Iraq Reconstruction News 12 April 2007

Iraq Reconstruction News
12 April 2007


1. Brookings Iraq Index 9 April 2007 http://www3.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf

2. Iraq Weekly Status Report 4 April 2007 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/82776.pdf

3. Iraq Weekly Status Report 11 April 2007 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/83098.pdf

4. Shell strikes deal to extract Iraqi gas -- timesonline.co.uk -- Shell is poised to become the first oil major to step back into Iraq after reports that it had signed a deal to extract natural gas in the Kurdish northern region. A Turkish news agency claimed that the Anglo-Dutch giant would work in partnership with TPAO, the Turkish state oil company. http://business.timesonline.co.uk:80/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article1643808.ece

5. S. Korea signs MOU with Iraq on oil field development -- People's Daily Online -- South Korea's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy announced on Thursday that South Korean and Iraqi governments signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in the development of Iraqi oil fields. The MOU was signed by Kim Young-ju, South Korea's minister of commerce, industry and energy, and Hussain al-Shahristani, Iraqi oil minister, on Thursday here after a ministerial meeting. http://english.people.com.cn/200704/12/eng20070412_365977.html

6. "The Laws of Targeting Petroleum-Related Interests and a Review of the Laws Pertaining to the Economic Jihad”, by Shaykh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Rashid (aka Abdelaziz bin Rashid al-Anzi) http://www.globalterroralert.com/pdf/0306/oiljihad0306.pdf

7. Explosion Strikes Oil Pipeline in Iraq -- A bomb struck an oil pipeline Thursday, cutting off supplies and causing a huge fire in southern Iraq near the border with Kuwait, an official said. The pipeline carries oil from surrounding fields to storage tanks in Basra for export to the Gulf region, according to the official with the South Oil Co. But he said the tanks were full and export supplies had not yet been affected. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=43583

8. Crescent holds talks on exploration in Iraq -- Dubai: Sharjah-based Crescent Petroleum yesterday said it held talks with representatives of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil in Amman last week to implement their joint study of an exploration area near the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/04/06/10116246.html

8. Japan sees Iraq oil as 'national interest' -- TOKYO, April 4 (UPI) -- Japan needs good relations with Iraq, given that the country is a huge source of petroleum, the Japanese government said Wednesday. http://www.upi.com:80/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20070404-081729-2261r

9. Iraq loses $8 billion through corruption -- BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's top corruption fighter said Wednesday that $8 billion in government money had been wasted or stolen over the past three years and claimed he had been threatened with death after opening an investigation into scores of oil ministry employees. In the chaos and lawlessness of Iraq, such threats are not taken lightly. Radi al-Radhi, who runs the Public Integrity Commission, leads one of the more dangerous missions in the country today. He said in an interview with The Associated Press that 20 members of the organization have been murdered since it began its work. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-04-04-corruption-probe_N.htm

10. Al Musayib Maternity Hospital Partnering Agreement Reached -- Blackanthem Military News, AN NASIRIYAH, Iraq -- In an atmosphere of mutual respect, trust and cooperation, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Provincial Reconstruction and Development Council (PRDC), and the Iraq Ministry of Health (MoH) signed a partnering agreement March 28 to build Al Musayib Maternity Hospital (MMH) in Iraq's Babil Province. http://www.blackanthem.com:80/News/U_S_Military_19/Al_Musayib_Maternity_Hospital_Partnering_Agreement_Reached5473.shtml

11. Iraqi leadership improves fuel distribution -- TIKRIT — Iraqi provincial, security and oil officials organized an unprecedented one-day delivery of nearly 5 million liters of petroleum products to Ninewa Province Monday. After months of unsuccessful or inadequate fuel deliveries from the Bayji Oil Refinery, 135 fuel tankers carrying approximately 36,000 liters of benzene, diesel or kerosene products each were convoyed, under Iraqi Army escort, from the refinery to multiple fuel distribution centers in Mosul, Iraq. http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11128&Itemid=128

12. Iraq's Restructured Insurance Market: A Critical Review http://www.mees.com/postedarticles/oped/a47n19d01.htm

14. Iraq's Economy -- Economist.com -- You would be hard pushed to find an area keener on attracting foreign investors than Iraqi Kurdistan. The region is almost entirely dependent on imports, as the authorities search for ways to rebuild an economic base that was all but destroyed during the Anfal campaign of Saddam Hussein in the late 1980s. http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8960605

15. War News Radio: The Past as Prologue http://warnewsradio.org/

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