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Newsletter
Issue 22
February/March 2005
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Stop the Pillage of Iraq Campaign: TAKE ACTION AGAINST WINDRUSH! Windrush Communications is the British company who organise the Iraq Procurement Conferences . These conferences are where foreign companies get together and discuss the privatisation of Iraq's assets (see Corporate Watch Newsletter December 2004). The decisions made by conferences like Iraq Procurement conferences, facilitated by Windrush Communications determine the living standards and opportunities for Iraqis for generations to come. They will determine who will survive, who will prosper and who will profit. Already protests have taken place based at Windrush's offices in Old St, London. Last year two activists disrupted one of the Iraq Procurement Conferences and, in what was believed to be a politically motivated decision to stop Windrush getting bad publicity, charges were dropped. Last month four activists laid siege to Windrush's offices while a lively protest got support from local office workers. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/11/301892.html TAKE ACTION The contact email for people wanting to be involved or updated is stopthepillage@yahoo.com LIST OF COMPANIES INVOLVED IN IRAQ Aegis Defence Services Limited: Private “security” company headed by Col Tim Spicer, the key figure in the Sandline arms to Africa affair. Recently won the contract ‘for security on all major Iraqi government projects following the June 30 handover’ (Daily Telegraph, 29 May 2004), awarded by the US Government and worth $293 million. http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/news/mercenery.htm AMEC :Amec’s joint venture with the US-based Fluor has been awarded three contracts – in the sewage, water and electricity sectors - worth up to $1.6bn. http://www.voices.netuxo.co.uk/library/letter_may2004.html#Amec Bechtel: Closely linked to the Bush administration, Bechtel has thus-far received several billion dollars worth of contracts – most recently garnering a $1.8bn contract to repair Iraq’s infrastructure. De La Rue: Landed a massive contract to print notes for the new central bank of Iraq after the occupying forces decided to scrap the old currency. Recently announced pre-tax profits of £58.7mn. Foster Wheeler Energy
Limited: Awarded the ‘Oil Sector Program Management Office (SPMO) support contract in Iraq by the U.S. Department of Defense’earlier this year, worth $6.8mn. Halliburton: US Vice-President Dick Cheney’s former company has thus far received over $9bn worth of contracts as a result of the invasion and occupation, despite becoming immersed in multiple scandals involving bribery, corruption and overcharging. http://www.halliburton.com/ofc_loc/location_search.jsp?USA=0&rgn=EU&cnt=United%20Kingdom http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/profiles/haliburton/haliburton.htm HSBC :Together with Standard Chartered (1 Aldermanbury Sq, London) one of the three foreign banks to have been granted a licence to operate in Iraq. HSBC also owns 46.5% of the British Arab Commercial Bank which is looking to collect $100 million from Iraq. www.mtcp.co.uk/debtcollector/dgb.php MerchantBridge: Corporate finance. In January was appointed lead adviser to the Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals for their lease of industrial factories programme. Other UK-based private security companies: Other UK-based private security companies: AmourGroup, ; Control Risks Group, ; Global Risk Strategies, ; ICP Group Ltd, ; AKE Limited;Genric,; Olive Security, . Shell Oil: Recently announced that it ‘intends “to establish a material and enduring presence in Iraq” in an attempt to rebuild the firm’s depleted reserves and foster the long term future of the country’s energy sector’ (Guardian, 4 May). “We are interested in building a long term relationship with Iraqis”, a spokesman told the paper.
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