Iraqi US secret trade transactions

Unnamed diplomatic sources said the USA and Iraq secretly made trade transactions in spite of the mutual accusations between the two countries, Al-Ahram newspaper reported today.

Two American companies signed contracts for 7.2 million barrels of oil, the paper reported.

A United Nations spokesman stated that Russia, signing contracts of 30.3 million barrels, has the greatest share in Iraqi oil contracts which the UN has approved since the oil-for-food deal went into force on August 11. Turkey ranks second with 15.3 million barrel contracts and France third with 11.5 million barrels.