4 services projects on the way in Basra

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Basra’s construction unit has referred four projects for implementation, a local official said, noting that they will be financed through the 2008 budget for provincial development projects.   The projects include the establishment of an agricultural textile center in al-Haritha district, a central workshop, a gas station, and a commercial center, an official from the buildings’ division, Eng. Saad Mardan, told IraqiNews.com. The projects will be carried out by several local companies in Basra and will take from 170-280 days to complete, Mardan pointed out. 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.   SS (S)/SR 1