AP Iraq Doubles Funding for Oil Imports (severe fuel shortage)

[rodeodance]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-fuel-shortage,1,315462.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines
Iraq Doubles Funding for Oil Imports

By Associated Press

7:22 AM PDT, August 17, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq has doubled the money allocated for importing oil products in August and September to tackle the country's worst fuel shortage since Saddam Hussein's 2003 ouster, a senior Iraqi official said Thursday.

Even though Iraq has the world's third-largest proven oil reserves, it is forced to depend on imports because of an acute shortage of refined products such as gasoline, kerosene and cooking gas. Sabotage of pipelines by insurgents, corruption and aging refineries have been blamed.

Falah Alamri, head of the State Oil Marketing Organization, which is responsible for Iraq's imports of oil products, said the money normally allocated by the government to buy oil products was doubled in August, to $426 million. The normally allocated amount would be doubled for September, too, Alamri told Dow Jones Newswires.

A gallon of gasoline now sells on the black market in Baghdad for about $4.92, although its official price is $0.64. Lines of cars at many Baghdad fuel stations stretch several miles, and drivers sometime wait overnight to fill their cars......

[Missy M]

1. They're blaming everything but the real cause of the shortages...

GW Bush. How much more can this total incompetent destroy.

[Jacobin]

2. ONLY Bush could manage this:

Requiring oil and gas to be imported into the country with the third largest reserves in the world.

:rofl:

Hauling coal to Newcastle, as it were.


:rofl:

[rubberducky]

3. Sometimes I agree with Saddam!!

Put him back in charge and let him handle the mess our country has made of his country.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

4. How's that "oil revenues will pay for the war" thing

going now, I wonder?

[harlinchi]

5. Next up: Saudi sand imports! Newcastle coal imports! n/t