{"id":232214,"date":"2023-03-27T12:00:54","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T11:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=232214"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:06:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:06:17","slug":"the-mafia-bp-stole-15-billion-of-iraqi-oil-after-british-west-invasion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/03\/the-mafia-bp-stole-15-billion-of-iraqi-oil-after-british-west-invasion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mafia: BP Stole \u00a315 Billion of Iraqi Oil after British\/West Invasion"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><em>Shell, the other U.K. \u201csuper-major\u201d oil company, also re-entered Iraq in 2009 after an invasion in 2003 that was widely denounced at the time as a war-for-oil on the part of the U.S. and U.K.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_232215\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/usa-pentagon-iraq-warfare-nato.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-232215\" class=\"wp-image-232215\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/usa-pentagon-iraq-warfare-nato-1024x667.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/usa-pentagon-iraq-warfare-nato-1024x667.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/usa-pentagon-iraq-warfare-nato-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/usa-pentagon-iraq-warfare-nato-768x501.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/usa-pentagon-iraq-warfare-nato.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-232215\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">April 3, 2003: A British soldier covers sappers capping a burning oil well in Basra.<br \/>(WO2 Giles Penfound\/MOD, Wikimedia Commons)<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>BP returned to Iraq in 2009 after a 35-year absence and was awarded a significant interest in the country\u2019s largest oil field near British-occupied Basra<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">BP has pumped 262 million barrels of Iraqi oil since 2011<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Sir John Sawers, the U.K.\u2019s first special representative to Iraq after invasion, has banked \u00a31.1m since joining BP\u2019s board in 2015<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Other U.K. oil \u201csupermajor\u201d Shell also won Iraq contract in 2009 as lead operator developing \u201csuper-giant\u201d Majnoon oil field<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>23 Mar 2023 &#8211; <\/em>BP has pumped oil worth \u00a315.4bn in Iraq since 2011 when it began production in the country for the first time in nearly four decades, new analysis shows.<\/p>\n<p>The new information came on the 20-year anniversary of the beginning of the invasion of Iraq, which was judged to be <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2004\/sep\/16\/iraq.iraq\" >illegal<\/a>\u00a0by the U.N. However, neither U.S. President George W. Bush nor British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the leaders who prosecuted the war, have been subjects of a criminal investigation.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Related: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/2023\/03\/21\/how-team-bush-escaped-justice-over-iraq\/\"  rel=\"bookmark\"><em>How Team Bush Escaped Justice Over Iraq<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The invasion began in March 2003 and unleashed a catastrophic humanitarian disaster with an\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2006\/oct\/11\/iraq.iraq\" >estimated<\/a>\u00a0655,000 Iraqis killed in the first three years of conflict, or 2.5 percent of the population.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_92306\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-92306\" src=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-03-22-at-1.48.39-PM.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-03-22-at-1.48.39-PM.png 475w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-03-22-at-1.48.39-PM-330x500.png 330w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-03-22-at-1.48.39-PM-260x394.png 260w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-03-22-at-1.48.39-PM-160x242.png 160w\" alt=\"\" width=\"475\" height=\"719\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92306\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-92306\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">March 15, 2003: \u201cWith two sons in the army, I am demonstrating in Washington, D.C., four days before the invasion.\u201d\u00a0(Larry Syverson\/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>It was\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2013\/03\/19\/opinion\/iraq-war-oil-juhasz\/index.html\" >widely denounced<\/a>\u00a0as a war-for-oil on the part of the U.S. and U.K. Iraq holds the world\u2019s\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/international\/analysis\/country\/IRQ\" >fifth largest<\/a>\u00a0proven oil reserves. Iraq had no connection to the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks which had taken place 18 months before and initiated the so-called War on Terror.