Thread: Iraq/Dinar News. before Febuary 2nd 2006

Parliament approves laws' projects


Parliament has approved number of laws represented in its sitting which was headed by head of council Dr. Mahmood al-Mashhadani. Most important one was the expanding of rental law for two years.

Sitting 60 has witnessed the return of Sader bloc to its work in parliament after suspension lasts for two months. Parliament has agreed on expanding Higher Commission of Elections' work for two month until issuing the law of commission which must not lasts more than four months.Sitting witnessed stopping the work with item 14 and 17 of rental law for two years. These items say that if 12 years passes for rental contract, building could be evacuated after four years of that.
Source: Al Sabaah




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Posted on Monday, January 22

Japan gives $414M for Iraq pipeline


Japan will loan $685 million for oil and electricity work in Iraq, part of a $5 billion in grants and loans in reconstruction funds.

Kyodo News reports more than $414 million will go toward constructing an oil pipeline in Basra. Basra is Iraq's main port, where most of Iraq's 1.5 million barrels of day in exports flow from.
Another $270 million will be used to repair Iraq's electricity grid.

Both the oil and electricity sectors have been decimated by the war, as well as U.N. sanctions and mismanagement under Saddam Hussein.

Iraq produces just around 2 million barrels or oil a day, about half a million less than before the war.

Oil and the electricity sectors are attacked regularly by militias and insurgents in Iraq. Electricity is unreliable at best, forcing both residents and the refineries into regular blackouts.

Japan will dole out the money through its Japan Bank for International Cooperation through this year.

The loans -- $3.6 billion of the $5 billion total in aid -- will be for 40 years. The remainder is given to Iraq as grants.

Source: Earth Times

CBI: This year's budget focused on increasing investment in Iraq


Dr. Sinan Shabibi, Governor of the Central Bank, said that this year's budget is an investment budget because it focused on increasing the size of investment.

Shabibi said that the Central Bank's role is to treat the imbalances resulting from the development process that will produce changes in the basic economic structure.
He pointed out that the task of the Central Bank is to achieve development in a stable monetary environment through utilizing all means and policies to achieve economic stability, intact environment and moderate inflation rate.

He continued: "Our relation to the budget is to preserve its resources, through fighting inflation".

Stressing that the Bank had made several measures including raising the exchange rate of the dinar, which had an impact on the budget through affecting the purchase capacity of the government; this impact will increase through dealing with inflation.

Shabibi added that: this policy will increase the confidence in the dinar, which will pull some of the money to the banking sector and rationalize the government spending because of its impact on inflation.

He indicated that this action will reduce the prices of imported goods such as the private sector imports and the government's imports for development that come from the conversion of the Iraqi dinar to the dollar.

He added that while this policy weakens the ability of the government to buy the dinar, it strengthens the Iraqi dinar owned by the government.

Pointing out that the bank wants a means to affect the economic and monetary policy by making the dinar valuable and powerful.

Source: Iraq Directory




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Posted on Monday, January 22

Oil law seen leading to fair competition; Iraq capable of raising oil exports


BAGHDAD (AP): A new draft hydrocarbons law will pave the way for “transparent and fair” competition in bids to develop Iraq’s oil wealth, the oil minister said Sunday as he seeks to restore the confidence of global oil companies in the national industry. The oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, said new oil fields will be added as new tenders will be issued according to this law for global oil companies. “The competition will be transparent and fair and companies will be chosen according to their modern technological capabilities to guarantee the highest benefits for Iraqis,” al-Shahristani said at a news conference. “We will not consider their nationalities and we will ignore any contract doesn’t achieve the highest benefits.”

Al-Shahristani refused to say how long the law will take to be approved by the parliament and didn’t release more details about the negotiating mechanisms the ministry will adopt for dealing with global companies. The oil minister also cautioned that attacks against oil installations and employees were increasing, saying that 289 oil employees were killed over the past year and 179 others were wounded.

Suffering
“The ministry is always suffering from these terrorist attacks. I call upon all honest people to cooperate with the oil ministry in order to find those who are attacking the employees of this sector and provide us with any related information,” he said.
Insurgents have frequently targeted oil facilities, pipelines and employees, disrupting exports and efforts to modernize the industry. The new law, if approved, is expected to encourage foreign oil companies with their huge investment clout and technology to quickly modernize Iraq’s oil sector and meet the country’s goal of doubling the current crude production of 2.5 million barrels per day by 2010.

