US touts Kurdish north as business gateway to Iraq (Reuters)

[Eugene]

US touts Kurdish north as business gateway to Iraq
20 Feb 2007 19:51:56 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Despite war and sectarian violence, Iraq still
offers good business opportunities, particularly in the more secure northern
region controlled by the Kurds, a top U.S. government official said on Tuesday.

"We've seen a boom in the IT (information technology) sector in last three years.
In cell phones, in Internet hookups, there's been very rapid rise. So in some
sectors, there's really been an explosive activity," Franklin Lavin, Commerce
undersecretary for international trade, said.

-snip-

Lavin spoke by phone from Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish region, where he and
Iraqi Trade Minister Abdul Falah al-Sudany co-chaired the first meeting of the
U.S.-Iraq Business Dialogue, a forum aimed at increasing two-way trade and
investment ties.

While many may question investing in Iraq before the situation is more stable,
"my view is it's really just the opposite," Lavin said.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N20163207.htm