When Iraqi officials offered to sell Palestinians oil at reduced prices, few believed that this offer would actually become reality. While many obstacles continue to exist, the possibility of making this goal a reality is inching closer.

The new Iraqi government, whose Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi spent time in south Lebanon in the 1980s and was very close to the PLO leadership, had invited earlier this year senior Palestinian officials to Iraq. Nabil Shaath, a senior adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, delivered June 23 a letter from Abbas to his Iraqi counterpart. This was followed by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh’s visit to Baghdad July 15. Shtayyeh was accompanied by a large delegation for serious discussions with their Iraqi counterparts.

After returning, a delegation of the General Petroleum Commission was dispatched to Jordan July 11 to inquire whether the Jordanian refinery in Zarqa is able to convert the purchased Iraqi oil to products that would be acceptable by the Israeli standards commission. The visit was aimed at testing the waters to see if the Iraqi oil can be converted to acceptable international standards before beginning any purchase of oil.

Israeli gasoline and diesel use international standards, which are much higher than those in Jordan and what the Jordanian refinery is normally producing.