Iraq Seeks to Become Regional Trade Hub

Saleh al-Janabi, an expert in the transportation sector, told Al-Monitor in a telephone call, "If Iraq is seeking to have trade exchanges at the Arab and international levels, the Ministry of Transportation and the Carriers Union have to seriously work to set foundations for multimodal transportation, which is seen as an integral part of operations to ensure the flow of goods at the required time and with the lowest cost possible and highest degree of safety. This is especially true given that this can generate greater revenues and contribute to 40% of the economy of any country."

For his part, the economic adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Abdul Hussein al-Ankabi, told Al-Monitor in a telephone interview, "In order to activate trade relations between Iraq and its neighboring countries and within Iraqi provinces, taxes and fees must be unified and an exchange agreement for free-trade zones ought to be concluded, as well as expediting the process to ratify the free-trade agreement. Trade and manufacturing are two key factors for transportation, especially since Iraq used to have transportation networks, including railways linked to the eastern line."

It should be noted that Basra includes five commercial ports. The oldest one is al-Makal port near the city center, established by the British forces in 1914. It was used for military purposes during World War I and officially declared a trade port in 1919. It receives hundreds of small steamers, mostly Iranian, annually.

(Picture: Cargo at Umm Qasr port)

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