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Lower demand for the dollar, stable exchange rate
Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 24 /02 /2008 Time 4:49:30
Baghdad, Feb 24, (VOI) - Demand for the dollar was down in the Iraqi Central Bank's auction on Sunday, the first this week, hitting $19.920 million compared to $68.430 million on Thursday.
"The demand hit $1.240 million in cash and $18.680 million in money transfers outside the country, all covered by the bank at an exchange rate of 1,210 Iraqi dinars per dollar, unchanged for the 13th session in a row," according to the central bank's daily bulletin which was received by Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI).
The nine banks that participated in the auction offered to sell $2.800 million, which the bank bought at an exchange rate of 1,208 Iraqi dinars per dollar.
Speaking to VOI, Ali al-Yasseri, a trader, attributed the decline in the demand to the Arbaeen pilgrimage, which he said results in deep recession in southern Iraqi provinces due to the curfew imposed during the occasion.
The Arbaeen is a religious occasion marking the 40th day after the death of Imam al-Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson and the third holiest figure for Shiite Muslims, in the battle of Taf in Karbala in the Hijri year 61 (680 in the Gregorian calendar).
The Iraqi Central Bank runs a daily auction from Sunday to Thursday.
Oil exports from Kirkuk's oilfields double
Kirkuk - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 24 /02 /2008 Time 4:49:30
Kirkuk, Feb 23, (VOI) - Iraq's oil exports from its northern oilfields in Kirkuk city to the Turkish Mediterranean Port of Ceyhan were two times more than their volume four years ago, an official source from the North Oil Company said.
"On Friday, the oil pumping process from Kirkuk's oilfields to the Turkish Ceyhan Port reached 500,000 barrels per day, the highest since 2003," the source, who preferred to remain unnamed, told Aswat al-Iraq, Voices of Iraq, (VOI).
"Oil exports through the Turkish port had stood at an average of 250-350 bpd," the source explained.
Mostly, Iraqi oil exports from northern oilfields are interrupted as armed groups repeatedly target the pipelines carrying oil from Kirkuk to Ceyhan port in Turkey. The larger quantities of crude are usually exported through ports in the safe city of Basra in southern Iraq.
Kirkuk, an oil-rich and mixed city of Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and Arabs, lies 250 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Prime Development in Basra Michael Erin: improvement in the security situation and international companies (Shell, Mobil) coming to invest in Iraq
2008-02-24 2008-02-24
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في لقاء مع مراسل الأوبزيرفر في البصرة، ديفيد سميث، يقول مايكل ويرين إن الوضع الأمني تحسن خلال الأشهر الأخيرة، لذا لم يعد عقبة في وجه المستثمرين In a meeting with the Observer's correspondent in Basra, David Smith, Michael Erin says that the security situation has improved over recent months, therefore is no longer an obstacle in the face of investors
. .
ويرين هو المدير التنفيذي الدولي لمؤسسة KPMG المتخصصة في الخدمات والاستشارات المالية، وقد عين مؤخرا رئيس لجنة تنمية البصرة، وكلف من قبل رئيس الوزراء البريطاني جوردن براون " بمساعدة المقاولات المبتدئة في منطقة البصرة، أملا في أن تجلب الرفاهية مزيدا من الاستقرار." And Erin is the Executive Director of the International Foundation KPMG specializing in the financial services and consultancy, has recently appointed Chairman of the Committee on the Development of Basra, commissioned by the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, "with the assistance of construction starting in the Basra region, in the hope that prosperity brings more stability."
ويقول ويرين: " لدي إحساس بأن العديد من شركات النفط تميل إلى المجيء الآن، وفي الحقيقة ما تنتظره هو صدور قانون المحروقات، وتوقيع الصفقات، هذا ما يدفعها إلى التأني وليس الوضع الأمني." And Erin says: "I have a sense that many of the oil companies tend to come now, and in fact what is ahead of the law fuels, and the signing of deals, that is what paid to the deliberate, and not the security situation."
وتقول الصحيفة إن ويرين لم يُشر إلى هذه الشركات بالإسم إلا أن من المتوقع أن تكون شركات كبرى من قبيل شيل وإكسون موبيل. The paper says that Erin did not refer to these companies by name but it is expected to be major companies such as Shell and Exxon Mobil.
وتُذكر الأوبزيرفر بأن دور الشركات الأمريكية في قطاع النفط العراقي يتسم بنوع من الحساسية من اجتياح العراق عام 2003، والذي اعتبر البعض أن الأطماع في ثروات العراق النفطية هي التي حركته. Observer states that the role of American companies in Iraq's oil sector is a bit sensitive to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, which was seen by some ambitions in Iraq's oil wealth, which is his movement.
وتمول اللجنةَ التي يقودها ويرين وزارة التنمية الدولية، وتعد إحدى أهم وسائل تطبيق الخطة البريطانية للعراق، بعد تسليم السلطة إلى الحكومة العراقية في البصرة في شهر ديسمبر/ كانون الأول. Funded Committee led by Erin and the Department for International Development, is one of the most important means of the application of the British plan for Iraq after the handover of power to the Iraqi government in Basra in the month of December.
وتقول الصحيفة إن مجال نشاطها قد لا يقتصر فقط على القطاع النفطي، إذ قد يمتد ليشمل قطاع الموانئ، والمطارات، والزراعة والمصارف. The paper says that the area of activity may not be limited to the oil sector, it may extend to the Gaza port and airport, agriculture and banking.
وتنوي اللجنة أن تنظم مؤتمرا بالكويت خلال الشهر المقبل يستهدف العراقيين في المهجر، بصفة أساسية. The Committee intends to organize a conference in Kuwait next month aimed at Iraqis in the diaspora, basically. كما تخطط لتنظيم تظاهرة أخرى في شهر إبريل/ نيسان تتوجه إلى الشركات الأوروبية وربما حتى الأمريكية. It also plans to organize a demonstration in the month of April was headed for European companies and perhaps even America.
وتذكر الصحيفة بتصريحات رئيس الوزراء العراقي نوري المالكي الذي وصف فيها البصرة برئة العراق. Remember the newspaper statements of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who described the Basra recover Iraq.
ولا غرابة في ذلك إذا علمنا أن هذه المنطقة هي مصدر 90 المائة من موارد الدولة في العراق، كما تمتلك نسبة 70 في المائة من احتياطي هذا البلد من النفط، إلا أنها ما زالت تعاني من الاضطرابات الناجمة عن المجموعات المسلحة المتنازعة بها، حسب الصحيفة. Not surprisingly, that if we know that this region is the source of 90 percent of the state's resources in Iraq, also owns 70 per cent of this country's reserve of oil, but it continues to suffer from disturbances resulting from armed groups opposing it, according to the paper.
وتشير أيضا إلى أن 4 آلاف من الجنود البريطانيين ينتشرون بها. It also indicates that 4 thousands of British troops deployed them. وقد يطول مقامهم أكثر مما كان متوقعا تقول الصحيفة في تقرير آخر بسبب تجدد أعمال العنف تحديدا. The prolonged their stay more than expected according to the newspaper report because of the renewed violence, specifically.
Iraqi officials winning war on inflation
Saturday, February 23, 2008 2:56 AM
By WILLIAM g. DEWALD
I haven't been in Iraq for a couple of years but I stay in touch. There is some good news that the media have ignored. Ignored probably is the wrong word: The media simply have been oblivious that inflation in Iraq fell substantially in 2007. This good news is the result of policies by the Central Bank of Iraq.
The consumer price index for Iraq had increased by more than 50 percent in January 2007, compared with prices a year earlier. By contrast, in January this year the 12-month inflation rate was down to only 1.3 percent. That's low even by the standards of major industrial nations. For example, the U.S. consumer price index increased more than 4 percent in 2007.
Iraq's inflation in 2007 was by far its best record in decades. It had averaged about 50 percent a year during much of Saddam Hussein's tenure as dictator, which ended with the onset of the war in April 2003. Iraqis suffered much under him, including the decimation of their currency by inflation. In pre-Saddam days, one Iraqi dinar had exchanged for $3. By the time he was deposed, it took about 2,000 Iraqi dinars to buy $1.
What happened in Iraq to reduce inflation so significantly in 2007? One factor presumably was the U.S. troop surge. Quantifying that effect is almost impossible but it is reasonable that output would increase when people can get to work safely.
The other factor is highly quantifiable: Since 2006, the Iraqi monetary authorities deliberately have pursued an anti-inflationary policy to appreciate the dinar in international currency markets. An appreciation lowers the cost of imports and, in turn, inflation. Since September 2006, the dinar has appreciated 22 percent in terms of the U.S. dollar. Import prices, which more than doubled in 2006, actually fell in 2007. That didn't capture the attention of the media, but don't think that Iraqis didn't notice.
How could Iraq's monetary authorities pull off such a dramatic success? They had established the credibility to appreciate their currency because they had accumulated a lot of dollars held in their own vaults and in overseas deposits. Their stash of dollars had been accumulated since the war began, mainly from oil revenues. The U.S. dollar holdings now exceed the value of all Iraqi dinars in circulation. In other words, the dinar is more than 100 percent backed by Iraq's official holdings of U.S. dollars. Hence, when the Central Bank of Iraq started buying its own currency in exchange for dollars, the value of the dinar appreciated and import prices came down.
