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Baghdad”s airport reopens | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Baghdad – Baghdad”s airport reopened Monday amid a contract dispute between a British security firm and the Iraqi government that led to a 48-hour shutdown.

Global Strategies Group temporarily suspended its management of security operations at the airport Friday, saying there

were &#34unresolved commercial issues&#34 with Iraq”s Transport Ministry. About 500 Global employees handle security at Baghdad”s airport.

Commercial flights resumed Monday and an Iraqi Airways plane from Jordan landed at the airport at 9:30 a.m. (0530 GMT), said Tark al-Najar, an airline spokesman.

London-based GSG and the previous Iraqi government, which left office on April 28, had reached an oral financial agreement, Transport Minister Salam al-Maliki said Sunday.

He added that the company demanded a new contract and demanded higher amounts of money as a condition to return.

Al-Maliki declined to provide further details about the

negotiations.

In London, Paul Simington, director of Middle East operations for Global Strategies Group, said the company wanted to meet with al-Maliki, adding that the minister had failed to turn up at previous arranged meetings.

He also denied that the company was trying to charge higher amounts of money. &#34That is a completely false statement, in fact we have reduced our prices,&#34 he told The Associated Press, speaking by phone from Dubai.