Iraq steps up anti-Israel boycott
Michael Freund, THE JERUSALEM POST Mar. 19, 2007
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The US-backed Iraqi government is enforcing the Arab boycott of Israel with
increasing frequency, The Jerusalem Post has learned, with the number of
boycott-related incidents involving US firms operating in Iraq nearly
quadrupling last year, according to official US statistics.

In its recently released annual report for 2006, the US Commerce
Department's Bureau of Industry and Security noted that there had been 31
cases in which the Iraqi government had engaged in restrictive trade
practices last year.

In 2005, according to the previous year's report, there were a total of just
eight such cases involving Iraq.

US law bars American firms from complying with boycott-related requests and
requires them to report any such incidents to the authorities. These might
include demands made of companies to verify that their products do not
contain components made in the Jewish state or signing forms attesting that
they do not do business with Israel.

The most recent edition of the Business Guide for Iraq, a handbook that was
published by the US Commerce Department last year, cautions American
businessmen regarding Iraq's participation in the anti-Israel boycott.

"Currently, some US companies are reporting requests from Iraq for adherence
to the Arab League boycott of Israel," says the guide, noting that,
"compliance with such requests may be prohibited by the Export
Administration Regulations."

In addition, the guide also states that, "Some US companies have been asked
to certify their adherence to the Arab League Boycott of Israel when they
apply to register their intellectual property rights in Iraq."

Contacted by the Post, an official at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv said, "the
United States government is continuing to review this matter."

Iraqi officials were unavailable for comment.

It was unclear why Iraq began enforcing the Arab boycott of Israel more
energetically last year. However, the Iraqi government sent an official
representative to take part in the annual meeting of international liaison
officers of the Arab League boycott Office in Damascus last May.

The aim of the meeting was to discuss ways of intensifying the trade embargo
against the Jewish state.

At the time, a US State Department spokesman told the Post that Washington
was "disappointed" over Iraq's decision to participate in the boycott of
Israel, and said American officials had "raised this issue with Iraqi
officials in the past and expect to raise it with them again."