BP 'has gained stranglehold over Iraq' after oilfield deal is rewritten

Mission accomplished! BP 'has gained stranglehold over Iraq' after oilfield deal is rewritten --New terms mean company will be paid even when production is disrupted, critics claim 31 Jul 2011 BP has been accused of taking a "stranglehold" on the Iraqi economy after the Baghdad government agreed to pay the British firm even when oil is not being produced by the Rumaila field, confidential documents reveal. The original deal for operating Iraq's largest field - half as big as the entire North Sea - has been rewritten so that BP will be immediately compensated for civil disruption or government decisions to cut production.