Iraq Oil Min: Will Change Some Ministry Officials
Posted: 16 May 2005
Newly-appointed Iraqi Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum said he would make some changes in the ministry's senior posts as he works toward a long-term goal of tripling the country's oil output.
"There could be some changes that are needed in order to fulfill our plans in this difficult stage that the ministry is passing through," Bahr al-Uloum said after former oil minister Thamer al-Ghadhban handed over power at a ceremony in the oil ministry.
"We have very important tasks that we should do and (the ministry) needs some structural changes," he said. The minister, who was appointed Sunday, didn't elaborate on the personnel changes.
Bahr al-Uloum said the ministry's long-term goal is to boost the country's crude oil production from around 2 million barrels a day to between 5 million and 6 million b/d by harnessing the expertise of foreign oil companies.
"We are targeting a production of 5 million to 6 million b/d by the end of this decade - that goal can't be achieved without the help of the international oil companies."
In the immediate future, however, Bahr al-Uloum reiterated that his first priority is to increase output and return Iraq's exports to 1.75 million b/d from current levels of less than 1.5 million b/d.
He said his second priority is to fight corruption.
"We inherited (corruption) from (Saddam Hussein's) regime, which has been aggravated over the last two years in most Iraqi government establishments."
The Shiite minister has already served once as oil minister, in the former U.S.-appointed Governing Council, starting in September 2003.
Ghadhban replaced him in June 2004, as the U.S.-led authority handed power to the Iraqis.
Bahr al-Uloum also promised to ease a growing fuel shortage that has plagued the country over the last few months.
Iraq, a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, now imports a total of $2.4 billion worth of oil products because of aging oil refineries, which are running at half capacity, combined with rising demand because of an influx of thousands of cars.
Former minister Ghadhban, a veteran technocrat, said he wouldn't take on a new post in the ministry, but he would become a member of the National Assembly, as well as sit on the cabinet's economic committee.
"I'm a member of the economic committee that watches what other ministries are doing, particularly oil and gas activities," Ghadhban said. "I'll keep a close eye on the ministry. If there are problems and setbacks, we will study them and try to solve them," he added.
(2005 Dow Jones Newswires)
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