Thread: Iraq/Dinar News up until April 10th 11pm ctz

A draft law to declare Iraq Kurdish Republic of federalism

(صوت العراق) - 06-04-2007(Voice of Iraq) - 06-04-2007
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بغداد - حمزة مصطفى:Baghdad-Mustafa Hamza :
قدمت كتلة التحالف الكردستاني في البرلمان العراقي مشروع قانون الى البرلمان لمناقشته يقضي بتغيير الاسم الحالي للعراق وذلك بإضافة مفردة فيدرالي (الاتحادي) ليصبح الاسم الرسمي للدولة هو جمهورية العراق الاتحادي· وقال عضو البرلمان العراقي عن كتلة التحالف الكردستاني سعدي البرزنجي إن الأكراد قدموا مشروعهم هذا الى اللجنة الخاصة بمناقشة التعديلات الدستورية التي ستعقد اجتماعاتها الأسبوع القادم مشيراً الى أن المشروع الكردي المقترح تضمن أيضاً تضمين الدستور العراقي نصاً يجري بموجبه الاعتراف بالأمة الكردية الى جانب الأمة العربية كتسميات أساسية في الدستور· كما تضمن المشروع حق التمثيل الكردي في الأمم المتحدة وحق توقيع الاتفاقيات والعقود· وينظر أن تثير هذه المطالب الكردية جدلاً داخل اللجنة التي لم تنته بعد من إجراء التعديلات التي أقرتها المادة 142 من الدستور العراقي الذي جرت المصادقة عليه العام الماضي شريطة أن يتضمن إجراءات تعديلات تتعلق بمطالب العرب السنة وهو ما يتطلب إجراء استفتاء آخر نهاية العام على التعديلات الدستورية الجديدة· من جانب آخر، أوقفت سلطات الجمارك التركية في ميناء دارنجا على بحر مرمرة شحنة من الأسلحة وصلت الى الميناء على ظهر سفينة قادمة من كوريا الجنوبية في طريقها الى أربيل شمال العراق· وقال المستشار العام لإدارة الجمارك التركية بولاند ارتام إن الشحنة دخلت الميناء ببيانات جمركية رسمية تدعى انها بضائع تجارية وعند الكشف عن محتوياتها ثبتت أنها أسلحة كورية الصنع· ونقل راديو ''سوا'' عن مصادر تركية قولها إن السلطات الكورية الجنوبية أدعت أن الأسلحة مرسلة الى جنودها العاملين في قوات التحالف الدولية في العراق لكن عنوان المرسل إليه كان كريم سنجاري وزير داخلية حكومة اقليم كردستان العراق· وقررت السلطات التركية تسهيل عبور الشحنة بشرط إعادة كتابة البيانات الجمركية الحقيقية لكافة مواصفات الشحنة مع التأكيد على كتابة عنوان الجهة المرسلة إليها بحيث يكون العنوان موجهاً الى أربيل في دولة العراق وليس أربيل في ''دولة كردستان''·The Kurdistan Alliance bloc in the Iraqi Parliament a bill to the Parliament for discussion to change the current name of Iraq and the addition of a single federal (Federal) to become the official name for the country is the Federal Republic of Iraq · A member of the Iraqi parliament bloc, the Kurdistan Alliance Saadi Alborznji Kurds have sponsors to the Special Committee discussed amendments constitutional meetings to be held next week, pointing out that the project also included the proposed Kurdish Iraqi constitution to include a provision under which the recognition of the Kurdish nation in the Arab nation Ktsmyat · fundamental in the Constitution also included the right project Kurdish representation in the United Nations the right to sign agreements and contracts · seen to raise the Kurdish demands controversy within the Commission, which have yet to make adjustments approved by the Article 142 of the Iraqi Constitution, which was ratified last year provided that the procedures relating to the demands made Sunni Arabs, which requires the holding of a referendum last year to the end of the constitutional amendments new · On the other hand, customs authorities suspended Daranja Turkish port on the Sea of Marmara shipment of weapons arrived in the port on board a ship coming from South Korea on its way to Irbil in northern Iraq · The General Counsel of the Department of Customs Turkish freighter Poland Artam that the shipment entered the port by the customs official claims that the goods trade and when disclosure of the contents found they · Korean-made weapons and the transfer of "Radio Sawa" from Turkish sources as saying that the South Korean authorities claimed that the arms sent to soldiers in the international coalition forces in Iraq, but the title of the consignee was Karim Sanjari Minister of the Interior of the government of Iraq's Kurdistan region · The Turkish authorities decided to facilitate the transit of cargo condition rewrite real customs data for all specifications shipment with emphasis on the writing of the title of the destination so that the title could be directed to Irbil in the state of Iraq, not the State of Erbil in Kurdistan, "" ·
الاتحاد الاماراتيةThe Emirates