The oil minister stressed that all Iraqis will share in the benefits amid concern by many Sunnis that they will lose out as the country’s two chief oil region – in southern and northern Iraq – are dominated by Shiites and Kurds, who want regional control over oil production and revenues. Iraq’s Sunni Muslims and much of the Baghdad government want to maintain national control over Iraq’s petroleum resources as was the case during former leader Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated regime.

Promote
“The constitution states that oil and gas are for all Iraqis in all provinces and regions and according to this conception we drafted this oil law to help promote Iraq’s unity and prosperity of its people,” he said. Last Thursday, the ministry’s spokesman Assem Jihad told The Associated Press that the law stresses that all oil revenues will go to a central fund, then will be distributed to all Iraqis in all regions and provinces according to their populations. Jihad added that the law provided for all oil contracts signed by Saddam’s regime or by the semi-autonomous northern government of Kurdistan to be reviewed and amended if needed.

Iraq’s proven oil reserves stand at about 115 billion barrels, the world’s third largest after Saudi Arabia and Iran. On a technical matter, al-Shahristani said that a new metering system to track oil and gas flows from Iraq’s southern export ports has been fixed. Iraq’s economy has been severely weakened by oil smuggling to neighboring countries, a problem that could be checked in part by the presence of a metering system. The smuggling has created a fuel crisis that leads to occasional shortages even though Iraq is one of the world’s leading producers of oil.

Experts
Some experts believe that oil smuggling may be funding Iraq’s insurgency. Iraq is capable of raising its crude exports to 1.9 million barrels per day from 1.6 mln bpd but is not planning to do so yet because of Opec restrictions, Oil Minister Hussain Shahristani said on Sunday. “The exporting capability from the southern sea ports of Basra and Khur al-Amaya became 1.9 million bpd,” he told reporters in oil ministry in Baghdad. “But we do not intend to raise the export rates for this month because Iraq is looking forward to commit with Opec states to defend acceptable and profitable oil prices,” he said. Iraq which sits on the world’s third biggest oil reserves relies heavily on export revenues. Its oil sector desperately needs foreign investment to revive its shattered economy.

“In accordance with the policy of Opec we will not raise export rates for the time being until we see the Opec ceiling of prices for February 1st and its effect on global prices before we decide any raise of exported oil quantities,” Shahristani said. On Friday, world oil prices rebounded from a plunge below 50 usd a barrel after a US government report showed a bigger-than-expected rise in American inventories of crude oil. Iraq’s estimated reserves of crude oil amount to 115 bln barrels, the third largest worldwide behind Saudi Arabia and Iran.

ARAB TIMES

The Kurds struggle has reached the sky


Monday, January 22, 2007

KurdishMedia.com - By Aram Azez

Unfortunately, as the geography of their land is at odd, their neighbors are non-democratic, but also aggressive. Having been surrounded from the South and West by Arabs, East and North by Persians and Turks, for decades in the past it was not only impossible for Kurds to have access to seas, but they were also cut-off from the world. However, after the first Gulf War, as the result of which Kurds in the so-called Iraqi controlled Kurdistan, could benefit a semi-independent region. Since then, the Kurdish fight (especially in Iraq (has changed to diplomatic means. Their leaders, the Kurds living in abroad, and their cases advocate’s worldwide great efforts were how to connect the people of Kurdistan with the Western world! Nevertheless, after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the connection struggle of the Kurds to the world, especially from the sky, was possible!

With all the neighboring countries oppositions and obstacles, it required a significant effort for Kurds to developing two former Iraqi military bases in Erbil and Sulaimani and changing those to international airports. However, since the security and instability situation in the rest of Iraq reached a level that it was impossible for civilians and commercial aircrafts to operate in other cities, the US had no choice but to press the neighboring countries, especially Turkey, to allow airlines operating from and to Kurdistan Region using their sky routes.

