According to Dubai industry sources, Washington is seeking an Iraqi chief executive officer (CEO) to head a multinational board of up to 16 to kick start post-war Iraqi oil operations. In Riyadh, Iraq neighbours say US has no right to Iraqi oil and that sanctions cannot end until Iraq has a legitimate government

Industry sources in Dubai meanwhile added that the structure for initial governance of Iraqi oil is now taking shape after weeks of uncertainty.

The sources also said The group will oversee all operations at Iraq's oil ministry, from the rehabilitation of production facilities, to export contracts and refining for domestic fuel needs. The make up of the board should alleviate fears that U.S. nationals might dominate although Phillip Carroll, the former head of Royal Dutch/Shell in the United States, is earmarked for what would be effectively a chairman's role. The identity of the CEO is not yet known but expatriate Iraqi oil official Muhammed-Ali Zainy is taking a position, probably alongside another seven Iraqis -- including three other exiles and four officials from the government of Saddam Hussein. Inclusion of existing officials appears designed to meet the approval of the 55,000 oil workers who must be mobilized to get Baghdad's only significant export revenues flowing again.

Neighbors Say Washington Has No Right to Iraqi Oil

In Riyadh, Iraq's neighbours said U.S.-led forces that invaded the country had no right to exploit its oil and should pull out as soon as possible, giving the United Nations a central postwar role. A meeting of Iraq's immediate neighbours as well as Egypt and Bahrain was hosted in the Saudi capital by foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal. Faisal told a news conference after the talks in Riyadh that if the occupying forces intended to exploit Iraqi oil they would not have any legitimate basis.

Shiites Celebrate Festival Banned Under Saddam

Back in Iraq, thousands of Iraqi Shiites are walking towards the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala for a major religious festival banned for a quarter century under Saddam Hussein. The U.S. military has said it will take "appropriate" security measures next week when hundreds of thousands of Shiites converge on Karbala. In another development, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, deputy head of the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the largest Iraqi opposition body, was given a hero's welcome when he arrived in the southern Iraqi city of Al-Amarah.

PHOTO CAPTION

A U.S. soldier looks through binoculars as he stands guard at an oil field near Iraqi oil hub of Kirkuk, April 18, 2003. REUTERS