<\/p>\n<p>The data on BP\u2019s post-invasion production in Iraq comes from the company\u2019s\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/en\/global\/corporate\/investors\/annual-report\/annual-reporting-archive.html\" >annual reports<\/a>\u00a0and was calculated using the average annual price for a barrel of oil for each year of production.<\/p>\n<p>From 2011-22, BP pumped 262 million barrels of Iraqi oil.<\/p>\n<p>The company started\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2011.pdf\" >producing<\/a>\u00a031,000 barrels of Iraqi oil a day in 2011, but that number had\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2015.pdf\" >increased<\/a>\u00a0rapidly to 123,000 barrels a day by 2015.<\/p>\n<p>By 2020, BP\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2020.pdf\" >produced<\/a>\u00a0more oil from Iraq than its whole European operation, including Britain\u2019s North Sea.<\/p>\n<p>In the months preceding the 2003 invasion, BP had been\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2003\/feb\/13\/russia.politics\" >dubbed<\/a>\u00a0\u201cBlair Petroleum\u201d due to the British prime minister\u2019s intensive lobbying on behalf of the company.<\/p>\n<p>Both BP and Shell have\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/history.state.gov\/milestones\/1921-1936\/red-line\" >histories<\/a>\u00a0in Iraq going back a century, and the country\u2019s oil industry was to a significant extent dominated by the two British companies throughout much of the 20th century.<\/p>\n<p>The Iraq Petroleum Company, which had a virtual monopoly on the country\u2019s oil production in the four decades up to the 1960s, was\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/1\/hi\/business\/7461042.stm\" >headquartered<\/a>\u00a0in Oxford Street in London. BP and Shell together\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk\/search\/archives\/12a33a3d-d4a9-3b57-a223-bc4aed2d00e2\" >owned<\/a>\u00a048 percent, before it was\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/162481\" >nationalised<\/a>\u00a0in 1972 and its concessions expropriated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2018Accessing Resources\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But BP\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/en\/global\/corporate\/what-we-do\/bp-worldwide\/bp-in-iraq.html\" >returned<\/a>\u00a0to Iraq for the first time since the 1970s six years after the British invasion. \u201cWe continually seek to access resources and in 2009 this included Iraq,\u201d the company\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-accounts-2009.pdf\" >stated<\/a>\u00a0at the time.<\/p>\n<p>The new opportunity was a contract won from a state-owned company to expand production from the Rumaila field near Basra, one of the largest oil fields in the world. The British Army was at the time\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/operations-in-iraq-finish-with-completion-of-royal-navy-training-mission\" >occupying<\/a>\u00a0Basra and surrounding areas in southern Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>The Rumaila field, which extends\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2014.pdf\" >50 miles<\/a>\u00a0from end to end, had originally been \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2010.pdf\" >discovered<\/a>\u201d by BP in 1953 and is the\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2011\/jul\/31\/bp-stranglehold-iraq-oilfield-contract\" >largest<\/a>\u00a0in Iraq.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_92299\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-92299 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/President_George_W._Bush_and_British_Prime_Minister_Tony_Blair_address_the_media-e1679507785337.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/President_George_W._Bush_and_British_Prime_Minister_Tony_Blair_address_the_media-e1679507785337.jpg 425w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/President_George_W._Bush_and_British_Prime_Minister_Tony_Blair_address_the_media-e1679507785337-260x191.jpg 260w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/President_George_W._Bush_and_British_Prime_Minister_Tony_Blair_address_the_media-e1679507785337-160x118.jpg 160w\" alt=\"\" width=\"425\" height=\"313\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92299\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-92299\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jan. 31, 2003: U.S. President George W. Bush and U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair addressing the media after privately discussing plans to invade Iraq. (White House\/Paul Morse, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The initial Bush administration plan was for the Iraqi government to sign a\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/228190496_Sharing_Iraq%27s_Oil_Analyzing_Production-Sharing_Contracts_Under_the_Final_Draft_Petroleum_Law\" >new oil law<\/a>\u00a0which would have indirectly privatised Iraq\u2019s oil through an unconventional type of contracting called \u201cproduction sharing agreements\u201d (PSA).<\/p>\n<p>These would have allowed foreign oil companies to sign contracts with the government to develop specific areas of Iraq\u2019s petroleum sector in exchange for a share of the oil profits.<\/p>\n<p>But the Iraqi constitution requires the Parliament to ratify laws, and because of the internal dynamics in the country at the time the Parliament ended up being controlled by nationalist parties with anti-occupation politics.