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…
Author: Ruba Husari
IOF Editor
Iraq: View From Baghdad
21 February 2003 The mood on the streets of Baghdad is as volatile as oil prices these days — hyper when war seems inevitable, more relaxed as the prospect recedes. But if and when war does finally start, it’s the battle for Baghdad that is preoccupying everyone, Iraqis as much as foreign observers based in the Iraqi capital. The recent global anti-war demonstrations astounded Iraqis to the point where they…
Iraq: Who’s Working Where?
28 February 2003 In talking about possible war against Iraq, Bush administration officials insist that their main objective is not to get their hands on the country’s massive oil reserves. But post-war, fierce competition is almost bound to erupt between US oil firms that have been kept off-limits by the Iraqis, and those — including Russian, Asian, and European companies — that either have firm contracts with the current regime…
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…