odds & ends

Some snippets from our overflowing inbox. There is, unfortunately, too little information to construct an outline for the contracts that are mentioned.

UK banknote printer set for Iraq contract
New Zealand Herald
July 7, 2003

Britain's De La Rue Plc, the world's biggest commercial printer of banknotes, said on Monday it was set to win the main contract to produce new banknotes for Iraq, sending its shares to a 20-week high.

"The company will lead a consortium of global currency specialists to manufacture the banknotes," De La Rue said in a statement which made no mention of any value for the contract.

Bombs and Bullets Are Boon for World Airways Inc.
by Doron Levin
Bloomberg
July 14, 2003

World Airways Inc. is an old hand at war and its aftermath, a big reason why it appears well-suited to fly passengers to Afghanistan and Iraq, two countries that need improved air service.

The 55-year-old carrier, based near Atlanta, is one of a handful of airlines applying to the U.S. government for permission to initiate flights to Kabul, as well as to Baghdad. The company transported troops to the region during the conflict in Iraq.

US builds up tribal rule on Coke, doughnuts and power
By Charles Clover
Financial Times
July 14, 2003

Visitors to the home of Sheikh Majid Ali Suleiman, chief of the Duleim tribe in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, are usually greeted with the question: "Has anything been stolen from you?"

[...]

Col Teeples is keen to cultivate sheikhs by giving them favourable treatment. Mr Ali Suleiman, for example, got a contract to supply cement to US forces rebuilding an airfield, while a tribal leader from Rutba won jobs for some of his charges.

Guidelines for NEH grant proposal to preserve and document cultural resources in Iraq
NEH website

NEH invites proposals for projects to preserve and document cultural resources in Iraq’s archives, libraries, and museums. Projects can also disseminate information relating to the materials and bibliographic records of civilization in Iraq from the earliest times to the present. Projects should focus on resources, which, because of their intellectual content and value as cultural artifacts, are considered highly important for research, education, and public programming in the humanities. This initiative continues NEH's longstanding history of support for humanities scholarship to advance knowledge and understanding of Mesopotamia, the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in present-day Iraq.

Projects should have specific goals and measurable results. On-site work in Iraq is contingent upon security. Collaboration between Iraqi and American professionals is encouraged whenever appropriate.

An update on the recent Bechtel conference in Basra:

Iraqis learning modern capitalism the hard way
by Daniel Trotta
July 13, 2003

Giant U.S. engineering firm Bechtel on Sunday told Iraqi companies they could be part of rebuilding the country and got a first-hand look at how local firms are struggling to adapt in a post-Saddam world.

Bechtel, awarded the prime reconstruction contract for Iraq by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), met 200 representatives of potential Iraqi subcontractors in Iraq's second city Basra, the hub for southern commerce on the Gulf.

And a new partnership worth noting:

Clyde & Co joins hands with big Baghdad firm
by A Staff Reporter
Gulf News
July 11, 2003

The law firm Clyde & Co. has reached an exclusive co-operation agreement with one of Iraq's leading law offices, Numan Shakir Numan of Baghdad.

The senior partner, Numan, a former President of the Iraqi Bar Association, acts for some of the largest private enterprises in Iraq. His office is one of the leading practices in the country calling upon the services of a number of specialized lawyers.

Through this agreement, the two firms will be able to provide a legal framework for companies conducting business in Iraq.