The US government was involved (we knew that all along, they denied it) in putting American companies at the head of the line in Iraq.
The disclosure, coming on the eve of the contracts’ announcement, is the first confirmation of direct involvement by the Bush administration in deals to open Iraq’s oil to commercial development and is likely to stoke criticism.
In their role as advisers to the Iraqi Oil Ministry, American government lawyers and private-sector consultants provided template contracts and detailed suggestions on drafting the contracts, advisers and a senior State Department official said.
The New York Times delicately offers the caveat that it's not clear how influential our government was in that deal. So far the Iraqis haven't lifted their robes to exhibit the bruises and other signs of enhanced persuasion. Or, as the Times puts it: "Repeated calls to the Oil Ministry’s press office for comment were not returned."
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