.Fancy Iraq Hols? Flights May Go Next Year
On the day British forces formally ended combat operations in Iraq, the delegation arrived in London.
After six years of conflict, the nation requires investment across the board - from transport to financial services to healthcare.
So who can make it work at this fragile stage in Iraq's re-emergence? Service industries could be the first to do well - those who deal in the most fundamental components of infrastructure.
"We are ready to launch flights to Baghdad subject to government security approvals" said BMI chief executive, Nigel Turner.
"A scheduled airline like us literally brings in investment by transporting business users, but the service itself also sends a strong message that Iraq is open for business."
The airline is hoping to run a flight a day between Heathrow and Baghdad from 2010. Most of the plane will be business class to cater to the majority of the users.
"Businessmen will happy to pay a premium for a comfortable and safe ride to Iraq", Mr Turner added.
Iraqi diplomats and business leaders know making economic headway can only be done by attracting foreign investment from opportunistic countries with an eye for risk and reward.
Hussein Al Uzri, the chairman and chief executive of the Trade Bank of Iraq, which has a pivotal role to play in facilitating foreign investment, told Sky News: "The security situation is finally improving.
"And so the relationship between Iraq and the rest of the world can be redefined into commercial and business."
He is convinced it is the companies that go in early, that will benefit the most, even though the push for investment is coming during a global downturn.
He said: "Maybe this will divert attention to Iraq. The opportunities there are now too big to ignore. Whereas it was once easy to make money in Europe, in Africa and the emerging markets, it is not any more."
But potential investors are perhaps more realistic. Hawk Sunshine is head of investment banking at Russian financial company, Metropol.
He said: "The situation in Iraq is similar to Russia in the 1990s. Companies investing in a risky country can be at the leading edge or the bleeding edge, and they are very close together.
"There will be businesses that fail in that environment, or find things difficult in the short term. We would be looking to invest for the long term."
It is unclear whether any real headway has been made in easing the visa requirements for Iraqi citizens looking to come to the UK to get skills training or business experience, to take back to Iraq.
The Trade Bank of Iraq also wants the British government to sign export guarantees.
That would, in their view, be the single most influential factor in encouraging British corporate investment in Iraq.
And of course, the security issue has not gone away - there can be no guarantees issued to cover that.
UK business secretary Lord Mandelson is keen to stress that remarkably, 40% of Iraq's population is under the age of 15.
That means in the short-term there is potentially a huge skills and knowledge gap to fill and in the long-term. There is potential for a generation of young business leaders, created and honed post-conflict.
Corporate Iraq represents a mixed bag of possibilities - for those with a healthy appetite for risk, it is a whopping opportunity. The question is, is it just too soon for many British companies to make it work?
SkyNews
After six years of conflict, the nation requires investment across the board - from transport to financial services to healthcare.
So who can make it work at this fragile stage in Iraq's re-emergence? Service industries could be the first to do well - those who deal in the most fundamental components of infrastructure.
"We are ready to launch flights to Baghdad subject to government security approvals" said BMI chief executive, Nigel Turner.
"A scheduled airline like us literally brings in investment by transporting business users, but the service itself also sends a strong message that Iraq is open for business."
The airline is hoping to run a flight a day between Heathrow and Baghdad from 2010. Most of the plane will be business class to cater to the majority of the users.
"Businessmen will happy to pay a premium for a comfortable and safe ride to Iraq", Mr Turner added.
Iraqi diplomats and business leaders know making economic headway can only be done by attracting foreign investment from opportunistic countries with an eye for risk and reward.
Hussein Al Uzri, the chairman and chief executive of the Trade Bank of Iraq, which has a pivotal role to play in facilitating foreign investment, told Sky News: "The security situation is finally improving.
"And so the relationship between Iraq and the rest of the world can be redefined into commercial and business."
He is convinced it is the companies that go in early, that will benefit the most, even though the push for investment is coming during a global downturn.
He said: "Maybe this will divert attention to Iraq. The opportunities there are now too big to ignore. Whereas it was once easy to make money in Europe, in Africa and the emerging markets, it is not any more."
But potential investors are perhaps more realistic. Hawk Sunshine is head of investment banking at Russian financial company, Metropol.
He said: "The situation in Iraq is similar to Russia in the 1990s. Companies investing in a risky country can be at the leading edge or the bleeding edge, and they are very close together.
"There will be businesses that fail in that environment, or find things difficult in the short term. We would be looking to invest for the long term."
It is unclear whether any real headway has been made in easing the visa requirements for Iraqi citizens looking to come to the UK to get skills training or business experience, to take back to Iraq.
The Trade Bank of Iraq also wants the British government to sign export guarantees.
That would, in their view, be the single most influential factor in encouraging British corporate investment in Iraq.
And of course, the security issue has not gone away - there can be no guarantees issued to cover that.
UK business secretary Lord Mandelson is keen to stress that remarkably, 40% of Iraq's population is under the age of 15.
That means in the short-term there is potentially a huge skills and knowledge gap to fill and in the long-term. There is potential for a generation of young business leaders, created and honed post-conflict.
Corporate Iraq represents a mixed bag of possibilities - for those with a healthy appetite for risk, it is a whopping opportunity. The question is, is it just too soon for many British companies to make it work?
SkyNews
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