Iraq calls on foreign companies with electric power contracts to discharge their obligations

Iraq has urged foreign companies having running power contracts to discharge their commitments, the Iraqi newspaper As-Saa on Saturday quoted "informed sources" in the Iraq Electric Power Committee as saying.

The cost of contracts mentioned is, according to the paper, 4 billion dollars. They are less than half fulfilled.

The paper reports that among six companies that concluded contracts with the previous government of Iraq, one is from Russia. But it is unclear which one is meant.

The power industry has traditionally been one of the areas of cooperation between Russia /and before that the USSR/ and Iraq. Thus, with the participation of Tekhnopromexport, the largest heat and power station in Iraq was being erected before the war in the township of Yusefia /30 kilometres south of Baghdad/.

At present Iraq is going through a keen crisis in power supplies. Electricity to most parts of the country, including the capital Baghdad, is supplied only a few hours a day. Occupying authorities are as yet unable to resolve the problem.