Iraq seeks pipeline help from Turkey

While seeking the help of the state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) in repairing a pipeline, Iraq is also working on a third pipeline project via Turkey. BOTAS Director Fazil Senel said yesterday that Iraqi officials asked them to rebuild the damaged part of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline which connects the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan and has the capacity to carry 70.5 million tons of oil per year. "We will send a technical delegation there soon," he said. Senel also said that Iraqi officials told a Turkish delegation visiting Iraq last week they plan to sell the country's oil in the southern port city of Basra via Turkey to Europe. "They plan to build two or three pipelines from Basra to Zaho [in the north] and transport Basra oil through Turkey as well," he said. "This shows the trust they have in Turkey. This is important. We hope the plan goes through." Senel also said Iraqi officials had given BOTAS the opportunity to build a pipeline to transport the country's natural gas in a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project.