‘Act
of Terror’ if Saddam Destroys Iraq’s Oil Fields
Destruction
of the oil fields truly would be an act of terror, the US Department
of Defense said Friday during a briefing and graphic slide presentation
with background information on Iraqi sabotage. The DoD is saying
that Saddam has in the past demonstrated his intent to use terrorist
kinds of tactics against his own people. And certainly using the
oil fields as a hostage to the economic future of the country
would be a terrorist act against his own people. It cost coalitions
partners and Kuwait partners over $20 billion to recraft the oil
infrastructure that was destroyed by Saddam during the Gulf War.
And it’s believed that it would cost $30 (billion) to $50 billion
to repair and reconstruct the Iraqi oil infrastructure.
"Currently
we estimate that the potential income to the Iraqi people as a
result of their oil could be somewhere in the $20 (billion) to
$30 billion a year, and obviously, that’s money that is used for
their well-being. That makes up about 90 or 95 percent of their
foreign exchange right now in Iraq. And it’s known that the bulk
of that does not go to the Iraqi people, it goes into the Saddam
regime coffers.
"Some
of Iraq’s northern oil fields, where there’s a very high concentration
of hydrogen sulfide, burning that will cause a significant environmental
and health hazard for the countries in the region and as well
as the Iraqi people.
"We
know from historical records that the Kuwait oil fields caused
both near-term symptoms — eye irritation, dizziness, et cetera
— and we are still seeing that there are long-term impacts of
that that we have not yet determined the depth or extent of. We
know that the World Health Organization talks about increase in
death rates, but if you look at, for example, the personal injury
on — of a smoker, you may not understand the impact of smoking
for 10 or 15 or 25 years. The same is true for any inhaled toxin.
And so we’re still understanding what has happened to the people
in the region in terms of health impact from the Gulf War.
"Saddam
doesn’t gain anything by destroying those fields, except to penalize
his people. And we feel it’s important to preserve those fields
so that there is a potential for very rapid development of the
economy in Iraq if the conflict goes on and subsequent to those
operations.
"The
bottom line really of all this is that the oil is a natural resource
to the country of Iraq. It gives them the ability to improve their
own welfare. Obviously, it provides commerce, it gives them money
for education, obviously, infrastructure, and it really is the
future of the people in Iraq. And destruction of that would be
an act of terrorism in the most significant degree."
—
Kathleen
T. Rhem of the AFPS recently reported on how U.S. Central Command
and the DoD have the ability to fight if Saddam destroyed the
Iraqi oil fields, but that such an act would destroy the lives
of the people in the country.
American
Experts: Saddam Could Destroy Iraq’s Oil Fields
By Kathleen
T. Rhem, AFPS
WASHINGTON,
Jan. 24, 2003 – Iraqi troops destroyed Kuwait’s oil fields
during the 1991 Gulf War, and American officials are concerned
Saddam Hussein will cause even more damage in Iraq if he feels
threatened enough.
Bush administration
officials are quick to remind that no decision has been made on
possible military action to disarm Iraq, but military planners
are working up plans for every scenario. A U.S. Central Command
official told reporters here today, without going into specifics,
that the Defense Department is working up contingencies to try
to prevent such an oil field crisis.
When Iraqi
troops fled from Kuwait with American soldiers on their heels,
Saddam Hussein ordered them to destroy the country’s oil fields
on their way out. The economic, ecological and medical disaster
this caused cost Kuwait billions of dollars to remedy. And the
damage isn’t 100 percent corrected today.
The American
government wants a post-Saddam Iraq to be economically viable.
For this to be possible, the Iraqis need the estimated $30 billion
in annual revenue they can draw from their oil fields.
The United
States has credible evidence Saddam Hussein has both the means
and the intent to blow up his own country’s oil fields if he is
deposed. "We see this as a real potential crisis," the
official said.
At the same
time they were setting fire to Kuwait’s oil wells, Saddam’s troops
dumped about 5 million barrels into the Persian Gulf. U.S. experts
estimate the environmental impact from this to be 20 times that
of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska.
Should he
follow the same path in Iraq, and U.S. intelligence sources suggest
he may, Hussein has the capacity to dump 2 million to 3 million
barrels of oil into the Gulf per day. In just a few days, this
could bring about a disaster 40 times worse than the Exxon Valdez
spill.
Hussein’s
sabotage in Kuwait cost the Kuwaitis roughly $20 billion to remedy.
Similar actions in Iraq could cost up to $50 billion, based on
the size of the two countries’ oil fields, the official said.
Medical issues
are a serious concern, as well. When crude oil burns, it releases
a toxic substance called hydrogen sulfide. Its ill effects resemble
those of cyanide, the official said. This is specifically a problem
in northern Iraq, where the oil fields naturally have a very high
hydrogen sulfide content.
Short-term
problems include eye and skin irritation, dizziness, and respiratory
difficulties. Experts still aren’t sure how long lasting these
respiratory problems can last.
World Health
Organization officials believe Kuwait’s annual death rate has
gone up 10 percent since the Gulf War, which they attribute to
the heavy smoke and toxic chemicals in the atmosphere.
Oil spilled
on the ground can contaminate ground water supplies, while oil
dumped in the Gulf can put desalinization plants at risk throughout
the region. In arid climates such as Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia,
anything that threatens water supplies can become a disaster.
The CENTCOM
official said such actions would have little effect on any military
actions – U.S. and coalition troops have the ability to
maneuver around any hazard – or on the world’s oil supply
– currently Iraq only accounts for 3 percent of the oil
pumped around the world in a day.
It would,
however, devastate the Iraqi economy and that county’s chances
of success. The official said 95 percent of Iraq’s income comes
from oil.
"The
bottom line really of all this is that the oil is a natural resource
to the country of Iraq," the official said. "It gives
them the ability to improve their own welfare. Obviously it provides
commerce. It gives them money for education (and) infrastructure,
and it really is the future of the people of Iraq. And destruction
of that would be an act of terrorism in the most significant degree."