The Central Bank of Iraq implements its exchange-rate policy in its daily foreign-exchange auctions where it buys or sells U.S. dollars for Iraqi dinars. It's not a phony market. On Tuesday, 13 Iraqi commercial banks bought 127.3 million U.S. dollars in exchange for 154 trillion dinars.
Why do Iraqis want so many dollars? Some certainly go under mattresses as a hedge against inflation and political mayhem. Some are used in ordinary cash transactions, particularly for big-ticket items. But most of the dollars are used to finance importation of goods that, despite the terrorist turmoil, continue to be offered in abundance by street vendors and retail shops all over the country, another salient fact about Iraq that the media ignore.
The Central Bank of Iraq has pursued a variety of anti-inflationary policies in addition to their currency-appreciation policy. Treasury bills have been sold in intermittent auctions at interest rates that were increased to more than 20 percent. The Central Bank raised all of its lending and deposit rates corrspondingly and made its required reserves viciously restrictive on the two government-owned commercial banks that are by far the largest financial enterprises in the country. The International Monetary Fund and other foreign advisers have supported the courageous pursuit of these policies in exceedingly difficult circumstances.
The sharp reduction in domestic inflation in 2007 was enough to allow the Central Bank of Iraq to ease its tight policy stance by reducing its lending and deposit rates in January. Core inflation, which excludes transport and fuel, is still running at about a 10 percent annual rate. So it is too soon to declare victory over inflation. Nonetheless, the surge in the international value of the dinar and lower overall inflation have to be gratifying for Iraqis.
William G. Dewald retired from Ohio State University as an economics professor, served as an economist in the U.S. State Department, was director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and was a U.S. adviser to the Central Bank of Iraq in 2003-05.
lol...geez...Jan Mar April May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec are these considered white history months? ..because I don't hear much about them?
I agree Aero in one respect but we still don't know from what the three zeros would be removed from...there is more than one possibility...what if it was from .000820 ?right? This would certainly re-awaken the NID AND me...lol
I agree...no way he or Hillary wins..lmfao...can you imagine either idiot running the country? Neither one can even run their own household..Thats why the desperate bashing of Mclain in the NY Times...Not that he's the end all in candidates but he is by far the lesser of the evils..Although welfare sounds good to me...hmmmmm lol
old but interesting...hmmmmm
Looking for investment opportunity? Try the Iraqi dinar
Despite Trading with the Enemy Act prohibiting trade in enemy currency, finance minister approves trade in Iraqi dinar for another year. Buying Iraqi dinar at unprecedented lows could prove enormously profitable if and when war-torn nation returns to economic prosperity
Shlomi Shefer Published: 07.27.06, 12:07 / Israel Money
Despite the Trading with the Enemy Act, which forbids trade in enemy currency, Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson renewed authorization to traffic in the Iraqi dinar for another year this week.
The CashFlow Club Israel, which unites entrepreneurs and investors in various financial sectors, said the extension constitutes an investment opportunity with potential for significant profits.
The guiding principle in the move can be traced back to World War II, when the German mark collapsed. The few people who purchased German currency at its low point and held onto it for a few years were rewarded with astronomical profits when the mark regained strength a few years later.
The same went for the Kuwaiti dinar, which slumped during the Iraqi invasion of the country and soared when the economy restabilized.
The forecast that Iraq will someday return to economic prosperity is based on the nation’s tremendous oil reserves.
Bibi okayed trade
After the outbreak of the war in Iraq, the Iraqi dinar plummeted to all time lows. For the sake of comparison, before the war one Iraqi dinar was equal to USD 3. Nowadays, one American dollar is equal to about 1,000 Iraqi dinars. In other words, the value of the dinar plunged over 99 percent. According to historical trends, the purchase of 100,000 dinars for USD 100 could bear significant yields – if and when Iraq stabilizes.
The current situation in Iraq precludes electronic foreign currency trade in dinars, and therefore dinar bank notes must be directly purchased and kept. Since the days of the British Mandate, Israeli law prohibits trading with the enemy and bans, among other things, trade in the currency of enemy countries like Iran and Syria.
Until three years ago, Iraq was also on that list. However, since Saddam Hussein’s regime was deposed and the United States gained control in Iraq, then-Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to okay trade in the Iraqi dinar.
The go-ahead is only temporary and must be considered for re-approval every 21st of July. This week, despite the war in the north, Hirchson decided to extend the authorization for another year. As a result, the CashFlow Club Israel brought hundreds of millions of dinars, in cash, into Israel from Jordan.
EDEX Take a peek at this one !!!
EDEX Take a peek at this one !!!
Of course...it's all about Dinars baby...lol
Old but gives you an idea who this creep is...good read
Cleric al-Sadr may hold Iraq's future in his hands
Updated 11/13/2006 7:35 AM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions |
Enlarge AFP
A plan to bring Shiite Iraqi firebrand Muqtada al-Sadr into the political process has helped propell him to power, backed by his feard militia. He is accused of inflaming sectarian violence.
CONFLICT IN IRAQ
Latest: Dual bombing kills at least 63 | AP journalist slain | Talk to Iran, Annan says | Insurgent cash traced to Saudis
Analysis: Some question al-Maliki's strength | Clinton says it's a civil war
U.S. presence: Heavier losses in December | Three options for Iraq war | Powell: Iraq meets civil war definition
Saddam Hussein trial: Saddam's Kurdish genocide trial resumes
U.S. casualties: A closer look at military personnel killed in action
By Rick Jervis, USA TODAY
BAGHDAD — Muqtada al-Sadr, the anti-American cleric President Bush once dismissed as the head of a "band of thugs," has emerged as one of the most powerful forces in Iraq, commanding a large militia and a growing political organization.
U.S. and Iraqi forces passed on a chance to arrest al-Sadr two years ago. Instead, Iraq's Shiite leaders encouraged him to enter the political process. The idea was to co-opt a threat to the Iraqi government. Critics say the plan backfired, placing Iraq's future in the hands of a firebrand whose Mahdi Army militia has intensified religious warfare and threatened the country's stability.
"I believe that the Mahdi Army continues to pose a threat," Sen. John McCain said in Arizona last week. "I believe al-Sadr has to be taken out."
That may not be realistic. "There are no good options in dealing with al-Sadr," says Wayne White, who formerly headed the State Department's Iraq intelligence team and is now at the Middle East Institute. "He has grown too powerful to be addressed in any reasonable way."
As President Bush and the Democrats in charge of a new Congress plot a new direction in Iraq, al-Sadr remains a huge obstacle unless the Iraqi government does what it has been unwilling or unable to do so far: neutralize him through political negotiations or a military confrontation.
His political group, for example, controls the Health Ministry and has used it to harbor death squads, infiltrate hospitals and punish al-Sadr's enemies, says Ayad al-Samarrai, the deputy chairman of the Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni group.
The U.S. military estimates the Mahdi Army has between 6,000 and 10,000 militants in Baghdad. Al-Sadr's militia and al-Qaeda in Iraq are among the groups most responsible for religious warfare, according to the latest Defense Department report to Congress.
The Bush administration has urged the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to confront Shiite militias, including al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. Al-Maliki, who relies on al-Sadr for political support, has been slow to act, saying it may not be until next year before militias are disarmed. Al-Sadr's support was instrumental in putting al-Maliki in power.
Because of al-Sadr, "Al-Maliki was able to become prime minister despite the fact that other political parties had gained more seats in parliament," says Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival. "He is al-Sadr's prime minister."
Power of a family name
Al-Sadr, 33, comes from one of Iraq's most prominent religious families. He's the fourth son of Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, one of the country's top religious leaders. The senior al-Sadr was gunned down along with two of his sons in 1999, allegedly by Saddam Hussein's henchmen.
Al-Sadr lacks his father's scholarly credentials, but he is charismatic, and his fiery sermons have attracted a large following among the country's Shiites, according to a 2004 report in the Middle East Quarterly. Al-Sadr's power is concentrated in Sadr City, a Shiite slum of about 2 million people in eastern Baghdad that was named for his father. Al-Sadr's followers include legions of poor, disaffected youths, who also make up the backbone of his armed militia.
"He's kind of a spokesman for the dispossessed," says Chris Toensing, editor of the Washington-based Middle East Report.
As early as July 2003, while most Iraqis were still celebrating the fall of Saddam's regime, al-Sadr was using his pulpit at a mosque in Kufa, south of Baghdad, to urge young recruits to join his new army. While Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most prominent Shiite religious leader, counseled patience, al-Sadr was whipping up his followers with anti-American speeches.
His forces clashed with U.S. forces in Najaf and Baghdad in 2004. Hundreds of his followers died in pitched battles with American troops. The militants were no match for superior U.S. training and firepower. But the revolt helped solidify al-Sadr's reputation.
In April 2004, an Iraqi judge issued an arrest warrant charging al-Sadr with the murder of a rival cleric, Abdul Majid al-Khoei. The U.S.-backed al-Khoei was hacked to death in April 2003, allegedly by al-Sadr's followers, as he left a Shiite shrine in Najaf.
Al-Sadr, however, was never arrested. Instead, he was invited to join the political process as part of the deal that ended his revolt.
