Iraq: US Army Depots Named After Oil Giants
By Neela Banerjee New York Times March 27, 2003
The subtleties surrounding the sensitive role oil plays in the Iraqi war
may have eluded the United States Army. Deep in some newspaper coverage
yesterday was a report that the 101st Airborne Division had named one
central Iraq outpost Forward Operating Base Shell and another Forward
Operating Base Exxon.
The Pentagon shrugged off concerns that now might not be the time to
mention the names of foreign oil companies on Iraqi soil. "The
forward bases are normally refueling points they're basically gas
stations in the desert," a Pentagon spokeswoman said. "Whether
or not we're going to lecture everyone that, due to political
sensitivities, you should be careful what you call your gas stations, I
don't know if that's something that should be done or would be
done."
Neither Royal Dutch/Shell nor Exxon knew about the Iraqi bases. Cerris
Tavinor, a spokeswoman for Shell, heard of the base only when a reporter
called.
"We don't have anything in Iraq," Ms. Tavinor said.
"Clearly they pick their names for whatever they want to use."
Tom Cirigliano, a spokesman for Exxon Mobil, said he first heard of the
bases when he read a press review on Wednesday morning, but the mention
did not bother the company, the world's largest publicly traded
corporation.
"My first reaction when I saw it was this was not a political
statement in any way by the men and women of 101st," Mr. Cirigliano
said. "I think the 101st was being pretty creative and naming things
after what reminds them of home. And I think that's pretty neat."
But others involved in the oil industry say the Pentagon's indifference
to the names of the bases was poorly considered. "You have this
atmosphere of suspicion and apprehension now, and that's just among your
allies," Jan Stuart, head of research for global energy futures at
ABN Amro, the Dutch investment bank, said. "And in this atmosphere,
you call your own supply effort this. It's mind-boggling the degree of
insensitivity. There is little doubt the Americans will win the war, but
you have to wonder how people who are so insensitive are going to win the
peace."
Link:
http://www.corpwatch.org/news/PND.jsp?articleid=6128
