cheney and American president George Bush leave the White House in January 2009 as a coalition steps up its campaign to stop them pushing through a long-term oil privatisation agenda that most Iraqis oppose.
The protest has been organised by Hands Off Iraqi Oil, including the charity War on Want and the campaign group PLATFORM.
Ruth Tanner, campaigns and policy director at War on Want, said: “Iraq’s people need sovereignty over their resources to rebuild their country, which has been devastated by war and occupation. The proposed oil contracts would let UK corporations raid Iraq’s oil. Iraq’s oil should benefit Iraqis - not swell multinationals’ profits.”
Since 2005 the US and Britain have been demanding new legislation to privatise control over Iraq's oil. But, faced with strong opposition in Iraq led by the Iraqi oil workers' trade union, achievement of that objective has been consistently delayed. Iraq’s parliament needed to have approved the law. Now, according to Hands Off Iraqi Oil, as public resistance made that impossible, oil companies aim to sign contracts without legislation or any public scrutiny.
The coalition warns of greater conflict and hardship if the American and British governments succeed with pressure to drive through contracts that allow oil profits to be diverted to multinationals instead of helping millions of people hit by the US and UK war on Iraq and the occupation.
Pressure to pass the oil law was tied to the surge in US troops last year. Now the US is seeking an agreement with Iraq to extend their troop presence - which campaigners believe is in part intended to continue the pressure. Oil firms also hope for the security provided by US and British troops and private military and security companies.
Greg Muttitt, co-director of PLATFORM, said: "As long as the US and Britain demand control of Iraq's oil for their own companies, there can be no end to this war. Troops stay to pressure the Iraqis to hand over oil contracts, after which they would stay longer to protect the companies. This vicious circle of violence and greed must stop now. Iraqis want neither the occupation nor oil privatisation.”
Al-Shahristani’s talks will cover deals which would give control over Iraq’s oil to companies for a generation. Campaigners say the process by which the contracts have been drafted and could be signed, while Iraq is still occupied, has been untransparent, undemocratic and inflammatory. Iraqi civil society, including oil experts, oil workers and lawmakers, have not been allowed to see the contracts that could sign away their country's future independence with a pen's stroke.
Protestors will hold a rally outside Shell’s headquarters, with the Cheney puppet trying to grab a giant oil derrick from Iraqi oil workers. A samba band will lead the protest to BP’s offices, before campaigners end their demonstration outside the US embassy.
NOTE TO EDITORS: The marchers will move at 12.30 pm BST from Shell, demonstrate outside BP from 2.15 pm BST and protest from 3.00 pm BST outside the US embassy.
CONTACT: Paul Collins, War on Want media office (+44) (0)20 7549 0584 or (+44) (0)7983 550728