Thread: Iraqi/Dinar news until March 1st, 2007

Implementing service projects alongside the security plan

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23 February 2007 (Iraq Directory)

The Director of the National Coordination Team in the American embassy said that his government has allocated amounts of money to implement service projects in Baghdad as part of the first phase of the security plan implemented by the Iraqi government.

Eric Olson said in a press conference inside the Green Zone in Baghdad: "There are ten transitional teams from the American national Team in Baghdad and eight others in the provinces participating within the reconstruction transitional teams in building Iraqi institutions, the rule of law, police operations, establishing law institutions and infrastructure projects".

He added: "The team is building (150) service projects and supporting infrastructure projects by defining the needs of construction, project management and quality control".
He said: "We will support the available teams by bring (350) experts and specialists from civilians after the vacuum was filled by the American Ministry of Defense. The teams will arrive in stages in the months of March, August and at the end of this year".

Olsen said: “six other teams from the National Team in Baghdad will work with the military teams which are carrying out their military duties and a seventh team will be north of Babylon working with the military forces there. The team will be subject to the Executive Committee which has representatives, to implement service tasks, from six committees of the members of the Security Group including two military leaders, one from Iraq and the other from America, to implement service projects in electricity, water and sewage in addition to the Data Committee whose mission is to provide all information about the districts’ needs of services; there will also be a public support Committee in the provinces to improve the security situation".

Olsen confirmed: “we will announce, during the coming days, the American budget for 2007 and the amounts of money allocated to support projects in Iraq. There is also one billion dollars of Iraqi funds that has not been spent yet, so the Iraqi Ministry of Finance has decided to include it within the current year’s budget to be spent on services, in addition to other allocations set for services within budget".

He explained: "We asked for $ 200 million to be allocated for the financial support of Iraqi provinces, in addition to $100 million for projects in Baghdad, and $40 million for Basrah, as well as $400 million for the leaders of provinces to implement other projects".

Implementing service projects alongside the security plan | Iraq Updates

U.S. forces free son of powerful Iraqi politician
Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:21pm ET

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops freed the eldest son of powerful Iraqi Shi'ite politician Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim on Friday after detaining him for several hours at a border checkpoint with Iran, Iraqi officials said.

Ammar Hakim's convoy had been stopped at a checkpoint in Wasit province as he returned from Iran, Iraqi security sources and Shi'ite officials had said. It was not immediately clear why he had been detained.

His father is leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the biggest party in Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's national unity cabinet.

http://search.us.reuters.com/news/ar...AQ-RELEASE.xml

Originally Posted by postcon

Iraqi "government" to hike fuel prices by 15 pct

ALARAB ONLINE | Display Page

Consumer fuel prices will be hiked by around 15 percent in March as Iraq implements an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to cut subsidies, Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said.

Iraq has the world's third largest known oil reserves but decades of war, sanctions, under-investment and now widespread violence and sabotage have left it critically short of fuel.

It has to import much of its gasoline.

The government continues to control prices, fostering a thriving black market in fuel for those unwilling to queue for hours, sometimes days, to fill their vehicles.

Shahristani told Arabiya television in an interview broadcast on Friday the price of benzene would rise from 350 dinars (about 27 U.S. cents) to 400 dinar and the price of gasoline would rise from 300 dinar to 350 dinar by mid-March.

Iraq won a loan accord with the IMF in December 2005 and a $14 billion debt swap with private lenders. Since then, the price of a litre of ordinary gasoline has risen from 20 dinars.

Hello everyone. I think removing the fuel subsidies was the last remining issue to bring Iraq in full compliance with the provisions of the original stand-by-agreement (SBA) with the IMF. This also has the result of giving the GOI more money instead of subsidizing the price of fuel. Full compliance with the SBA. Its all good for us. Thank You.

Zebari discuss the security situation of Iraq with the King of Spain
10 :02 February 23 / 2007
PUKmedia :

Mr. Hoshyar Zebari met on February 22 with His Majesty King king Juan Carlos of Spain yesterday.

