Thread: Iraq/Dinar News. (before Jan.20,2007)

Originally Posted by bigopie

hey Choochie...Mike{OSW] said that his contacts{KURDS}have not said anything about the handouts....that might b the key maybe to the RV....good to see u still posting..GO DINARS...Pat

Hey biggiepat, I have seen what OSW had posted about no handouts yet, but people keep saying that they were supposed to go out January 15, or the 25th. I am just trying to figure out where they got these dates. I must have missed something somewhere.

Originally Posted by bigopie

thats why i don't put much into rumors....i have first hand already seen how slow these Iraqi people{IRAQI GOVERNMENT}do things....so if.they have to vote on this at least 3 times before it is passed i don't see the RV happening next wednesday like it says in the rumor thread....hope i am wrong.....i think we r close....but they r really slow at agreeing on anything....IMHO...GO DINARS...Pat

Hey, Bigopie, there is a post from a couple of days ago where Tony Snow commented "they are moving pretty quickly". Now, that may have been a comparative statement on his part, but, I doubt it. More than likely, the talks they had the other day with Condi Rice helped them to understand the urgency of the situation and now they're getting off their duffs to do something about it. There are too many coincidences about "banks being out of stock" both is the states and Europe for there to not be something to one of these rumors. JMHO

London (KurdishMeida.com) 18 January 2006: The Kurdistan Regional Government has lost control and authority over Kurdistan region's oil, according to the new Iraqi law.

The new Iraqi law gives control over oil all-over Iraq including Kurdistan Region to the Iraqi central government. According to this new law, which would be approved by the Iraqi Assembly, all the contracts, including those between KRG and any oil companies, would be reviewed and would be controlled by the Iraqi central government. The Iraqi oil ministry will have total authority over oil resources in what is known as Iraq.

According to the new law central government controls and distributes the oil revenue by population over Kurdistan population and over Iraqi people.

The KRG has kept quiet over this issue, which implies that they have agreed to the Iraqi central government and to the Americans who want to deal with the central government.

This is indeed a blow to the concept of federal Iraq and Iraqi control over oil resources would be the fundamental pillar of re-creating a centralised Iraqi government. KRG has always argued that it controls the mineral resources in its region, but as it appears, they have lost this control. The KRG argued that the Iraqi constitution supports their claim. Whether the KRG has agreed to change the Iraqi constitution, which they regard as their “historic” achievement, remains to be seen. KRG lost authority over Kurdistan region’s oil and other resources, new Iraqi law

Don't know if this was brought up yet or not but why do we think the CBI is putting this on the Arabic side of the exchange rate page the last 2 weeks?

"3. The Iraqi Central Bank announced the adoption of buying and selling rates for the dollar on Thursday, January 18, 2007 until the end of office hours on Sunday, which falls on January 21, 2007 and pledged to meet the demand for foreign currency without limit and regardless of the quantities required and all its customers."

Iraq energy panel okays final draft of an oil law; Mechanism for centralising, distributing oil revenues


BAGHDAD (RTRS): Iraq’s Oil Committee has agreed a final draft of an Oil Law that sets rules for sharing revenues and boosting output and aims to bring in billions of dollars of foreign investment, an Oil Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. The draft, drawn up by senior national and regional leaders, calls for a federal committee headed by the prime minister to oversee all future contracts. It will have the power to review existing deals signed under Saddam Hussein or by the Kurdish regional government, spokesman Asim Jihad said.

“The committee has finalised the draft of the law last night which has been approved unanimously by all the members of the committee and it will be before the cabinet early next week,” Jihad told Reuters. Passing an oil law to help settle potentially explosive disputes among Iraq’s ethnic and sectarian communities over the division of the world’s third biggest known crude oil reserves has been a key demand of the United States in providing further military support to the national unity government. “Everybody sees this law as a big achievement and as a national project. There are no differences on the law,” Jihad said.

The oil committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, will send the draft to cabinet next week for full approval. After that it will go to parliament. Officials hope that the broad base of the negotiating team means it will pass easily.
The final draft was in line with earlier versions described last month after a previous round of talks. A national oil company would be set up to develop production and exports and the law is intended to ensure balanced development of the oil industry across Iraq’s regions, Jihad said.