Members of political parties loyal to al-Sadr won 30 seats in the 275-member parliament in elections last December. As a cleric, al-Sadr does not take a direct role in politics. But his supporters were given control of six Cabinet positions, including the Health Ministry.
On the streets, his militias have remained strong. "What makes him powerful is that he's the most effective military force in this sectarian conflict," Nasr says.
Al-Sadr has denied that his militia has been involved in criminal activity. Common criminals often identify themselves as Mahdi Army militants to carry out kidnappings and killings, says Bahaa al-Araji, a lawmaker loyal to al-Sadr.
Last month al-Sadr fired 41 members of the militia linked to illegal activities, al-Araji says, adding that there are rogue elements acting outside al-Sadr's control.
'It's a jungle'
Iraq's Health Ministry is a case study in how al-Sadr used his government role to consolidate his political and military support.
Ministry-run hospitals have been used as a weapon against rival Sunnis, according to critics, such as Sunni lawmaker Mithal al-Alusi. "It's a jungle," al-Alusi says. "What (al-Sadr) has done with that ministry is criminal."
Last month, a Sunni man was taken to Kindi Hospital in central Baghdad for a gunshot wound, says Omar al-Jubouri, human rights director at the Iraqi Islamic Party.
He was shot and killed in his hospital bed, al-Jubouri says. His brother went to retrieve the body. He brought 17 male relatives along for protection, but they were quickly outgunned by an even larger group of armed men, believed to be the Mahdi Army, al-Jubouri says. The group was kidnapped and killed, he adds.
Two days later, the family picked up the 19 bodies, escorted by an Iraqi army convoy, from the Baghdad morgue. Al-Jubouri says some of the bodies showed signs of torture, including drill holes to the skull and electrocution burns.
So many Sunnis have been followed and killed after picking up relatives at the ministry-controlled Baghdad morgue that al-Jubouri's party regularly coordinates Iraqi army convoys to escort the families, he says. "We'll wait until we have 17 or 18 bodies waiting," he says. "Then we'll send for the convoy."
Convoys are not always safe. On June 12, Ali al-Mahdawi, a physician and head of the Diyala Province health department, arrived at the Health Ministry headquarters with six bodyguards for an 8:30 a.m. meeting with Health Minister Ali al-Shemari, al-Samarrai says.
Al-Mahdawi had been nominated by Sunni political leaders to be deputy minister. After arriving at the ministry, three of the bodyguards waited in the parking lot, while three escorted the doctor to the meeting, al-Samarrai says. When the meeting ran late, a bodyguard in the parking lot called al-Mahdawi on his mobile phone.
"Don't worry, he's with friends," a voice on the other end said before switching off the phone. Al-Mahdawi and the three guards haven't been seen since, al-Samarrai says. "Most probably, he's dead now," he says. "It happens so often. Everybody knows about it. And they're not doing anything about it."
Health Ministry spokesman Qasim Yahya would not comment on the allegations.
Mahdi Army militants have used Health Ministry and associated offices to detain and torture abductees, most of them Sunnis, according to U.S. officers.
Last month, U.S. and Iraqi troops raided a compound belonging to a social organization named for al-Sadr's father, says Lt. Col. Avanulas Smiley, commander of the Army's 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, which assisted in the raid. U.S. investigators believed the compound was run by al-Sadr loyalists, he says. One room contained a long wooden bench stained with blood and urine, indicating victims were tortured there, Smiley says.
Doctors are leaving
Militia infiltration is not the ministry's only problem. The ministry also has become less effective since al-Sadr took over, says Jaleel Hadi al-Shamary, a physician and general director of the Karkh Health Department in western Baghdad.
Qualified bureaucrats have been replaced by party loyalists, leading to a steady exodus of qualified doctors and other officials, he says. About 600 of his department's 3,000 doctors have resigned or left the country, he says.
"The Health Ministry is in a real state of collapse," al-Shamary says. "It's a scientific ministry and needs a scientific mind to run it. But ... high-ranking officials are chosen due to their affiliation to the party."
U.S. troops say a two-story complex linked to the al-Sadr organization in a nearby neighborhood also is being used as an illegal detention center. "Torturing, killing, everything under the sun happens there," says 2nd Lt. David Michael Stroud, a platoon leader with the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry. "It's the heart of darkness."
The complex is considered a "no-touch" zone, since it's aligned with al-Sadr, Stroud says. U.S. and Iraqi army units often need Iraqi government permission before raiding government offices. The Shiite-dominated government sometimes is reluctant to allow raids of al-Sadr associates. "It makes it difficult if someone is sponsoring or being complicit with criminal activity who's in a government position," Smiley says. "It disrupts the essentials to making progress."
Al-Maliki's government has targeted some Mahdi Army officials, and Iraqi security forces have clashed with the militants several times this year. In August, U.S. and Iraqi troops, working on a tip about a kidnapping ring, raided the Health Ministry offices and arrested five of al-Shemari's bodyguards.
Adil Muhsin Abdullah, the inspector general of the Health Ministry, says he has not received any reports of deaths squads or kidnapping cells linked to ministry-controlled hospitals or offices.
Al-Maliki has been reluctant to let U.S. troops launch large-scale attacks against the Mahdi Army because it would make the militia more popular and undermine rival Shiite parties, including his own Dawa Party, Nasr says. Recently al-Maliki's government ordered the removal of Iraqi and U.S. military checkpoints that had been placed around Sadr City.
"The government is paralyzed against these militias," says Mahmoud Othman, a leading Kurdish lawmaker. "Groups in parliament are not working as a team and don't have a united agenda, making government and parliament unable to do much. The whole thing is getting more complicated by the day."
Posted 11/12/2006 11:15 PM ET
Iraqi displaced endure miserable conditions
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 11:05 GMT
The United Nations High Commissioner for refugees’ decision to open an office in Baghdad to follow up with the affairs of Iraqi refugees and displaced was welcomed by head of the displaced committee in Parliament Abdul Khaleq Zankana. The latter confirmed that the lack of a clear budget for refugees has hardened the process of dealing with their miserable situation. For more details, click on play movie to watch the video report of this article
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-14269-Iraqi-displaced-endure-miserable-conditions.html
Iraq Oil and Gas Law caught in a bitter row
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 08:16 GMT
Though all Iraqi parties have agreed that Oil and Gas law is vital to securing foreign investment to boost Iraq's oil output and rebuild its shattered economy, the law remains stalled by bitter wrangle between Baghdad and the Kurdistan region over who is entitled to control the fields and how revenues will be shared
A US official in Baghdad, who asked not to be identified, noted that ratifying Oil Law requires the political will to reach the kind of compromises both sides need to make to achieve this. He added that there is a possibility to solve rows over sharing revenues, yet the issue of existent and future contracts remains the major hindrance. US officials said the main reason foreign oil companies are avoiding Iraq is the lack of the law, not security concerns.
“The law has been debated for a year, that's long enough. If we want Iraq's economy to stand on its own feet, then we should pass it as soon as possible,” Ali Hussain Balou, head of the parliamentary oil and gas committee, told Reuters.
Balou hoped a final draft would be ready for debate in parliament when the legislature returns from its winter recess in the third week of March, although such hopes have been shattered many times before.
He revealed as well that Kurdistan regional government Prime Minister Neshervan Barazani will soon visit Baghdad for talks on the law mainly regarding four debated annexes that had previously been drafted to solve the wrangle between Baghdad and Kurdistan over control of oil fields and contracts. The first two annexes include developed and partially developed fields of Iraq’s proven reserves. Annex III covers undeveloped fields, while Annex IV lists 65 exploration blocks.
Another controversial key issue is the federal oil council that the oil ministry wants to manage the industry. In this context, Kurds view that the council is taking over too much control.
For his part, Vice President of parliament’s oil and gas committee Abdul Hadi Al Hasani said the Kurds were rising up tension by signing oil deals with foreign firms, considered by Baghdad as illegal contracts. “The controversy is about the interpretation of regional authorities to control oil fields. The Kurds insist these annexes are not essential and the draft can be passed without them. That is unacceptable”, Al Hasani said.
On the other hand, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said that more than 70 international firms have registered to compete for tenders to help develop Iraq’s oil reserves. Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad told Reuters that Iraq is going to carefully study and check the documentation and will declare next month the companies which are permitted to work in Iraqi oil fields.
Assassination attempt on Muqtada Al-sadr
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Feb 20, 2008
I think this is related to Muqtada’s sudden decision today “Cleric threatens to end Iraq ceasefire“, the “Breaking News” report on Nahrain Net [Sadrists website] says; the symptoms started since month ago probably the attempt was done by a toxic or a radio active material.
The source said; there are suspicions of American - Israeli and possibly British intelligences behind this assassination attempt.
This source did not give more details but he said that the situation is under control.
Related to the Al-Sadr directly, Al-Arab reported that the Commander of the Awakening Council Sheikh Saad Al-lihebi [everybody wants to be a Sheikh these days] in of Fallujah, warned that Mahdi Army army fighters will treated just like Al-Qaeda members in case they resume their activities.
Al-lihebi says that the Awakening Council deserves all the credits for restoring stabilities in 33% of Iraq.
