Iraq Re-Opens Syria Border Crossing to Refugees
By John Lee. Iraq reportedly reopened its main al-Qaim border crossing with Syria to refugees on Tuesday, having closed it for several weeks, but it continues to deny entry to single men under the age of 50. A spokesman for the displacement and migration ministry told AFP that 150 people had crossed from Syria on […]
New Oil & Gas "Free Zone" for Zubair
By John Lee. The Iraq General Commission for Free Zones and Basra International Oil and Gas Hub (BIOGH) have formed a joint venture to create a "free zone" for oil and gas at Khor Al-Zubair. Totaling 11 million square meters (about 118 million square feet) and located directly adjacent to the strategic Khor Al-Zubair port, […]
No Democracy Without Elections, No Elections Without IHEC
By Martin Kobler, Special Representative for the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq. Over the past few years, millions of Iraqi men and women have made their way home from polling booths across the country, proudly displaying their fingers dyed bright purple by the ink that symbolizes their vital contribution to the political process. I […]
USKBC Meets in Washington with Senior KRG Delegation
By John Lee. The United States-Kurdistan Business Council (USKBC) board members received a private briefing from senior Iraqi Kurdish officials about economic development in the Kurdistan Region and the political situation in Iraq. The briefing, chaired by USKBC CEO, General James Jones (USMC-Ret), was with Dr. Fuad Hussein, Chief of Staff to Kurdistan Region of […]
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 […]
Evolutionary Trends of Iraq’s Oil & Gas Contracts
By Ahmed Mousa Jiyad. The basic “model” of the Long Term Service Contract formulated and developed by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil is a distinct and unique among the known regimes governing upstream petroleum. Though the structure of all versions of the basic model are all the same and do have many almost identical “common […]
Petrel Shares Rally on "New Start in Iraq"
By John Lee. Shares in Petrel Resources (AIM: PET) have rallied more than 25% since the company issued an update on the Company's position in Iraq. In mid 2012, Petrel appointed a new Baghdad/Amman based team of Iraqi citizens to review the standing of and opportunities for Petrel in Iraq. The first objective was to […]
Multi-Million Deals Expected at Iraq’s Leading Construction Show
“Project Iraq 2012” expected to lay solid foundations for the region’s bustling construction sector For the fifth consecutive year, “Project Iraq” – the International Exhibition for Construction and Environmental Technology, Materials and Equipment – will be held at Erbil International Fair Ground (EIF), bringing together local, regional and international companies and decision-makers in the […]
Iraqi Oil Exports To Triple: Smit Lamnalco Secures Major O&M Contract
Smit Lamnalco has secured the turnkey contract to support Single Point Mooring operations for The Iraq Crude Oil Export Expansion Project (ICOEEP). The scheme, 20 km off the Al Fao Peninsula, looks to triple oil exports from Iraq. The SPM contract covers operations and maintenance of four SPM systems and runs for up to three […]
Kurdistan Takes Next Step Towards Oil Agreement With The Central Government
A new age is dawning over oil in Iraq, as this week sees several important steps made towards agreement between two powerful political centers. Kurdistan, the semi-autonomous territory in Iraq, has agreed to keep exports steady at 140,000bpd and then raise them to 200,000bpd by the end of the year, according to Reuters. We wrote this […]
Ancient Babylon To Be Restored For Tourists
Babylon Province is to receive 100bn dinars ($85m) as it is named Iraq's archaeological and historical capital. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki approved the funding for reconstructing historical sites, infrastracture and hotels. Ultimately, the goal is to attract tourists to the region, which hosts the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon, where the Hanging Gardens […]
Baghdad and Erbil Reach Agreement On Oil
The central government of Iraq has agreed to pay the oil companies operating in Kurdistan, the northern, semi-autonomous region of Iraq, and to raise oil production to 200,000 barrels per day. The official Iraqiya TV station announced on Thursday that "A meeting was held between the two Governments to settle the pending issues between both […]