Iraq - Iraq's Baghdad Trade Fair, the country’s first international trade show in six years, has taken place without US involvement.
The event, held at Baghdad International Fair last week, demonstrated a rekindling of international commercial interest in Iraq; the reduction in sectarian violence in the Iraqi capital is opening the door to foreign investment.
“Now the security situation has improved, it is possible to hold these fairs and to receive companies. This is the start. God willing, it will not be the last," said the director general of Iraq's state fair company, Hashem Mohammed Haten.
However, despite spending a trillion dollars on reconstruction and economic revitalisation, Americans were notably absent from the trade fair. Of the 396 companies from 32 attending nations, there were just “two or three” from the US, according to Haten.
Iraq's imports nearly doubled in 2008 to $43.5billion from $25.67billion in 2007. Imports from American companies stayed flat at $2 billion over that period, according to reports.
Haten also confirmed a ban on Israeli participation. “Iraq is one of eight Arab states that does not deal with Israeli firms or businessmen,” he said. “We will not strike deals with them.”
However, the event did see a relaxation on the event’s policy for dealing with companies that do business with Israel. “Previously, we asked firms to produce evidence of their not dealing with Israel or pledging in writing that they are not doing so. During this session we have stopped asking for such documents,” he said.
The 10 day trade show followed investment conferences in Washington, Berlin and London hoped to court firms interested in doing business in Iraq. "We hope this fair will help us establish economic and commercial relations with different countries around the world, and we also want to allow our private companies to build links with their foreign counterparts," said interim Trade Minister Safaldin al-Safi at the event's opening.