Regarding the decision of Miliki’s Government to merge 20% of Awakening members to the Iraqi army and police he said: We asked for 40% and they refuse, but we believe that the decision is made by the U.S. and not by Al-Maliki or his government, we are negotiating with the Americans only.
http://www.roadstoiraq.com/2008/02/2...qtada-al-sadr/
Oil jumps above $98 amid predictions of tight supply
Reuters
Published: February 20, 2008, 00:53
London: Oil rose on Tuesday to the highest level in a month, above $98 a barrel, driven by expectations that supplies will be tight.
US crude was up $2.60 at $98.10 a barrel by 1404 GMT, having climbed as high as $98.35. London Brent crude rose $2.10 to $97.01. US crude struck a record high price at $100.09 on January 3.
Yesterday's rally extends four days of gains, although trade was limited on Monday by a US public holiday.
The market is on edge over a quarrel between Opec producer Venezuela and the world's biggest oil company, ExxonMobil.
But the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries has said it thinks there is enough oil in the market and is not expected to increase supplies. It may even cut them.
"With the next Opec meeting two weeks away, we do not know what they are going to do," said Olivier Jakob of energy consultancy Petromatrix.
Opec stand
Opec president Chakib Khelil told Reuters on Monday "production is not going to increase - it will either decrease or be stable".
Prices began to rally last week after Venezuela cut exports to ExxonMobil, but stopped short for now of a wider disruption to the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said on Sunday the state could sue Exxon for unpaid oil taxes and repeated threats to cut oil sales to the US.
Exxon said it was still prepared to talk to Caracas about an amicable settlement. It has won court orders to freeze $12 billion in Venezuelan assets to ensure compensation for an oil project Chavez nationalised last year.
The market is also worried about supplies from Russia after Lukoil halted oil supplies to German refineries in February over a pricing dispute.
Product markets rose more steeply than crude.
New York's RBOB gasoline futures hit a session high of $2.5676 a gallon, the highest since it reached a record high of $2.5785 on January 3.
London's gas oil futures hit its record high of $888.75 a tonne.
Concerns about supply disruption are offset by expectations that a slowdown in the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, could reduce oil demand.
Technical analysts, who predict future price moves on the basis of interpretation of charts, also said that in the near term prices could struggle to break through the $98 a barrel level.
If they did so, however, they would be on course to head back towards the record of more than $100 a barrel.
"The snap recovery from key technical support highlighted last week put $100 back in focus," Citigroup said in a research note.
http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Oil.../10191124.html
Just a threat maybe to gain a bigger piece? Why did he stop fighting in the first place? He wanted something and they gave it to him...He prol wants more to shut up...no?
Iraqi National Accord Issues Paper on Oil and Gas Law
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Posted GMT 2-19-2008 20:52:45
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The Iraqi National Accord, a political party lead by Iraq's former prime minister, has issued the following position paper on Iraq's oil law.
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1) On Federal Oil Law & Revenue Sharing Law:
We should not confuse the two laws: the Revenue Sharing Law is a political agreement and will ensure that all Iraq's oil and other revenues go into one account to be shared fairly among all its citizens according to population and in accordance with the Constitution. In our opinion this should be passed first, to create trust on all sides and ensure fairness.
The Oil Investment Law (Oil & Gas Law) is a matter of how best to manage the Iraqi oil resources to maximize revenues for all its people.
A draft was agreed by all sides in February last year, but unauthorized changes by Ministry officials in Baghdad led to disputes and it has been stuck -- Parliament has yet to receive an agreed draft to review and vote on.
INOC (national oil company) is needed to operate the existing fields and double their current production, which is a major task.
Private companies (both Iraqi and international) should focus on the undeveloped fields to add their production to Iraq's total, under the oversight and regulation of the Government, and on the best competitive terms to give maximum revenues to the people of Iraq (less than 5% profit rate is possible for many of these discovered fields in the South of Iraq).
There must be clear separation of roles in the law, between the Ministry (whether Federal or Regional) as regulator, and the companies (whether INOC or private companies) as the regulated operators, as per best international practice and World Bank Guidelines.
The national oil company (INOC) should have no role in awarding contracts. It must behave as a professional company without special treatment or advantage. Also its Chairman, Board of Directors and Managing Director should not be politicians or Ministry officials, and it should be accountable to the Government through the Ministry of Finance.
2) Oil Policy
Iraq's production today is 2 million barrels per day -- less than in 1975 when the industry was nationalized. It should be at 10 million barrels per day, but the State has mismanaged the oil sector and misused the oil revenues. We mustn't repeat the mistakes of the past.
The Constitution calls for maximum investment, and we cannot expect that the Government can do everything itself as the old socialist mentality of the 1970s -- the Government's role should be regulation and oversight, while having capable companies Iraqi and international, investing and working in all areas of Iraq.
This will boost production quicker, providing higher revenues for Iraq and also more and higher-paying jobs for Iraqis.
Many of the countries in the region have private companies investing in their oil sector under proper investment contracts: UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Syria, Algeria and Libya. This has brought great benefit and boosted production and revenues.
The only countries with declining production and failed policies have been Iran and Kuwait, who have both followed state-strangled approaches for political reasons and with disastrous results: Iran insists on the national oil company doing everything and its production has fallen from 6 million barrels in 1979 to less than 4 million today. Kuwait with the same socialist approach has had production fall from 2.8 million barrels to 2.3 million barrels.
Unfortunately, the current officials in the Iraqi Oil Ministry are advocating the same failed state-dominated policies and contract systems of Iran and Kuwait, instead of pro-investment successful policies of other countries in the region and internationally.
We should also give preference to Iraqi private-sector companies and encourage them to invest in all sectors of the energy industry, as is normal in all developed economies. They will also be cheaper and give better terms to the Government than foreign companies, who are scared of the security and political situation and will charge more, and will not be accepted by the Iraqi people due to their history of colonialisation and political interference in the Middle East.
3) On KRG Contracts:
No matter who signs the contracts, the oil revenues will all be shared by all the citizens of Iraq as per the constitution.
Therefore all investment in Iraq today to boost production and revenues is positive.
The authorities of the regional and federal governments on oil and other matters are defined by Iraq's constitution, which is the highest law of the country. Any disputes are legal matters which can ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
Public arguments, disputes and accusations between officials at the regional and federal level are wrong and damage Iraq's credibility and reputation. A Federal Minister cannot decide and announce on his own what is "legal or "illegal" to suit his own ends.
4) On Ministry Incompetence:
The Oil Minister is not an oil man but a scientist and maybe a good one.
The Ministry now is open to politicization and morale is bad.
Many top officials have left the Ministry in despair.
No progress to speak of, only empty statements and future plans with ever slipping dates.
The Ministry failed to sign a single contract with anyone -- the only 'achievement' is an MOU with Iran to build an oil pipeline to send Iraq's oil to Iranian refineries!
Fuel smuggling and corruption still rife.
Bad management is causing loss for Iraq as an example, Iraq is currently flaring $7 billion a year worth of gas at least, and there is no fuel for power generation!
While pretending to want "transparency", the Ministry wants to discuss with the large oil majors (Shell, Total, BP). These companies are very capable but also bureaucratic and conservative,
whereas what Iraq really needs are fairer competition maximizing Iraqs interests as companies willing to work on the ground today (like what is happening in Kurdistan).
"Black-listing", punishing and threatening of oil companies investing in Kurdistan is not only illegal, but has harmed Iraq's reputation and access to investment and oil markets: he has suspended MOUs signed by his predecessor which were adding value to Iraq for free, and has killed the relationships with important customers like Korea and Austria/ Eastern Europe, because their companies signed with KRG! (Even Saddam never stopped exporting oil to the US!)
Ministry of Oil has been calling these companies "small and unimportant", which is nonsense (OMV is biggest company in Central Europe, Dana Gas is biggest private energy company in Middle East, Reliance is biggest energy company in India).
Iraqi National Accord
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Inflation rate up by 3.4% in Jan.
Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Wednesday , 20 /02 /2008 Time 4:48:28
Baghdad, Feb 20, (VOI) – Iraq's inflation rate rose by 3.4% in January 2008, compared to December 2008, while the annual inflation rate jumped by 1.3% in the period January 2007-January 2008, the country's Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation said on Wednesday.
"The ministry's Agency for Statistics and Information Technology has finished its inflation report for January 2008, which is based on field data about the retail prices of goods and services in local markets," read a ministerial statement received by Aswat al-Iraq, Voices of Iraq, (VOI).
The report showed a total 3.4% increase in consumer price index, indicating that the prices of foodstuffs; cigarettes and beverages; cloth, clothes and footwear; furniture; fuel and lightening; medical services and medicines; varied good and services; and rent were higher by 2.1%, 1.2%, 0.4%. 0.7%, 8.7%, 1.2%, 0.9% and 2.1% respectively.
Constituting 4.9% of household spending, the report revealed a 0.5% decrease in transport cost in January 2008, compared to the previous month.
The report also showed a hike of 1.3% in the annual inflation rate from January 2007-January 2008, attributing it to a significant increase in consumer price index.
This woman should run for president not Hillary..lmao
Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This is one ticked off lady.
"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001?
Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania?
Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?
And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.
I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.
I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia .
I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.
I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.
I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.
I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.
In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.
When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.
And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it-I don't care !!
If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!
