The World Bank has refused to finance the "al-Jafa" canal project in Iraq and said that the Iraqi government needs to develop human resources.
Director of the Regional Bank Hadi al-Arabi said in a conference that "the World Bank has not yet agreed to finance the al-Jafa canal project, but the [World] Bank promised to study the project."
Political views do not concern the World Bank, because it depends on media and people's attitudes to decide on project priorities, said al-Arabi.
Iraq's Ministry of Construction and Housing earlier this year announced plans for implementing the al-Jafa canal project worth $450bn. The project includes building a transport system connected to neighboring states.