The postponement of the international conference on Iraq

(صوت العراق) - 06-04-2007(Voice of Iraq) - 06-04-2007
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بغداد - ''الاتحاد''، رويترز: قال وزير الخارجية العراقي أمس إن العراق والدول المجاورة والقوى العالمية سيعقدون اجتماعاً وزارياً في الأسبوع الأول من مايو بدلاً من أبريل الحالي، لمتابعة محادثات مؤتمر بغداد الدولي التي استهدفت محاولة إشاعة الاستقرار في البلاد·Baghdad - "European", Reuters said : The Iraqi foreign minister said yesterday that Iraq and neighboring countries and global forces will hold a ministerial meeting in the first week of May instead of April, to follow up on talks of the International Baghdad that targeted an attempt to stabilize the country ·
وقال هوشيار زيباري إن الاجتماع سيعقد خارج العراق وامتنع عن تحديد المكان· وكان يتوقع أن يعقد الاجتماع الوزاري باسطنبول أوائل أبريل الحالي· لكن رئيس الوزراء العراقي نوري المالكي أراد تغيير المكان إلى بغداد· غير أن مسؤولين عراقيين قالوا إن بعض الدول عبرت عن قلقها بشأن أمن الوزراء في بغداد· وكانت مصادر مطلعة قد أكدت أن تبايناً يجري في صمت بين رئاسة مجلس الوزراء ووزارة الخارجية العراقية بشأن المؤتمر· وأبلغت المصادر نفسها ''الاتحاد'' أنه في الوقت الذي لاتميل وزارة الخارجية إلى تصعيد الموقف مع أنقرة التي تم الاتفاق معها منذ المؤتمر الدولي الأخير، بعقد المؤتمر المرتقب على المستوى الوزاري على أراضيها، فإن رئيس الوزراء نوري المالكي بات اليوم أكثر إصراراً على عقد هذا المؤتمر داخل العراق·Hoshyar Zebari said that the meeting would take place outside Iraq and refrained from specifying the place · It was expected that the ministerial meeting in Istanbul early April but · Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki wanted a change of venue to Baghdad · However, Iraqi officials said that some countries expressed concern on the security ministers in Baghdad · The informed sources have confirmed that the disparity is in the silence between the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq on the conference · The same sources told the "Union" that at the time of Atmel and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to escalate the situation with Ankara, which has been agreed with them since the last International Conference, for a conference expected at the ministerial level on its territory, the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki are now more determined to hold the conference inside Iraq ·
وكان رئيس الوزراء التركي رجب أردوغان قد أعلن أنه مازال ينتظر موافقة بغداد على عقد المؤتمر في اسطنبول وأنه بحث هذا الموضوع مع الرئيس العراقي طالباني في الرياض لدى مشاركتهما في القمة العربية·The Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdo? Has announced that he is still awaiting the approval of Baghdad to the convening of a conference in Istanbul, and that he discussed this issue with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Riyadh to their participation in the Arab summit ·
الاتحاد الاماراتيةThe Emirates

