Free Republic

Turkey, which says it lost $30bn (£19bn) in trade with Iraq after the 1991 Gulf war, is preparing to compete for a substantial share in the business of rebuilding Iraq. The foreign ministry said yesterday it had appointed Ahmet Okcu, a senior diplomat, to co-ordinate government and private sector lobbying efforts. Nihat Ozdemir, head of the Turkish Contractors' Union, said he would be pleased if Turkey could secure 20 per cent of the reconstruction contracts, which could be worth as much as $100bn. Tusiad, the Turkish business association, is sending a mission to Washington next month to "warm up bilateral...