[Peace-discuss] Slipping away, over a dam of people we've killed...

[C. G. Estabrook]

[The US government's Long War in the Mideast & North Africa (MENA) is a war for 
oil - not for access to oil (the US in fact imports very little oil from MENA) 
but for the control of the world's greatest deposit of hydrocarbons, because of 
the advantage that control gives to the US in relation to its economic rivals in 
northern Europe and northeast Asia. (The policy remains essentially the same 
whether the Republicans or Democrats are in office. The Obama administration is 
at least as eager as earlier ones to kill people to maintain this control. As of 
last Wednesday, at least 1,424 members of the U.S. military had died in 
Afghanistan - more under Obama [868] than under Bush [575]; of course, many more 
Afghans died, and many more Americans received serious injuries.) Iran - where 
the US overthrew a popular government in 1953 -  is a particular problem, 
because its 1979 revolution removed it from US control. Washington's fear is 
that Iran will become ever more integrated into the Asian energy grid, 
represented by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and perhaps attract other 
MENA producers away from US control. --CGE]

More foreign firms attending Iran oil expo
Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:42AM

The number of foreign companies attending Iran's 16th International Oil, Gas, 
Refining, and Petrochemical Exhibition has increased compared to previous 
editions of the event.

The manager of the exhibition told IRNA on Friday that the number of foreign 
participants has risen by 35 percent compared to last year's exhibition, noting 
that 495 foreign firms from over 40 countries are attending the event.

Hossein Porsan said that China has the highest number of representatives with 
166 pavilions, which is an increase of over 50 percent compared to the 100 
Chinese companies that attended last year.

"Despite the sanctions imposed on Iran's nuclear energy program, Germany is 
participating in the fair with 64 companies, Italy with 36, Britain with 37, 
Spain with 14, France with 15, and South Korea with 33 companies," Porsan stated.

He went on to say that a number of major energy groups such, as Total of France, 
Norway's Statoil, and OMV of Austria also have pavilions at the expo.

Some 927 Iranian companies are participating in the exhibition.

The international exhibition, which is currently underway in Tehran, opened on 
Friday and runs until April 19.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/175201.html