MEA announces formation of Iraq Britain Business Council at Iraq Invest, London 2009 Conference

The London conference, hosted by Iraq's National Investment Commission in partnership with the UK's Department of International Development, is being attended by senior Iraqi and UK officials and over 450 delegates from the two countries.

The Business Council will be private sector led and independent of government. It will work closely with UK Trade & Investment and the Iraqi authorities to help develop bilateral trade and investment, and to promote private sector development in Iraq.

The Council will have a UK and Iraqi Co-Chair. The UK Co-Chair-designate is Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, Member of the European Parliament and Executive Chairman of the AMAR Foundation. The Iraqi Co-Chair designate is Mr Mohammed Charchafchi, Chairman of Zain Industries. Membership will be broadly based and include senior private sector representatives from each side.

The Business Council will, through regular high level meetings, take strategic initiatives to promote trade and investment between the UK and Iraq. It will build on the success of the London Investment Conference and act as a vehicle for UK business engagement with Iraq, including organization of outward visits and missions, business briefings and sector working groups.

The UK Secretariat of the Business Council will be provided by the Middle East Association. The MEA is the UK's leading private sector organisation for promoting trade and good relations with the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Iran.

As an independent and not-for-profit organization, it represents over 400 corporate members from all business and industry sectors.

The MEA has been leading UK trade missions to Northern Iraq since 2006, and looks forward to extending its coverage to the rest of Iraq with the support of the Business Council.