Markey: Hunt Oil Deal Prompts More Questions for Secy. Rice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Select Committee, 202-225-4081
Markey: Hunt Oil Deal Prompts More Questions for Secy. Rice
New Reports of State Dept.-Hunt Talks Appear to Contradict Earlier Denials
WASHINGTON (October 12, 2007) – Today Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) sent a follow-up letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice seeking answers to a growing number of questions regarding an oil deal in Iraq initiated by a member of the President’s Foreign Policy Advisory Board. Markey noted that, in light of recent news reports on the Hunt Oil deal for Kurdish oil, both the original questions posed on the deal in a letter from Chairman Markey to Secretary Rice and new questions must be answered. Today’s new letter follows reports that documents show Dallas-based Hunt Oil Corp. did communicate with the U.S. State Department before inking an oil deal with the Kurdish government.
“These new reports regarding a meeting between Hunt Oil and State Department personnel in Iraq are very disturbing considering assertions by State Department spokespersons and Hunt that no such communications preceded the deal,” said Chairman Markey, who heads the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. “If necessary, I am prepared to hold hearings on this subject. In the meantime, I am hopeful that the administration is willing to shed some light on this controversial deal as soon as possible.”
Chairman Markey originally sent a letter to Secretary Rice on October 2nd, asking for clarification on certain aspects of the Hunt Oil deal. One question posed in the letter was: “Are you concerned that the involvement of such a high-level adviser to the president in this contract will create the impression that the negation between Hunt and the Kurdish government was sanctioned by you, or, indeed, by the president himself?” The letter can be found HERE.
A new letter, sent today, asks for a specific timeline on communication between the State Department, Hunt Oil, the Kurdish government, and any other parties to the deal, and any accompanying documents or communication among these parties. It also asks for a swift response to the original questions from the October 2nd letter. The letter can be found HERE.
In the original letter, Chairman Markey also cited America’s debilitating dependence on foreign oil and its influence on accomplishing foreign policy objectives. Energy bills currently being considered in Congress would, if enacted, save more than twice as much oil as we currently import from the Persian Gulf.
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The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming was formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to increase the visibility and priority given to America's oil dependence and global warming challenges. It is chaired by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and will actively explore the solutions, science and progress on these pressing issues during the 110th Congress.
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