23 June 2006 One month after choosing a cabinet and pledging to transform Iraq into a country ruled by law under a national unity government, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki finds himself bogged down by the same problems that paralyzed an array of politicians before him. Observers, both in and outside Iraq, look on bewildered as the same sectarian divisions that delayed the government’s formation for six months after the…
Tag: Basrah
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…
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…
Iraq’s New Oil Manager Spells Out Plans
6 May 2003 The new chief executive of the Iraqi oil sector, Thamer al-Ghadban, issued instructions to his staff Sunday to draw up an accelerated plan setting oil production targets for an interim period of several months. In an interview with International Oil Daily, the first since the Saturday announcement of his appointment by the US-led Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) as chief executive of the interim management…