DATE=8/16/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=IRAQ/PIPELINE (S)

NUMBER=2-306554

BYLINE=KIRK TROY

DATELINE=BAGHDAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Authorities in Iraq say the main oil pipeline going to Turkey has been sabotaged,

halting the export of oil to the north. Kirk Troy has the details from Baghdad.

TEXT: Iraq's U-S-appointed oil minister told reporters in Baghdad that the pipeline had been

set on fire by saboteurs, apparently opposed to American troops currently occupying the country.

He said that crude oil being exported through the pipeline has been stopped for the time being,

only two days after the pipeline went on line. He said the blaze had been isolated, and technicians were working to restore operations as soon as possible.

The incident occurred near Baiji, around 200 kilometers north of Baghdad. The area falls within the so-called Sunni triangle, where support for Saddam Hussein has been strong, and where

guerrilla attacks against U-S forces have been frequent.

Efforts to export Iraqi crude oil have been hampered recently by outdated equipment and

continuing sabotage by guerrillas said to be loyal to the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Meantime, a U-S military spokesman says one soldier was wounded Saturday when a convoy came under gunfire and bomb attack near the town of Baquba, north of Baghdad. (SIGNED)

NEB/KT/DW/TW