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Czech Republic spends 78 million USD on
Iraq's reconstruction
5.10.2005
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PRAGUE-
(PDM
staff with CTK) 5 October - The Czech government has
earmarked USD78 million (more than CZK 1.9 billion)
for the reconstruction of Iraq thus far, Czech
Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda told journalists
yesterday after talks with Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani.
The money went to, among other things, humanitarian
aid, activities of the field hospital in Basra and
training of Iraqi Police, Svoboda added.
Since 2003, the Czech government has offered CZK 500
million to support concrete projects and feasibility
studies in the area of energy, oil mining, water
economy, prospecting and transport infrastructure.
Talabani yesterday also met representatives of Czech
companies interested in investing in Iraq. Among
them are Aero Vodochody, Azas Invest, Chemoprojekt,
Citibank, Jawa and Strojexport.
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Iraqi president Jalal Talabani and Czech Rep. Prime
Minister Jiri Paroubek
Photo:CTK |
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During the meeting with Talabani, Chemoprojekt
expressed interest in taking part in a tender for
the construction of a refinery in Kurdistan.
Chemoprojekt CEO Tomas Plachy told CTK that the
company would take part in the tender in a
consortium with the firms Unis and Vitkovice, and
possibly also with other Czech companies.
Plachy said the area where the refinery was to be
built was safe, both from the military and
investment viewpoints.
The Export Guarantee and Insurance Company (EGAP)
also took part in the talks with Talabani.
"Czech companies presented brand new projects they
are preparing, in particular as regards investments
into infrastructure," EGAP spokesman Vlastimil
Nesrsta told CTK.
EGAP is one of the pillars of state support to
exports. Nesrsta added that the company was open to
insuring and guaranteeing loans.
Talabani said he was inviting Czech companies to
Iraq and added they had the full support of the
Iraqi government.
Czech companies are welcome in Iraq for the quality
of work they did in the country in the past. In the
1970s and 1980s, they took part in building Iraqi
industry, in particular in the chemical and
petrochemical production.
The volume of government-supported projects of Czech
companies in Iraq, according to earlier data from
the Industry and Trade Ministry, should grow to CZK
8.6 billion this year, from last year's CZK 290
million.
CTK news edited by the staff of the Prague Daily
Monitor, a Monitor CE service.
www.praguemonitor.com
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