Archive | 2013

KRG Struggles to Cope with Syrian Refugees

By Abdel Hamid Zebari for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. With the continuously deteriorating security and political situation in Syria, and the growing fighting between government and opposition forces, many Syrian citizens — particularly Syria's Kurds — have been forced […]

New Rigs Arrive at Halfaya

By John Lee. The Missan Oil Company (MOC) has announced that new oil rigs are being installed at the Halfaya oil field to increase the number of new wells in the second stage of developing the field. The Director General of the company said that two new rigs belonging to PetroChina have already arrived and […]

Philippine Firms Eye Iraqi Opportunities

Philippine companies are looking at opportunities for trade and investments in Iraq. Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. (pictured), President of the Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport), the umbrella organization of Philippine exporters, told Philippine Star: “Iraq has expressed interest in importing raw and finished products from the Philippines, including electronics, auto parts, polypropylene granules, furniture, processed foods, fresh […]

Iraqi EITI Report - The Need to Act

By Ahmed Mousa Jiyad. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi EITI Report 2011: The Need to Act Promptly, Effectively and Properly This contribution was based on PowerPoint presentations I delivered before “EITI Beyond Compliance Report Analysis Workshop” organised by Revenue Watch […]

Zebari Discusses Issues with Kerry

The US Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned Iraq's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, on Sunday to discuss a number of issues. Mr. Kerry praised the breakthrough made in the country's political situation and the Prime Minister's visit to the region of Kurdistan, stressing that the US administration always urges Iraqi leaders to adopt […]

Barzani, McGurk Discuss Iraq, Syria

President Masoud Barzani met with US State Department senior advisor Brett McGurk to discuss the recent political developments in Iraq and in the wider region. Mr. McGurk lauded the recent rapprochement between the Erbil and Baghdad, including the visit to Erbil by Prime Minister Maliki and his meeting with President Barzani. He expressed US government’s […]

Providing Health Care to Syrian Refugees

“The current security situation in Syria, along with the desire to protect my children, forced me to leave my home,” said Samira, a middle-aged Syrian mother who fled home with her four children months ago. “We are living in precarious conditions in a crowded place, but, alhamdulillah, we are safe and healthy, receiving food and […]

Chevron Signs 3rd KRG Oil Deal

By John Lee. France24 reports that Chevron has signed another oil exploration deal in Iraqi Kurdistan. The contract, under which Chevron will acquire an interest in and operatorship of the Qara Dagh block production sharing contract, is the company's third in the autonomous region; it was previously barred from working in non-Kurdish parts of the country […]

Indian Minister Visits Iraq to Secure Oil Supply

By John Lee. India's external affairs minister, Salman Khurshid, starts a two-day visit to Iraq on Wednesday, during which he will hold talks with top Iraqi leadership on issues including the supply of oil. Khurshid, the first senior Indian leader to visit Iraq since 1990, is expected to call on Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, and […]

First Batch of New Iraqi Provincial Govts

By Reidar Visser. The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq […]

Capital Increase Déjà Vu

By Mark DeWeaver. A year ago I wrote a post called “Will the Banks Get More Time,” in which I argued that most of the ISX-listed banks weren’t going to make the central bank’s deadline of June 30, 2012 to reach IQD 150 bn in paid-up capital. I posted pretty much the same thing back […]