Iraq Reconstruction News
27 April 2007


1. Turkey, Iraq strike tentative oil deal -- ANKARA, Turkey April 25 (UPI) -- Turkish officials say meetings with Iraqi leaders last week included new oil export deals with Baghdad, bypassing Iraqi Kurds. Turkey threatened to stop exporting needed fuel products to Iraq after Baghdad told Ankara it would have to deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding shipments. Kurdistan, like the rest of Iraq, faces a shortage of transportation, cooking and heating fuels. http://www.upi.com:80/Energy/Briefing/2007/04/25/turkey_iraq_strike_tentative_oil_deal/

2 Asian Countries Hope to Win Oil Contracts in Iraq - As Iraq is debating a new law that will set guidelines under which authorities can negotiate with foreign oil firms, several energy-hungry countries in Asia hope to be among the first to sign contracts to explore the world's third largest oil reserves. Claudia Blume at VOA's Asia News in Hong Kong reports. http://voanews.com:80/english/2007-04-25-voa17.cfm

3 Iraqi, Kurdish Officials to Iron Out Oil Law -- (Reuters) -- Officials from Iraq's central government and the Kurdistan region will meet this week to iron out last-minute disputes over a draft oil law that will decide control of the world's third largest oil reserves. Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said last week the law would be ready for submission this week to parliament, and he expected lawmakers to make no major amendments. But Kurdish energy officials have called the draft's annexes unconstitutional, raising the prospect of more disagreements and delays that dogged the lengthy law-writing process.
http://www.aina.org/news/2007042493231.htm

4 Moscow backs Lukoil Iraq project - FT.com - The Russian government is throwing its full support behind Lukoil's ambition to become the first big international energy group to develop a major Iraqi oil field following the 2003 US invasion. Vagit Alekperov, Lukoil's chief executive, said in an interview on Tuesday: "The Russian government supports us, the foreign ministry supports us, the president of the federation supports us. They support the idea of putting those Iraqi fields [into production] as soon as possible. In all these areas we have the support of the Russian government." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18294996/

5 Iraq oil law no closer to completion -- BAGHDAD April 24 (UPI) -- Iraq's oil minister said a draft law governing its oil would head to Parliament this week, but major roadblocks still need to be overcome. More than 60 current and former Iraqi oil officials met in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, last week to talk frankly about the hydrocarbons law. Instead, what was revealed was negotiations are a long way from concluding. http://www.upi.com/Energy/Briefing/2007/04/24/iraq_oil_law_no_closer_to_completion/

6 Iraq’s oil deals must only be signed with central government - Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday foreign firms should sign oil contracts only with the central government until a new oil law is passed, adding that deals outside its jurisdiction would be considered illegal. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=109594&bolum=107

7 Iraqi Oil Min Warns Companies Against Deals Bypassing Central Govt - Dow Jones Newswire - Iraq's Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani Thursday warned international oil companies from signing oil contracts that bypass the federal government in Baghdad and the Oil Ministry, in a clear reference to deals signed by the Kurdistan Regional Government with a number of foreign firms. "Foreign companies shouldn't sign any contract that isn't through the federal government (in Baghdad) and the oil ministry," al-Shahristani said in a statement handed to reporters. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=44417

8 Japan Lends Iraq 102.8 Billion Yen for Oil Facilities -- (Bloomberg) -- Japan, which imports almost all its oil, agreed today to give 102.8 billion yen ($862 million) in loans to Iraq for reconstruction of the war-torn nation's oil pipelines and facilities such as power lines. The 40-year loan will be given at 0.75 percent interest, according to a statement from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The financing agreement came as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki visited Tokyo to meet with Trade Minister Akira Amari and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aX3Z1Bl1TTKI&refer=japan

9 Turkey vows $3.5 bln trade volume with Iraq, despite tension - ANKARA – Turkish Daily News - State Minister for Foreign Trade Kürşad Tüzmen yesterday said that the government aims to raise bilateral trade with Iraq to $3.5 billion, while playing down concerns over possible implications of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani's harsh rhetoric on an international Iraq fair scheduled May 23-27 in Gaziantep. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=70408XX.

10. Medical waste a growing health hazard - BAGHDAD/MOSUL , 8 April 2007 (IRIN) - Raghed Sarmad, 32, and her two children, aged seven and eight, spend their days scavenging through piles of rubbish in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in search of anything they can sell for food. She prefers medical waste, because there is a greater chance of finding items of some value. http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=71225

11. Iraqi Army receives donation from NATO - AD DIWANIYAH – In an official ceremony on April 3, the NATO Training Mission - Iraq (NTM-I) turned over four Bozena mine clearance vehicles and a large quantity of ammunition to the Iraqi Army. This donation is estimated to be worth a substantial amount of money and was given to the 8th Iraqi Army Division, which is based in Ad Diwaniyah in Southern Iraq. During the past two years, NTM-I has coordinated donations of equipment to Iraq from a number of NATO countries worth more than $100 million. These donations include personnel transport and general-purpose cargo trucks, various types of ammunition, refurbished T-72 tanks and BMP armored personnel carriers as well as personnel protective equipment. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1813986/posts

12. Fix the Public Distribution System to meet needs of the displaced - Reuters - Iraq's internally displaced are in desperate need of assistance as the Public Distribution System (PDS) that they and other Iraqis depend on for food and fuel is broken. Poor management is to blame for its shortcomings, as well as terrible security and a general lack of political will on the part of the Government of Iraq to acknowledge the scope of the crisis. With the central government unable or at times unwilling to protect and assist Iraqi civilians, donor governments must step in to fill the gaps. Reform of the PDS should be a priority, and agencies such as the US Department of Agriculture and the UN World Food Program (WFP) must provide the technical assistance required to ensure the system is once again fully functional and able to reach the most vulnerable Iraqis. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/219053/117631901137.htm

13. Oil flowing to Jordan within months - Iraqi Minister of State for National Security Affairs, Shirwan Alwaeli, said that an agreement was concluded with companies operating under the private sector to protect the roads linking between Iraq and Jordan, with the aim of raising the volume of trade exchange, and start transferring the expected amount of Iraqi oil to Jordan. Alwaeli said that the current security situation deferred supplying Jordan with the oil agreed at between the two countries, of 10 thousand barrels, accounting for 10% of Jordan’s consumption of crude oil per day, but efforts are being made to protect the road netween Amman and Baghdad. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3548

14. Seven Questions: Iraq's Economy - To defeat the Iraqi insurgency, there are few tasks more vital than improving the country’s struggling economy.Prior to Iraq’s December parliamentary elections, FP sat down with Ali Allawi, Iraq’s finance minister, to talk about reconstruction, corruption, and the U.S. presence in Iraq. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3330

15. Iraq PRTs to double in number by year's end -- WASHINGTON (AFNEWS) -- Plans are under way to double the number of provincial reconstruction teams now operating in Iraq by the end of the year, a senior U.S. official said April 9. "We will both double the number of PRTs and we will double the number of individuals who are working in the PRTs," said Rick Olson, chief of the national coordination team in charge of provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123048138

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