ANGLO-IRAQI RELATIONS: group to develop legal contacts

A new Anglo-Iraqi Law Association (AILA) was founded this week to help solicitors and barristers make business contacts in the oil-rich, war-ravaged state.

AILA was launched this week at One Essex Court - the chambers of Conservative MP Tony Baldry, the leader of the parliamentary select committee for international development who is acting as the new organisation's UK-based chairman.

Several Iraqi lawyers attended the inaugural meeting, including Dr Al Soufi - the leader of a panel of Iraqi lawyers whom AILA claimed deals with 75% of commercial legal work in Iraq - and UK-based Iraqi lawyer Khalid Essa Taha.

AILA will launch committees in London and Baghdad, with a solicitor to be appointed as vice-chairman in London.

Both committees will meet regularly and hold a conference each year alternating between Baghdad and London.

Databases of member lawyers and business contacts in the two cities will also be established.

Mr Essa Taha said: 'The Iraqi people understand the English - we two nations have co-operated culturally since the 1920s.'

Meanwhile construction firm Masons Thelen Reid - a UK/US joint venture - this week entered a formal association with Baghdad-based firm Salam Abdullah & Partners.

Stephen O'Neal, managing partner of City firm Masons, said: 'Since early last year, we have been closely following developments in Iraq.

Like many of our international clients, we see Iraq as an important market for international construction, engineering and infrastructure work over the next ten years.'

For information, e-mail AILA: gkirk@lec.co.uk.

Jeremy Fleming