WAR: Kuwait Says It Will Start Charging The U.S. Military For Fuel

Since the beginning of the Iraq Invasion in March of 2003, Kuwait has been supplying the U.S. Military with free fuel, however today, Kuwait's energy minister Sheik Ahmed Fahd Al Ahmed Al Sabah stated that U.S. troops will have to start paying for it. Roughly 18,000 troops are based in Kuwait and the country has long been a staging site for actions into Iraq.



Wow, over two years of free fuel, now that's quite a contribution from Kuwait in the War against Terrorism. I had no idea that Kuwait was doing such a grand gesture, but this change in policy will now cause the U.S. tab for a democratic Iraq to increase significantly especially with the high cost of oil these days. I can't blame the Kuwaitis for their decision either, the U.S. should probably start taking some "free" fuel from Iraq to help cover the cost of providing them with security.


[edit on 3-17-2005 by worldwatcher]

Right on Kuwait...maybe this will light a fire under Bush's butt and get him outta there

Kuwait pays a lot of money to offset US Military costs.
I don't have recent figures but here's the figures for 2001:

Kuwait Host Nation Support/ Defense Cost Sharing (2001)
(Millions)
Direct Support..................................................................……………… $239.08
Indirect Support................................................................……………. $8.55
Total................................................................................…………….. $247.63
U.S. Stationing Cost Offset Percentage………………………………………… 51.4%

www.defenselink.mil...

Good. I hope we get shut off completely and soon/


Bush should ask Halliburton for a donation seeing that they profit so greatly from this "war"

I cannot even begin to fanthom anyone criticizing this move by Kuwait.
They owe us nothing but their continued friendship.
Hell, we get a better help and deal from the Kuwaitis than from Europe, go figure.

It was a wonderful gesture while it lasted. Thank you Kuwait.




seekerof

wow... so nice of them, those are some great people. but then again, we should stop using oil and use some other energy already!!! like Hydro something...

Wow! That is a lot of gas. Imagine 1 humvee probably takes 30-40 gallons of gas a day. I can't even imagine how much it could have cost us. Nice find. I had no idea Kuwait was doing this.





[edit on 17-3-2005 by Event Horizon]

Was it really as generous as that article portrayed?

Another article says Kuwait demanded payment for at least part of the fuel costs:

Aljazeera

The London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat said on Wednesday that the dispute was disclosed a few days ago by Islamist MP Nasir al-Sana during a meeting with his voters.

Al-Sana said that before and during the Iraq war, Kuwait supplied the US army with fuel worth $450 million free of charge, its contribution to the overthrow of the government of Saddam Hussein.

Supplies continued after the war and the emirate recently demanded payment of $500 million after calculating the amount at a preferential price of $21 a barrel, al-Sana was quoted as saying.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld responded with a tough-worded letter saying that Washington had liberated the emirate from Iraqi occupation in 1991, and because it enjoys a fiscal surplus there is no need to demand the payment.

Annoyed by the harsh response, the Kuwaiti government summoned US Ambassador Richard LeBaron in protest.

Later, the US administration offered to pay $7 a barrel, al-Sana added.
Al-Sana's account was confirmed by the parliamentary source, who said Kuwait may soon dispatch its foreign and energy ministers to Washington to settle the dispute.

Yeah, I know it's Aljazeera. Maybe someone can find confirmation from another source.

Here's a repeat of the above article on another site:
www.middle-east-online.com...

[edit on 17-3-2005 by AceOfBase]

Ok, if Kuwait has been supplying the US with fuel

Then where in the heck is the Iraqi oil? Does anybody has any news as what happend with the Iraqi oil?

Where is going, any suggestions, because I know that it has been pumped but where is going.

AceOfBase do you have any Idea.

[edit on 17-3-2005 by marg6043]

I think that they should provide free fuel WHILE we were protecting them from iraq...
but since they don't fear an attack from iraq now, we should ship those soldiers somewhere they are needed more and not use any fuel from kuwait...

if we are just using kuwait as a staging area,
well... then we should pay for our gas...
that is what any occupying nations army should be willing to do.

Here's another source, this time from Kuwait:

kuwaittimes
KUWAIT: The United States and its staunch ally Kuwait are locked in a dispute over Washington's failure to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for fuel supplies for its army, a parliamentary source said yesterday. Kuwait is asking the United States to pay some $500m for fuel it supplied to the US army after the US-led war on Iraq two years ago but Washington has said it would pay less than one-third of the amount, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
--snip--

Perhaps they supplied fuel for free up until the point that major combat operations were declared to be over and are just demanding payment for fuel used after that point? Just speculating.

Ok, now they're saying it isn't really a dispute, they're just trying to work out a payment mechanism.

keralanext

[Middle East News] KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait denied yesterday it was locked in a dispute with the United States over hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel supplies to the US army in Iraq.

Energy Minister Shaikh Ahmad Fahd Al Sabah told reporters he was “surprised” at reports of an alleged dispute between the two countries which he said were discussing a “payment mechanism” for future supplies.

“There are contacts between Kuwait and the United States regarding fuel supplies, not over the issue of debt but on ways to find a payment mechanism for the future,” he said.

--snip--

Hmmm. Wasn't the US military paying Halliburton something like five times the price of fuel in Iraq? Weren't criminal or civil charges filed?

...If I were Kuwait, I'd be a little miffed.