Distributing
It establishes a mechanism for centralising oil revenues and distributing them to the various regions. “The law sets clear restrictions that all contracts will ensure the best benefit for Iraq,” Jihad said. Jihad refused to say who will negotiate with the international firms but said that a federal council will have the final word on approving the contracts. Senior oil industry sources told Reuters last month that the regions will negotiate with big oil companies on crude contracts and oilfields developments but the centre must approve them.

Iraq desperately needs foreign investment to revive its shattered economy, which relies heavily on oil export revenues. The division of oil is a key factor in communal tensions in Iraq. The southern oil fields around Basra lie in territory controlled by competing factions of the dominant Shiite Islamist political forces, some of whom are close to Iran.

Referendum
The northern fields lie on the edge of Iraqi Kurdistan around the city of Kirkuk. Kurds want to annexe the city as their regional capital and ethnic Arabs and Turkmen accuse the Kurdish militants of ethnic cleansing before a referendum on the city’s future which, under the constitution, is due this year. The Sunni Arab minority dominant under ousted president Saddam Hussein is concentrated in Baghdad and regions immediately to the north and west where there are few known hydrocarbon reserves – though some potential future finds. Sunnis have been particularly insistent that the central government in Baghdad control the oil industry, despite a new, US-sponsored constitution, opposed by most Sunnis, which gives newly created federal regions some powers over oil and gas. Washington and the government of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki are mounting a major security crackdown in the divided capital Baghdad over the coming months to avert an all-out civil war there between Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias.


ARAB TIMES

The council held its 59 open chaired by Dr. Mahmoud Almshahadani President of the Council, on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at the Conference Palace in Baghdad.

Wednesday 1-17-2007

Bdaet meeting, the Chair to mention two first travel ban and send members until January 25, 2007 pending the completion of the vote on the budget, and second opinions and observations on each bill blocks public service ...
After that appealed MP Qassim Dawood member attendees wondered about the reluctance of members of the audience asked the President of the Council to discuss the lack of a quorum and has been endorsed by Attorney-Saadi Alborznji, suggesting that the application of all previously agreed upon, for its part suggested Deputy Osama Al formation of a committee to study ways to emerge from the crisis of the lack of quorum set the time of the vote and therefore the presence of the member.

According to Dr. Mahmoud Almshahadani President of the Council had been hosted by the Prime Minister was to discuss the lack of quorum, student leaders urged members to attend blocs, appealing commentators expire attendees, suggesting three points to solve this issue, and penalties and replacement of members and powers, announcing that the Prime Minister will attend to the Council to answer all queries members.

The readers of the members of the Council Sura beginning for the souls of the martyrs of Mustansiriyah University, denouncing strongly MP Alaa Makki in a statement about the education and education massacre of Mustansiriyah University, condemned strongly the blasts that took place at the Mustansiriya University and Sadr City and other places in Baghdad, calling for the prime minister to put the issue of the security of universities within the priorities of the new security, and host ministers of the interior and defense and higher education to discuss this matter in the Council and contribute to the campaign of blood donation, which will be held in the Council.

It also provided the Attorney A'ala Talabani also issued a statement from the civil society organizations called upon all unions and student organizations and youth in all of Iraq and the support of all forces, currents, parties and political and intellectual religious councils for the establishment of consolation to those innocent souls.

And MP Haidar Swedish read out a statement about what he was subjected to pilgrims to the Holy City In the EA by the terrorist gangs.
, Denounced Deputy Captain Abdul Karim in his statement to the arrest of the American forces-member of the council of the province of Kut.

, The House of Representatives completed the first reading of the draft of the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works, Board members continued to discuss the draft budget for 2007, where it was answered by the group of experts of the Ministry of Finance to all those questions, the same meeting was the first reading of the first section of the draft law on provincial territory of others regularly. To complete the first reading of the rest of the bill until tomorrow, Thursday January 18, 2007.

Information Service
The Iraqi parliament
January 17, 2007


مجلس النواب العراقي-صÙ�Ø*Ø© الاخبار

ARMENIANS OF IRAQ RETURN
[04:44 pm] 18 January, 2007

The Armenians of Iraq go on returning to their Homeland. Some of them live in rented houses, others have already bought flats. «Those who managed to sell their property in Iraq have bought flats in Armenia and live perfectly».

