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,…

Iraqi Oil Officials Weigh US Policy Role

7 May 2003 With current efforts in Iraq’s oil sector focusing on near-term repairs and restoration, cooperation between officials from the US and Iraq is proceeding smoothly. But Iraqi oil technocrats appear more skeptical about cooperation with the US on long-term policy, according to soundings by International Oil Daily in Baghdad. There is already internal debate among Iraqi officials about the correct course for the industry going forward, with some…

Oil Veteran Appointed to Get Iraqi Industry Back on Track

6 May 2003 The US-led Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq (ORHA) on Saturday announced the appointment of the director general of planning at the Iraqi oil ministry, Thamer al-Ghadban, as chief executive of the interim management team for the Iraqi oil sector. It did not set a timeframe for the interim management of the oil ministry and companies under its auspices, which al-Ghadban will also be in…

Oil Board Firms Up in Iraq; Somo Shattered

1 May 2003 US plans to set up an advisory board to oversee Iraq’s oil sector are taking shape. Fadhil Othman, a retired Iraqi oil marketing official now living in Turkey, is understood to have accepted Washington’s request that he serve as deputy head of the oil advisory board, a non-executive body. In view of Othman’s past experience as head of Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (Somo), he “could be…