South Shore school lunch program setting the standard | SaltWire #school #lunch #educationBAGHDAD/DOHA - In Baghdad's Green Zone, a heavily fortified legacy from Iraq's war-torn years, the glitzy Qatar-financed Rixos hotel is taking shape, highlighting growing investment interest from Gulf Arab states.
"It is the right time to go there," said Moutaz Al Khayyat, chairman of Qatar's Estithmar Holdings which is behind the Rixos project, citing the Iraqi government's ability to build huge projects and attract international investors. In 2014, then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar of inciting and funding Islamic State fighters in the country, claims the two states denied.But links have been growing as Baghdad seeks to turn Iraq into a place of cooperation between regional rivals, including by hosting Saudi Arabia-Iran talks in 2021 and 2022 that helped pave the way for their landmark normalization of ties in March 2023.
Qatar's Emir visited Baghdad in June 2023, during which Estithmar signed MOUs worth $7 billion to develop two new residential cities, five-star hotels and deals to manage and operate hospitals. UAE-based Crescent Petroleum last year signed three 20-year contracts to develop natural gas fields in the southern Basra and Diyala provinces. Saudi Arabia's ACWA power plans a 1000 MW solar farm.ROCKET ATTACKS
Many investors also have concerns about rampant corruption and stifling bureaucracy that make everything from signing a contract to getting paid difficult, placing a heavy emphasis on political connections and promises.