Baghdad-Aleppo Rail Line Completed
The railway connecting Baghdad with the Syrian city of Aleppo was officially completed on Sunday, the Iraqi Transport Ministry announced. AKnews reports that the project involved constructing a 150 km connecting spur. The trains will travel up to 100 kilometers per hour. A spokesperson for the General Railways Company told AKnews: "The railway line between […]
Karbala Grants Licences to 27 International Companies
The local council in Karbala [Kerbala] has granted 27 investment licences to international and Arab companies, including an Iranian company, the chairman of the Karbala council said on Monday. “All news assertions that Iranian companies control the Karbala market are baseless,” Mohammad Hamad al-Moussawi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “There is only one Iranian investment […]
Jordan's Ambassador Visits Erbil to Pave Way for Consulate Opening
Jordan’s Ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Taisir Masadeh last week met President Masoud Barzani, Prime Minister Barham Salih and ministers in Erbil to assess the latest developments and pave the way for a Jordanian consulate to open soon in the Kurdish capital. President Barzani and Ambassador Taisir discussed strengthening cooperation and coordination between the Kurdistan Regional […]
Kurdistan and Iraq can be Model for Middle East
Members of the European Parliament this week in Erbil met the Kurdistan Region’s leadership. The head of the delegation Mr Struan Stevenson said to President Barzani that Iraq and Kurdistan could provide a model in the Middle East of how challenges can be solved through democracy. When meeting President Barzani, Mr Stevenson said that his […]
The Death of Bin Laden
Security measures have been heightened in Iraq following the killing of Osama bin Laden. The authorities are expecting the possibility of a retaliatory attack by radical jihadists in response to the news of his death. However, the impact of the killing may be relatively limited. Weakened Organisation Al-Qaeda is neither the powerful organisation it […]
Oil and Energy Committee Urges Postponement on 4th Licensing Round
The fourth round of oil licensing should be postponed, the chairman of the Oil and Energy Parliamentary Committee said on Sunday, according to a report from AKnews. The committee has made a formal request to the Ministry of Oil asking them to delay the awarding of licences. Chairman Adnan al-Janabi, told AKnews that the fact […]
Parliamentary Committee to Consider Kurdish Oil Contracts
The Oil and Energy Parliamentary Committee will discuss the controversial oil contracts awarded by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq amid objections from the Federal Oil Ministry, it was announced on Monday. The contracts were awarded in 2009 by the KRG, but were never officially recognized by the central government in Iraq, who said […]
DNO to Pay Damages and Costs up to $92m
Reuters reports that Norwegian oil company DNO said it had resolved a long dispute over former U.S. diplomat Peter Galbraith's middle-man role in a 2004 Iraqi oil deal by paying damages and legal costs as high as $92 million. That compares to the $55 to $75 million in damages DNO estimated last October it would […]
Hungary Strengthens Ties with Iraq
Hungary is keen to improve trade and relations with Iraq, and along with the re-opening of its embassy in Baghdad it plans to open a consulate in Erbil. The announcement came on Sunday after a meeting between Hungary's deputy foreign minister, its Ambassador to Iraq, and the Chairman of Kurdistan's department of External Relations. According […]
A New Democracy Grows in the Middle East
The following article was written by Anahit Khatchikian and Roni Alasor, and published by Ararat News -- it is reproduced here with their permission. The opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On economic level Federal Kurdistan Region (Iraq) has been compared by Western […]
The VP Saga Goes On
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. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. […]
Iraq to House Another 12,600 Families
Iraqi minister for reconstruction and housing said throughout 2011 some seven housing projects will be constructed in seven Iraqi provinces. AKnews reports that the flats will be allocated to 12,600 families in installments. Mohammed Daraji told AKnews on Thursday that the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has ordered the creation of the units in Kirkuk, […]