14 June 2004 Iraq’s oil ministry is setting out on a process of preparing a new oil policy, as well as drafting model contracts and a petroleum law, to be approved later by the country’s elected bodies, Iraq’s new Oil Minister Thamer al-Ghadban said in an interview. The work aims to prepare Iraq for its political evolution, which should see the adoption of a new constitution in around 18 months,…
Tag: West Qurna
Iraqi Firm Forges Ahead With Drilling Plan Despite Potential War
27 February 2003 Unfazed by the current US military buildup and the potential risk to rigs from air raids or invading forces, Iraq’s Oil Drilling Co. (ODC) is forging ahead with drilling across the country’s oil fields in an attempt to beat its record of last year. But separate activities by foreign drillers under the UN’s oil-for-food program have been hit by the threat of war, with international companies either…
Iraq Favors Transparent Process for Future Upstream Bidding
22 October 2003 Iraqi oil ministry officials favor open bidding for any future contracts for oil fields and exploration blocks, embracing both companies involved in previous negotiations and new contenders, mainly US majors for whom Iraq was off-limits. “We have proposals that we are formulating, but that still need to be submitted for approval by the oil minister and the political echelons in Iraq,” Natik al-Bayati, senior adviser at the…
Iraq: Opposition Alternative
14 March 2003 A group of Iraqi exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein is gearing up to present itself as an alternative to opposition groups like the Iraqi National Congress that, having worked closely with Washington for years, are now regarded as US sell-outs by most Iraqis. The group, led by former foreign minister Adnan Pachachi, rejects a US military administration and is against any foreign interference in managing the oil…