Iraq: Sistani intervenes to stop Shiite differences over the future of oil investmentsnote

Leading Shiite cleric Ali Sistani has proposed to set up a Shiite committee of oil and security experts to stop fierce differences between Shiite leaders over the future of oil investments in Iraq, notably in southern Iraq. The following 358-word article focuses on the issue and tells how the Shiite key players in the Iraqi oil industry are trying to control the committee’s work. The key players include PM Nuri Al-Maliki, former PM Ayad Allawi, Oil Minister Hussein Al-Shahrastani and former Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahr Al-Ulum.