Basra holds conference on economy

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Basra’s reconstruction committee on Thursday held a conference to discuss the economic future of the province with the participation of several provincial council members, directors of state departments and representatives of civil society organizations. “The conference aims to exchange visions on Basra’s economic future following local elections and the remarkable security improvement…,” a spokesperson for the committee, Rasheed al-Fahd told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The participants called on newly-elected provincial council members to put an end to bureaucratic procedures in state institutions,” he added. The Shiite city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. SS (P)/SR 1