Putin plan to shut out US oil giants

[deminks]

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1826629,00.html?gusrc=rss

President Vladimir Putin is set to keep US oil companies out of a lucrative gas field in the latest sign of the deteriorating relationship between Moscow and Washington.

The Russian leader is expected to favour Norwegian companies and reject bids by America's Chevron and ConocoPhillips after failing to secure backing from the United States for his country's attempt to join the World Trade Organisation.

The tit-for-tat snub will be a blow to US companies scrambling for access to Russia's huge gas reserves at a time of high energy prices. It comes after Putin failed to resolve differences with US President George Bush over trade and human rights at the G8 conference in St Petersburg last week.

The two leaders were barbed about each other's democratic records at a tense G8 press conference. Putin later publicly praised Norsk Hydro and Statoil, the Norwegian firms that are competing with US companies for a role in developing the highly prized Shtokman gas field.

[msongs]

1. b b b b but george w bush loooked into his soul ! nt

[wakeme2008]

2. Bush's oil friends will be pissed now

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[spotbird]

6. They love Bush,

this just means another opportunity for invasion!

[54anickel]

11. Nah, just high prices without the invasion. n/t

[yurbud]

14. We should do with oil execs what Putin did with owner of Lukoil

Then either nationalize those companies or figure out a way to neuter them so they can't dictate our foreign policy anymore.

[karynnj]

27. Until seeing this post, I didn't know that Lukoil was Russian

I first noticed them late last year when I drove to PA. They are all over NJ now. The wikipedia listing is fascinating.

"In 2000, LUKOIL purchased the remaining assets of Getty Oil, and began opening Lukoil stations in the US in 2003. Most of the US LUKOILs are converted Gettys, though some are also converted Mobils bought from ConocoPhillips when that company left the Northeast.

In September 2004, ConocoPhillips purchased a 7.6 percent stake in LUKOIL and signed an agreement that could increase this figure in the future to up to 20 percent. <1>. The two oil companies have agreed to develop jointly an oil and gas field in the northern Timan-Pechora area of Russia and intend to secure the rights to develop the West Qurna Field in Iraq, one of the country's largest. <2> <3>

In Spring 2004, Lukoil purchased 779 Mobil gas stations throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and in 2005 began converting them to the Lukoil brand. In the Spring through Summer of 2006, they did the same, this time acquiring just about every Exxon station in New Jersey."

[NJCher]

39. aha

So that's where they came from. I just noticed them popping up everywhere in the last few months. They are high priced. Sometimes their oil is 15 cents more per gallon than other places.




Cher

[DYouth]

3. Uh oh, will we have to liberate Russia now?

We can cite their brutal treatment of Chechens and Putin's electoral blocks that are preventing democracy.

Sure we can choose peace, but the Russians need their freedom, right?! Come on, let's bomb Russia!

[raccoon]

53. Don't give them any ideas!

Both Napoleon and Hitler failed at this, but do you think that would stop our fearless leader for one minute?

:silly:

[Spazito]

4. Hmmm, but I thought it was george that said

"just wait, just wait" as if in a threat!


:rofl:

[MadMaddie]

5. So the * boy has ushered in the the new cold war....

wow...another great accomplishment that he can write in in memoirs....:sarcasm:

[valerief]

7. A new cold war during global warming. Irony ain't lost on me. n/t

[lonestarnot]

9. Rich comment! I love it!

[MadMaddie]

42. Indeed!!

[Ilsa]

8. And the US continues to lose power and presence in the world. nt

[Freedom_from_Chains]

10. Yep, looks like the summit went real well.

King George really showed Pooty-poot who the boss is.

[54anickel]

12. Pooty's way of saying we don't need your stinking WTO as much as

you need our oil. Now, about those vetos....

[VegasWolf]

18. Absolutely right. But dimbulb can't see beyond his slap in the face. nt

[Delphinus]

38. I totally understand why Putin did this.

George doesn't think - period. And it's obvious, neither do any of his staff (if he even bothered to listen to them). Isn't Condi supposed to be this big expert on Russia? Well, my guess is that you or I or just about anyone on this board - anyone who's awake - could have seen this coming.

