Former US ambassador seduced by multi-billion dollar oil deal

Published 14 November, 2009, 10:24

Edited 18 November, 2009, 20:18

A Norwegian financial newspaper claims a former US ambassador and advisor to the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq stands to profit from the country's vast oil resources.

It accuses former diplomat Peter Galbraith of putting his private interests above politics.

Galbraith played a key role in helping Kurdistan gain semi-autonomy under Iraq's constitution, which gave the Kurdish regional government control over future oil development in the region.

“[Galbraith] was very influential in the negotiations towards a new constitution which gave very decentralized powers to Iraq and a lot of power to Kurdistan in the north, including the Kurds’ control over the resources to a large degree,” James Paul, executive director of Global Policy Forum, told RT.

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“He had a tremendous material interest in the policies that he was proposing. The Kurdish government apparently gave him that interest,” added Paul, “The Kurdish authority found [Galbraith’s] loyalty in securing in advance an assurance that he would follow their interests by following his own interest, which is a multi-billion dollar stake in that particular oil field.”

Peter Galbraith (AFP Photo DDP / Joerg Koch / Germany Out)

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