Iraqi Officials Replaced In Political Move

1 July 2005 Two of Iraq’s top oil officials have been replaced by the country’s new oil minister, in a move widely regarded as politically motivated. The changes represent the second major shake up of the oil ministry since Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum was appointed as minister in May, Baghdad sources told International Oil Daily Thursday. Nabil Lamuza, director general of planning and studies, was replaced by an outsider, Fayad Hassan…

Perspective: Iraq plays for high stakes

12 November 2004 Iraq plans to revive its national oil company, dismantled by Saddam Hussein, by the end of the year. But the structure and role of Iraq National Oil Co. are proving highly contentious, with arguments between Iraqi oil veterans, oil ministry officials and politicians in the interim establishment a reflection of the conflicting visions of Iraq’s future. Energy Intelligence Middle East correspondent Ruba Husari reports on the controversy,…

Perspective: Iraq — the view from Tehran

17  December 2004 With the date fast approaching for the first parliamentary elections since Saddam Hussein was toppled, Baghdad’s neighbors are already fretting about the likely outcome: a Shiite majority for the first time in modern Iraqi history. That could lead to a dramatic shift in the geopolitical balance between Shiite and Sunni Muslims across the Middle East. Expressing the concerns of many in the region, Jordan’s King Abdullah last…

Iraq Establishes Supreme Council for Oil, Gas

19 July 2004 Iraq’s interim government has taken its first step toward institutionalizing oil policy in Iraq by establishing the first supreme council for oil and gas. “We don’t want oil policy to be in the hands of one person but it’s a matter for the whole nation represented by the prime minister and other members of the cabinet,” Thamer al-Ghadban, Iraq’s interim oil minister, told International Oil Daily from…