Iraq: Oil support contracts open to criticism and delaysnote

The Iraqi Oil Ministry is still preparing to sign the oil contracts for technical support before the end of this month. These contracts involve ExxonMobil, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Total, BHP Billiton and Anadarko Petroleum. However, there is a rumor going round that these contracts may be subject to delays. The following 318-word article published in Iraq Information Report’s issue of June 23, 2008, talks about attempts from some influential parties to block the event. The article tells the nature of these attempts and what PM Nuri Al-Maliki is going to do to get the contracts signed.