Britain hands over Basra airport to Iraqi authorities

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: The Multinational forces in southern Iraq said that they handed over the Basra International Airport to the Iraqi authorities on Thursday. “An official ceremony was held today to hand over the Basra International Airport to the Iraqi civilian authorities,” Major Bill Young told IraqiNews.com. “The airport will be one of the most important airports in the region,” he added. British forces in southern Iraq had said last Friday that the Basra International Airport will be handed over to Iraqi authorities on January 1, 2009 but they will remain in the military side of the facility. “The decision taken by the Iraqi parliament allows British troops to remain in Iraq,” Young told IraqiNews.com, adding this should allow the British forces to back Iraqi forces in the forthcoming elections as well as completing their mission of training Iraq’s 14th Division. He said that the Basra provincial council elections will be “the most important elections to be held in Iraq in a while,” noting the Iraqi security forces will be in control over security during that period with backing from the coalition forces as required. “After completing all our missions, our forces will withdraw on July 31, 2009 at the most and hand over the military side of the base to the U.S. forces while Iraqis will be in control over the civilian side of the airport,” said the British spokesman. Britain was part of the 2003 US-led coalition that invaded Iraq, and currently has about 4,100 troops stationed in the country, most of whom are based just outside the southern city of Basra. Basra, 590 km (340 miles) south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, has an estimated metropolitan population of 2,300,000 in 2008. Basra, a Shiite province with 20% of the population are Sunnis, is the cradle of the first civilization of Sumer. It has the seven main Iraqi ports. The first built in Islam 14 A.H. (After Hegira), the city played an important role in early Islamic history. The area surrounding Basra has substantial petroleum resources and many oil wells. The city’s oil refinery has a production capacity of about 140,000 barrels per day (bpd). The only Iraqi outlet to the sea, Basra is in a fertile agricultural region, with major products including rice, maize corn, barley, pearl millet, wheat and dates as well as livestock. A network of canals flowed through the city, giving it the nickname “The Venice of the Middle East” at least at high tide. The only Iraqi outlet to the sea, Basra has the commercial ports of Iraq. SH (I) 1