Iraqi Minister Begins Oil Sector Turnaround

9 August 2006 More than two months after taking over Iraq’s embattled oil sector and pledging to fight corruption, Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani is taking timid steps to put the ministry back on track. Al-Shahristani’s first move has been to oust directors-general who were appointed on political merit or as a result of pressure from influential politicians. The purge involves about six employees who were brought in as directors…

Iraqi Oil Minister Sets Up Committees in Bid to Fight Corruption

14 June 2005 Iraq’s Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum has set up three new committees for marketing, contracts and downstream in a bid to fight corruption, as promised when he took over in May, Iraqi sources said. However, the sources warned that the new formula of running the oil ministry’s affairs by committees could paralyze the workings of the different departments by adding a new layer of bureaucracy. Just a…