If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan
I have another quote that I would like to add AND.......I hope you forward all this.
"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Also by.. Ronald Reagan
One last thought for the day:
In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America, he said: "A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in... And how many want out."
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM.
AMEN!
The Ministry of Finance valuable Iraq supports the Land Bank b 82 million dollars
الأربعاء 20 شباط 2008 07:37 GMT Wednesday 20 2008 07:37 GMT
أعلنَ وزيرُ المالية باقر جبر الزبيدي عن دعم ِ المصرف العقاري بحوالي اثنين وثمانينَ مليون دولار، لتعزيزِ قـُدرتهِ على إقراض ِ المواطنين. Finance Minister announced Baqir Jabr Zubaidi support for the Land Bank about two and eighty million dollars to boost its ability to lend to the citizens. مُشيراً الى أنهُ تم الإيعاز بدعم ِ المصرف العقاري بمئةِ مليار دينار لزيادةِ قـُدرتهِ على منح ِ القروض للمواطنين الراغبين في القرض ِ العقاري. He pointed out that the support instruct the Land Bank for one hundred billion dinars to increase its capacity to grant loans to citizens wishing to loan real estate. مُشدداً في الوقتِ نفسِه على ضرورةِ أن يقومَ المصرف العقاري، بصرفِ الأموال المُتبقية في المصرف والبالغة ثمانية ً وتسعينَ مليار دينار خلالَ الأشهر الستة القادمة. At the same time stressing the need for the Land Bank, regardless remaining funds in the bank totaling ninety eight billion dinars in the next six months.
Zain's Iraq CEO calls for private sector to increase role in Iraq economy during Dubai summit
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Dubai, 19 February 2008 (AME Info FZ LLC)
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Source: AME Info FZ LLC
Zain's Iraq CEO Ali AL Dahwi.
At an Iraq Defence, Security & Communications Summit held in Dubai on 16th and 17th of February, key decision and policy makers from the Iraqi and US governments as well as representatives from Iraqi and international private sector companies met to build on relationships designed to further progress the development of the country.
The event was hosted by the Iraq Development Programme and included keynote speeches and presentations from Iraqi Ministers and US Government officials.
Supportive of the government of HE the Prime Minister, Nouri Al Maliki, key note speaker, Ali AL Dahwi, CEO of Zain in Iraq, called for the Iraqi and US governments to further facilitate and provide incentives for the private sector to play a leading, stronger and more influential role in the areas where economic development has been held back.
Citing the mobile telecommunications business as a private sector success case, Al Dahwi commented, 'Look at what we have managed to achieve! Under very challenging circumstances, our company alone contributes to the Iraqi economy more than $250m annually in direct and indirect salaries, where we directly employ more than 2,500 people and upwards of 50,000 other individuals indirectly. This is directly contributing to the financial welfare of over 250,000 Iraqis.'
Al Dahwi went on to propose initiatives needed for sustainable economic growth and progress such as the creation of a Council for Economic Development and Reconstruction that would act independently from the government. He also stressed the need to adopt eGovernment systems as such would accelerate growth and help eliminate corruption which is at the heart underdevelopment and insecurity.
Al Dahwi went on, 'The telecoms industry in Iraq is ready and waiting to be invited to take a leading role across those areas where their expertise and skills can make a real and rapid impact on the country's development. Zain has already invested considerable sums putting in place 10,000 kilometers of transmission lines using over 2,000 mobile sites. We will continue to invest in the necessary technologies needed to re-vitalize the economy. However, we need to be reassured that the Iraqi and US Governments will support private enterprise in leading development programs.'
On the matter of security, he contested that true and enduring security will only be realized through private sector development and the return of basic utilities such as electricity and water.
In closing, Al Dahwi sent a clear message to Iraqi expatriate businessman, challenging them to return to Iraq with their expertise and knowledge in order to help realize the vision of a strong and successful Iraq. Noting his own and successful journey which began 4 years ago, Al Dahwi confidently predicted that those who invest in Iraq today will reap enormous rewards in the years to come.
Iraqi Interior Ministry orders police to round up beggars, mentally disabled to foil al-Qaida
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© AP
2008-02-19 16:36:02 -
BAGHDAD (AP) - The Iraqi Interior Ministry has ordered police to round up beggars, vagabonds and mentally disabled people from the streets in Baghdad to prevent them from being used by insurgents as suicide bombers, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The decision came after a series of suicide attacks, including two female bombers who struck pet
markets in Baghdad on Feb. 1, killing nearly 100 people. Iraqi and U.S. officials have said the women were mentally disabled and apparently unwitting bombers.
The people detained in the Baghdad sweep will be handed over to governmental institutions that can provide shelter and care for them, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.
«This will be implemented nationwide starting from today,» Khalaf told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
«Militant groups, like al-Qaida in Iraq, have started exploiting these people in a very bad manner to kill innocents as they do not raise suspicions,» Khalaf said. «These groups are either luring those who desperate for money to help them in their attacks or making use of their poor mental condition to use them as suicide bombers.
Khalaf was not more specific about who would be targeted. Police officials at at least two stations in western Baghdad, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release information to the media, said they had received the orders but had not yet acted on them.
The U.S. military offered no immediate response to Khalaf's comments.
The Iraqi claim that mentally disabled women were used in the pet market bombings was initially met with skepticism. Iraqi authorities said they based the assertion on photos of the bombers' heads that purportedly showed the women had Down syndrome, and did not offer any other proof.
The U.S. military later backed the Iraqi account of the bombings, which led U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to call al-Qaida in Iraq «the most brutal and bankrupt of movements.
American and Iraqi troops later detained the acting director of a psychiatric hospital on suspicion of helping supply patient information to al-Qaida in Iraq.
Military spokesman Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said the suspect was being questioned «in connection with the possible exploitation of mentally impaired women to al-Qaida.
The allegations fit into a wider campaign to confront insurgents' changing tactics _ such as using women or children as suicide bombers _ as they seek to bypass stepped-up security measures and bounce back from losses in recent U.S.-led offensives.
Remember Those Benchmarks? Fred Barnes
1 hour, 17 minutes ago
Washington (The Weekly Standard) Vol. 013, Issue 23 - 2/25/2008 - A year ago, when neither the war nor political reconciliation was going well, the Bush administration reluctantly agreed to 18 benchmarks for judging progress in Iraq. And the Democratic Congress eagerly wrote the benchmarks into law, also requiring the administration to report back in July and September on whether the benchmarks were being met.
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Despite the surge of additional American troops and a new counterinsurgency strategy, the reports found little progress on the political benchmarks requiring tangible steps toward reconciliation between Shia and Sunnis. Democrats insisted this meant the surge had failed.
They had a point, but not anymore. The surge, by quelling violence and providing security, was supposed to produce "breathing space" in which reconciliation could take place. Now it has, not because President Bush says so, but based on those same benchmarks that Democrats once claimed were measures of failure in Iraq.
Last week, the Iraqi parliament passed three laws that amounted to a political surge to achieve reconciliation. Taken together, the laws are likely to bring minority Sunnis fully into the political process they had earlier boycotted and to produce a new class of political leaders.
Just as important is what the laws reflect in Iraq today. "The whole motivating factor" behind the legislation was "reconciliation, not retribution," says American ambassador Ryan Crocker, who has never sugarcoated the impediments to progress in Iraq. This is "remarkably different" from six months ago, he said.
The Iraqi government had made progress on nine of the 18 benchmarks before last week. But these were the easier ones, like forming a constitutional review committee or establishing security stations in Baghdad with American and Iraqi soldiers. The new laws deal with the harder, more divisive issues.
The most controversial--and the toughest to enact--gives significant power to provincial councils and mandates new provincial elections by October 1. As a result, leaders of the so-called Sunni Awakening who have broken with al Qaeda and insurgents are all but certain to gain power. And Iraq will have a decentralized, federal system of government.
In assessing progress last fall, the administration conceded the Iraqis had "not made significant progress" on achieving the benchmark on provincial powers. Now they have.
Next in importance to reconciliation is an amnesty law under which thousands of jailed Sunnis who haven't been charged with a crime will be released. Months ago, the administration said "the prerequisites for a successful general amnesty are not present." But the surge changed that by reducing violence and creating the conditions for amnesty.
If they wish, Democrats can cite the failure of the Iraqi parliament to pass a "hydrocarbons" law to codify the sharing of oil revenues among the Shia, Sunnis, and Kurds. And that law is still needed, particularly to provide a framework for managing the oil sector of the Iraqi economy.
In effect, however, the Iraqis are now sharing oil revenues through the $48 billion budget they passed. Ten billion dollars is to be distributed to the provinces without any sectarian bias. By the way, the vast majority of the $48 billion came from oil production.
A few weeks ago, the Iraqi government dealt with still another benchmark involving reconciliation. It called for "enacting and implementing a de-Baathification reform" to allow thousands of bureaucrats and officials in Saddam Hussein's regime to regain their jobs. Last fall, the Iraqis had "not made satisfactory progress" on this reform.
The new law has been criticized as too complicated. It may be as likely to force former Baathists--Sunnis mostly--out of jobs as it is to provide them with job opportunities. Crocker said the law will have to be straightened out by the executive council of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the president (a Kurd), and two vice presidents (Shia and Sunni). "They're approaching it from a spirit of reconciliation," he said. We'll see.