The Iraqi foreign minister to His Majesty the King during inquiries an explanation of the developments in the political and security situation in Abra s and plans of the Iraqi government and its future programs, Zebari also broached the plan to impose the law of the the Iraqi government on the Elimination of all forms of violence and only xenophobia in Baghdad.The minister also explained the regional situation and the preparations and the preparations for a meeting of the neighboring countries of Iraq j in Iraq.

Zebari pointed out that Spain was an important trade partner a with Iraq and we look forward to the return of these relations to the previous level and developed especially Spain is a country a friend of Iraq, which is also a close cultural and Ja'ravia with the Arab states, He expressed the hope that Spain is a messenger of peace in the the region continues to link with Europe through this location .

His Majesty the King expressed his happiness to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that very happy to meet him in the new era Iraq is living in this democratic experience and Imt told a constitutionally elected government.

He also pointed that His Majesty the King of Spain is under conference in Madrid, the donor countries and it is committed to the ef Hood for reconstruction in Iraq and thanked Mr. King of the Minister requested the transfer greetings to all the Iraqis and wishes e them security and stability.


Translated version of http://www.pukmedia.com/arabicnews/23-2/news2.htm

Suspected Insurgent Leader Held in Iraq
The Associated Press

By KIM GAMEL

February 23, 2007


Working under the guise of a businessman, he has been shuttling between Syria and the United Arab Emirates to collect funds for the terrorists in Iraq A suspected al-Qaida linked insurgent leader accused of financing attacks and recruiting fighters was captured in southern Iraq, Iraqi police said Friday. The U.S. military also said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties in fierce fighting in the volatile city of Ramadi.

Issa Abdul-Razzaq Ahmed, who was detained during a raid Thursday on a house in central Basra, has been traveling to neighboring countries to collect funds for militant operations in Iraq, provincial police commander Gen. Mohammed al-Moussawi said.

He also said the suspect, a 22-year-old Sunni, was on the Interior Ministry's most-wanted list and was accused of being a major figure in recruiting fighters. Police also found lists with the names of other wanted militants, maps and propaganda CDs.

'Working under the guise of a businessman, he has been shuttling between Syria and the United Arab Emirates to collect funds for the terrorists in Iraq,' Moussawi said.

The announcement of the capture took on added significance as it came just days after Britain announced that it would withdraw 1,600 troops from the area in the coming months with hopes the Iraqis can take over their own security.

Basra, Iraq's second-largest city 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, and the region around it are predominantly Shiite and have seen little of the sectarian violence that has ransacked the capital, although rival Shiite militant factions often clash and Sunni insurgents maintain a presence.

Spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, meanwhile, said the military was investigating reports of civilian casualties during intense fighting between American troops and Sunni insurgents in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad.

A six-hour battle that broke out Wednesday evening after insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked U.S. troops from nearby buildings. Marine spokesman 1st Lt. Shawn Mercer said Thursday that 12 insurgents were killed and no civilian casualties were reported, but Iraqi authorities the dead included women and children.

The military said several buildings were damaged when the Americans responded with 'precision guided munitions' that ended the fight.

However, Dr. Hafidh Ibrahim of the Ramadi Hospital said the bodies of 26 people, including four women and children, were pulled from the rubble of three houses damaged in the fighting.

Photographs made available to The Associated Press showed the bodies of two small boys wrapped in one blanket. Other photos showed four or five bodies covered by blankets, and several men clearing rubble.

Firefights are not unusual in Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar. The clashes underscore the challenges posed by Sunni insurgents in the area even as the U.S. seeks to quell Sunni-Shiite violence in the capital.

The U.S. military also has warned that insurgents are adopting new tactics in a campaign to spread panic after troops uncovered a car bomb factory west of Baghdad with propane tanks and chlorine cylinders _ possible ingredients for more chemical attacks following three explosions involving chlorine.

Those blasts and a recent spate of attacks against helicopters have raised fears that insurgents are trying to develop new ways to confront U.S. and Iraqi forces. Any increase in chemical bombings could complicate the Baghdad security crackdown, now in its second week.

Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the No. 2 American commander in Iraq, said Thursday he did not think the attacks signaled a more capable insurgency. Instead, he said they were an attempt to provoke fear.