No doubt, Turkey tried its best to prevent such Kurdish access, which it considered as a great Kurdish political and economy gains, finally it agreed to open its sky to Kurdish Airlines, but as usual, Turks had their conditions! No Kurdistan name or flags on the Aircrafts which may land or take off in Turkey! Also, direct flights from Kurdistan are not allowed to use Turkish sky routes! Instead, the airplanes must first fly over Baghdad, or any other Iraqi cities, than they can use Turkey’s sky!

Although these two Kurdish airports are new and the airport personnel don’t have sufficient experience, in terms of security and fraud measures they are much better than many of the neighboring countries, such as Turkey, Iran, and Syria. Fore instance, if you have to travel to the above countries, as many have experienced, in Syria, Iran, and Turkey, especially for Kurds, the trouble is not only the security measures, but first of all you have to pay bribe, and for many others, expecting to be insulted in a way. Take for example, however, despite all the security measure at Sulaimani International Airport, the travelers who have traveled via those countries, are happy with the way the Kurds airport officials dealing with the situation.

If you travel from Kurdistan, you must pass several check-points, terror related and security measures, plus passport controls. One kilometer before arriving at the Sulaimani International Airport, a few police officers with a dog would inspect passengers for potential drug and explosions. The next and next, indeed from arriving at the airport until leaving it, despite the extreme security measures, passengers are wormy greeted by well dressed and smiling of men and women of the airport personnel.

Although the Sulaimani airport security and passport measures cost travelers, aircraft, and the Kurdish officials a great time, as I notice during my trip on Jan. 21, no passenger seemed to be bothered. We take these security measures for your safety and the good reputation of Kurdistan Airports. In terms of security and fraud, we got number one over the world airports in 2006, claimed one of the airports officers. Due to security measures and same passengers lateness, we couldn’t fly on time, announced the captain of Hamburg International aircraft. However, due to the sky weather conditions, it wasn’t the only delay. The plane had to change its route which cost the airline and travelers more time. It is a high wind and we cant fly over Turkey, it takes longer to arrive in Munich, said a crew member.

Despite all the obstacles Kurds are facing, the Kurdish people have succeeded in connecting themselves to the world. International flights are arranged to carry thousands of investors, diplomats, and Kurds living abroad who and had difficulties in the past to visit their homeland via Turkey, or Iran and Syria

US to establish a military base in Kurdistan, Arabic daily

1/22/2007 KurdishMedia.com - By Ali Kurdi
London (KurdishMedia.com) 22 January 2007: The USA intends to establish a military base in Kurdistan, Sharq Al-Awsat, the London-based Arabic-daily highlighted in its front page on Monday.

The widely circulated pan-Arab Saudi newspaper stated that the base will be established nearby Suliamnaiya where compensated villagers have been asked to vacate the area in order for the US army to have a space to build a military base, reported the daily Arabic in London.

Back to Sulemani, in Kurdistan, the deputy minister of the Peshmerge forces (Kurdistan’s armed forces) denied the claim and stated that the landing of two US helicopters was related to the US attack on the Iranian Consulate, in Arbil, Kurdistan’s capital. Jabar Yawar was interviewed by the Kurdish weekly Hawlati on Monday

Christians, Muslims flee Baghdad for Kurdistan


Monday, January 22, 2007

Reuters - By Shamal Aqrawi

ARBIL, Iraq - A Christian shopkeeper who walks with a limp, Adison Brikha fled Baghdad after he was beaten in his shop. He made it to Arbil, in relatively peaceful Iraqi Kurdistan -- but now he's begging for work.

"The gunmen broke into my shop in New Baghdad district and beat me brutally. It was obvious that Christians are no longer wanted in Baghdad," said Brikha, who can barely pay the rent for a tiny house in Arbil for his family of five.

"I used to own a shop and now I'm begging people to let me work even as a servant or a laborer, but no one will take me because my foot is crippled," he said, through tears.

Tens of thousands of people have fled Baghdad, the epicenter of violence in Iraq. The United Nations, launching an appeal for aid for Iraqis who have fled their homes or left the country, said this month about one in eight Iraqis is now displaced.

It said the exodus is the largest long-term movement of people in the Middle East since the creation of Israel in 1948.

Many, including non-Kurds, have taken refuge in Kurdistan - a largely autonomous region in the northern mountains that has been a haven from attacks plaguing other areas since the U.S. invasion of 2003.