When the second benchmarks report was released last September, Democrats jumped on it. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said the report "shows the president's flawed escalation policy is not working." According to Democratic senator Joe Biden of Delaware, "all it does is point out the failure." Democratic senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island said the Iraqi government "is not making progress . . . with respect to these benchmarks."
Now, the facts on the ground have changed dramatically, and so has progress on the benchmarks. Will Democrats acknowledge this? Or will they continue to claim the surge has failed and demand rapid withdrawal of our troops? So far, Democrats have reacted with silence.
"Facts are stubborn," Hillary Clinton said last month, "and I know it's sometimes hard to keep track of facts. But facts matter." Indeed they do. But with Democrats, the warning of former Harvard dean Henry Rosovsky may apply. "Never underestimate the difficulty," he said, "of changing false beliefs by facts."
Fred Barnes is executive editor of THE WEEKLY STANDARD
now back to 1204.50
Can anyone answer this? I use Market browser to monitor several currencies including the NID. Why, if it is not yet a traded currency, does it fluctuate in value on my screen? It says :
IQD 1201.80 -2.70 I don't get it...
Barzani to visit Kuwait. lol I thought Michael had him whacked
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Erbil, 19 February 2008 (Kuwait News Agency (KUNA))
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Kurdistan Region President Mesoud Barzani is to start an official visit to Kuwait Tuesday, during which his talks are to focus on boosting Kuwaiti investments in Kurdistan.
Barzani's press secretary Faisal Al-Dabbagh told KUNA the visit is upon an official invitation by Kuwait.
The aim is to boost relations and to encourage investment by Kuwaiti and Gulf investors.
The official was in Kuwait in mid 2006 and had back then stressed relations with Kuwait were strong and based on mutual respect.
SBV to withdraw VND20tril from circulation (VND Holders)
VNECONOMY updated: 19/02/2008
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has announced it will issue VND20tril of promissory notes; the decision was made in the context of banks’ serious shortage of VND.
In an effort to withdraw money from circulation to curb inflation, the central bank has decided to issue VND20.3tril ($1.2bil) in compulsory promissory notes. 41 commercial banks will have to buy the compulsory promissory notes, while credit institutions operating in rural areas, including the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, aren’t obligated.
The central bank fears that the consumer price index (CPI) is likely to increase sharply again after rising by 2.4% in January and thinks immediate action is necessary to prevent CPI from increasing too much further. This is SBV’s third move to curb inflation after stipulating a higher compulsory reserve ratio for bank deposits and setting higher basic interest rates.
The decision to force commercial banks to purchase compulsory promissory notes will be valid as of March 17, which means banks will have enough time to arrange capital to purchase the promissory notes under allocated proportions. The promissory notes will be due in March 2009, and banks will not be able to use the notes for recapitalization transactions.
The decision by the central bank has been worrying commercial banks, especially because they are seriously lacking VND capital. Banks are now facing many challenges: higher compulsory reserve makes their capital mobilization cost higher; they have to borrow money from the central bank at higher interest rates; and now they have to arrange big sums of capital to purchase promissory notes
Analysts say the biggest worry now is that the central bank’s decision will make interest rates escalate. Everyday sees new announcements of interest rate increases.
However, the central bank does not think the promissory note issuance will influence the capital supply and demand on the market, emphasizing that the monetary market will not see fluctuations as the promissory notes are short-term. An official from the State Bank said because the issuance is taking place after Tet, when commercial banks push up capital mobilization efforts, it will not be difficult for banks to arrange capital for purchasing promissory notes.
The central bank has stressed it will keep close watch over market performance to make timely decisions if something abnormal occurs.
The decision by the central bank to issue promissory notes is really bad news for the stock market. Foreign investors will find it harder to convert their foreign currencies into VND to make transactions.
Regarding the VND/US$ exchange rate, the State Bank of Vietnam has many times stressed that it aims to stabilize the value of the local currency. However, the dollar continues it devaluation, now at VND15,957/US$1.
Analysts say that in the near future, the monetary market will remain tense and the stock market will surely be influenced from the decision.
And they have every reason to think so. The central bank’s move has stirred up the monetary market. A source said that a bank gathered its staff urgently on February 15 to discuss measures to deal with the capital shortage, and the meeting lasted until 9 pm.
The source said one commercial bank has ordered its staff to stop disbursing loans, while other banks have asked their clients to wait before withdrawing money.
The source also said that low liquidity is now a big problem for many banks. At a recent transaction on the interbank market, VND100bil worth of capital was auctioned at an interest rate of 25%, to be paid by State-owned banks.
He said the VND capital shortage will last several more months, and banks may have to raise the deposit interest rate to 11%.
Hashemi: Executive Board agreed to reconsider its economic policies
PUKmedia بغداد 15:51:56 2008-02-17 PUKmedia Baghdad 15:51:56 2008-02-17
أكد نائب رئيس الجمهورية الدكتور طارق الهاشمي وجود "خلاف حول السياسات الاقتصادية والمالية"، مبينا أن "هناك اجتهادات في هذا المجال لا ترقى لسد الاختناقات الاقتصادية ولا ترقى الى وضع خطة بعيدة المدى تعمل على تنويع مصادر الدخل في العراق". The Vice-President, Dr. Tariq Hashimi, a "dispute over economic and financial policies", noting that "there's jurisprudence in this area are not up to fill the bottlenecks in economic tantamount to a plan of long-term work to diversify sources of income in Iraq."
و شدد الهاشمي في تصريحات صحفية، على ضرورة العمل لإعادة تأهيل البنى التحتية وبناء مشاريع حديثة تنقل العراق الى متطلبات القرن الحادي والعشرين. Hashemi stressed, in press statements, the need to work for the rehabilitation of infrastructure and construction projects in modern movement of Iraq to the requirements of the twentieth century atheist.
واشار نائب رئيس الجمهورية الى ان المجلس التنفيذي اتفق في اجتماعه الذي عقد مؤخرا على تشكيل نواة لإعادة النظر في السياسات الاقتصادية ووضع سياسات اقتصادية قصيرة وبعيدة المدى تتصدى لمختلف الاختناقات التي يعاني منها المواطن العراقي. The Vice President noted that the Executive Board agreed at its recent meeting to form the nucleus of a review of the economic policies and economic policies short - and long-range address various bottlenecks experienced by the Iraqi citizens.
وبين نائب رئيس الجمهورية أنه" تم الاتفاق مع رئيس الوزراء على دعوة اللجنة الاقتصادية وتشكيل نواة يساهم فيها مجلس الرئاسة وعدد من المستشارين الضليعين في الاقتصاد العراقي لمعالجة الخلل في هذا المجال". And the Vice-President, "it was agreed with the Prime Minister to invite the Economic and forming the nucleus of the capital of the Presidency and the number of advisers in the Iraqi economy proven to address the imbalance in this area."
وفيما يتعلق بتشكيل الحكومة الجديدة، أوضح نائب رئيس الجمهورية أن "مناقشة هذه المسألة أُجلت الى الاجتماع القادم وقد تقدم رئيس الوزراء بتوصية تتضمن رؤيته في تشكيل الوزارة المقبلة" لافتا إلى أن "مجلس الرئاسة لديه ملاحظات حول هذا المشروع". With regard to the formation of the new government, the Vice President that "discussion of this issue was postponed until the next meeting were Prime Minister's recommendation containing his vision in forming the next ministry," noting that "the Presidency has made remarks about this project."
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It's not a matter of if...just when..common sense would project...jmho
no...it's a crapload though...lol
‘Buy’ recommendation on Iraq
By Frank Kane on Sunday, February 17 , 2008
It is always risky to “call” a market – to make that instant judgement of whether the time is right to buy shares, release that crucial piece of investment, or open the representative office that you hope will drive business in a new, previously untapped area.
It is much riskier when that market is unstable, economically volatile and subject to the whims of the world’s politicians, militias and others with ideological motives and separate agendas. Nevertheless, calculated on the basis that all business and economic cycles have a bottom, now may be the time to look at the prospect of doing business again in Iraq.
Since 2003, the country has been virtually a no-go area for international business. After decades of mismanagement by the former regime, what was left of the economic infrastructure after the American invasion was virtually unusable. I remember a conversation in London, just after Saddam was overthrown, with one of the leading players in the energy services business, who had just won a share of one of the huge contracts being handed out to Western (mainly American) corporations. He had one basic reservation – he had no idea when he could begin work. Five years on, he is still waiting.
Now, I am no security expert, and I am well aware it is in the interests of the present US administration to paint as favourable a picture of the Iraq situation as it can. I am aware too that there are continuing and unacceptable levels of violence and instability within the country, and political and military factors that could change everything in an instant. Putting all these reservations to one side for a moment, let me point to two recent developments that give me some confidence that something approaching normal business life might just be resuming in Iraq.
The first involves the crucial energy industry, which is the foundation of the Iraqi economy and must function efficiently before we can talk about any meaningful recovery. The major international oil companies are currently finalising tenders for licences to operate oil and gas fields in Iraq, with the aim of more than doubling oil production in the next five years.