Iraqi army receives Maysan in April

(صوت العراق) - 06-04-2007(Voice of Iraq) - 06-04-2007
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بغداد - اف ب، رويترز: اعلن رئيس الوزراء العراقي نوري المالكي أمس نقل المسؤولية الأمنية في محافظة ميسان الجنوبية الى السلطات المحلية خلال أبريل الحالي· ونقل بيان حكومي عن المالكي قوله ان ''الجدول الزمني لاستكمال جاهزية قواتنا المسلحة لتحمل المسؤولية الوطنية قد تسارعت خطواته وسيتم خلال هذا الشهر نقل المسؤولية الأمنية من القوات المتعددة الجنسيات الى السلطة المدنية في ميسان''· واضاف ان المالكي ''يخول محافظ ميسان عادل المالكي تسلم المسؤولية الأمنية''· من جهته، قال المتحدث العسكري البريطاني اللفتنانت كولونيل كافن ستراتفورد رايت ان ''عملية التسليم متوقعة خلال الشهر الحالي· سيتولى العراقيون المسؤولية ولن يكون لنا اي تدخل في الاوضاع الأمنية الا بطلب منهم''· واضاف ''سنستمر في حماية قواتنا· انه تطور ايجابي ونعبر عن سرورنا ازاء قرار رئيس الوزراء الذي تم اتخاذه بناء على عدة معطيات وخصوصا مدى جاهزية القوات العراقية''· من جهته، قال الرئيس البولندي ليخ كاتشينسكي إن الموقف قد يتطلب جعل مهمة القوات البولندية بالعراق أكثر هجومية نظرا للهجمات التي وقعت على قاعدتها هناك في الآونة الأخيرة· وأضاف الرئيس في مؤتمر صحفي ''أطلقت النيران عدة مرات على قاعدتنا في الآونة الأخيرة· لذا فإنه قد يتعين علينا أن نغير طابع (المهمة) بحيث يصبح أكثر هجومية''·Baghdad-AFP, Reuters : Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki yesterday, the transfer of security responsibility in the southern Missan governorate to the local authorities during April · quoted in a statement from the government, "al-Maliki said that the timetable for completing the readiness of our armed forces to shoulder national responsibility has accelerated its steps and will be during this month, the transfer of security responsibility from the multinational forces the civil authority in Maysan · "and added that" empowers Maliki Maysan governor just Maliki received security responsibility "· Meanwhile, the British military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Stratford Wright," the extradition process expected during the current month · Iraqis will be responsible and will not have any interference in the security situation only at the request of them · He added, "will continue" to protect our · It is a positive development and we are pleased about the Prime Minister's decision has been taken based on several factors, especially the readiness of Iraqi forces "· For his part, Polish President Lech Kachinski that position may require making the task of the Polish forces in Iraq more offensive because of the attacks that occurred on the base there in recent · The President added in a press conference "was shot several times on the base in recent · Therefore, we may have to change the nature of (task), so it becomes more offensive" ·

الاتحاد الاماراتيةThe Emirates

Originally Posted by ordinaryseawoman

Okay folks, I have a lot of time on my hands so I figure I'd look at some dates and headlines. I started at the beginning of this current thread and culled out some important dates/accomplishments from the last 7 days or so...it's a little long, but I think it will help with the big picture...


**Earlier this month (March) Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Franklin Lavin visited The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) to deliver a speech entitled "Opportunities and Challenges for Economic Growth in Iraq."

In the address, Under Secretary Lavin shared observations from his recent trip to Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan and described the U.S. Commerce Department's economic policy priorities for Iraq.

In addition to launching the U.S.-Iraq Business Dialogue, Lavin also aimed to work on the Iraq Gateways Initiative, "which is simply to encourage companies that are looking at Iraq – are looking at doing business in Iraq – to think about particular locales that might be more fruitful environments for starting a business," Lavin said.

Regarding the Iraqi dinar, Lavin commented: "I think probably an underreported story is a very stable currency, so at least trade and normal economic decision-making can be facilitated."

**19 March Arab summit ini Riyadh--among other things discussed, Iraq sovereinty (sp) and security and diligence on the distribution of Iraq's wealth in a fair manner.

**29 March "Spring Fair," held at a hotel within the concrete blast walls of Baghdad's Green Zone, visitors were treated to displays of silk rugs, antique pistols, daggers decorated with gems, and other locally made arts and crafts. The hallways were lined with photos of Iraqi holy sites.

