The Iraqi cabinet has moved forward with plans to reestablish the Iraq National Oil Company (INOC), naming former Oil Minister Thamir Ghadhban to serve as expert advisor to the board of directors along with three members. But with parliamentary approval of amendments to the law still not guaranteed, it isn’t clear whether and how INOC can become meaningfully operational.
The move by Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi ahead of October elections appears to be the latest in efforts by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to establish facts on the ground in the face of legal and political delays.
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