'Still, while the security situation may have improved, many investors are wary of deep-seated corruption and a dense web of red tape and bureaucracy. Transparency International ranks Iraq as the 10th most corrupt country in the eyes of investors.
Asked how the government would reassure investors that their funds would be allocated properly, the prime minister stressed his focus on tackling corruption.
"We are laying down all the legal framework ... I think the worry is corruption, number one, which is hiding behind red tape and bureaucracy. We have established a higher committee which is headed by the prime minister and it has a follow up team to make sure to remove blocks as they are there because of the bureaucracy," Al-Abadi said.
"I think this will be a huge bonus for companies; sometimes they are pressed to pay bribes or something like that. We want to keep away from this, we want every dollar which goes into investment or donation to serve the people, not to go to the pockets of corrupt people."
Al-Abadi appeared confident, despite the significant challenges ahead.
"I think now that the process of engaging investors in Iraq, I am sure in the next few months will be the foundation of this. We've already appointed a committee. Next month is going to be a meeting with major investors to follow up … And I hope that after the election they'll immediately start." '
- Natasha Turak,
Iraq prime minister promises corruption crackdown, says laws will protect nervous foreign investors, February 19, 2018
ContextThe Christmas Truce of 1914 - '..what might have happened if the truce had spread and this had caused the war to end earlier..''..a realistic concept of what is achievable and in what time frame.' (Global peace in the 24th century)