<\/p>\n<p>The Iraqi government had to\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spglobal.com\/marketintelligence\/en\/mi\/country-industry-forecasting.html?id=106596636\" >revert<\/a>\u00a0to an older law that only allows for \u201ctechnical service contracts\u201d (TSC) which kept the oil under Iraqi ownership while giving foreign oil companies a flat rate in exchange for services.<\/p>\n<p>BP\u2019s investment in Rumaila\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2010.pdf\" >took the form<\/a>\u00a0of a TSC, which became effective in December 2009. In the deal BP would\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2015.pdf\" >recover<\/a>\u00a0costs, irrespective of oil price, and get a fee per barrel of production above a defined threshold.<\/p>\n<p>However, the company\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2011.pdf\" >reported<\/a>\u00a0\u201cthe technical service contract (TSC) under which we operate in Iraq functions as a PSA [production sharing agreement].\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-92294\" src=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-03-22-at-12.27.24-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1224\" height=\"930\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2018Lead Contractor\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>BP was the\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-accounts-2009.pdf\" >lead contractor<\/a>\u00a0on the Rumaila development, with a 38 percent working interest. The China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) held 37 percent with the remaining 25 percent held by the Iraqi government.<\/p>\n<p>BP said, alongside CNPC, it\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-accounts-2009.pdf\" >intended<\/a>\u00a0to invest $15 billion over the next 20 years to increase production in Rumaila to nearly 3 million barrels per day, or 3 percent of global oil production.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, Rumaila already\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2010.pdf\" >produced<\/a>\u00a0half of Iraq\u2019s oil exports and comprised five producing reservoirs. BP together with its partners would\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2010.pdf\" >refurbish<\/a>\u00a0the wells and facilities.<\/p>\n<p>In its first year of operation, BP increased production from the Rumaila field by\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2010.pdf\" >10 percent above<\/a>\u00a0the rate initially agreed with the Iraqi oil ministry, meaning the company became eligible for a share of the oil produced. Over the following decade, BP would extract an average of 65,000 barrels of oil a day from Rumaila.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_92285\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-92285\" src=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Maude_in_Baghdad.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2002px) 100vw, 2002px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Maude_in_Baghdad.jpg 2002w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Maude_in_Baghdad-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Maude_in_Baghdad-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Maude_in_Baghdad-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Maude_in_Baghdad-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Maude_in_Baghdad-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Maude_in_Baghdad-160x120.jpg 160w\" alt=\"\" width=\"2002\" height=\"1502\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92285\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-92285\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">March 11, 1917: British troops entering Baghdad. (Public domain, Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In 2014, BP\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2014.pdf\" >increased<\/a>\u00a0its working interest in the Rumaila TSC to 48 percent and the contract was extended by five years to 2034.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite instability and sectarian violence in the north and west of the country, BP operations are continuing in the south,\u201d the company\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2014.pdf\" >reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015, it\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2015.pdf\" >reported<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cwe continue to build relationships in BP\u2019s historic heartlands of the Middle East, with growing opportunities\u201d including in Iraq, where BP production hit a high of 123,000 barrels a day. Iraq was now\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2015.pdf\" >designated<\/a>\u00a0one of BP\u2019s \u201cprincipal areas of production.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Special Representative to Iraq<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One figure who has done well out of BP is Sir John Sawers, the U.K.\u2019s first special representative to Iraq in 2003, who joined the company\u2019s board in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Over the following seven years, Sawers has earnt \u00a31.1 million in fees from the company. His BP shareholding was also\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2022.pdf\" >worth<\/a>\u00a0\u00a3135,000 last year, up 181 percent from when he joined the company.