(March 16, 2004) Iraq’s finance minister said on Tuesday Baghdad hoped to finalise a deal to ease its massive debts this year, despite splits among creditors over how much debt relief to grant a country so rich in oil.

(March 7, 2004) According to Harvard-educated Ali Allawi, Iraq’s first trade minister in the post-Saddam Hussein era, the country urgently needs to establish stability, and then can work to forge new economic bonds across the region and the world.

(March 5, 2004) Japan’s government is considering forgiving at least $3 billion of the $7 billion owed to it by Iraq, the Nikkei English News reported, without saying where it obtained the information.

(March 4, 2004) Creditors are likely to forgive $80 billion to $90 billion of Iraq’s $120 billion debt owed to donor nations, said World Bank President James Wolfensohn.

(March 4, 2004) Roman Kupchinsky, editor of the weekly "Crime, Corruption & Terrorism Watch" report published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, investigates the Al-Mada newspaper expose that named nearly 270 individuals, companies and organizations allegedly given oil coupons in exchange for political support by Saddam Hussein’s former regime.

(February 29, 2004) Beijing is ready to forgive a big part of the estimated 5.8 billion dollars owed to it by the previous regime of Saddam Hussein if Chinese companies are allowed into major rebuilding projects in Iraq.

(February 27, 2004) Top Middle East accountancy practice Ernst & Young is pushing ahead with its efforts to move back into Iraq and plans to reopen there within days.

(February 26, 2004) Iraq needs a big reduction in its $117-$122 billion debts, but it is unlikely to receive as generous a reduction as 90 percent given to the likes of Congo, credit rating agency Fitch said on Thursday.

(February 25, 2004) Iraq’s $120bn external debt is "clearly unsustainable" and creditors will need to grant reductions of almost 90 per cent, says Fitch Ratings, the rating agency, in a report published on Thursday.

(February 19, 2004) Accountancy firms are being encouraged to set up shop in Iraq to take part in what was last week billed as a modern-day ‘gold rush’.

(February 13, 2004) The new Baghdad office will be part of a grander strategy to increase Ernst & Young’s Middle East presence in a big way.

(February 12, 2004) The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq has established a Commission on Public Integrity, which will enforce anticorruption laws and set public-service standards.

(February 11, 2004) Algeria is investigating alleged corruption linked to Iraq’s oil-for-food programme, state radio said, adding weight to Iraqi efforts to get to the bottom of crude dealing during Saddam Hussein’s rule.