'What they're trying to do is ... adapt in such ways where they can continue to create instability,' Odierno said.

The general also said at least two suspects have been arrested in the downing of eight helicopters since Jan. 20, but he gave no further details.

The raid on the car bomb factory occurred late Tuesday near Karmah, in Anbar, U.S. authorities said. U.S. troops discovered a pickup truck and three other vehicles that were being prepared as car bombs, as well as detonation material in five buildings.

'We also found ingredients to be used to devise or enhance explosives, such as fertilizer and chlorine cylinders,' Odierno told Pentagon reporters by video-link.

Insurgents have detonated three trucks carrying chlorine canisters since late January. The most recent attack occurred Wednesday in Baghdad, killing five people and sending more than 55 to hospitals.

On Tuesday, a bomb planted on a chlorine tanker left more than 150 villagers stricken north of the capital. More than 60 were still under medical care Wednesday.

A suicide bomber driving a dump truck filled with explosives and a chlorine tank also struck a quick reaction force and Iraqi police in the Sunni city of Ramadi on Jan. 28, killing 16 people.

Jeremy Binnie, an analyst with Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Center, noted that it is unclear how many in the attacks died from the explosions and how many were victims of the chlorine itself.

U.S. and Iraqi officials pledged to adapt to fight the evolving insurgent tactics.

'What is obvious to us is that the terrorists are adopting new tactics to cause panic and as many casualties as they can among civilians,' Iraqi military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, told reporters. 'But our plans also are always changeable and flexible to face the enemies' new tactics.'

Suspected Insurgent Leader Held in Iraq

Sotaliraq.com - ÕæÊ ÇáÚÑÇÞ

-Talabani and Barzani meet tomorrow, February 24

(www.sotaliraq.com(Voice of Iraq) - 23-02-2007 shall Sotaliraq.com - ÕæÊ ÇáÚÑÇÞ

PUKmedia:PUKmedia :

Is expected to meet Iraqi President Jalal Talabani j M. coming Saturday February 24 in a summit meeting with the president of the k Rdstan and Massoud Barzani.

It is expected that during the meeting, the most important Almstjeda T. in Iraq and the region, and the stages of the implementation of the immediate pain births 140 of the Constitution of the Iraqi Permanent Normalization the situation in Kirkuk, in addition to the security plan ef Dedeh in Baghdad and other important topics of interest to you Streets and Rdstani and Iraq.

doin alot of stuff for bein on vacation havent they??

Scene of devastation greets returning Iraq refugees

by Ammar Karim
41 minutes ago



When Haj Mohammed found the home his family had been swept from by a wave of sectarian violence three months ago, all that remained was a fire-gutted shell strewn with wreckage.

"My father and grandfather lived in this house. It is now an empty hulk without ceilings because a fire set by Takfiris (Sunni extremists) engulfed everything," he cried, standing stunned amid the ruins.

Salman Pak, a small town of 7,000 people on the Tigris river southeast of Baghdad, had become a bastion for insurgent fighters, members of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and other gangs who regularly attack Iraqi police with homemade bombs.

Residents say gunmen wearing masks killed with impunity, and Haj would only give his first names for fear of being identified.

Iraqi forces are now trying to get displaced residents to return to the Baghdad suburb.

Their efforts are part of a security plan called "Operation Fardh al-Qanoon" (Imposing Order), led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his US allies, that is to be enforced by some 85,000 new troops over the next three months.

Salman Pak lies between two highways connecting Baghdad to Iraq's Shiite south and its ports on the Gulf.

It is renowned as the site of the ancient Persian capital of Ctesiphon, once the world's largest city. The famed arch of Ctesiphon, or Taq Kisra, still stands testament to the city's fourth-century splendour.

The town also once housed a germ warfare research centre as part of the drive for weapons of mass destruction of Saddam Hussein's ousted Sunni-dominated regime.

But authorities must now rebuild a town that suffered terrible destruction and was deserted by both Shiites and Sunnis. Historic sites were among the many places damaged by sectarian attacks.

