Iraq: Sadr, SOC and foreign oil companiesnote

Iraqi radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr, who is still in Qom in Iran, is said to have asked his followers in southern Iraq to cooperate with South Oil Company (SOC) and Maysan Oil Company (MOC). The following 405-word report tells why Al-Sadr asked his followers to do so and tells why some foreign oil companies active in southern Iraq intend to make direct contacts with him.