Iraq: Preliminary assessment of the second bidding roundnote

The following 315-word report is a preliminary assessment of the second bidding round of oil service contracts (December 11 and 12, 2009). It tells what the impression is at the Iraqi Oil Ministry and how former Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer Al-Ghadhban, who acts as Chief Adviser at the Office of Iraqi PM Nouri Al-Maliki, is assessing the results in the light of major US oil companies, such as ExxonMobil and Chevron, deciding not to bid at the last few hours.