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This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Locals in Anbar celebrated when an important Iraqi-Jordanian border crossing was recently reopened. But the drivers who use it say many areas are still too dangerous to pass through.

When it was announced at the end of August that the Turaibil [Terbil] border crossing between Jordan and Iraq would reopen, there were celebrations. The border point, which facilitates trade between the two countries, was closed in late 2014 because the extremist group known as the Islamic State, or IS, had taken control of the areas in Anbar province leading toward the crossing.

“Opening the Turaibil crossing is urgently needed,” Faleh al-Issawi, the deputy head of Anbar's provincial council, told NIQASH. “Other provinces are slowly becoming more stable and secure again and we too are working to restore our economy and our commercial facilities. The time has come for Anbar to go back to what it was before.”

Anbar sits between three countries – Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia – and between four Iraqi provinces. Traders must cross Anbar and locals know they could be exploiting that business. The re-opening of Turaibil has them hoping they will be able to.

On the Jordanian side of the border, everything was apparently ready for Turaibil to re-open. But the Iraqis haven’t been so fast. Most bridges and rest stops on the way there have been destroyed in recent fighting in the province and some areas that the road passes through are still dangerous.

Al-Issawi explains that they have a plan for this. Trucks will be escorted by security forces once they cross into Iraq, right up until they reach another completely secure area. The truck drivers won’t pass through the cities of Ramadi or Fallujah, both of which had been under control of the IS group, before heading to Baghdad or southern and northern provinces directly.

By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. 

Iraqi Citizens' Sentiment may be Softening toward Israel

Some Iraqis are calling for closer relations with Israel, feeling a common bond of past persecution and a desire for peace and stability. Many people might find two factors cited in this change quite surprising: Iraqis' guilt, and some resentment of Palestinians.

"There is a dramatic shift that has changed [Iraqi] public opinion [toward Israel] as a result of the Palestinians' involvement in supporting the [late Iraqi] dictator Saddam Hussein and thus getting involved in terrorist operations," writer and political analyst Ali Mared al-Asadi told Al-Monitor recently by phone.

"Most Shiites in Iraq have a sense of guilt because they did not support the peaceful Jewish community with whom they lived for hundreds of years in peace and harmony in one homeland, but who were persecuted and displaced during the monarchy [1958-1963] and the Baathist regime [1968-2003] eras.”

Much of the fanaticism and hostility toward Israel appears to have declined in central and southern Baghdad, where the majority of people are Shiite.

On Sept. 9, Asadi wrote, “It is not in the interest of Shiites to antagonize Israel. Shiites and Jews ought to reach understandings based on common humanitarian grounds that guarantee peaceful coexistence in the Middle East.”

Asadi told Al-Monitor by phone, “If we put the influence of Iran and the remnants of the Baathist culture aside, Iraq would have no excuse to keep officially antagonizing Israel, especially since the majority of the Arab states, [even] the Palestinian state itself, hold relations with Tel Aviv.” Asadi apparently was referring to Arab states having contacts or other ties with Tel Aviv, because most Arab states do not formally recognize Israel..

Many Sunnis also seem to favor closer ties. Political analyst Maher Abed Jawdah told Al-Monitor, “Even Iraqi Sunnis are in tune with Sunnis in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Gulf countries in establishing good relations with Israel, mainly because they are driven by the same hate toward Iranian Shiites, who are very hostile against Israel.”

Much of the favorable sentiment in Iraq is coming from Kurds. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) supports the Kurdish quest for an independent state in northern Iraq. This has pushed some Kurds to promote the idea of openness to Israel and to call for turning their relationship into an official one. Some media outlets even showed Kurdish cities raising the Israeli flag next to the Kurdish flag as they prepared for a Sept. 25 vote on a nonbinding independence referendum, which passed overwhelmingly.

By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. 

The Tureibil crossing, or more commonly known as the Karameh border crossing, between Jordan and Iraq reopened in early September in tandem with the opening of another border crossing with Saudi Arabia. This means that more foreign goods are likely to flow into the Iraqi market, which already lacks national products, especially food and agricultural goods.

The prospects for increased imports, which is not good news for the local production industry in Iraq, prompted parliament’s Agriculture, Water and Marshlands Committee on Aug. 14 to accuse the Ministry of Agriculture of mismanagement and confusion in supporting these foreign goods, which caused the local market to become flooded with imported products.

Mohammed Mansouri, an expert on local livestock, warns against “a catastrophe in the sector of livestock and agriculture in Iraq,” urging the government to work “on achieving food security.”

However, the failure of agricultural projects in Iraq is not only the result of poor planning and management, but also a “corrupt agenda seeking to keep this sector lagging so as to continue relying on imports,” said Ali al-Badiri, a member of the Agriculture, Water and Marshlands Committee, in a media statement Aug. 24. “Impeding the cultivation of wheat crops is a conspiracy, as this cultivation has become a threat to the investments of the corrupted,” he said.

In the same vein, Suhaila Abbas, the head of the Agriculture Committee of the Babil Governorate Council, told Al-Monitor, “Linking food security to importation is not due to technical problems such as drought or the rudimentary irrigation and land treatments techniques, as these can be addressed through development plans. This is, however, due to political reasons. Many of Iraq’s neighbors have an interest in keeping Iraq unable to become self-sufficient in terms of food, so it continues importing food products.”

