Iraq Reconstruction News 26 January 2007

Iraq Reconstruction News
26 January 2007


1. Iraq Weekly Status Report, 24 January 2007. http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/79483.pdf

2. Reconstruction in Iraq: The Uncertain Way Ahead. Synopsis: The course of the fighting on Iraq is now so uncertain that no one can predict when it will be possible to begin the systematic reconstruction of the economy and the petroleum sector. What began as an insurgency has become a sectarian and ethnic conflict that risks tearing the country apart and could lock it into a bloody civil war or divide it between Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurd. This fighting has compounded the serious, if not critical, problems in the past allocation of aid. The US programmed some $38 billion dollars in aid to Iraq between its invasion in 2003 and President Bush's announcement of a new strategy in January 2007. The international community pledged some $15 billion more. The new Bush strategy at most will buy time and support military operations for a year or so in ways that can weaken the economic incentives to support sectarian and ethnic fighting. To be successful, however, past aid plans will probably have to be totally restructured during the course of 2007 and 2008. http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/070119_iraq_reconstruction.pdf

3. Iraq riches tempt South Korea. UpstreamOnline.com. South Korea has sent a joint business-government delegation to Kurdistan to discuss future oilfield developments, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Energy said in reports. http://www.upstreamonline.com/incoming/article126548.ece

4. Syria and Iraq to sign economic minutes. DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Minister of Trade and Economy Amer Hossni Lotfi and Iraqi Minister of Trade Abdullfalah al-Sudani singed the discussion minutes held between the Syrian and Iraq sides to enhance the fraternal ties connecting the tow countries particularly in the economic domain. Discussions concentrated on the economic cooperation especially in trade exchange and oil transportation. http://www.sana.org/eng/21/2007/01/17/97241.htm

5. Energy Crisis Threatens Investment. Investors in Iraqi Kurdistan say escalating fuel costs are trying their patience. http://www.iwpr.net/?p=icr&s=f&o=328624&apc_state=henficr328622

6. Iraq is preparing to receive the Japanese loan of 3.5 billion dollars. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/en/default.asp

7. Erbil seeks to become Middle East hub. ATWOnline.comTuesday January 23, 2007. The Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq is spending $300 million to upgrade Erbil International Airport in an effort to make the city that sits just 60 mi. from the Turkish and Iranian borders an important transportation hub. http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=7686

8. Positive signs in Iraq/Dina-Dollar exchange rate. A look at the price of the Iraqi dinar through today, Jan. 15, shows that it keeps moving up. If you go to the Central Bank of Iraq site and scroll down to the bottom you will see the most recent data. Note the explosion in dollar value of trading. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/01/positive_signs_in_iraq.html

9. Implementing 11 service projects in Science & Technology. http://www.iraqdevelopmentprogram.org/idp/news/new1469.htm

10. Kurdistan is not demanding to take back Kirkuk just for oil -Barazani. Erbil, Jan 24, (VOI) – Kurdistan Prime Minister Nijirvan al-Barazani on Wednesday said the Kurds were not demanding to take back Kirkuk just for oil but because they were evicted from their homes there during the former Iraqi regime. http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=35867&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

11. New Iraq state oil company to control biggest fields. BAGHDAD, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Iraq will put its most prized oilfields under the control of a new national oil company that can invite multinationals to help boost exports and production, Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said on Wednesday.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlebusiness.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=nL24379112

12. Kurdish reservations on the draft of the iraqi oil law. http://www.niqash.org/content.php?contentTypeID=171&id=1787

13. State oil company 'to oversee Iraqi fields'. UpstreamOnline.com Iraq will put its most prized oilfields under the control of a new national oil company that can invite multinationals to help boost exports and production, Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain Shahristani said today. http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article126724.ece

14. DNO aims for quick Iraq export licence. UpstreamOnline.com Norway's DNO expects to gain a licence soon to export oil from Iraq despite an apparent rift in the war-torn country's oil-sharing rules between Baghdad and its partner, the Kurdish authorities. http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/middle_east/article126696.ece

15. S Korea to Send Delegation to Iraq This Week on Oil Devt. www.gulfoilandgas.com 1/22/2007 A South Korean delegation will travel to Iraq this week to seek the support of the Kurdistan Regional Government for the participation of South Korean companies in oil development projects there, said the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy Monday. http://www.gulfoilandgas.com/webpro1/MAIN/Mainnews.asp?id=4036

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