The White House is now being queried on the connections to Ray Hunt, head of Hunt Oil Corp., regarding the companies deal with Iraq’s Kurdistan government.
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., has sent a letter raising concerns over Hunt’s role on the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. Markey wants answers to 13 questions on Hunt’s role as well as what the White House knew about the deal.
Read the entire story I wrote for UPI here.
The pipeline from Kirkuk to Baiji was bombed, again, Reuters reports. The extent of the bomb isn’t certain, but a Kirkuk oil official said it will be fixed soon and exports won’t be affected.
The pipeline wasn’t the only slice of violence in the area, which The New York Times’ Richard A. Oppel Jr. reports includes and attack on Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih’s convoy and a police patrol.
Iraq’s oil production is likely to drop, the Center for Global Energy Studies’ Muhammad-Ali Zainy tells Azzaman.
It’s ‘The economy, stupid,’ Andrew Alderson, author of “Bankrolling Basra,” writes in Parliamentary Brief.
How did the British get it so wrong in southern Iraq? Between the summers of 2003 and 2004, there was a system of government in place which included economic administration and this brought stability and relative peace. Today Basra is a no-go zone and as dangerous as Baghdad. …
It was recognised that the key to regaining the confidence of the ordinary Iraqis is the rebuilding of the Iraqi economy. As their lot improves through better overall living conditions and increased availability of goods and products through the liberalising of trade, the security situation should also improve as the undesirable elements of the community become increasingly marginalised. This should allowing the coalition military forces to focus on and prosecute extremists and former regime loyalists with greater effect.
The Review of the Effectiveness of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Iraq, published Thursday by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq, can be found here.
The Iraq Press Roundup by UPI’s Hiba Dawood can be read here.
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