America's new ambassador to Iraq, James Jeffrey, arrived in Baghdad last week and presented his diplomatic credentials to President Jalal Talabani. He replaces Christopher Hill, who retired after a 16-month stint in the post, and a 33-year career in the diplomatic service. Unlike Hill, Jeffrey already has wide experience in this part of the world, […]
An Iraqi oil industry veteran, Dr Thamir Al Uqaili, says there is a general belief that the production plateau targets (PPTs) of the international oil companies who have won contracts in Iraq are too ambitious and that export will face a marketing problem. The exploration of Iraq’s rich oil and gas fields will be under […]
We launch our new Jobs in Iraq page today on the IBN web site in response to reader demand. This is a free reciprocal service for Recruitment Agencies and Employers with jobs on offer in Iraq. For readers it provides a welcome source of employment options in a country crying out for skilled labour and […]
It has been a busy week politically in Iraq, with both good and bad news emerging from the country: The last American combat brigade left the country on Thursday morning, seven years after the US-led invasion; 6,000 support troops will remain until the end of the month, and a further 50,000 will stay until the […]
Iraq is starting the holy fasting month of Ramadan in blistering summer heat: up to 49 C (120 F) in places! It has been a hot week for oil news too: The Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC) hits oil in the Bazian and Sangaw North blocks in Kurdistan; Dana Gas has increased gas its production […]
By Tariq Abdell, Founder & Chairman, Mesopotamia Insight. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. I always believe that politics is the art of compromising, in other words, is knowing when and where to give or to ask. Alas, President Obama's letter, […]
By Dr. Sami Shubber, founder of Hamourabi Office in Baghdad, Iraq. For more details about this case, please click here. 1. The Iraqi Ministry of Oil awarded a contract to BP and China National Petroleum Co. (SINOPEC) in 2009 for the development of the Rumaila oilfield. A lawsuit has been filed before the Iraqi Supreme […]
In a recent opinion piece in the Times, Lord Jeffrey Archer was enthusiastic about the opportunities to be grasped in modern Iraq: "Today [Baghdad] is a boom town, rather than a bomb site. If I were a young man, looking to make my fortune, I would be off to Iraq like a shot." " ... […]
By Ali Al-Mawlawi, Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform The Iraqi Ministry of Oil hosted a symposium on Sunday as part of efforts to include Iraqi civil society organizations in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The event was organized by the head of the Iraqi EITI, Alaa Mohie El-Deen, and brought together NGO’s nationwide, including […]
By Tariq Abdell, Founder & Chairman, Mesopotamia Insight. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Recent oil conferences in Baghdad and Basrah, hosted respectively by the oil ministry and the USG, underscored the International oil companies (IOCs) poor situational awareness, strategic foresight, […]
The planned second session of the new Iraqi parliament was due to be held on Tuesday, but considering the lack of progress in forming the next government, few were surprised when it was postponed. “We are postponing the session until further notice because the political entities failed to reach any agreement”, said Fuad Massum, who […]
By Tariq Abdell, Founder & Chairman, Mesopotamia Insight. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Iraqi oil ministry held a two-day oil conference in Baghdad to discuss and tackle international oil companies' concerns about their current operations, chiefly: corruption, bureaucracy, and […]