Iraq currently produces something like 2.4 million barrels of oil a day (bpd), but the authorities believe it is perfectly feasible to push this to six million bpd by 2013, assuming a continuation of improvement in the security and political situation. They are considering too how to add to Iraq’s refining capacity to handle this surge in crude production. There are also plans to make Iraq an exporter of gas, of which it also has huge reserves, and the country recently sent a team to gas-rich Qatar to learn how to build and operate a gas processing export facility.
The other straw in the wind was the recently announced plan for Iraqi Airways to buy 40 aircraft from Boeing in a deal worth $6 billion. After the UN-imposed travel ban, and the chaos of five years of war and occupation, the airline badly needs access to the world’s great financial capitals.
It is still early days, and with such a high-profile issue in a US presidential election year, anything might happen. But now seems as good a time as any to resume, or initiate business with Iraq.
US military says rogue Shiite leader in Baghdad has been caught
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press - February 18, 2008 10:33 AM ET
BAGHDAD (AP) - The U.S. military says troops have captured a rogue Shiite militia leader in Baghdad.
The leader, who was not named, is suspected of supplying Iranian weapons to militia members, including armor-piercing bombs. He's said to have broken ties with anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (mook-TAH'-duh al SAH'-dur) and refused to follow his cease-fire order.
The leader is also accused of involvement in selecting fighters for paramilitary training and is said to be an associate of other leaders involved with attacks on U.S. and Iraqi security forces.
The military says the leader and another suspect were arrested today without incident. The capture comes a day after the military said that U.S. Iraqi forces seized more than 200 weapons stockpiles in the past week, with growing evidence of a link to Iran.
Iran denies that it's supplying weapons to fighters.
http://www.newsnow.co.uk/cgi/NGoto/258916789?-1377
Southern man don't need him around anyhow.!!! lmao
Canadian folk rock legend slams US war against Iraq
Neil Young: ‘Americans were deluded if they thought they were liberating Iraq’
By Emsie Ferreira
Berlin, 11 February 2008 (Middle East Online)
Canadian folk rock legend Neil Young said he has lost all hope that music can change the world, as he presented a documentary about his 2006 anti-war concert tour at the Berlin film festival on Friday.
"I know that the time when music could change the world is past. I really doubt that a single song can make a difference. It is a reality," Young told reporters.
"I don't think the tour had any impact on voters."
But the silver-haired frontman of the sixties supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young nonetheless dealt US President George W. Bush a stinging, back-handed insult and said his own "naive" urge to make people think remains intact.
"What is wrong with George Bush? That would take a really long time. Let's talk about what is right with him, it is a much shorter answer.
"He is a very good physical specimen. He shows that a man his age can stay in physical condition," said Young, who is 62.
He made no distinction between the Vietnam War, during which CSNY first earned their reputation as political activists, and the US-led war in Iraq which their tour condemned with songs like "Let's Impeach The President".
"It is all the same war and it hurts everybody. It's a wrong way to solve a problem," he said, adding that Americans were deluded if they thought they were liberating Iraq.
"We just don't have to go and spread democracy around the world."
Young said he deliberately included interviews with unimpressed critics and soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan in the documentary of his band's "Freedom of Speech" reunion tour, which earned them both praise and death threats.
"Otherwise I thought it would just feel like a bunch of old hippies. And nobody would care. I would not, I would have left," said Young, who directs his films under the pseudonym Bernard Shakey.
"I wanted to serve the people who came to see the shows, to serve the soldiers who fought in the war and to serve the people who started the war. It sounds naive but everybody has to make a decision in their hearts about how they want to live."
"CSNY: Deja Vu", which borrows its title from an album the band released in 1970, had its world premier at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
It is screening in the Berlinale Special section of the Berlin festival, which has this year made music a headline act by bringing The Rolling Stones, Madonna and rock poetess Patti Smith to town.
Martin Scorcese's Stones concert film "Shine A Light" opened the festival with a bang on Thursday night and the Oscar-winning director said he wanted to pay tribute to the vintage rockers as they had inspired his work from "Mean Streets" through to "The Departed."
Coming days will see screenings of Madonna's directorial debut, "Filth and Wisdom," movies about Sudanese hip-hop artists and Argentinian tango and "Om Shanti Om", the Bollywood song and dance blockbuster.
Patti Smith will attend a screening of a documentary on her career and play a sold-out concert on the festival sidelines.
Young, who managed the quirky feat of singing every line of dialogue in his 2003 film "Greendale" said music was a "primal subject" for the movies.
But the genre has changed little in his time, he added.
"I have not seen tremendous growth, any evolution really. From the Sinatra years, The Who's 'The Kids Are Alright' ... directors have always made films about music culture. There have been some great ones though."
Good news if you own Dong.....
Vietnam Passes 4 to Reach List of Top 30 Exporters to the U.S.
Vietnam moved past Chile, Colombia, the Philippines and Spain in 2007 to reach the list of the top 30 exporters to the U.S., driven by stronger sales of clothing, furniture, electrical equipment and coffee.
Vietnam's shipments to the U.S., its top market, climbed 25 percent last year to $10.54 billion, according to figures released on the U.S. International Trade Commission's Web site. Exports to the U.S. increased 30 percent in 2006 and 26 percent in the previous year.
The level of Vietnamese sales to the U.S. is now more than 10 times the figure in 2001, when a tariff-cutting trade pact between the two nations came into effect. The Southeast Asian nation's move up the charts may not yet be finished, as last year's growth was achieved even as a stronger currency toward the end of 2007 made its exports less competitive.
``I see nothing in the way of Vietnam continuing to climb up that list,'' said Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam in Hanoi. ``Vietnam is a very competitive place to manufacture a wide variety of products, so export growth to the U.S. isn't just tied to one sector.''
Shipments of apparel jumped 36 percent to $4.29 billion, as Vietnam took advantage of the end of U.S. quotas after its January 2007 accession to the World Trade Organization.
Further growth in apparel exports is limited by issues including a ``lack of deepwater ports and other transport infrastructure and electric power, and growing labor issues, such as shortages of workers, sharply increasing labor costs, and illegal strikes,'' the American Chamber of Commerce in Ho Chi Minh City said, in an e-mail sent to members today.
Furniture, Footwear
Furniture shipments also climbed 36 percent, reaching $1.23 billion, to push the product past shoes as Vietnam's second- biggest export to the U.S. Footwear exports advanced 8 percent to $1.03 billion.
Seafood shipments to the U.S. gained 6 percent to $692 million, while exports of electrical machinery and equipment jumped 67 percent to $350 million. Exports of coffee to the U.S. from the world's second-biggest producer increased 52 percent to $307 million.
During Vietnam's crop year ended Sept. 30, 2007, ``there was a detectable rush by farmers to sell most of their coffee to take advantage of the high price,'' Fortis Bank SA/NV and VM Group said in a report last month on agricultural commodities.
Crude oil exports to the U.S. fell 18 percent to $446 million, as state-owned Vietnam Oil & Gas Corp.'s output slipped for a third straight year.
``Vietnam could see a temporary production surge'' this year for crude oil, as new fields are brought on-line, the International Energy Agency said in a Feb. 13 report.
U.S. exports to Vietnam surged 84 percent in 2007 to $1.82 billion, paced by a more than six-fold jump in car shipments to $217 million. The U.S. trade deficit with Vietnam widened 17 percent in 2007 to $8.72 billion. (Bloomberg)
at 2/18/2008 03:12:00 AM
Nhãn: Business
Fire devours Industrial Bank in the eastern section
Did they build the banks out of matches??? geeeez
المركز الاعلامي للبلاغ/ بغداد _ فرقان حميد Media Centre of the communication / Baghdad _ differences Hamid
قال مصدر امني فضل عدم ذكر اسمه ان حريقا اندلع في بناية البنك الصناعي في بغداد Security source said preferred to be anonymous, said the fire broke out in a building in Baghdad Industrial Bank
وأضاف إن السنة النيران شوهدت من خارج البناية الواقعة في منطقة باب الشرقي فيما هرعت سيارات الإطفاء لإخماد النيران . He added that the year was seen on fire from outside the building located in the eastern section with fire engines rushed to extinguish the fire.
هذا ولم يعرف بعد أسباب الحريق . This is not yet known causes of the fire.
يذكر ان التحقيقات مازالت جارية في أسباب الحريق الذي اندلع الشهر الماضي في بناية البنك المركزي العراقي. Mention that the investigations were still under way into the causes of the fire, which broke out last month in the building, the Central Bank of Iraq.
Iraq oil law stalled, no end to impasse in sight
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A law that could shape Iraq's future by clearing the way for investment in its oil fields is deadlocked by a battle for control of the reserves and no end to the impasse is in sight, lawmakers and officials say.
The bill is also meant to share revenue equitably from the world's third largest oil reserves, thus helping bridge the deep divides between Iraq's Shi'ites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.
The one thing all sides agree on is the law is vital to securing foreign investment to boost Iraq's oil output and rebuild its shattered economy after five years of insurgency and sectarian fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people.
But the law remains stalled by bitter rows between Baghdad and the largely autonomous Kurdistan region in the north over who will control the fields and how revenue will be shared.
"Basically we're talking about political will here," said a U.S. official in Baghdad, who asked not to be identified.
"These are not technical issues, it's a question of if they have the political will to reach the kind of compromises both sides need to make to achieve this. There's a lack of trust."
