31 May 2006 Barely a week after Iraq’s cabinet was sworn in, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani are facing the threat of a major disruption to Iraq’s oil output and exports, amid a Shiite power struggle in the southern province of Basrah. Al-Maliki today plans to make his first trip to Basrah as prime minister, in an attempt to stop turf wars among Shiite Islamist…
Tag: SOC
Iraq Cracks Down in Basrah, Imposes State of Emergency
1 June 2006 Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday declared a month-long state of emergency in Basrah city, in an attempt to rescue the southern oil region from a power struggle among Shiite factions. “We hope after this month that we will come back to Basrah and see that the situation has improved a lot,” al-Maliki told reporters after announcing the measure and after meeting with tribal leaders, political…
Turmoil in Oil-Rich Southern Iraq Continues
11 August 2006 Iraq’s Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has so far failed to impose his authority over the city council of Basrah while calls for the establishment of an autonomous federation of the south are increasing. Basrah — the capital of the southern oil province and currently home to all of Iraq’s oil exports — has been wrought by a power struggle among Shiite factions over the past year,…
Iraqi Panel Hammers Away at Draft Oil Law
31 August 2006 An Iraqi government committee has been hammering away at contentious issues in a draft hydrocarbon law to regulate the oil and gas industry before it is submitted to the cabinet and parliament for approval. But it risks being blocked by a Sunni minority which also disputed the Iraqi constitution adopted by referendum last year. The committee which has been meeting over the past weeks is made up…