01-26-2003, 09:55 PM
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#25
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Quote:
Originally posted by Skunk:
quote:
France and Russia won't allow it in any case, even if the US does. They have too much at stake in the matter, last I heard France alone has over 1.6 Billion invested in Iraq, and Russia is thought to have more.
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Makes no difference what government is in power in Iraq - any debts owed to France and Russia will still have to be paid back by a new government - that's international law.
You show quite an ignorance of the history of that part of the world. Once upon a time a bunch of Americans paid the Arabs of several countries quite a lot of money to build refineries and drilling equipment for oil, only to have had all the equipment, and all the facilities "Nationalized".
What that means is the governments of those countries did was said piss off this is all our stuff now, thanks for building it. You can pay us for it all over again by purchasing the oil....neat little scam...international law....(snicker) you really think that means diddly to Iraq or really any government that has no problem gassing millions of iranians or kurds?
Russia, for example, still owes the 'Paris Club' some $37 billion dollars of debt for Soviet Era debts (some of it dating back to loans issued in the 1920's).
How many payments have been made? Come to think of it, most of europe should owe the US quite a lot of money....
So it makes no financial difference to France and Russia whether Saddam or another regime is in power - they'll still get paid.
Will not. [/QUOTE]
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