2011/01/29Lukman Faily (Iraq's ambassador to Japan): Iraq is beginning a new chapter in its evolution as a democracy
Old, friendly and unique ties have existed for some time between Iraq and Japan. Iraq's economic partnership with Japan had a renaissance in the 1970s and 1980s, when Japan was Iraq's leading trade partner. The government of Iraq intends to rebuild stronger political, economic and social relations between the two countries. Japan's support for Iraq after 2003, in the form of grants, official development assistance (ODA) and other help, has been very much appreciated by all Iraqis and their representatives.
With the ratification of the new Iraqi Cabinet by Iraq's Council of Representatives in December 2010 and the U.N. Security Council's termination, in the same month, of a large number of resolutions related to Iraq, including the oil for food and other embargoes, the people of Iraq have declared the closure of one chapter and the start of a new chapter in the life cycle of Iraq's new democratic political process. The formation of a new Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, comes after a prolonged period of discussion and debate following the March elections. This is what the people of Iraq and our friends in the international community had been looking forward to.
The political and security situation in Iraq will be given a boost following the formation of the new government, especially given the fact that the four main political groups have come to an agreement to set aside differences and work together to form a national partnership government.
The new Cabinet and parliament will have a number of urgent challenges to overcome in the near future including, to name but a few, the fine tuning of the relationship between the central government in Baghdad and Iraq's provinces, the ratification of a new oil law, the provision of key fundamental services such as electricity and water, and the defeat of terrorism once and for all.
Recently, former Iraq's minister of oil, Hussain Al-Shahristani, announced that new data showed Iraq's proven recoverable oil reserves are now estimated at 143.1 billion barrels, an increase of 24 percent. Following the success of all three petroleum licensing rounds in 2009 and 2010, Iraq aims to significantly increase its oil production over the next few years. Iraq will continue to be a mature and responsible member of the international oil market. Increasing oil production and, therefore, revenue will be the catalyst for funding much-needed new infrastructure investment projects in Iraq.
Due to the reckless policies of the previous regime, all essential infrastructure in Iraq deteriorated severely for decades. To meet the challenge of repairing and renewing Iraq's infrastructure, the government of Iraq has undertaken a number of nationwide cross-sector initiatives. These projects have involved inviting Japanese and other international companies to invest in the giant opportunities presented by the redevelopment of Iraq's core infrastructure, which has been valued at an estimated 42 trillion yen. There are wide-ranging opportunities for investment, such as building oil refineries, hospitals, power stations and oil pipelines across the country.
To encourage and attract investment, Iraq's democratic institutions have endeavored to provide legal and financial protection to investors in accordance with the Investment Law No. 13 (2006) and its amendments in 2009.
Iraq has natural and human resources which can be invested to the benefit of its relationship with Japan. Japan, for its part, has great expertise in infrastructure reconstruction, modern technology, and an advanced economy which can be utilized to the benefit of its relationship with Iraq. Mutual respect for one another's long histories and contributions to humanity adds another positive dimension to the relationship. The Iraqi people have a high regard for the Japanese work ethic and Japan's people.
A large number of international companies are aggressively moving into the Iraqi market to take advantage of the great investment opportunities it offers. Regional and international governmental representations are also springing up in the provinces of Iraq. Those include a new Turkish consulate in Basra, a French Commercial section in Thi Qar and a consulate in Anbar, and increased British government representation in the Kurdistan Regional Government area and in Basra.
There remain formidable challenges for the people and government of Iraq. However, with the support of our friends and while focusing on our objectives, we as a civilization are determined to overcome all hurdles and build a strong democratic nation, which will overcome and reclaim Iraq's historic significance.
* * * Lukman Faily is Iraq's ambassador to Japan.
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201101280408.html
