Kathleen Ridolfo
RFE/RL Iraq Report Vol. 6, No. 38
September 15, 2003

The Iraqi Governing Council appointed economist Sinan Muhammad Rida al-Shibibi as Iraq’s first post-Hussein central bank governor, the Associated Press reported on Sept. 10. He was a member of the opposition’s Follow-Up and Coordination Committee organized in December 2002 to prepare for a post-Hussein Iraq (see “RFE/RL Iraq Report,” 23 December 2002). Al-Shibibi holds a master’s degree in economics from Manchester University and a doctorate in economics from Bristol University. He worked for the Iraqi Planning Ministry until 1980 when he joined the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and has worked as a consultant for UNCTAD since his 2001 retirement.

His appointment comes just weeks before an international donors conference on Iraq, scheduled to be held in Madrid on Oct. 24. Fifty nations and international organizations are slated to attend the conference. Iraqi Governing Council President for September Ahmad Chalabi, told reporters on Sept. 10 that the council’s Financial Committee is preparing proposals for development projects to present at the Madrid conference.