"We are making every effort to protect displaced families as they return home," said Major General Abdul-Karim Abdul-Rahman, first division commander with the National Police.

"Terror and other problems pushed many to flee the region," he added.

The security forces face a huge task because the wide-open district is easily infiltrated by insurgents from other volatile regions.

"We are committed to protecting these people, be they Shiite or Sunni," Abdul-Rahman said.

Many from both confessions were displaced by the fighting in Salman Pak but the police commander said all would receive humanitarian assistance under a plan drawn up by the trade, electricity and water ministries.

He also promised municipal officials that his officers would help free local residents who have been detained and called on shopowners to reopen for business.

"We will protect the markets," the senior police officer said.

"In return we want you to provide information on those who plant bombs that kill our children and security forces."

Iraqi soldiers and policemen were already working on tips they had received.

"I pledge to revive vital utilities, hospitals, the bank and the court that have not functioned for more than four months," Abdul-Rahman said.

Among those that had just come back were Nuri al-Naur, a Shiite, who said: "I left with my five children three months ago and since then we have been living in a camp outside the town in harsh conditions.

"But there is still tension in the town. We will stay at home," he added.

Sheikh Sabah al-Ameri described how Sunni extremists had terrorised Salman Pak residents.

"Takfiris controlled the town, both Shiites and Sunnis. After destroying everything, they told us to leave or we would be killed," he said.

Sunni residents said the gunmen who had seized Salman Pak imposed harsh punishments such as whippings for those who smoked, and insisted mens' hair be cut a certain way.

Many were also reportedly kidnapped and held for ransom, and the murder rate has shot up in the four years since US-led forces invaded Iraq.

As elsewhere in Iraq, tension grew between Shiites and Sunnis, with both sides accusing the other of setting off a vicious spiral of sectarian attacks.

The region is considered an insurgent bastion and, while many Shiites live in the town, they are regularly subjected to attacks.

Scene of devastation greets returning Iraq refugees - Yahoo! News

Withdrawing from banks
By James Palmer
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
February 23, 2007


BAGHDAD -- There is nothing routine about a trip to the bank in Baghdad.
Confronted by criminal gangs on the streets and demands for bribes from tellers in the branches -- not to mention long lines, shortages of bank notes, and other inconveniences -- many Iraqis are opting simply to keep their savings at home.
Even without the security concerns, financiers and government officials say, there are not enough banks in Iraq to serve the population and finance sorely needed reconstruction, leaving companies and individuals struggling to secure their assets.
"You must keep it somewhere," said Abd Ali Radi, the 56-year-old owner of a modest bus company. "This is a problem for all Iraqis today."
Interviewed in a restaurant last month, Mr. Radi recalled a recent trip to his bank in which, while nervously edging ahead in line, he heard the familiar sound of an ammunition round being injected into the chamber of an automatic pistol. He quickly fled.
Ali Al-Ajeely, a 48-year-old travel agency owner, said he is so fearful of carrying large amounts of cash that he avoids the city's depositories altogether. "It's safer to stay away from the banks," he said.
And businessman Hamza Own, a 47-year-old waterworks contractor, called the banks insecure and inefficient. "I have better ways of storing my money," he said, adding he last held a bank account in 1990.
Several banks in Baghdad this year have suffered daylight heists in which millions of dollars were stolen from their main offices, branches and armored vehicles.
"Most banks handling cash have experienced large robberies -- a million here, another million there," said Foud M. Mustafa, the managing director of the Credit Bank of Iraq.
The robberies have forced some institutions to reduce the amount of cash they keep on hand. "Smaller is better now," said Zuhair Al-Hafidh, whose Ashur International Bank focuses on the investment sector.
Iraqi banks guarantee their deposits, but customers have few assurances while traveling to and from the institutions. And in a city where dozens of people are killed every day, many residents feel it is more practical to keep their savings at home.
"If anything happens to you, your family has the money," said Mr. Al-Ajeely, the travel agent.

