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Q&A: Thamir Ghadhban

The prime minister's energy czar talks about production, flaring reduction, refining targets and the ongoing dispute between Baghdad and the KRG.
Thamer Ghadhban (center), the former oil minister and current senior advisor to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, tours the Doura refinery in Baghdad.

DUBAI - As policymakers and investors contemplate the vast energy potential buried beneath Iraq, they all want to know what production target the government will set and whether it can be achieved.

The answer is more nuanced than the question appears to give room for, according to Thamir Ghadhban, a two-time Oil Minister and the chairman of the Iraqi Prime Minister's Advisory Commission. The fortunes of Iraq's oil sector are closely tied to the country's political debates and security dynamics, its relationship with its neighbors, and the vicissitudes of world markets.

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