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20 December 2004

United States to Provide Technical Support to Iraqi Oil Ministry

Agreements allow for training, expert exchanges

The United States will provide technical training in the petroleum sector to the Iraqi Oil Ministry under the terms of two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed by U.S. and Iraqi officials in Washington December 20.

Iraqi officials raised the need for training within Iraq's petroleum sector during the September meeting of the U.S.-Iraq Joint Economic Commission (JEC) in Baghdad, Iraq.

The MOUs signed at the follow-up meeting of the JEC allow for expert exchanges and workshops dealing with the technical aspects of the industry as well as management and information-technology training for employees of the oil ministry.

Following is the text of a State Department media note on the MOUs:

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
December 20, 2004

MEDIA NOTE

UNITED STATES AND IRAQ SIGN MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING REGARDING ENERGY COOPERATION

On December 20, 2004, the U.S. and Iraq signed two memorandums of understanding (MOU's) providing for cooperation in energy.

The first MOU, between the Ministry of Oil of the Republic of Iraq and the U.S. Department of Energy, provides for technical cooperation in the areas of energy analysis, energy technology and energy training and education with a focus on capacity building in Iraq. The participants anticipate carrying out these activities through a consultative mechanism, and through the exchange of experts, participation in workshops, exchanging technical information and training.

The second MOU, between Iraq's Ministry of Oil and the U.S. Department of State, provides for cooperation in training and capacity building in Iraq's oil sector. Under this understanding, the parties will cooperate in developing training programs in basic business management, English language and information technology. In addition, the program anticipates technical training provided by private sector firms and professional societies, and in longer-term training provided through U.S. and Iraqi universities.

The understandings are part of broader cooperation between the United States and Iraq, carried out through a Joint Economic Commission.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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