Russian businessmen who left Iraq in recent days handed over their assets to members of the Iraqi regime and have no hope that they will ever recover them, strana.ru reported on 19 March.

Representatives of LUKoil, Zarubezhneft, and Mashinoimport -- which have the largest presences in Iraq -- have written off their losses and said that although their property in Iraq is partially insured, it will be extremely difficult to collect damages if the regime in Baghdad is changed.

(RFE/RL 20.iii.03)