London: If the contents of some documents released under the USA's Freedom of Information Act are to be believed, the Bush administration launched its attack on Sadam Hussein's regime with an eye on Iraq's oil wealth.

This means that the alleged threat to world security on account of the so-called weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) was not the only reason behind the Gulf War number two. At least that will be the speculation, if not established truth.

The papers reveal that an energy task force led by Vice-President Dick Cheney was examining Iraq's petroleum assets two years before the war started, says a report in 'The Telegraph'.

It adds that Judicial Watch, a conservative legal charity that opposes government secrecy and is suing for the dealings of the task force to be made public, obtained the papers after a long battle with the White House. The revelations also indicate that Washington is beginning to lose the battle to keep its internal workings secret.

The number of pages is 16, dated March 2001. Maps of Iraq oil fields, pipelines, refineries and terminals are shown in them. A document titled "Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oil Field Contracts" is also included, listing the countries keen on doing business with Saddam's government.

Judicial Watch, the newspaper said, sought the papers two years ago as part of its investigation into links between the Bush administration and senior energy executives, including Enron's former chairman Ken Lay. Cheney resisted the release of the documents at every stage, but a court ordered two weeks ago that at least some of the task force's working papers should be made public.

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton was quoted as saying, "People will draw their own conclusions about the documents, but that is what an open society is about. Given the delay in their release, the Bush administration clearly did not want them to come out."

And this is what the Commerce Department had to say: "It is the responsibility of the Commerce Department to serve as a commercial liaison for US companies doing business around the world, including those that develop and utilise energy resources. The energy task force evaluated regions of the world that are vital to global energy supply."

Judicial Watch, according to the British daily, isn't claiming that the documents are proof of any particular intent, but say they should be open to public scrutiny.

Fitton added, "Opponents of the war will point to the documents as evidence that the Bush administration was after Iraqi oil. Supporters will say the energy task force would have been remiss if it did not take Iraq's oil into account."

Until now it had been assumed that the US government was stonewalling over the energy task force papers because they would show the extent to which major party benefactors, including Enron, effectively wrote national energy policy. But Judicial Watch and other watchdogs are now curious what else may come to light.

Maps of oilfields and pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and a list of energy development projects in those two countries have also been included in the papers, says 'The Telegraph'.

ANI