A senior Pentagon adviser today accused France of striking a deal with Saddam Hussein to oppose military action in return for a lucrative oil contract.

Richard Perle, a former US Assistant Defence Secretary, said the French anti-war stance was driven by economic interests. French oil giant TotalFinaElf has exclusive exploration contracts worth €60bn - €75bn to develop the massive Majnoon and Bin Umar oilfields in southern Iraq, he said.
...
"What's distinctive about the Total contract is that it's not favourable to Iraq, it's favourable to Total," Mr Perle, the chairman of the Pentagon's Defence Policy Board, said during an address in New York.
...
"It's entirely possible that Saddam negotiated that deal because that along with the revenues, he could get something else."

He said oil experts who had analysed the deal described it as "extraordinarily lopsided" in favour of the French company.

"This is not your normal oil exploration contract."

Total is currently barred from working on the oil fields because of the economic sanctions against Iraq.

If Saddam is overthrown the new regime is likely to nullify existing contracts and invite oil companies from around the globe to compete for new deals.

"The French interest in the propagation of contracts that will only go forward with this regime is perfectly obvious."

» IOL: France accused of oil-for-peace deal with Iraq