More probing/cat and mouse only this time closer to the oil fields.
washingtonpost.com
And in the North, this:
search.washingtonpost.com
Looks like Saddam and the Iranians are getting awfully chummy.
thr 043
iraq-shipping
iraq can import goods via iran
noshahr, mazandaran prov., jan. 21, irna -- the port and shipping
authority announced its readiness to ship all the iraqi bound goods
in return for right to the transit of iraqi oil from port of imam
khomeini, said the managing director of the organization mokhtar
kalantari here wednesday.
he told irna that upon iraqi request, the goods can be transported
via land to the port of imam khomeini in persian gulf, adding, this a
very economical route for iraq to acquire its import needs.
he further said that currently, iraq is importing its needs via
port of aqabe in jordan, but by utilizing iran's capabilities it is
estimated that iraq can import between 3 to 5 million tons of goods
annually.
kalantari expressed hope that the additions to ports of imam
khomeini, shahid rajaie and chahbahar will be completed by the end of
april.
he added that as part of the organization's policy of transfer of
management of ports to the private sector, so far large parts of
operations in various ports have either been or are in the process of
being handed over to the private sector.
nb/dh
end
::irna 21/01/99 21:34
Didn't Saddam invade Kuwait the last time, so that he could get $21 a barrel? Weren't the Kuwaiti's cheating that time as well?
In my view, the price of oil carries 0 middle east risk premium, maybe that will change in the upcoming weeks. I also read a report on Bloomberg recently that said some minister in Moscow believes the Iranians are definitely getting Russian ballistic missile and nuclear weapons technology. |
