Why is it that the BBC is totally incapable of delivering a straight good news story on Iraq? The news that the Iraqi government is opening its oil fields for development by international companies should be an occasion for rejoicing.
Iraq has the second largest known oil reserves in the world - and only about one third of the country has been properly surveyed. At a time when the world is desperately short of oil, and prices have hit an all-time high, Iraq could help alleviate the pressure on the West's hard-pressed economies.
The fact that the Iraqi government now feels it is strong enough to tackle this crucial issue also shows that the new, democratic Iraq is now finally emerging from the shadow of Saddam Hussein's thirty-year reign of fear.
But is any of this goods news reflected in the the BBC's coverage? - not a word of it...
The rest of Con Coughlin's commentary in the Telegraph (U.K.) is well worth reading.