But as refugee numbers grow, authorities in Arbil, the Kurdish capital with a population of about a million, are beginning to feel the strain.

"Over the last two weeks, more than 9,000 people came to Arbil escaping from Baghdad as refugees, and they are mainly Sunnis and Christians," Imad Marouf, head of the disaster relief program in Arbil, part of the Iraqi Red Crescent, told Reuters.

Half a million Iraqis flee

The U.N. says nearly 500,000 people fled to other areas within Iraq last year, mostly since the February bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra prompted a surge in violence.

While much of the violence is between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims, others have been caught up in it.

In a human rights report on January 16, the United Nations said that of the 1.5 million Assyrian Christians living in Iraq before 2003, half had fled the country and many of the rest were moving to "safe areas" in the north of Iraq.

The main Chaldean Christian college and seminary in Baghdad -- closed for months due to threats and violence -- relocated to Arbil this month, according to Bishop Rabban al-Qas of Arbil. Both Christians and Muslims were targets of violence.

"The continuous deterioration of security in Baghdad and the kidnapping of six priests by gunmen forced us to move the these Christian institutes to Arbil," he told Reuters.

"The students ... could not attend classes because of the lack of security which made us move to Arbil," he said.

Marouf said his office had registered more than 5,000 families -- or around 30,000 people -- who fled to Arbil over the last two years.

Brain drain

He said hundreds more families -- particularly of doctors, professors and businessmen -- had not registered as refugees and declined handouts because they had found jobs in Arbil.

Deputy provincial governor Tahir Abdullah said resources were lacking to help so many refugees, but that authorities were trying at least to provide logistical help, such as transferring ration cards so families can still get subsidised food.

"We have urged the U.N. bodies in the north to help the refugees and build a camp for those who can't afford to pay to rent a house. Some families are staying out in the open," Abdullah told Reuters.

Marouf said he had heard of an extended family of 49 people living squeezed into a single residence of 100 square meters (1,000 square feet): "They couldn't find a better place to live."

Concerned by the flood of refugees, Kurdish authorities have imposed new restrictions on who can settle in the area, for instance requiring a Kurdish sponsor for each family.

"The bombing of the Shi'ite shrine in Samarra caused thousands of families to flee and head to the Kurdish areas," said Yazgar Raouf, head of the residency office in Arbil, adding that the influx had raised security concerns.

"We started to impose new regulations relating to immigrants since September 2004 to secure the Kurdish region from any terrorist infiltration, which could destabilize security."

Mahmudiyah project boosts economy
Monday, 22 January 2007
By Norris Jones
Gulf Region Central District


Mahmudiyah Mayor Muayid Fadil Hussein Habib walks through his community’s downtown market Jan. 18 with a fellow city leader talking about improvements he’d like to see get underway in the next few months.BAGHDAD — Mahmudiyah’s mayor wants to chart a new course and believes a signature project for his community would be welcome news.

Mayor Muayid Fadil Hussein Habib is viewing several possibilities including a Vocational Technical College, a soccer stadium, and a vegetable and fruit processing factory.

“My hope is that we can convince Iraqi and American officials to invest here in a facility that will have a meaningful impact for decades to come,” Muayid said. “These projects would employ local people not only in the construction phase, but would benefit our area and help the local economy as a lasting legacy,” he noted. He was also hopeful that a facility like a Vocational Technical College would encourage other small industries to open in his community, such as a new cement plant or metal fabrication shop.

“We need to boost our local employment opportunities that will benefit not only Mahmudiyah, but the surrounding villages.” He was hopeful farmers in his areas could qualify for low-interest loans so they could expand their agricultural opportunities including fish farms, poultry and beef operations. “If we can help them with the start-up costs, they will be able to repay those loans with the profits. It’s another way to help the local economy,” Muayid said.

David Schmidt with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently met with Muayid to discuss those possibilities, as well as ongoing work in his city. Schmidt encouraged the mayor to work through his Iraqi officials and the Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team to determine what was possible and to identify funding.

Ongoing work includes repairing the community’s water treatment plant, rebuilding Mahmudiyah’s Market, school renovations, a new primary healthcare center, and electrical distribution upgrades.

