Wikileaks - Saudi asked US to stop oil lawsuits

[Joanne98]

According to US diplomatic cables seen by Wikileaks, Saudi Arabia in 2007 threatened to pull out of a Texas oil refinery investment unless the US government intervened to stop Saudi Aramco from being sued in US courts for alleged oil price fixing,.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud deputy Saudi oil minister said that he wanted the US to grant Saudi Arabia sovereign immunity from lawsuits by ordering a Department of Justice statement of interest on its behalf.

The cable said that Prince Abdulaziz told us that King Abdullah specifically had raised the lawsuit issue with Vice President Mr Cheney during his May visit and that the Saudi government would judge the administration's willingness to file an SOI as a test of good faith.

It said that Prince Abdulaziz perceives the lawsuits as a threat right now, one that could derail the expansion of the Port Arthur refinery, possibly by the end of the summer.

http://www.steelguru.com/middle_east_news/Wikileaks_-_Saudi_asked_US_to_stop_oil_lawsuits/190706.html

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. given their overblown reserve estimates,

keeping a lid on all things Saudi seems so predictable.

I wonder how Egyptian turn of events is seen in the House of Saud.
Yemen is scared shitless, Tunisia is trying to celebrate, Jordan is restless, and al Qaida is wondering, "What have they got that we don't?"

[azul]

2. Sovereign immunity

has a nice democratic ring to it, legally speaking.

[amyrose2712]

3. K&R nt

[Arctic Dave]

4. Foriegn country wanting to subvert our rul of law ?

Tell me again why we let key industries be ruled by foriegn interest.

[jberryhill]

5. Like the way we let Spain run the olive market?

Because that's where the olives are?

[azul]

6. Because they can pour money into US elections

and buy influence and legislation, secretly?

[OnyxCollie]

7. Bushco had stopped oil lawsuits in Iraq.

Executive Order 13303
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/pdf/03-13412.pdf

Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003
Protecting the Development Fund for Iraq and Certain Other Property in Which Iraq Has an Interest
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 5 of the United Nations Participation Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. 287c) (UNPA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, find that the threat of attachment or other judicial process against the Development Fund for Iraq, Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatso- ever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof, and interests therein, obstructs the orderly reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq. This situation constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.
I hereby order:
Section 1. Unless licensed or otherwise authorized pursuant to this order, any attachment, judgment, decree, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process is prohibited, and shall be deemed null and void, with respect to the following:
(a) the Development Fund for Iraq, and
(b) all Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatso- ever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof, and interests therein, in which any foreign country or a national thereof has any interest, that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons. Sec. 2. (a) As of the effective date of this order, Executive Order 12722 of August 2, 1990, Executive Order 12724 of August 9, 1990, and Executive Order 13290 of March 20, 2003, shall not apply to the property and interests in property described in section 1 of this order.
(b) Nothing in this order is intended to affect the continued effectiveness of any rules, regulations, orders, licenses or other forms of administrative action issued, taken, or continued in effect heretofore or hereafter under Executive Orders 12722, 12724, or 13290, or under the authority of IEEPA or the UNPA, except as hereafter terminated, modified, or suspended by the issuing Federal agency and except as provided in section 2(a) of this order. Sec. 3. For the purposes of this order:
(a) The term ‘‘person’’ means an individual or entity;
(b) The term ‘‘entity’’ means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization;
(c) The term ‘‘United States person’’ means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United
States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States;
(d) The term ‘‘Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products’’ means any petro- leum, petroleum products, or natural gas originating in Iraq, including any Iraqi-origin oil inventories, wherever located; and
(e) The term ‘‘Development Fund for Iraq’’ means the fund established on or about May 22, 2003, on the books of the Central Bank of Iraq, by the Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority responsible for the temporary governance of Iraq and all accounts held for the fund or for the Central Bank of Iraq in the name of the fund. Sec. 4. (a) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA and the UNPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government. All agencies of the United States Govern- ment are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their statu- tory authority to carry out the provisions of this order.
(b) Nothing contained in this order shall relieve a person from any require- ment to obtain a license or other authorization in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Sec. 5. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit, or privilege, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
Sec. 6. This order shall be transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Register.

THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 22, 2003.