Dec 02, 2004

Emergence of Economics Alliance between China and Iran at the Expense of Indigenous Ahwazi People


According to Chinas Xinhua news agency, Chinas large oil firm SINOPEC signed an accord with Iran to buy 250 million tons of LNG worth $20 billion, and to develop the giant YADAVARAN oil field in the Irans southwestern province of Khuzestan (Ahwaz)
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The most vivid reflection of this alliance is the recent huge oil and gas deals that signed on 30 October 2004 in Beijing.

According to China’s Xinhua news agency, China’s large oil firm SINOPEC signed an accord with Iran to buy 250 million tons of LNG worth $20 billion, and to develop the giant YADAVARAN (Koshk-Husseienh) oil field in the Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan (Ahwaz) worth $ 70 billion.

Aside from China’s desperate need for oil to fuel its growing economy, some analyst believe Tehran is also bribing Beijing in return for China’ support in the UN Security Council for Iran’s nuclear bomb building effort. Moreover, Iran has become one of Iran’s major arms suppliers including advanced missile technology.

Iran’s argument that it needs nuclear energy is baseless as there are thousands of free- burning gas oil wells in the oil rich Khuzestan (AHWAZ) province that can fuel large numbers of conventional power plants and provide the much needed jobs and economic development among the 4 million indigenous Ahwazi-Arab inhabitants of AHWAZ (Khuzestan).

The newly discovered oilfield, “Yadavaran”, is located in and around the two Indigenous Ahwazi-Arab villages of Hussinieh and Kusk. Immediately upon the discovery on July 3, 2004, the Iranian government changed the indigenous Arab names to a Persian name of “Yadavaran” and contrary to international law, forcefully expropriated the land.

Historical and legal owners of the “Yadavaran” oilfields are the 4 million indigenous Ahwazi Arabs of Southwestern Iran. In fact, the Khuzestan region where “Azedegan” oilfields are discovered is the ancestral land of indigenous Ahwazi Arabs who have lived there for thousand of years and despite the fact that their land produces nearly 5 million barrels of oil per day, they are being deliberately kept backward by successive Iranian regimes, and they live in abject poverty.

We urge the Chinese government in accordance with the UN Human Rights’ principle and concept of “Prior, Informed and Free Consent”, as long as the Iranian Government does not recognize the legitimate rights of the Ahwazi Arab indigenous peoples of Khuzestan (Ahwaz), and in absence of the free consent from the Indigenous Ahwazis, these oil and gas deal be abrogated and future oil investment in this region be avoided without the consent of its indigenous Arab population.

These deals will only strengthen and provides financial ability for conservatives and fundamentalists in Iran who are committed to the proliferation and use of Atomic bombs and other weapons of mass destruction and pursuit of persecution of Ahwazis and other ethnic groups. Time and again in the past twenty five years, history has shown that the Iranian government does not respect or abide by the international law.