Minister of Trade Abd al-Falah Al-sudani of Iraq

Iraqi technical-services contracts in doubt; Iraq increases discount for Jordanian oil exports; Basra oil port reopens; Iraq, Syria agree to pipeline repairs.

GAZIANTEP - Iraq`s Trade Minister Abd al-Falah al-Sudani said Wednesday that their aim was not only to enhance commercial and economic relations with Turkey but also to maintain the recent economic growth in Turkey and Iraq.

Speaking during the visit, Al-Sudani said the Iraqi government did its best to enhance relations between the two countries.

Al-Sudani said there were over 80 Turkish companies making business in the north of Iraq.

The first comers will be the first winners, al-Sudani said in an exclusive interview.

Although insecurity and continuing acts of terrorism are causing enormous damage to Iraq's economy, Baghdad is determined to join the WTO within two years at the latest, Abd-al-Fallah al-Sudani said in an interview with Reuters.

Iraqi Commerce Minister Abd Al-Falah Al-Sudani expressed the desire of the government to expand Iran's part in the new construction projects in Iraq and in importing food.

Iraqi Trade Minister Abd al-Falah al-Sudani met with his Syrian counterpart, Amr Hosni Lutfi, in Damascus to discuss the possibilities of improving the flow of goods between the two countries, the Iraqi newspaper Azzaman reported.

Al-Sudani said there was a need to open more border gates between Turkey and Iraq to boost trade ties.

Iraqi Trade Minister Dr Abd-al-Falah Hasan al-Sudani has stressed that the most important achievement at the economic level of the Riyadh summit, which was held in Saudi Arabia last month, was to convene meetings for the cancellation of Iraqi debts to a number of Arab countries.

Al-Sudani said : "Saudi Arabia was one of the countries with which there were dialogues about the cancellation of debts.