Iraq, currently producing some 2.3 million barrels per day, is seeking major investment to tap its reserves and boost output. It holds 115 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, surpassed only by Saudi Arabia and Iran.
U.S. officials say the main reason foreign oil majors have avoided Iraq is the lack of the law, not security concerns.
In the absence of the law, Baghdad has opened the door to foreign oil firms by offering a role in servicing existing oil infrastructure. Over 70 companies met the deadline on Monday for submitting documents to qualify to compete in service contract tenders.
At least four drafts of the oil law have been written, but parliament has been unable to settle on a preferred version.
The cabinet first agreed a draft a year ago. It was sent back after lawmakers were unable to resolve disputes over the rights of regions, notably the Kurdish region, to negotiate contracts with foreign oil firms and whether the federal or regional governments would control the fields.
"The law has been debated for a year, that's long enough. If we want Iraq's economy to stand on its own feet, then we should pass it as soon as possible," Ali Hussain Balou, head of the parliamentary oil and gas committee, told Reuters.
Balou, a Kurd, said he hoped a final draft would be ready for debate in parliament when the legislature returns from its winter recess in the third week of March, although such hopes have been dashed many times before.
The prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government would soon visit Baghdad for talks on the law, he said.
DISPUTED ANNEXES
Much of Iraq's reserves are in the Shi'ite south, but there are also fields in the Kurdish north. There are few proven reserves in Sunni Arab areas in central and western Iraq.
The latest draft law was sent to parliament this month but did not go any further because cabinet ministers had not signed it correctly, said Balou. It was sent back.
He said the draft also lacked four controversial annexes that had previously been drawn up to solve the impasse between Baghdad and Kurdistan over control of oil fields and contracts.
The first two annexes concerned developed and partially developed fields of Iraq's proven reserves. Annex III covered undeveloped fields, while Annex IV listed 65 exploration blocks.
Another key sticking point has been a federal oil council that the oil ministry wants to manage the industry. The Kurds view that body has wresting too much control from them.
Abdul-Hadi al-Hasani, deputy head of parliament's oil and gas committee, said the Kurds were adding to tensions by signing oil deals with foreign firms, contracts Baghdad deems illegal.
"The controversy is about the interpretation of regional authorities to control oil fields," said Hasani, a Shi'ite.
"The Kurds insist these annexes are not essential and the draft can be passed without them. That is unacceptable."
The U.S. official said he believed disagreements about revenue sharing could be resolved but that the issue of existing and future contracts remained the biggest obstacle.
The Kurdistan region government has signed oil deals with foreign companies, insisting it has the constitutional right. This has infuriated the oil ministry in Baghdad.
The ministry this year halted oil exports to South Korea's largest refiner, SK Energy, and Austria's OMV AG in response to what it says were illegal oil exploration deals with the Kurdish regional government.
The passage of a long-awaited law offers a ray of hope for reconciliation
APCan Maliki be more than just a Shia poster boy?
FOR nearly two years, Iraqis and outsiders trying to revive their country have been waiting in vain for politicians in Baghdad to agree to a clutch of laws that might coax Iraq's feuding sects towards a common vision. The Americans' military “surge” was explicitly intended to give the politicians a breathing-space so that, as security improved, they could force through some necessary measures. The surge has worked better than expected but the politicians, despite cajoling from their American mentors, have seemed unable to compromise. Now, however, the belated passage of a law to give former members of the once-ruling Baath party a better deal may at last unblock the political logjam.
Earlier this month, parliament voted by a show of hands to approve an “accountability and justice” act that removes many restrictions imposed on the middle (but not top) level of Baath members, whose cadres were disproportionately Sunni. Some 30,000 one-time Baathists may now apply for pensions or even reinstatement in their old jobs, a measure meant to persuade insurgents that there is a place for the Sunni elite in Iraq's new political order.
It is not yet clear whether the new law will do the trick. Radical Shias, who complained that its earlier drafts would have let Baathists infiltrate back into government and perhaps even stage a coup from within, were oddly supportive of the final version; it may not be quite as forgiving as it would first appear. Several thousand senior Baathists are still excluded. According to some readings of the law, others are barred from working in the powerful ministries of interior and defence. Some former Baathists complain that, whatever the law says, they have no desire anyway to go back to work in ministries now dominated by Islamist Shia parties. Others have suggested that the law is a ploy to lure them into the open and have them killed.
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In fact, the law's precise provisions may count less than the signal sent by its passage. Pensions for retired Baathists will, of course, be appreciated. But deBaathification affected a fairly small number of people; in some ways it was more a symbol than a tool of Shia domination.
If the Sunni insurgency is to be tamed, it is now more vital for the Shia-led government to accommodate a new generation of Sunnis who have been strikingly successful in leading a movement known as the “Sunni Awakening” against those of the insurgents who are linked to the extremists of al-Qaeda, especially in the Euphrates river valley to the west and north-west of Baghdad. (The worst bloodshed is now in the Tigris river valley north and north-east of Baghdad.)
The Awakening leaders want their own vigilante groups, known in American parlance as “concerned local citizens”, to be inducted into the official security forces. This would give Sunni towns and districts the feeling of policing themselves rather than of being occupied by hostile Shia forces. So far, Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has been loth to bring the Sunni vigilantes fully into the national security forces for fear they may later turn their arms against the new Shia establishment.
Now for a little trust
In any event, the hope is that, with the deBaathification dealt with, Shia and Sunni leaders may move ahead on other matters and allay some of the mistrust that has driven both sides into rigid positions for fear of losing sectarian support. Most encouraging, the Iraqi Accord Front, the main Sunni alliance in parliament, whose representatives walked out of Mr Maliki's coalition government in a huff last summer, says it will walk back in, restoring at least a semblance of national unity.
If the government could now pass the oil bill that has been debated for two years, Iraqi politics really might get moving. Unfortunately, there is still no sign of an early breakthrough. The day after the deBaathification law was passed, members of parliament from the powerful and virulently anti-Baathist Shia movement led by a fervid clergyman, Muqtada al-Sadr, signed a pact with representatives of a secular and mainly Shia party led by Iyad Allawi, a former Baathist once favoured by the Americans, and with a small Sunni-led party called the National Dialogue Front, led by Saleh al-Mutlaq, who champions former Baathists' rights. The pact's signatories say that the federal government in Baghdad should retain full control of the oil industry, whereas the Kurds in their autonomous region still insist that they should control, among other things, the management and exploration of oil in their area.
In theory, this odd-looking new alliance in parliament could count on up to 100 votes in the 275-member chamber. Since Mr Maliki's alliance with the Kurds has frayed, thanks to the row over oil and the failure to hold a promised referendum on the disputed province of Kirkuk, 100 votes could be enough to bring him down. But it is not clear how strongly the Sadrists are wedded to the new alliance. Moreover, however unpopular Mr Maliki may be, few Iraqis want to restart the whole tortuous process of building a coalition government. Besides, the Sadrist movement is itself a loose alliance of local warlords and pliant populist politicians. Mr Sadr currently spends more time trying to keep his own house in order than fighting for more power at the national level.
A possible shift of power in the provinces may have a bigger effect. The third big element in the national reconciliation package, after the laws to do with the Baath party and oil, is provincial elections. Most Sadrist and Sunni politicians refused to stand when they were last held, in January 2005, which meant that the provincial councils in Sunni areas were unrepresentative and often toothless. If militant groups could be persuaded to take part this time, the new councils might go some way to empowering the hitherto disaffected Sunnis—and perhaps persuade them to engage in peaceful politics. Then there might be more than a glimmer of hope of the country's returning to the path of peace.
The President Jalal Talabani and his deputy, Dr. Adel Abdel Mahdi, to speed up political reforms and governmental
Talabani renewed during his reception Abdul Mahdi yesterday, reaffirmed the need for concerted efforts to reform the general situation in the country and expand the provision of essential services to citizens at all levels.
The two sides discussed the general political situation and the need to address the problems existing in the political arena, stressing the importance of expediting the necessary reforms in the political sphere and the government, in addition to revitalizing the course of public services and service projects throughout Iraq, especially in disadvantaged areas.
He commended Vice President Talabani results of the recent visit to Najaf and meeting with references bone and on top of Mr. Samaha Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
Meanwhile, President of the Republic received the Iranian ambassador in Baghdad Kazemi images and the delegation accompanying him, and discussed with him arrangements and preparations for the visit of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Iraq at a later date.
The President Talabani has stressed the importance of this visit in the course of development of bilateral relations between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran, hoping that the outcome of the fruitful results of the two neighbouring countries
To learn that President Jalal Talabani sound fair plastic artist, who died in Baghdad last Friday at the age of 81 years.
He said in a telegram of condolence received "morning" yesterday, a copy of which was: that Iraq let the lead actress plastic sound fair, the first woman to have contributed to laying the foundations of the modern Iraqi art, and worked with her brother the most prominent artist of the twentieth century Jawad Salim and the other brother Nizar sound and a constellation of painters and sculptors pioneer the establishment of a technical school is open to modernity and not disconnected from Heritage. He added: "The departure of fair sound great loss to art and culture in Iraq, but the work will remain an integral part of the wealth of Iraq - how.
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