Iraq may turn to Qatar for gas: report

Iraq may turn to Qatar for gas: report

Iraq is considering turning to Qatar to get its gas needs instead of remaining reliant on sanction-hit Iran, the official Iraqi daily Alsabah said on Friday.

Cheap gas supplies are needed to run Iraq’s electricity sector and they are abundant in Qatar, which had in the past expressed willingness to supply Iraq with gas, the paper said, quoting official sources and Iraqi experts.

The paper noted that Iraq would find it easier to import gas from Qatar due to the Western sanctions against Iran.

“Iraq will likely seek Qatari gas because of its competitive prices and better marketing terms,” a source told the paper.

It quoted well-known Iraqi economist Adnan Bahiya as saying Baghdad could obtain attractive supply terms from Qatar.

“There are some advantages that could push Iraq to turn to Qatar for its gas needs, including prices, marketing and respect of the supply contract,” Bahiya said, adding that supplies from nearby Iran have been disrupted many times in the past.

He said Iraq needs Iranian gas for the next three years to operate its power utilities but added that it has to look for other sources to ensure stable supplies in the future.

“I believe that Iraq can benefit from Qatari gas imports because of