By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the newly appointed chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council, visited Iraq recently, fueling speculation about his political agenda. His meetings indicate that he most likely was seeking to unify Shiites ahead of the 2018 elections, although he doesn't appear to have succeeded.

Shahroudi, who is a dual Iranian-Iraqi citizen and was a senior leader in the Islamic Dawa Party and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq before he became involved in Iranian politics, was warmly welcomed by those two groups, but later in his weeklong visit, he found himself snubbed by others.

Sheikh Humam Hamoudi, a leader of the Islamic Supreme Council and the first deputy parliament speaker, greeted Shahroudi at the airport on Aug. 31. Later, Shahroudi met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and with Nouri al-Maliki, the leader of the Islamic Dawa Party and a vice president of Iraq.

In Najaf, however, Shahroudi was not welcomed at all. He did not meet with any of the four leading religious authorities there, even though he is one of the most prominent graduates of the Hawza (Shiite seminary) in Najaf and most likely knows all four clerics from the years he studied there.

Sadrist movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr also refused to meet with him.

Sources close to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf said religious authorities there refused to receive Shahroudi — even though they knew in advance about his visit — because they resent some aspects of Iran's policies regarding Iraq. It seems the rejection was a source of embarrassment to Shahroudi when he returned home, where he issued a statement that his visit was not an official one but merely a religious trip “to the holy sites and shrines of holy Imams.”

By John Lee.

Iraq is considering changing its price benchmark for Basra crude oil sales to Asia.

From January, the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) proposes to price relative to Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME) Oman futures, rather than the average of Platts’ Oman-Dubai quotes.

According to a report from Reuters, this would mark a significant change away from fellow OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran, which have been using S&P Global Platts as their benchmark for decades.

SOMO has asked customers to submit their opinions on the plan by the end of August.

(Source: Reuters)

By John Lee.

Saudi Arabia is reportedly planning to re-open the Arar [Ar'ar] border crossing with Iraq for the first time since 1990.

Sohaib al-Rawi, the governor of Anbar province, is quoted as saying that the Iraqi government had deployed troops to protect the desert route leading to Arar and called its opening a "significant move" to boost ties.

The border was closed after the two countries cut ties following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.

(Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Rudaw)

Iraqi Interior Minister Qasim al-Araji (pictured) has said that Saudi Prince Mohammad bin-Salman has "officially asked Iraq to act as a mediator between Tehran and Riyadh to reduce tensions."

According to a news agency report, Al-Araji made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli in Tehran.

Referring to his recent visit to Saudi Arabia and meeting with the Saudi prince, Al-Araji said:

"Mohammad bin-Salman requested me officially for Iraq's mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia to reduce tensions. Before, Malik Salman had made such a request too. I told them that they should treat Iranian pilgrims with respect and the best possible way and allow them to visit Al-Baqi' cemetery.

"The Saudi party gave some promises with this regard, and now Iranian pilgrims can visit the cemetery. We believe that relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia can held establishing security in the region".

(Source: GardaWorld)

(Picture credit: Mohsen Ahmed Alkhafaji)

Reuters reports that a former Iraqi oil minister said it was necessary for Iraq to regain the Iraqi Pipeline in Saudi Arabia (IPSA), which has not carried Iraqi crude since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, and which was confiscated by Saudi Arabia in 2001 as compensation for debts owed by Baghdad.

Bahr Al Olum, who is currently a member of parliament, said he has discussed the issue with Saudi side expected that Riyadh would have a more "positive response" given an improved political environment between the two countries.

(Source: Reuters)

(Picture: Haider Al-Abadi meets King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 19th June 2017)

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

In the small desert area of Busaya, Iraqis of different sects have lived together peacefully for decades. Locals pride themselves on their hospitality and unity.

Up until recently not many outsiders really knew much about the southern Iraqi sub-district of Busaya.

In the middle of the desert and close to the border of Saudi Arabia, the area tends to be Bedouin in nature, closer to the culture of the nomadic Arabs of the Gulf States than many other Iraqis. It recently came to public attention because a group of Qatari hunters in the area for sport, were abducted in 2015. The hunting party, which apparently included members of the Qatari royal family, was released in April 2017.

The area is well known as a stop for migrating birds from Europe and hunters commonly come here, to seek out birds and hares.

Most of the around 2,200 people here are either dependent on their own livestock or the Iraqi government for jobs. And around three-quarters of them are Sunni Muslims. Yet somehow, they still elected Shiite Muslims to their local government. Locals say that they don’t let what is going on elsewhere in Iraq affect local relationships.

Around another 5,000 locals, many of whom speak with an accent that sounds more Gulf States than Iraq, are nomadic. And the area is so well known for its hospitality that there are no cafes or restaurants here. Visitors to the district are always invited to eat at locals’ homes, another Bedouin tradition.

By John Lee.

Mr Jon Wilks CMG (pictured) has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq in succession to Mr Frank Baker OBE.

Mr Wilks, who currently serves as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Muscat, will take up his appointment in November 2017.

He has previously served in diplomatic roles in Baghdad, in addition to Syria, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

(Source: UK FCO)