Yet even in a society where an estimated 70 percent of business is conducted in cash, many Iraqis can't avoid banks.
Raad Mohammed Salman, whose company transports oil, said the volume of his business forces him to make deposits because "it's too much to keep at home." But he doesn't relish the experience.
Corrupt bank clerks commonly press for bribes of 50,000 dinars -- about $38.50 -- to complete a transaction valued at a little over $23,000. "They know I have good contracts with the oil ministry," Mr. Salman explained.
Wa'al Abdul Mutalab, a 39-year-old money changer, said he handles tens of thousands of dollars daily and delivers cash deposits to his bank on a motorcycle to avoid thieves.
Once in the banks, Mr. Mutalab said, he must deal with long lines of government pensioners. "I have to arrange an appointment so I can finish quickly," he said.
Misgivings about banks date from the rule of Saddam Hussein, who would impose restrictions on banks without warning during times of unrest -- notably a $750 monthly limit on withdrawals after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Saddam did open the banking sector to private institutions, and 21 such banking companies operate in Iraq today. But financial analysts say it is still not enough, especially as security problems have forced them to close branches and shelve expansion plans.
The Credit Bank of Iraq had planned to create 55 branches after Saddam's fall, but it recently closed two in Baghdad and now has only 12 open, according to Mr. Mustafa, its director.
During the nearly four years since Saddam was overthrown, five Iraqi banking companies have partnered with foreign banks. But companies outside Iraq still are hesitant to risk investments.
"We have no dealings with foreign banks now," said Farzdak Abdal Razak, a manager at the Middle East Investment Bank in Baghdad. He said merger talks with Citibank officials in Jordan collapsed last year.
Bank directors still dream of adding branches, welcoming foreign investors and having automated teller machines operating 24 hours a day. But most Iraqis would settle for a safe place to keep their money.
For those with just a little cash like Mr. Al-Ajeely, the matter is simple. "I keep it in my pockets," he said.

Kurdish politician in Turkey charged

2 hours, 17 minutes ago


A politician was charged Friday with inciting hatred and threatening public safety after suggesting that fellow Kurds would rise against the state and fight if Turkey ever attacked their Kurdish brethren in neighboring Iraq.

Police detained Hilmi Aydogdu, leader of the Democratic Society Party's branch in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, as he left a conference and questioned him over the remarks, said Nazmi Gur, a party spokesman.

Prosecutors later formally arrested Aydogdu and charged him with threatening public safety by inciting racial enmity and hatred. The charge carries a maximum three-year prison sentence.

In remarks published in several newspapers, Aydogdu had warned Turkey against taking any action in the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

Turkey, which has been trying to quell a domestic Kurdish insurgency for more than two decades, fears that Iraqi Kurdish groups could seize control of the northern city and incorporate it into their self-ruled region.

Some in Turkey have suggested that Ankara could take military action to prevent that from happening.

"The two sides in this war would be Turkey and the Kurds in Iraq. There are some 20 million Kurds in Turkey, and the 20 million Kurds would regard such a war as an attack against them," newspapers quoted Aydogdu as saying.

"Any attack on Kirkuk would be considered an attack on Diyarbakir," the politician was also quoted as saying.

Turkish leaders are concerned that Iraq's Kurds want Kirkuk's oil revenues to fund a bid for independence that could encourage separatist Kurdish guerrillas in Turkey who have been fighting for autonomy since 1984. The conflict has claimed the lives of 37,000 people.

Turkey has not ruled out military incursions into Iraq to hunt separatist Kurds, despite warnings from the U.S., which fears that such moves could lead to tensions with the Iraqi Kurdish groups allied with Washington.

Turkish authorities frequently accuse the Democratic Society Party of having links to an outlawed Kurdish guerrilla group, the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which the U.S. and European Union consider a terrorist group.

Party members frequently are detained and branch offices raided.

Kurdish politician in Turkey charged - Yahoo! News

Originally Posted by shotgunsusie

Sotaliraq.com - ÕæÊ ÇáÚÑÇÞ

doin alot of stuff for bein on vacation havent they??

Wasn't there an article not too long ago holding these folks feet to the fire, so to speak, that if they didn't get it done they would be arrested or fired. Maybe this working vacation is part of the provisions of their work realease program