Regarding such projects, Muayid asked that local contractors be utilized. Schmidt said his office is interested and willing to schedule a meeting with local contractors to provide them training on how to prepare bid proposals -- the documents and references that are required. He also suggested that someone in the mayor’s office attend so they could offer that information to others in Mahmudiyah. “It shows them the steps necessary to qualify for the work,” he added.

Schmidt complemented the mayor on his interest in economic development. “This is a definite priority for all -- business and job creation is something we’re all interested in,” Schmidt said.

“We need new projects offering long-term benefits,” the mayor noted. “This is how we’re going to build a new Middle East. Such efforts will encourage trust and friendships we’re all looking for.”

School supplies bring smiles to children
Monday, 22 January 2007

Sgt. 1st Class Bill Bowen, Company C, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Brigade, hands-out candy and gum to children sitting outside the Al Hamdaniyah School in western Baghdad. Bowen, a native of Stanton, Ky., and members of Company C dropped off school supplies and backpacks for the 310 students attending the school. Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Mary Rose 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.CAMP SLAYER – An infantry unit from the Kentucky Army National Guard spent the morning of Jan. 14 not patrolling the streets of Baghdad like they usually do, but delivering supplies to local school children.
Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, loaded up an up-armored Light Medium Tactical Vehicle with wooden crates full of backpacks, pencils, pens, rulers and notepads. Then they headed out to the Al Hamdaniyah School with an entourage of Humvees for security.

The troops arrived a little early for school, but it didn’t take long for the children to start coming in from all directions to greet the Soldiers.

The children seemed excited to see the Soldiers and asked for pens by pretending they were writing on paper with their hands. While the Soldiers interacted with the horde of children they tried to teach them English words, to help with communication.

For the children, they were open to taking whatever the Soldiers had to give them whether it was an English word, a smile or better yet, a pen.

“It doesn’t matter what you give them they’ll take anything,” said Spc. Jason Davenport, a medic for Company C and a native of Barbourville, Ky.

The children, with their pants tucked into their socks to keep from getting muddy are willing to take what the Soldiers give because they have so little themselves. Their nine-room school house has 310 students, water damage, no electricity, no running water, no heat and many of its windows broken out, said Maj. Chris Cline, a civil affairs officer with the unit.

Along with all the damage, there is no money being given to the school to fix the problems.

“The teachers haven’t been paid in three months,” said Cline a native of Hodgenville, Ky. Despite that, he said the teachers still come in to teach the children who attend the school.

The supplies from U.S. Soldiers are the only thing the school has received in months, according to a teacher at the school.

While at the school, troops unloaded the LMTV and played with the children, until it was time for classes to begin. The children filed into the cold classrooms, after collecting their new supplies and waited for the teachers to join them for their studies.

One of the teachers, who spoke through an interpreter, said there is no school being held in many of the more populated areas around Baghdad, due to security issues.

“We need security,” the teacher said. “With security, we can make better education.”

Security and lack of financial assistance wasn’t the only problem the school had; they had children with medical needs.

Davenport assisted two girls who had ailments, but because of the limited resources on hand, he referred them to the Civil Military Operations Center’s free medical clinic for local Iraqis.

“It is important for them to know that we are here to help them,” said Davenport.

Even though the school is barely operational, 1st Lt. Robert Andersen, a civil affairs officer with the regiment and native of Elizabethtown, Ky, said he was impressed with the number of students still attending.

“For a war going on and so many children to still be in school, it shows that parents do care about the future of their children, which is a good thing,” said Andersen.

“We could be here a hundred years and not make a dent if they don’t want to help themselves,” Davenport noted. He said the teachers’ dedication to the children at the Al Hamdaniyah School is an example of what Iraq needs to get back on its feet.

(Story by Army Staff Sgt. Mary Rose 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

: Turkey Keeps Nervous Eye On Kirkuk
By Sumedha Senanayake

Iraqi Turkomans protesting federalism in Kirkuk in October 2006
(epa)
January 22, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Turkish officials have recently voiced their concerns over the fate of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk. Turkey fears that if the Iraqi Kurds annex Kirkuk into their autonomous region, they will eventually want to carve out an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq and thus stoke separatist desires in Turkey's own sizable Kurdish population.


Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution calls for a three-step process to be implemented to reverse the "Arabization" policies of the regime of former President Saddam Hussein to expel and/or displace non-Arabs in the area around Kirkuk. The article also stipulates that once the province has been "normalized," a census is to take place, followed by a referendum, which is to be carried out sometime in 2007 to determine whether the city and its environs will join the Kurdish region.

Kirkuk Conference Raises Tensions

On January 16, a two-day symposium titled "Kirkuk 2007," sponsored by the Turkish Global Strategy Institute, ended in Ankara with a final declaration calling for "the suspension of the referendum until the Iraqi Constitution is reviewed," the Ankara Anatolia news agency reported the same day.

The aim of the symposium was to discuss the future of Kirkuk with the participation of Iraqi Sunni, Shi'ite, Turkoman, Christian, and Assyrian groups. However, no representatives of Iraqi Kurdish groups were invited; the conference's organizers said the Kurds were asked to submit their views in writing.

Iraq's Turkomans, who are ethnic Turks, have voiced fears that tensions would spill over if the Kurds took control of Kirkuk. The leader of the Iraqi Turkoman Front, Sadettin Ergec, said on January 15 at the conference that due to the complex ethnic and religious makeup of Kirkuk, the referendum should be cancelled and the province be placed under the control of the federal government, Ankara Anatolia reported the same day.

"Kirkuk is not a normal province. Rather, it is Iraq's national asset. Therefore, all the Iraqis should have a say in its future and the city," Ergec said.

In response to the conference, several Kurdish lawmakers in the Iraqi parliament issued a joint statement denouncing the conference, "The New Anatolian" reported on January 17. "We condemn this interference in Iraqi affairs by the Turkish government [and]...call upon the Iraqi government and Foreign Ministry to take a decisive stance to stop this interference, and to threaten to cut political and economic relations with Turkey should Turkey continue its interference," the statement read.

Threat Of Military Intervention

The confrontational rhetoric from Turkish officials has been amplified in recent weeks as Kirkuk referendum approaches. During a session of parliament on January 15, Turhan Comez, a leading member of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), warned that the Kirkuk referendum may lead to ethnic clashes in the city, which could force Ankara to intervene, "The New Anatolian" reported the same day.

Click map to enlarge"Turkey should announce that it will not recognize the results of a referendum on the future of Kirkuk under these conditions. And we should also announce that we are going to intervene if civil war erupts in Kirkuk," Comez said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on January 9, "Turkey cannot stand idly by, watching the efforts to change the demographic structure of Kirkuk," the Cihan news agency reported on January 10. Erdogan's statement reflects a longstanding accusation by Turkey that Iraq's Kurds have been drastically altering the demographics of Kirkuk in an attempt to influence the outcome of the upcoming referendum in their favor.

Indeed, "The New Anatolian" reported on January 15 that Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) had obtained information that since 2003 "an estimated 600,000 ethnic Kurdish Iraqi citizens have been moved to Kirkuk from different areas in northern Iraq and have subsequently been registered to vote in elections."

Moreover, the Turkish daily "Ortadogu" reported on January 17 that 240,000 Turkish troops deployed last March along the Iranian and Iraqi borders are awaiting orders to enter northern Iraq to go after Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) fighters and to protect the Iraqi Turkoman population.

Crossing The Border

It is unclear whether Turkey would go so far as sending troops into northern Iraq if the Kurds continue with their drive to annex Kirkuk. Both the ruling AKP and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) have on separate occasions asked for a closed-door session of parliament to discuss the Kirkuk situation. The session is to take place on January 23.

CHP leader Deniz Baykal indicated that an order to send troops to northern Iraq would be issued if the situation "warranted" it, "Milliyet" reported on January 16.

Iraqi Kurdish regional parliament speaker Adnan Mufti on January 19 denounced the upcoming session, calling it an attempt by Turkey to sow chaos in Iraq, Salah al-Din Kurdistan Satellite television reported the same day.

"I believe that the [Turkish] parliament's session is unnecessary. Now, since the session has become a fact, I hope that they will discuss the realities," he said.

U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns moved to clarify the situation when he stressed on January 18 after a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan that the issue of Kirkuk was a matter for the "Iraqis, since they are sovereign in their country." However, as the referendum nears, tensions are bound to increase and Turkey will continue to watch northern Iraq anxiously.