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BP announced increases of 1p a litre in the UK on 4th April in response to 'instability in the Middle East' and stated that this would be 'unlikely to be the last' increase. (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4387102,00.html). A litre is now 74p which if my calculations are correct translates as an equivalent of 4 dollars per US gallon... Abi On Mon, 8 Apr 2002, pjw8 wrote: > Greetings all, > Thanks for this, Dirk. I did think that the US only would > be targetted, but it sounds like all countries are being > embargoed? Oil prices at the pump in the US state I live in > jumped four days ago from $1.30 p.gallon to $1.50 approx. There's > been no reporting of this in the media. How are pump prices > in the UK, elsewhere? > Philippa Winkler > > ===== Original Message From Dirk Adriaensens <dirk.adriaensens@skynet.be> > ===== > >[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] > > > >Hello all, > >latest news on Iraq. I thought I'd let you know. > >Dirk. > > > > BAGHDAD, April 8 (AFP) - Iraq stopped oil exports for 30 days > >from Monday in protest at Israel's offensive against the > >Palestinians, President Saddam Hussein announced in a speech to the > >nation. > > Iraq's leadership decided to "completely halt oil exports as of > >this afternoon, April 8, 2002, through the pipelines carrying > >(crude) to the Turkish port on the Mediterranean and through our > >ports in southern Iraq," Saddam said in his televised address. > > The stoppage will last "30 days, after which we will review (the > >decision), or until the armies of the Zionist entity have > >unconditionally withdrawn from the Palestinian territories they have > >occupied and (until they) respect the will of the Palestinian people > >and the Arab nation," he said. > > Saddam urged other Arab and Muslim oil producers to follow suit > >and suspend crude exports. > > "Our Arab and Muslim brethren and all believers will hopefully > >encourage our move ... by taking similar measures in the case of > >those who have oil," he said. > > Arabs and Muslims without oil wealth should take "effective > >measures" in accordance with their own means, the president added. > > The oil ministry said in a statement that oil exports stopped at > >1000 GMT from Mina al-Bakr terminal on the Gulf and the Turkish > >Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, the two ports through which Iraq's oil > >flows. > > The price of oil promptly jumped above 27 dollars a barrel in > >London before settling back. > > Benchmark Brent North Sea crude for May delivery surged to 27.35 > >dollars from 25.99 on Friday evening, then eased to 26.91. > > Oil prices had risen even before the Iraqi announcement, after > >Israel pressed ahead with its siege of the West Bank, ignoring calls > >from US President George W. Bush for a pullout from Palestinian > >territories it reoccupied in the past 10 days. > > But an OPEC source in Vienna told AFP the oil cartel had no > >plans to organize a collective ban on crude exports following the > >Iraqi move. > > The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries "is for order > >and harmony in the oil market and should not be dragged into a > >political crisis in the (Middle East) region," the source said. > > In Doha, OPEC general secretary Ali Rodriguez told AFP on the > >sidelines of an oil conference that he was consulting member > >countries about Iraq's gesture. > > Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Islamic > >oil-producing countries Friday to suspend their exports to Western > >countries and those that have relations with Israel "for a symbolic > >period of one month." > > Libya voiced suport for the call. > > Saddam said the decision to halt exports was taken at a joint > >meeting of Iraq's ruling Revolution Command Council, Baath Party > >leadership and cabinet. > > "This decision is essentially aimed against the Zionist entity > >and the aggressive US policy, not against anyone else. It is not > >meant to harm anyone except those who have decided to harm the Arab > >nation, including the heroic Palestinian people," he said. > > Saddam accused the United States of being Israel's accomplice in > >the blitz on West Bank towns. > > "The Zionist aggression in which our brothers and sisters are > >being killed in front of TV cameras is being perpetrated by common > >arrangement between the Zionist entity and the US administration," > >the Iraqi leader charged. > > "Its objective is not only to occupy Palestinian and Arab lands > >as happened in 1948 and 1967, but also to break the Palestinians' > >and Arabs' will and force them to surrender to the Zionist-American > >alliance," he said. > > The office administering Iraq's oil-for-food program with the UN > >said on April 2 that the volume of oil exported by Baghdad under UN > >supervision surged from 6.7 million barrels to 16.5 million barrels > >the previous week. > > Iraq has periodically halted exports under the UN oil-for-food > >scheme in recent years, the last time on June 4, 2001, for a month > >in protest at efforts to introduce "smart sanctions" against > >Baghdad. > > OPEC member Iraq has proven reserves of 112 billion barrels and > >a current production capacity of 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd). > > > >BAGHDAD, April 8 (AFP) - Iraq stopped exporting oil at 1000 GMT > >on Monday, the oil ministry said in a statement. > > Exports were halted at the Mina al-Bakr terminal on the Gulf and > >the Turkish Mediterranen port of Ceyhan, the two ports through which > >Iraq's oil flows. > > President Saddam Hussein announced exports would stop for 30 > >days as a protest against the Israeli military assault on the > >Palestinians. > > Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Islamic > >oil-producing countries Friday to suspend their exports to Western > >countries and those that have relations with Israel "for a symbolic > >period of one month. > > > >BAGHDAD, April 8 (AFP) - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is > >vowing to fight to the last, but US military action against Baghdad > >looks increasingly uncertain as Middle East violence spirals out of > >control. > > "If half your anti-air defences were to be destroyed, you would > >defend with the other half and if the remaining half also came to be > >destroyed, you would fight with your daggers like your brothers in > >Palestine are doing," Saddam told senior military officials late > >Sunday. > > "You are strong and your enemy is weak because you are right and > >he is wrong," the Iraqi strongman charged. > > In another sign of his pugnaciousness, Saddam announced Monday > >that Iraq had stopped oil exports in protest at Israel's offensive > >against the Palestinians, sending world crude prices jumping in an > >indication of what might happen if Washington attacked. > > US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony > >Blair warned Saturday they were considering "all options" against > >Iraq, which has refused to allow in UN arms inspectors since a > >December 1998 US-British bombing blitz. > > Blair delivered his bluntest warning yet to Iraq a day later, > >speaking of possible military action to topple the "brutal, > >repressive" regime of Saddam Hussein. > > The two leaders received short shrift in the Iraqi media on > >Monday, with Al-Jumhuriya daily branding them "criminals". > > "Bush, the villain, and Blair, the stupid, have attacked Iraq > >with their idiotic statements to cover up their crimes in > >Afghanistan and ... their isolation in Europe on Iraq, Palestine, > >and Afghanistan," it said. > > Babel newspaper declared that the Israeli offensive against the > >Palestinians "is part of a plot ... which starts in Palestine and > >ends in Iraq." > > The daily run by Saddam's son Uday warned that "what the > >Palestinians are going through can be repeated in any other Arab > >country." > > "We are keeping some surprises for enemies despite all the > >precautions they may take," Babel said, underlining Baghdad's > >determination to defend itself against any US-led attack. > > But the London-based The Times, citing sources close to Bush and > >Blair, reported Monday that while the two leaders have agreed on a > >military campaign against Iraq, no action is likely for at least a > >year. > > They sketched out a "three-phase plan" to overthrow Saddam: > >"First recreating a coalition for action by convincing Iraq's > >neighbours that Saddam can be ousted; then taking military action > >against him and finally ensuring that a successor regime is capable > >of running the country." > > Blair said Sunday there would be no precipitate action against > >Iraq, but added: "We must be prepared to act where terrorism or > >weapons of mass destruction threaten us." > > But the two men have seen their plans to topple Saddam thwarted > >by the bloodshed from Israel's latest military offensive in > >Palestinian territory, which has been strongly condemned in the Arab > >world, notably by all of London and Washington's most faithful > >regional allies. > > Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Sunday that military > >strikes against Iraq would be a mistake and counter-productive. > > "Talk of using force today, when other means exist, is for the > >least politically incorrect, and would be a mistake," Putin said. > > Fellow "axis of evil" nominee Iran also reiterated its > >opposition to any US strike on neighbouring Iraq on Monday, saying > >that the region "cannot bear a new war". > > "Resorting to force to change a government is against > >international law, principles of democracy and morality. It is up to > >the people to carry out such a change," foreign ministry spokesman > >Hamid-Reza Asefi said. > > > > > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. > >To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss > >To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk > >All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. > To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss > To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk > All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk > _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk