Jabbar Al-Luaibi

Former Director General of South Oil Co and oil ministry advisor Jabbar al-Luaibi discusses in an interview with Ruba Husari in Dubai May 16, 2009 the state of the oil fields in southern Iraq and the reasons behind the recent loss in production capacity at Iraq’s major producing oil fields.

Q: You brought the oil sector back from the ashes in 2003 and ramped up production till you achieved an unprecedented peak in 2007. Why the sudden deterioration and the loss of production capacity now?

A: It’s true, the oil production profile was almost zero after the end of the war in 2003. We restarted production immediately at 50,000 b/d once the war ended in April and we were already producing 500,000…

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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 wanting to sort out this stance before a US-appointed advisory committee — which Washington wants to help shape future oil policy — gets established.

Iraqi oil officials appear wary of more radical US ideas for full-scale privatization of the industry. But they appear open to some liberalization, such as privatizing the downstream or…

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Are US Plans for Iraq Shaping Up as Hoped?

6 May 2003

With the weekend announcement of the first two names for an advisory board, US plans for oversight of Iraq’s oil industry appear to be taking shape.

But questions are being asked as to why the rest of the board is taking so long to firm up, and what this might mean for Washington’s ability — or desire — to shape Iraqi oil policy.

Some observers say that the late and limited announcement on the advisory board — it has only two names so far, Philip Carroll as chairman and Fadhil Othman as vice chairman — indicates the difficulties the US administration faces in recruiting exiled Iraqi advisors to oversee technocrats who remained inside the country.

US and UK officials insist that…

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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 charge of, including the Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organization (Somo).

ORHA also announced for the first time the official appointment of Philip Carroll, former director and CEO of Shell Oil, and Fadhil Othman, former head of Somo, as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of an advisory board for the oil sector.

Carroll is arriving…

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