"The oil pipeline linking Zubair with Fao has been
bombed." A key oil export
pipeline feeding Iraq's Basra oil terminal has been damaged in a bomb attack
by insurgents, an Iraqi industry source said Thursday. There were no further
details and it was not immediately clear how this would affect crude oil
exports from Iraq's main export terminal at Basra and the nearby Khor al-Amaya
port, which accounted for some 1.6 million b/d of oil exports in February,
nearly the bulk of Iraq's exported oil.
"We are tracking the situation, and that
notwithstanding the ample liquidity conditions, we stand ready to provide
additional liquidity if needed." The European Central
Bank said on Thursday it noted increased tension in eurozone money markets
as the end of the first quarter approached, and was ready to release more
cash if necessary.