Iraq Reconstruction News 5 March 2007

Iraq Reconstruction News
5 March 2007


1. Brookings Iraq Index 1 March 2007 http://www.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf

2. Iraq Oil Law Details Untouched Fields - Iraq's draft hydrocarbon law, the centerpiece in the development of the country's shaky oil industry, details dozens of untouched oil fields loaded with proven reserves and scores of exploration blocks that may prove a magnet to international oil companies, according to a document. Development of the long-delayed draft law has suddenly picked up pace in recent weeks, with hopes that it may be approved by lawmakers later this month. It is expected to open the country's 115 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the world's third largest, to foreign investors. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117303961669326351.html?mod=special_page_iraq_1

3. Violence prevents Iraq from exporting crude to Jordan - Azzaman, March 4, 2007 - Mounting violence in western Iraq has prevented the country from resuming oil exports to Jordan, Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani said. The minister said Iraq had agreed to resume exports to Jordan at preferential prices but both countries have found it almost impossible to carry out deal. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-03-04\kurd.htm

4. A Shared Stake in Iraq's Future - Under the national hydrocarbon law approved this week by Iraq's Council of Ministers, oil will serve as a vehicle to unify Iraq and will give all Iraqis a shared stake in their country's future. This is a significant achievement for Iraqis' national reconciliation. It demonstrates that the leaders of Iraq's principal communities can pull together to peacefully resolve difficult issues of national importance. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/02/AR2007030201143.html

5. Why Iraq's new oil law won't last - With considerable fanfare, Iraq's cabinet last week announced approval of a draft law that would permit foreign investment in the nation's oil industry and provide for distribution of oil revenues among the regions and thus the country's main sectarian blocs. Details of the draft are tricky. Revenues from current oil fields are to be shared according to population. Yet no recent census has been taken. The Kurdish region in the north and the provinces can sign new oil contracts, but these must be reviewed by an independent federal committee, not yet appointed. There is concern that foreign oil companies might try to get better terms by playing the provinces against one another. But some oil experts are skeptical of the significance of the measure. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0305/p17s01-cogn.html

6. Iraqi oil law restructures the National Company - Barham Salih, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, said that the new oil law approved by the Cabinet will restructure the Oil Company to become a controlling independent company, and form a federal council to put the national oil policy. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3323

7. Iraqi trade delegation due in Tehran today - Tehran Times Economic Desk - TEHRAN, March 4 (MNA) – An Iraqi trade delegation is to arrive here today to ink a memorandum of understanding (MOU), Janali Halvaii, Iran’s commercial attaché in Baghdad, said Sunday. He expressed hope that bilateral commercial ties will be reinforced during the visit. http://www.tehrantimes.com:80/Description.asp?Da=3/5/2007&Cat=9&Num=028

8. A conference call with General Walsh on reconstruction in Iraq - RedState.com - Yesterday I participated in a blogger conference call with Brigadier General Michael Walsh from Iraq. It was a particularly interesting opportunity since the General is, as the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Gulf Region Division, in charge of reconstruction projects. According to conventional wisdom, the failure of the US to effectively restore the Iraqi infrastructure has been one of the great "mistakes" of the post-war period. Iraqis have seen their quality of life materially diminish after the fall of Saddam, and so have turned against the "occupation" forces. There's no electricity, no water, and oil production has stagnated. Explanations for this state of affairs range from incompetence to neglect to impotence in the face of the volatile security situation. But General Walsh has a different story to tell--and one that does not dovetail quite so neatly with the known truth that Iraq is a failure. Quite the contrary, actually. http://www.redstate.com:80/stories/war/a_conference_call_with_general_walsh_on_reconstruction_in_iraq

9. Iraq economy growing despite conflict - Iraq's economy continues to grow despite continued civil unrest, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. In its report on productivity in the Middle East, the New York-based economic research group said that Iraq's gross domestic product growth rate increased by 7.3 percent in 2005, compared to a 14.2 percent decrease posted in 1995. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3216

10. 18 reconstruction projects costing 270 million dollars - The Strategic Board of Reconstruction associated to the Ministry of Planning approved, in the presence of representatives of the international organizations working in Iraq and representatives of the Iraqi ministries and institutions, 18 projects costing $ 270 million including two projects for the Ministry of Planning. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3243

11. Halliburton sees Iraq contract awards in 2nd qtr - NEW YORK, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Halliburton Co. (HAL.N: Quote, Profile , Research), whose KBR unit is the largest private contractor in Iraq, said on Wednesday it expected the U.S. Department of Defense would announce awards for new Iraq contracts in the second quarter, later than the company expected. http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2007-02-28T151104Z_01_N28449122_RTRIDST_0_HALLIBURTON-IRAQ.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna

12. Iran's Kish Free Trade Zone Inks Cooperation Agreement with Iragi Kurdestan http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php?refid=DH-S-28-02-2007&article=15010

13. Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq - Getting civilian and military officials from the U.S. government to work together more effectively in conflict and post-conflict zones has been an enormous challenge in recent years. In both Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States has experimented with entities called "provincial reconstruction teams," (PRTs) which are intended to close the gap between civilian and military efforts as well as to enable civilians to work in insecure areas. This USIPeace Briefing examines the various models of PRTs that have been used and suggests the need for more rigorous ways of evaluating their effectiveness. http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2007/0220_prt_iraq.html

14. Egyptian businessmen and the investment in Iraq - Minister of Trade, Dr. Abdul Falah Hassan Assdani, invited all Egyptian businessmen to invest in Iraq either individually or through economical groups, stressing that Iraq would give priority to Arab investors to enter the Iraqi market. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3208

15. Reforming the Iraqi Interior Ministry, Police, and Facilities Protection Service - In December 2006, Iraq’s “Year of the Police” ended with the completion of several milestones. The Multi-National Security Transition Command’s (MNSTC-I) program trained and equipped 135,000 members of the Iraq Police Service. Training and equipment was also provided to the 24,400 members of the Iraq National Police (constabulary) and 28,360 members of the Border Police. Nearly 180 American Police Transition Teams and 39 National Police Transition Teams were embedded with Iraqi forces, while a 100-member Ministry Transition Team was assigned to the Ministry of Interior to improve its operations. http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2007/0207_iraqi_interior_ministry.html

16. The Other Face of Iraq. For most people, the images of Iraq are of a country mired in sectarian violence or civil war - a country suffering car bombs, random killing, kidnapping, ethnic cleansing - a country in collective despair. There is validity to these images. However, alongside these tragic daily occurrences Iraq has its other face, a face of life and a degree of normalcy. This other face of Iraq is reflected in a series of pictures published by Halim Salman in his two monthly magazines published in London. The first is al-Tab’a al-Jadida [The New Publication] which, in terms of layout, is close to Life magazine or to the French “Paris Match.” The other monthly, titled al-Hilwa [The Beautiful Woman], is a pictorial magazine for women. Halim has a news website al-Rafidayn (www.alrafidayn.com ) which disseminates up-to-date news from Iraq in Arabic seven days a week. http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=countries&Area=iraq&ID=IA33007

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