- Title: IRAQ: BAGHDAD MOTORISTS BLAME U.S FORCES FOR PETROL SHORTAGES
- Date: 10th July 2003
- Summary: (EU) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (JULY 10, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF LONG QUEUES OF STATIONARY CARS IN THE CITY CENTRE 0.03 2. SLV OF MOTORISTS STANDING BESIDE THEIR CARS IN THE ROAD WAITING FOR THEIR TURN TO FILL THEIR VEHICLES WITH BENZENE 0.07 3. WIDE OF CARS AT A PETROL STATION 0.10 4. VARIOUS, PEOPLE WAITING AT PETROL STATION (2 SHOTS) 0.21 5. SMV MAN FILLING HIS CAR WITH BENZENE 0.26 6. CLOSE-UP OF THE MONITOR ON THE PETROL PUMP SHOWING LITRES OF BENZENE 0.30 7. SMV PEOPLE OPENING THEIR CARS' BOOTS TO FILL CONTAINERS THEY PUT INSIDE THEIR CARS 0.36 8. SMV MAN COUNTING OUT BANK NOTES 0.41 9. SLV PEOPLE WAITING TO FILL UP CONTAINERS WITH PETROL 0.46 10. VARIOUS OF JERRY CANS AND AND A CROWD OF PEOPLE NEAR THEM ( 2 SHOTS) 0.54 11. VARIOUS, JERRY CAN BEING FILLED WITH PETROL (2 SHOTS) 1.04 12. VARIOUS OF DRIVERS, SOME OF THEM CARRYING JERRY CANS (2 SHOTS) 1.14 13. SLV DIRECTOR OF THE PETROL STATION, JABBAR MOHAMMED HOLDING GUN 1.18 14. VARIOUS, JABBER MOHAMMED TALKING TO CUSTOMERS (2 SHOTS) 1.29 15. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JABBAR MOHAMMED, SAYING: "Although the Americans have not given me a licence yet, I carry this pistol to defend myself. The Americans themselves are behind this crisis and they (the American forces) have done it intentionally. We have everything in our country. We are an oil country. Why do we import benzene from Turkey, while it (Turkey) was importing benzene from us before?" (3 SHOTS) 1.55 16. WIDE OF CARS IN A LONG QUEUE AT GARAGE 1.59 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 25th July 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVAE6W04WA5MX2DC2ZYL885CPY9F
- Story Text: Motorists in Baghdad have been standing in long queues
in sweltering temperatures to fill their cars with petrol and
have blamed the U.S. forces for the chaos caused by fuel
shortages.
Motorists, who have almost forgotten the misery of
petrol queues in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad for weeks
following its conquest by U.S. troops on April 9, are now
experiencing the same inconvenience.
The reasons for the fuel shortages are not fully known.
Some believe they may have been caused by explosions that have
recently targeted the oil pipeline in the northwest of the
country, or by other causes which Iraqis are attributing to
the U.S-led coalition forces.
The owner of one petrol station in the centre of Baghdad,
Jabbar Mohammed, was seen on Thursday (July 10) carrying a
pistol to disperse the throng of motorists and organise them
into queues.
He accused the U.S forces of being behind the crisis and
complained of not having been given a license to carry his
pistol to defend himself.
"Although the American have not given me a licence yet, I
carry this pistol to defend myself. The Americans themselves
are behind this crisis and they (the American forces) have
done it intentionally. We have every thing in our country," he
said.
He asked why Iraq, a country rich in oil, is having to
import petrol to help ease the crippling fuel shortage, which
has left power plants idle and motorists queuing for hours..
"We are an oil country. Why do we import benzene from
Turkey while it (Turkey) was importing benzene from us
before?"
Iraq exported around two million barrels per day (bpd)
before the U.S.-led war.
It will probably be some time before the oil producers' group needs to
look at bringing Iraq back into the quota system.
Iraqis have been calling for their own government to
replace the American authority, which is backed by 156,000
troops, some 53,000 of them in Baghdad alone.
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