Video: Baghdad Divided over Obama Re-Election
The news of Barack Obama's re-election as US President did not quite bring the world to a stop on Wednesday. But in the heart of Baghdad, there were plenty of ordinary Iraqis willing to take a minute out of their day to express an opinion on it: (Source: AFP)
Kobler Pushes for Expanding UN Progs in Basra
By John Lee. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler, has concluded a two-day visit to Basra, where he met with the Governor, Dr. Khalaf Abdul-Samad, and with the Director of the Basra office of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Mr. Hazim Joda. “This has been a very fruitful […]
Letting Politics Jeopardise Development
By Padraig O'Hannelly. On the day Iraq announced that Exxon Mobil wants to abandon its business in southern Iraq in favour of potentially more profitable contracts in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Oil Ministry has cancelled a major exploration deal with Turkey's TPAO. The reasons were described as "non-technical", with the decision coming from the cabinet; the […]
Iraq Expels Turkey's TPAO, asks Kuwait Energy to Replace
By John Lee. The Iraqi cabinet has expelled Turkey's state-owned Turkiye Petrolleri AO (TPAO) from the consortium that was granted the rights to explore energy block 9, and has asked Kuwait Energy to take over the shareholding. Abdul Mahdi Al Ameedi, director of the oil ministry’s Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate (PCLD), said: "For reasons […]
Iraq says Exxon to Quit West Qurna-1
By John Lee. Exxon Mobil has informed the Iraqi government that it wants to pull out of the $50-billion West Qurna-1 oilfield project, according to a report from Reuters. Abdul Mahdi Al Ameedi, director of the oil ministry’s Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate (PCLD), said: "Exxon has stated in its letter that it has started discussions […]
Dana Gas Restructures $1bn Bond to Avert Asset Seizure
By John Lee. Dana Gas, the Middle East’s first and largest regional private sector natural gas company, has announced that it has reached an in-principle agreement on the restructuring terms of the US$1 billion Sukuk-al-Mudarabah due 31 October 2012 with the Ad Hoc Committee of Sukukholders. The Ad Hoc Committee holds a majority of the […]
Iraq Signs Oil Exploration Deal with Lukoil, Inpex
Iraq has signed a deal with Russia's LUKoil, and Inpex Corp of Japan, to explore the 5,500-square-kilometer (2,100 square mile) Block 10 in Muthanna and Dhi Qar province. Under the contract, the two firms must invest at least $100 million and will be paid $5.99 for each barrel of oil equivalent it finds. "This contract represents […]
Tenders for Karbala Airport by End of Year
By John Lee. Zawya reports that Iraq’s government will invite international tenders for the Middle Euphrates Airport in Karbala before the end of December this year. Dr Abbas Hassani, the head of the Construction and Strategic Planning Committee in the provincial council, said: "Aeroports de Paris Ingenierie (ADPi) has completed the design, which cost $42m. […]
MIGA's Executive VP to Visit Iraq
Izumi Kobayashi, Executive Vice President of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) -- the political risk insurance arm of the World Bank Group -- will visit Iraq, Jordan, and the West Bank and Gaza in early November. During her visit, she will discuss opportunities for private sector investment and raise awareness of how MIGA's investment […]
US Training Program Takes Iraqi Aviation Safety to New Heights
Officials from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently visited Iraq to train a group of 22 students from the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) and Iraq’s Department of the Air Force on aviation accident investigations. The training took place from October 14 to 18 at Iraq’s Aviation Training Institute and supported Iraq’s efforts […]
Romanian Foreign Minister opens Consular Office in Erbil
Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlăţean concluded an official visit to the Kurdistan Region yesterday in which he met with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and officially opened the Consular Office of the Romanian Embassy in Erbil. The Foreign Minister expressed admiration for the political and economic developments in the Kurdistan Region and said that the […]
Weekly Security Update
By Gary Sandiford, Olive Group’s Dubai based assessments manager. Olive Group is a leading provider of security and technology solutions and has operated continuously in Iraq since 2003. Overview Olive Groups Iraq statistics are drawn from multiple sources, including media reporting and direct liaison with in country assets. Included within the statistics are a […]