Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil

[Guest guest]

Hopefully now even those who supported the war will begin to question this

administration illegal and immoral war. Yes, Charlotte -- it was blood for oil

afterall. Gotta wonder how our oil got under their sand.

Pass it on.

Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil

Wednesday June 4, 2003

Oil was the main reason for military action against Iraq, a leading White

House hawk has claimed, confirming the worst fears of those opposed to the

US-led

war.

The US deputy defence secretary, Wolfowitz - who has already undermined

Tony Blair's position over weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by describing

them as a " bureaucratic " excuse for war - has now gone further by claiming the

real motive was that Iraq is " swimming " in oil.

The latest comments were made by Mr Wolfowitz in an address to delegates at

an Asian security summit in Singapore at the weekend, and reported today by

German newspapers Der Tagesspiegel and Die Welt.

Asked why a nuclear power such as North Korea was being treated differently

from Iraq, where hardly any weapons of mass destruction had been found, the

deputy defence minister said: " Let's look at it simply. The most important

difference between North Korea and Iraq is that economically, we just had no

choice

in Iraq. The country swims on a sea of oil. "

Mr Wolfowitz went on to tell journalists at the conference that the US was

set on a path of negotiation to help defuse tensions between North Korea and its

neighbours - in contrast to the more belligerent attitude the Bush

administration displayed in its dealings with Iraq.

His latest comments follow his widely reported statement from an interview in

Vanity Fair last month, in which he said that " for reasons that have a lot to

do with the US government bureaucracy, we settled on the one issue that

everyone could agree on: weapons of mass destruction. "

Prior to that, his boss, defence secretary Rumsfeld, had already

undermined the British government's position by saying Saddam Hussein may have

destroyed his banned weapons before the war.

Mr Wolfowitz's frank assessment of the importance of oil could not come at a

worse time for the US and UK governments, which are both facing fierce

criticism at home and abroad over allegations that they exaggerated the threat

posed

by Saddam Hussein in order to justify the war.

Amid growing calls from all parties for a public inquiry, the foreign affairs

select committee announced last night it would investigate claims that the UK

government misled the country over its evidence of Iraq's WMD.

The move is a major setback for Tony Blair, who had hoped to contain any

inquiry within the intelligence and security committee, which meets in secret

and

reports to the prime minister.

In the US, the failure to find solid proof of chemical, biological and

nuclear arms in Iraq has raised similar concerns over Mr Bush's justification

for

the war and prompted calls for congressional investigations.

Mr Wolfowitz is viewed as one of the most hawkish members of the Bush

administration. The 57-year old expert in international relations was a strong

advocate of military action against Afghanistan and Iraq.

Following the September 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre and

Pentagon, Mr Wolfowitz pledged that the US would pursue terrorists and " end "

states' harbouring or sponsoring of militants.

Prior to his appointment to the Bush cabinet in February 2001, Mr Wolfowitz

was dean and professor of international relations at the H Nitze School

of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), of the s Hopkins University.