«There are people who are currently looking for temporary dwelling places. Many of them study in the Yerevan Medical University. They live comparatively in better conditions. The Migration agency gives temporary dwelling places to the citizens seeking asylums», says Nune Asatryan, representative of the Red Cross Organisation in Armenian. By the way, the organisation is unaware of the number of Armenians immigrating to Armenia because of the Iraqi war. They are only aware of their applicants.

No country is bound to provide refugees with flats. Armenia is not an exception in this respect.

The Danish Council of refugees is implementing a program in Armenia aimed at assisting the refugees. The Armenian Red Cross, «Mission to Armenia» NGO and Armenian Sociological Association have got the right to realise the program.

According to the 2006 statistic data, they have already rendered assistance to 286 applicants, among them people seeking shelters, people having the status of temporary refuge.

The refugees from Iraq are classified as people having the status of temporary refuge as according to the international and local legislation, in case of mass migration people are granted temporary status.

By the way, the Armenian Red Cross will render the Iraqi refugees financial and material assistance depending on the number of family members and the family needs. They will also give them medicine in case of chronic diseases. The above mentioned organisation also holds trainings, excursions aimed at integrating refugees' children to the society.

PM: better-equipped Iraqi army helps U.S. cut military in Iraq
Last Updated(Beijing Time):2007-01-18 14:42

The United States could reduce its military presence in Iraq in a few months if it provides sufficient weapons to the Iraqi army, said Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in an article published on Thursday.
"If we succeed in implementing the agreement between us to speed up the equipping and providing weapons to our military forces, I think that within three to six months our need for American troops will dramatically go down," said the Iraqi leader in an interview with The Times newspaper.

"That is on condition that there are real, strong efforts to support our military forces and equipping and arming them," he said.

In response to the remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Jan. 11 that his government was "on borrowed time", Maliki said that Rice believed "the government is on borrowed time, whether it is borrowed time for the Iraqi government or the American administration."

"I don't think we are on borrowed time," he said.

The prime minister admitted his government had made mistakes over the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein but said they had not "come from officials, but from minor people."

He denied the execution was a revenge killing as U.S. President George W. Bush said on Tuesday.





Source:Xinhuanet

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Marines deliver toys to Iraqi tots
Thursday, 18 January 2007
Spc. Derron A. Dickinson
28th Public Affairs Detachment


Marine Col. Robin Whitters hands out toys to Iraqi children as part of the Toys for Tots program. U.S. Army photo.CAMP VICTORY — Victory Base Complex servicemembers brought smiles to Iraqi children by delivering toys as part of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program Jan. 9.

The initiative, lead by Marine Col. Robert Whitters, deputy to the deputy chief of staff for coalition operations, Multi-National Force - Iraq, handed out toys mailed from many people in the United States and distributed them at Radwaniyah Clinic at Camp Stryker.

“Toys for Tots started by a Marine lieutenant colonel in Los Angeles about 30 years ago,” Whitters said. “It was a local thing. Now it’s the highlight of the Marine Corps Reserve year.”

Whitters said he first got involved in Toys for Tots in 1985 when he was a captain.

“It was kind of cool to see some big ol’ gunnery sergeant sitting on the floor playing with toys,” he said.

Whitters described how his father and people from his church collected toys for the effort.

“There really isn’t much difference in a toy drive in theater and one back in the States,” he said. “It’s basically the same thing.”

Marine Staff Sgt. Jaclyn Fernandez, a foreign disclosure officer for MNF-I and a signals intelligence analyst with the 1st Radio Battalion at Camp Pendelton, Calif., volunteered her efforts when Whitters called for assistance.

“It’s a Marine thing to do,” she said. “You think of your family. It hits home when you’ve got families like this in need. That’s what people don’t ordinarily see.”

Fernandez described the work as fun.

“The looks on the children’s faces made it worth it,” she added.

Whitters agreed with Fernandez’s assessment.

“It was fun,” he said as he handed out the last of the toys.

“Kids are kids everywhere,” he added. “They all like the same things. Right now they could care less if someone’s Sunni, Shia, Jewish, Christian or whatever. They just want to be kids and have fun.”