The tiny Irish stock on the brink of landing 'the first' post-sanction oil deal in Iraq. Ref 'Fleet Street Letter' 12-04-04..

Quite right not to.

PET is Irish!

Blair is English representing the UK, and unless there has been an invasion, Ireland is still a Republic!

Val Doonican is rumoured on his way though!

(joke, lol!)

No offence meant!

lol lol lol lol!

At this stage it doesn't matter who goes once we get some sort of possitive news

gra1969 - seen where you got it from now.

Sorry, this thought is plainly ridiculous for reasons given above.

Blair is simply not interested in Irish concerns, they have their own people for that!

Nice thought though.

yeah, it did make me laugh!

Tokyo - thanks for clearing that up but many thousands including myself have sold up at a great loss due that reuters statement. Peoples livelihoods are at stake here. The whole thing has been handled terribly by both sides but particularly the Iraqi side. All credit to all those who are still bullish and ready to dive back in again. In my opinion you must be mad 'once burnt twice shy', but good luck to you!

What could this mean for PET?

Blair makes surprise Iraq trip
Tue Dec 21, 2004 11:49 AM GMT
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By Mike Peacock
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair has made a surprise first visit to Baghdad amidst intense security and hailed officials orchestrating Iraq's January elections as heroes.

In an act of political bravado, Blair flew into the centre of Baghdad on Tuesday saying he wanted to send a strong signal of backing for the election despite an upsurge in bloodshed and Sunday's killing of three Iraqi Electoral Commission officials.

As well as seeing Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, Blair, whose ratings have sunk over his strong alliance with the United States over Iraq, met top U.S. officials in Baghdad and election commission members.

"I said to them that I thought that they were the heroes of the new Iraq that's being created, because here are people who are risking their lives every day in order to make sure that the people of Iraq get a chance to decide their own destiny," Blair told a joint news conference with Allawi.

Blair said the election would go ahead as planned.

"Whatever people felt about the original conflict, we the British aren't a nation of quitters," Blair said. "What's very obvious to me is that the Iraqi people here, they're not going to quit on this task either. They're going to see it through."

AIDES IN FLACK JACKETS

Blair acknowledged the dangers and challenges of staging Iraq's elections which he said represented an "important blow for democracy everywhere." He said electoral officials lived "in fear of their life every day."

Blair's aides looked nervous in flak jackets while U.S. Black Hawk helicopters shadowed him into central Baghdad.

Twin suicide car bombings on Monday killed 66 people in Iraq's Shi'ite holy cities, attacks that intensified fears of sectarian violence during elections set for January 30.

The Green Zone, once Saddam Hussein's former presidential compound and now home to the British and U.S. embassies, is a target for frequent attacks by insurgents.

When U.S. President George W. Bush visited troops for Thanksgiving in November 2003 he stayed at the more heavily defended Baghdad International Airport military base and word of his visit was only released after his plane was back in the air.

A week ago, two suicide car bombers in as many days struck the same entrance to the sprawling Green Zone on the west bank of the Tigris in central Baghdad. Mortars typically strike the zone several times a week.

"Everybody's surprised and happy that Blair's coming," a spokesman for Allawi said. "We think it is very important."

Perhaps the question should be, "Why is Blair out of the country when the news is dominated by the Blunket affair?"

WT

Everyone is desperately clutching at every straw. What on earth as Blair got to do pet, what a waste of time and space. A pigeon just flew past my window. Oh i think it was an iraqi pigeon with note for DH saying he had won the contracts, lol.

lol lol lol lol lol !

Nice to see you still have your sense of humour Kivver!

Humour! Im being deadly serious, he had a little white note round its leg, was covered in sand and lovely little head scarf and he looked really tired not far to go now though. So get ready everybody, ive sold the house, car, wife and my mother in law (didnt get much for her though).

was it a collared dove?

You can eat a pigeon but you can't eat a telephone you sure it made it out of Iraq Kivver?

Posted on the other side guys, more humour!!!!!!!!!!



just decided to re post bernies article if anyone missed it

WASHINGTON (AFX) - Iraq has paid all its overdue service payments to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), making it eligible for new loans, the World Bank said.

Iraq's arrears -- amounting to some 110 mln usd, of which approximately 53 mln was overdue principal payments -- were cleared on Dec 16.

'Consequently, the country's eligibility for new operations has been reinstated,' the bank said yesterday in a statement.

One of five institutions that make up the World Bank group, the IBRD's main purpose is to help the world's poorest nations with loans and advice.

Clearance of Iraq's arrears will raise IBRD's net income in fiscal 2005 by around 74 mln usd, and announce 3 contracts to irish based petrol resourses the World Bank said.

In a separate statement, the World Bank said it had signed a 20 mln usd grant agreement with Iraq's interim government to bring water to rural communities by improving water supply, sanitation, irrigation and drainage systems.

was the pigeon/ dove being chased by a petrel?

Probably a cuckoo.

Im not the only one who lives in cloud cuckoo land lol.

dexter01

Come back with my feckin contract ya lousey bird... lol