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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: hmaly who wrote (182891)	2/17/2004 6:36:00 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1578281

The Dresser merger also raised ethical questions. The United States had concluded that Iraq, Libya, and Iran supported terrorism and had imposed strict sanctions on them. Yet during Cheney’s tenure at Halliburton the company did business in all three countries. In the case of Iraq, Halliburton legally evaded U.S. sanctions by conducting its oil-service business through foreign subsidiaries that had once been owned by Dresser. With Iran and Libya, Halliburton used its own subsidiaries. The use of foreign subsidiaries may have helped the company to avoid paying U.S. taxes. In some ways, the Libya and Iran transactions were consistent with Cheney’s views. He had long opposed economic sanctions as a political tool, even against South Africa’s apartheid regime. During the 2000 campaign, however, Cheney said he viewed Iraq differently. “I had a firm policy that we wouldn’t do anything in Iraq, even arrangements that were supposedly legal,” he told ABC News. But, under Cheney’s watch, two foreign subsidiaries of Dresser sold millions of dollars’ worth of oil services and parts to Saddam’s regime. The transactions were not illegal, but they were politically suspect. The deals occurred under the United Nations Oil-for-Food program, at a time when Saddam Hussein chose which companies his government would work with. Corruption was rampant. It may be that it was simply Halliburton’s expertise that attracted Saddam’s regime, but a United Nations diplomat with the Oil-for-Food program has doubts. “Most American companies were blacklisted,” he said. “It’s rather surprising to find Halliburton doing business with Saddam. It would have been very much a senior-level decision, made by the regime at the top.” Cheney has said that he personally directed the company to stop doing business with Saddam. Halliburton’s presence in Iraq ended in February, 2000. newyorker.com

To: hmaly who wrote (182891)	2/18/2004 12:53:17 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1578281

Al Re...I did...Is there some revelation I am missing in that answer? The buyer has the right to chose which suppliers, who they want to do business with, and Saddam chose to do business with Dressler instead of Halburton. Saddam made the choice, not Cheney; and for Ted to imply otherwise is garbage. I didn't imply it; several articles that I have posted stated it. In fact, its pretty common knowledge that HAL used foreign subsidiaries to get around the UN sanctions, and NOT because Saddam preferred dealing with them. Saddam was not in on position to pick and choose. But nice try!