[Vidar]

13. Good for Russia & Norway.

[w4rma]

15. I think this is going to be the last straw for Republicans. (nt)

[Sadie5]

16. Fill me in on Russia

and why * made those comments to Putin about a free press, etc. Russia might be lacking freedom but here lately there are few US freedoms.

[w4rma]

32. Putin has cracked down on all independent media in Russia and

assassinates viable political opponents. It's getting to be just like it was back in the Soviet days, except they now have more of a mix of capitalism in their economic system.

The **only** good thing that I've seen Putin do is to crack down on some of the concentration of wealth and corruption, associated with that, which happened when government assets were sold off at undervalued prices and a few people bought it all up.

[badgervan]

21. First Do No Harm..... Can We Have An Election Do-Over?

Our Decider is a complete and utter failure at every single thing that he has so much as glanced at over the past 6 years. Just unbelievable in his ineptness; his worthlessness. Now he harms our country, energy-wise, yet again. Impeach? Oh yeah.

[w4rma]

33. I can't stress enough, this is a policy failure of the whole Rethug Party

It's not just Bush. In fact Bush is probably just doing what he is told by Repuglican leaders.

[Donnachaidh]

17. but but but but we have allies all over the world

Don't we?

Good for Putin. Somebody needs to slap Bushie and his oil goons down.

[NMDemDist2]

19. welcome to DU Donnachaidh!

:hi:

[Donnachaidh]

51. thank you for the welcome! :-)

[bdamomma]

20. I'm glad Putin did this

[TomInTib]

22. This is a huge development. So much for our Balkan/Afghan efforts

So much for controlling the oil flowing through the Caspian Pipeline.

We have spent untold billions for that access.

There will be Hell to pay and this Administration will be dogs forever to the US oil corporations.

No one could have screwed this up so thoroughly and irretrievably.

All it took was us paving the way for Russia's entrance to the WTO.

[cliss]

47. I agree with you.

This is unbelievable....the impact this is going to have on the oil companies is just unfathomable right now.

Just imagine the cursing...the fists slammed in the table. And you KNOW who will get the blame for all this. = Cheney, = Bush.

Their idiotic behaviour pushed the envelope to this. Cheney was so belligerent toward Russia, about 2 months ago. And Bush repeats the same stupid idiocy.....

OMG.....

[me b zola]

50. Bingo!

The Caspian Pipeline, otherwise known as Pipelinestan, is the reason why we are in the ME spreading death, destruction, and mayhem. PNAC's plan for global domination was going to begin with the pipeline.

[jwirr]

23. Putin will sell Russian oil and natural gas to EU and thus move

into a closer alliance with them. He will also use the Euro as currency in these trades thus strengthening that currency against the dollar. The whole world in building alliances to combat globalization. They are keeping their industrial infrastructure sound while we let ours move out of our country leaving us the dependent role of consumer of the worlds goods. South & Central America are rapidly uniting, Asia is moving toward a Japanese/Chinese alliance, EU and Russia are working more closely and Turkey wants to join EU. We are going to find ourselves isolated in a very vulnerable position thanks to the policies of the last years.

[Spazito]

24. I agree, Russia/Putin has been playing it very smart, strategically

over the past 3 or so years aided, unknowingly, by bush's total ineptitude in foreign policy and the lack of qualified experts around him. Putin, imo, has played the bush cabal like a fiddle and it has put the US in, potentially, a very vulnerable position in some very crucial areas, economically, politically.

[NoodleyAppendage]

25. We screwed them on WTO. So, I can't say I blame Putin...

Putin isn't going to be pushed around by Chimp. He knows that Chimp is a joke and is playing him like a harp. Chimp's WTO tantrum may have further implications...

