By Xinhua
Amman : Iraq has sent out the first shipment of oil to Jordan since the outbreak of the Iraqi war in2003, Jordan’s official news agency Petra reported on Tuesday.
“The first shipment of Iraqi crude oil is currently on its way to Jordanian territory,” said Petra.
According to the report, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki promised during a phone call with Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Al Bakhit that Iraqi government would provide Jordan with part of its oil needs in compliance with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed during the visit of Bakhit to Baghdad in August 2006.
Under the MOU, Iraq agreed to provide Jordan with between 10and 30 percent of its daily oil needs of around 100,000 barrels at preferential rates starting from September of last year.
However, the shipments have been delayed for technical and security reasons.
On Sunday, Jordan’s Transport Minister Saud said that “the Iraqi side has informed the Jordanian authorities that it was ready deliver shipments of crude oil from northern oil hub of Kirkuk within three days because the circumstances are currently suitable.”
Jordan, bordering on Iraq, had relied on its eastern neighbor for almost all of its oil needs before the Iraqi war broke out in March 2003.