<\/p>\n<p>Sawers joined BP as a non-executive director in May 2015 having apparently been \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2015.pdf\" >identified<\/a>\u201d the previous year as he stepped down as head of MI6, Britain\u2019s external intelligence agency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJohn brings long experience of international politics and security that are so important to our business,\u201d the company\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2015.pdf\" >reported<\/a>. Sawers spent the bulk of his career in diplomacy \u201crepresenting the British government around the world,\u201d BP added. Owing to this experience, BP made Sawers chair of its Geopolitical Committee.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_92287\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-92287\" src=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BPheadoffice.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2272px) 100vw, 2272px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BPheadoffice.jpg 2272w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BPheadoffice-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BPheadoffice-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BPheadoffice-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BPheadoffice-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BPheadoffice-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BPheadoffice-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BPheadoffice-160x120.jpg 160w\" alt=\"\" width=\"2272\" height=\"1704\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92287\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-92287\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The head office of BP in London. (WhisperToMe, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Sawers was close to Prime Minister Tony Blair in the period around the invasion of Iraq, serving as his foreign policy adviser from 1999-2001. In May 2003, Blair appointed Sawers Britain\u2019s first special representative to post-invasion Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/publications.parliament.uk\/pa\/cm200203\/cmselect\/cmfaff\/405\/40508.htm\" >role<\/a>\u00a0of the special representative was \u201cto work with Iraqis, with Coalition partners and with other representatives of the international community to help and guide the political processes leading to the establishment of an interim administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sawers then became political director and main board member of the Foreign Office from 2003-07. His influence in Iraq continued as he returned to the country representing the British government in October 2005 in the aftermath of the\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2005\/oct\/17\/iraq.topstories3\" >successful<\/a>\u00a0constitutional referendum.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Close to MI6<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It appears Sawers had been an MI6 officer earlier in his career. In 2009, when he was appointed head of MI6, the BBC\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/1\/hi\/uk\/8104141.stm\" >commented<\/a>: \u201cAs Downing Street coyly noted, Sir John is \u2018rejoining\u2019 the SIS [Secret Intelligence Service] \u2013 no details were given about his previous career in MI6.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>BP has long been close to MI6. In a 2007\u00a0<em>Mail on Sunday<\/em>\u00a0article, which was subsequently taken down, a company whistleblower claimed \u201cBP was working closely with MI6 at the highest levels to help it to win business \u2026 and influence the political complexion of governments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Renegade former MI6 officer<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk\/1999\/may\/13\/richardnortontaylor1\" >\u00a0Richard Tomlinson<\/a>\u00a0wrote in his 2001 memoir that BP has \u201cMI6 liaison officers who receive relevant CX [intelligence]\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Sawers\u2019 predecessor as head of MI6, Sir John Scarlett, was the senior intelligence official\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk\/2011\/jun\/26\/intelligence-chief-iraqi-wmds\" >responsible<\/a>\u00a0for Tony Blair\u2019s notorious dossier on Iraq\u2019s weapons of mass destruction produced in the run-up to the invasion. Scarlett \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk\/2011\/jun\/26\/intelligence-chief-iraqi-wmds\" >proposed<\/a>\u00a0using the document to mislead the public about the significance of Iraq\u2019s banned weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Under his relevant skills section, BP reported Sawers\u2019 \u201cmanagement of reform at MI6 also complements BP\u2019s focus on value and simplification.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-92298\" src=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Sawers-BP-8-2-1-1.