| Pipeline to israel just rumor Subject: no pipeline
David Goldman BAGHDAD, June 26 (AFP) - There are no plans to revive an oil pipeline from Iraq's northern oil city of Kirkuk to Haifa which fell into disuse after Israel's creation in 1948, Iraq's acting oil minister said Thursday. Reports that the pipeline will be reopened "are no more than rumors," Thamer Ghadhban told reporters. "I have already said that there is no pipeline (from Kirkuk to Haifa). The facility has become rusty and sections of it have been dismantled in Jordan and Iraq," he said. Pumping stations have not been used since 1948, Ghadhban said, adding that here had been no talks with any side on reopening that pipeline. "Iraq has enough pipelines to export (oil), extending to the Turkish port of Ceyhan and Mina al-Bakr port on the Gulf, in addition to a pipeline transiting Saudi Arabia, which we hope will be revived soon," he said. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported in late March that Israeli Infrastructure Minister Joseph Paritzky wanted to reopen the pipeline from Iraq to the port of Haifa. The newspaper said Paritzky hoped the large Haifa refineries could be directly supplied with Iraqi oil, saving Israel the cost of importing expensive crude from Russia.
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