Archive | 2013

Turkey Encourages Investment in Iraqi Kurdistan

By John Lee. A senior Turkish government official has told the Hürriyet Daily News that the Turkish government will continue to encourage Turkish energy companies to sign more agreements with the Kurdistan Regional Government, despite what it describes as Washington’s warnings not to take such steps as they risk partitioning the country. "These are steps […]

US Embassy Commemorates Int'l Human Rights

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Beecroft (pictured) hosted a reception at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to commemorate International Human Rights. The event was attended by members of the Council of Representatives’ Human Rights Committee, members of the Independent High Commission for Human Rights, civil society figures, and representatives from the international and diplomatic community. […]

Galfar Plans Expansion into Iraq

Oman-based Galfar Engineering is considering expansion into Iraq. Vice chairman and MD Dr. P Mohammed Ali was reported by Muscat Daily as saying: "Currently, we work out of Oman, India and Kuwait. We have plans to expand to countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq in the future. As we grow, our main aim will […]

A Big Week For the Iraqi Stock Market

The long-awaited first IPO of an Iraqi mobile phone provider has finally come to pass, with the commencement of trading in the shares of Asiacell on the Baghdad stock exchange this week. The fundraising -- described by our Expert Blogger Mark DeWeaver as "a Nobel prize-winning IPO" -- was a major achievement, effectively doubling the […]

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Is Sima a Front for Trafigura in Iraq?

By John Lee. Four industry sources have told Reuters that Swiss oil trader Trafigura is still indirectly supplying gasoline to Iraq through another firm, despite being banned from participating in tenders for 2013 after buying oil from Iraqi Kurdistan. Baghdad's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) finalised a deal in November to buy 1.56 million tonnes […]

Iraqi Oil-for-Food Lawsuit Collapses

By John Lee. An Iraqi lawsuit accusing more than 90 companies of conspiring with Saddam Hussein's regime to frustrate the United Nations'  program, and depriving Iraqis of roughly $10 billion of essential aid, has been dismissed by a court in New York. Reuters reports that U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein said the government of Iraq […]

Cotecna Appointed for Pre-Importation Inspection

By John Lee. Swiss company Cotecna has been officially appointed by the Iraqi Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control (COSQC), to handle the implementation of a verification of conformity program for goods imported into Iraq. Based on article 3 (clause 8) of Iraqi law n°54 of 1979, COSQC has been empowered by the Iraqi […]

More Details of Missan Oil Find

By John Lee. The Missan Oil Company (MOC) has announced the completion of the exploratory oil well in the Deema-1 [Dima-1] formation. Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi [Elaibi] said that the Ad Daimah [Deima, Dima, Deema, Dimah] Field, which is located in Maysan governorate, was completed 100 percent successfully, and in a record time, without […]

Anbar Postpones Investment Conference

Due to current events in Anbar province and throughout Iraq, Al-Anbar Investment Commission (AIC) announced today that it is postponing its third annual international conference which was scheduled for February 16, 2013 in the city of Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq. The Commission's Board of Directors decided it would be best to postpone the conference. This decision […]

Weekly Security Update

By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk. The past week in Iraq has been dominated by the worsening political crisis that continues to engulf the Al-Maliki administration at both the international and domestic level.  With inflammatory political discourse, a possible Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) secession and divisive Al-Maliki politics leading both the international and domestic news […]