IBN: One final question regarding the national investment commission, and also the regional investment commissions – how do you divide your responsibilities between the two levels.

SA: Strategic projects and projects of over $250 million is all with us, with the National Investment Commission. Up to $250 million is all with the provincial investment commissions. But we [NIC] can go wherever there is a strategic project, even if it is very small. Electricity, for example, and telecommunications – we have defined that these are strategic projects that we [control]; up to 30MW it is with the province, above 30MW it is with us, and so on – there is a clear line of division, it’s all written, everybody knows it.

IBN: Dr Sami al-Araji, thank you very much for speaking with Iraq Business News.