"These Thieves are not Going to Make it in Iraq "
- Iraqis Comment on the Proposed Oil Law
Here are comments of Iraqis that relate to the U.S. attempt to impose an oil law on Iraq that would effectively privatize the oil industry there and bring huge profits to private oil companies like ExxonMobil. The Iraqis made these comments after reading the article appearing below on the efforts of Ivanhoe Energy to get into one of Iraq's oil fields.
A.H., 22 years old, Baghdad:
This article made me think of what is going on behind the curtain in a theater. These thieves are not going to make it in Iraq. We know their plans. We know they lie when they say that the oil is for the Iraqi. We know they don't care about us. If they come here, they will have a lot of problems. All national Iraqis will fight against them and throw them out of Iraq. We are not naive to know what their real plans are. We have been suffering for a long time under Saddam and now these people want us to suffer again? No we are not going to allow that to happen even if it cost us our lives, because this oil is not only ours; it's ours and our generations'.
F.N., 28 years old, Iraqi refugee living in Syria:
It is crazy how these people are things greedy. It is only greed that makes people behave like this. Don't they see how dangerous it is to work in Iraq? Or maybe they will hire Iraqis to secure them, and they won't care if they die... I don't see how they can go to Iraq and work.They think they will be left alone? And this article is the best proof. They will face rejection for all sides. Why do they take our only wealth?... Don't they think about people of Iraq? It is our oil. Would they have let somebody go to their country and take their oil? We just don't want them. Even if that meant that we won't have better lives. We are not idiots to let them come and steal our oil. We will do whatever we can to prevent that from happening.
S.A., 40 years old, Iraqi refugee living in Jordan:
Now the picture is clear, this war was all about oil. And the Iraqi government has also approved that they are after power. Not the least care about the people of Iraq who are giving their lives. That is a big price we are paying to be liberated. What did we gain out of this war? Our lives are in danger, people are getting killed for no reason, then our wealth is going away? Still, these foreign companies are living in fantasy. If that was what happened to them in Cambodia, what is going happen to them in Iraq would be ten times worse. They will never rest. I am telling you!
O.A.:
When I read this article, I laughed. It is like a joke how they are trying to steal the Iraqi oil. It is just so obvious what their intent is! I am just surprised that the Iraqi government is pushing for the new oil law to be passed when they know that it is going to be a robbery. These politicians as well as people who own the foreign oil companies think only about today. They want to get as much money as they can, and no one cares about the real people whom the oil belongs to. I would more blame the Iraqi officials of that really. They are the ones who are opening the door for them to come to our country.
F.A.:
That is of no surprise, actually. That is what we thought from the beginning when the Americans came to Iraq. I used to tell friends and neighbors that, and some of them would even laugh at me. I am so angry at these people
(U.S. Government). Why don't they get it? Why is all what they want is to get more people killed? It is not fair at all. They look at us and don't take us seriously. What else should we do to let them know that they are not wanted in our country even if they say they will rebuild our country. All they are going to do is get more of us killed. No one wants them except those toys in the government who only care about their personal interests. This is very frustrating.