J

[Dover]

26. I wonder how this might affect U.S. relations with Norwary too?...n/t

[JackNewtown]

28. Hey, Norway does have oil and is essentially defenseless...

[fooj]

29. Little Lord Pissypants was in SUCH a big hurry to get home.

The tit-for-tat snub will be a blow to US companies scrambling for access to Russia's huge gas reserves at a time of high energy prices. It comes after Putin failed to resolve differences with US President George Bush over trade and human rights at the G8 conference in St Petersburg last week.

[JanusAscending]

30. Bush had the last word, at least that we could hear.

What do you think Bush meant when he told Putin "JUST YOU WAIT"!!!???

[Locut0s]

31. I love how the US sees every loss such as this as a national security...

issue. As if Russia wasn't a sovereign country capable of making it's own decisions about who they let drill in their own oil fields.

[shanti]

34. good.

:thumbsup:

[rucky]

35. Sanctions are a proper way to deal with Rogue States. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

36. Do you remember Bush refused to meet with Norway's Jens Stoltenberg,

who asked for a meeting on a trip to the U.S.? If I'm not mistaken, he was actually responding to an invitation _Bush extended to him long ago.

_Bush turned his back on him, and flatly declined to meet.

I just found a photo of Stoltenberg and Clinton during a meeting, and it appears THEY got along just fine.....



The second one is Stoltenberg with Putin.

What is it about _{George Bush} that doesn't get "statesmanship?" Is it impossible for him to imagine something in the world more important than himself?

[54anickel]

41. Yes, it's impossible

Is it impossible for him to imagine something in the world more important than himself?

Remember, he believes Gawd wants him to be President at this time - Gawd talks to him, Gawd wanted a cowboy running the world during the "pre-trib" days. Shrub believes all the governments of the world will answer to him and do his bidding.

There is nothing more important than himself (except his Gawd who is not in the world). DimSon truly believes he is the Top Dog.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

37. oh wow! can you say "ouchie" for us, Condosleeza?...

... Putin shafted Chevron! No wonder GW had that "I just pooped my underoos" look on his face while at G8.

[Amonester]

48. You mean, when the unscreened audience just laughed out loud

at his narcis-sic-k chimpy nasals after Pooty_poot "politely" refused his idiotic 'order' that Russia should adopt Iraq's 'democracy' as an ideal model?

Methinks they had so much fun, they just want to see chimpy's stupid :blush: facade over and over again. Methinks they can't stop laughin' just imagining what Darth Chenious must be yellin' at ** sorry farce!!

:rofl:

[NJCher]

40. wonder how The Mighty Wurlitzer

Is going to spin this baby, LOL.




Cher

[Cha]

43. But, geoge drank

near beer(yeah right) with pooty poot!

Musta not made such an impression like bush thought he was makin'.

Edit~ Where's that picture of bush and putin when I need it?

[Submariner]

44. DU will be there

I was picked up by Statoil as senior ecologist and I go to Murmansk in 2 weeks.

http://www.mosnews.com/money/2006/04/21/gazpromshtokman.shtml

Matter of fact I was asking for info yesterday here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1703330&mesg_id=1703330

[schrodingers_cat]

45. Have a safe trip, Submariner, and drop us a line whenever you get lonely

I know I'm not the only one that likes hearing about what's happening in the world, outside the bubble of inanity that is the United States...

[Submariner]

46. I can probably post to DU okay

If I clicked on Freek Republic I suspect I'd be kicked off the job and out of the country. I understand there will be a "Follower", and since they are installing a brand new wireless broadband in the hotel I'm staying at, I fully expect that ALL my traffic will be monitored. I will do the best that I can short of ending up in a Gulag.

I find that since Chimpy has severely damaged our reputation and prestige in the world, it is necessary that I let the foreign workers know my political leanings right up front at the first opportunity because the looks on their faces indicate fear that they might be working with a Bushbot. Once I let them know my leanings, I have observed them breath a sigh of relief. Sad....but true.

[samsingh]

49. is Putin the only leader capable of standing up to bush?

[TheLastMohican]

52. At the moment yes

Putin has the necessary leverage over Bush, none of the other countries have. Huge natural reserves capacity and a capable nuke force not to prevent chickenhawks from playing "Operation Russia Oil" on Russia.