In it, the Silvio Berlusconi administration is accused of picking the Nasiriyah area to safeguard a 1997 deal signed by Italy’s largest energy producer, ENI, and former dictator Saddam Hussein.
A government report compiled months before the war broke out recommends that Italy, in case of conflict, should secure the region of Nasiriyah and the nearby area of Halfaya, south of Baghdad, so as to secure “a deal worth 300 billion dollars”.
Both areas are known for its vast oil fields.
According to Benito Livigni, a former manager of ENI and the United States’ Gulf Oil Company, Iraqi’s oil reserves are estimated at 400 billion barrels, far more than the known figure of 116 billion.
If true, this would make Iraq the largest oil producer in the world, ahead of Saudi Arabia…link
This should clarify things for those who have had questions about Berusconi’s response to the events surrounding the fate of the car carrying Giuliana Sgrena and Nicola Calipari. Sgrena survived the accidental assassination attempt.