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Sawers-BP-8-2-1-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Sawers-BP-8-2-1-1-500x375.png 500w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Sawers-BP-8-2-1-1-1000x750.png 1000w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Sawers-BP-8-2-1-1-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Sawers-BP-8-2-1-1-260x195.png 260w, https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Sawers-BP-8-2-1-1-160x120.png 160w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Shell\u2019s Super Giant Oil Field<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The other U.K. \u201csupermajor\u201d oil company, Shell, also re-entered Iraq in 2009 when it \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shell.com\/about-us\/annual-publications\/annual-reports-download-centre\/_jcr_content\/root\/main\/section\/text_2043919769.multi.stream\/1658488179968\/b2a6ec7d2026989f2b2837b1dcd9d179b9f794d7\/annual-report-2009.pdf\" >secured<\/a>\u00a0an important position\u201d in the country with a government contract for developing the Majnoon field, again close to Basra in British-occupied southern Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reports.shell.com\/annual-report\/2011\/servicepages\/downloads\/files\/entire_shell_20f_11.pdf\" >described<\/a>\u00a0it as \u201cone of the world\u2019s super-giant oil fields\u201d with an estimated\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shell.com\/about-us\/annual-publications\/annual-reports-download-centre\/_jcr_content\/root\/main\/section\/text_1483968024.multi.stream\/1658488486028\/5cab46fcc603585e21b47aa28069e27393feff2a\/annual-report-2010.pdf\" >38 billion barrels<\/a>\u00a0of oil.<\/p>\n<p>Shell was\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shell.com\/about-us\/annual-publications\/annual-reports-download-centre\/_jcr_content\/root\/main\/section\/text_2043919769.multi.stream\/1658488179968\/b2a6ec7d2026989f2b2837b1dcd9d179b9f794d7\/annual-report-2009.pdf\" >awarded<\/a>\u00a0a 20-year technical services contract as lead operator with a 45 percent interest in developing Majnoon. Malaysian oil company Petronas would hold 30 percent with the Iraqi state holding the remaining 25 percent.<\/p>\n<p>Production was\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shell.com\/about-us\/annual-publications\/annual-reports-download-centre\/_jcr_content\/root\/main\/section\/text_2043919769.multi.stream\/1658488179968\/b2a6ec7d2026989f2b2837b1dcd9d179b9f794d7\/annual-report-2009.pdf\" >expected<\/a>\u00a0to reach 1.8 million barrels of oil a day, Shell said, up from the 45,000 it was producing at the time. Shell also\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shell.com\/about-us\/annual-publications\/annual-reports-download-centre\/_jcr_content\/root\/main\/section\/text_1483968024.multi.stream\/1658488486028\/5cab46fcc603585e21b47aa28069e27393feff2a\/annual-report-2010.pdf\" >said<\/a>\u00a0the field had \u201cadditional exploration potential.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also in 2009, Shell was\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shell.com\/about-us\/annual-publications\/annual-reports-download-centre\/_jcr_content\/root\/main\/section\/text_2043919769.multi.stream\/1658488179968\/b2a6ec7d2026989f2b2837b1dcd9d179b9f794d7\/annual-report-2009.pdf\" >awarded<\/a>\u00a0a 15 percent share in a contract for the development of the West Qurna 1 field \u2014 again near Basra \u2014 as part of an ExxonMobil-led consortium.<\/p>\n<p>This contract was\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reports.shell.com\/annual-report\/2014\/servicepages\/downloads\/files\/entire_shell_ar14.pdf\" >renegotiated<\/a>\u00a0in 2014 and the government share was reduced from 25 percent to 5 percent and dispersed to other shareholders, including Shell.<\/p>\n<p>However, in 2018, Shell sold out its now 20 percent interest in the West Qurna 1 field, and its 45 percent interest in Majnoon field, to the Iraqi government.<\/p>\n<p>BP and Sir John Sawers did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>______________________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Matt Kennard is chief investigator at <\/em>Declassified UK<em>. He was a fellow and director at the <\/em>Centre for Investigative Journalism<em> in London.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/consortiumnews.com\/2023\/03\/23\/bp-extracted-15-billion-of-iraqi-oil-after-british-invasion\/?eType=EmailBlastContent&amp;eId=d3d43f21-2a8f-43aa-ad1e-56e44944e8d2\" >Go to Original &#8211; consortiumnews.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>23 Mar 2023 &#8211; Shell, the other U.K. \u201csuper-major\u201d oil company, also re-entered Iraq in 2009 after an invasion in 2003 that was widely denounced at the time as a war-for-oil on the part of the U.S. and U.K.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":232215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2999],"tags":[2645,232,550,1014,1050,950,741,1624,767,91,2937,86,639,70,172],"class_list":["post-232214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-war-racket-destruction-capitalism","tag-bp","tag-capitalism","tag-corruption","tag-energy","tag-imperialism","tag-invasion","tag-iraq","tag-mafia","tag-middle-east","tag-nato","tag-nordstream-2","tag-occupation","tag-uk","tag-usa","tag-west"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232214"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232218,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232214\/revisions\/232218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}