**29 March Shell VP Confirms Gas Development Talks with Iraq

**29 March (VOI) - Iraqi Central Bank initiated a new policy to sell more dollars and obtain dinars to cover items from the national budget, which is in Iraqi dinars for the first time since 2003,

**30 March Appreciation of Iraqi dinar called 'commendable' at IMF meeting
The Stand-By Arrangement in an amount equivalent to SDR 475.36 million (about $714.7 million) was approved on Dec. 23, 2005. In completing the latest reviews, the Executive Board also approved the authorities' request for a six-month extension of the arrangement through Sept. 28. Additionally, the Board also approved the authorities request for a waiver of the non-observance of a structural performance criterion.

**30 March Kuwait announces steps to discourage speculation on it's currency

**30 March The Conference of investment companies in London, examines the reconstruction of Iraq's airports, and Najaf Airport will be completed within 6 months

**30 March Port (Khor Al-Zubair) Basra governorate receives largest vessel for the transport of oil

**31 March Karbala, March 31 (VOI) – The foundation stone for the Modern Village project was laid as part of upgrading 26 villages in Iraqi provinces at a cost of 10,400 billion Iraqi dinars, Iraq's agriculture minister announced on Saturday. How big is their budget??

**1 April Foreign investors started to buy land in areas of religious tourism investment law, the new soaring market

**1 April Baghdad Bourse welcoming foreign investors The mediators are studying new measures

**2 April Department of Commerce announced that the coming days will witness the opening (6) Mlhaqiat trade to Iraq in a number of countries around the world. especially that need to enter into contracts with various foreign companies, including the Ministry of Commerce, which requires the work contracts of Foreign Affairs.

**2 April GCC central banks governors meet in Saudi Arabia Tuesday to discuss single currency issues and possible individual currency revalues

**"Early April There will be a Financial Action Task Force for the Middle East and North Africa held its fifth meeting in Amman early next April under the chairmanship of the Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan

**2 April Instructed the Ministry of Oil to South Oil Company approached 15 international competent digging oil wells to drill 50 new oil wells.

**3 April Lukoil entered largest oil producer in Russia partnership agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday and said it depends on the support in the framework of preparations for the rehabilitation giant oil deal in Iraq.

**3-4 April Iraqi econimic heavies get together in Amman Jordan to discuss among other things the monetary policy in accordance with article VIII...

**4 April Zarcar Ali added that the Cabinet approved with majority on decisions of the Governmental committee to execute the article 140, but it put a condition that word "all desirous" should added to one of four decisions which related to return Arabs coming to their areas first.

**4 April ISX one step closer to electronic trading...implementing the electronic circulation, is the registration in the International Numbering Agency which will enable international investors from trading through more than one intermediary

**4 April Iraqi Stock Exchange offering guarantees to foreign dealers Drew observers speculate the movement of the stock market in the Iraqi Stock Exchange, to the recovery that accompanied the recent trading sessions, particularly after the announcement of the adoption of mechanisms for the circulation of securing non-Iraqi investors in the market

**4 April The Canadian Society of the architects of Iraq in Britain and a workshop on the oil and gas discussed with the oil companies, one of the global importance of the oil and gas and the nature of the recent oil contracts that are universally deal between the companies and the oil producing countries.

The workshop was opened by Mohamed al-Daraji, Director of the Association of Canadian conversation about the status of oil production in Iraq, where it was stated that in Iraq there 80 field discovered, but depends on the use of oil currently 27 field only, and spread to 10 fields in the Basra governorate, and four in Amarah, as well as in Kirkuk and Nineveh, and 3 in Salahuddin, and the field, only 1 in Baghdad, Diyala, and added that the reserves of oil up to 1 - 1-2000 is 141.5 billion barrels, produced for the extremely 1 - 1-2006 amounted to 30.1 billion barrels, and continued to reserve the potential for Iraqi oil would amount to 214 billion barrels of oil.

**4 April Najaf Governate begins expediting entry visas for Arab and other foreign investors

**4 April The Iraqi Central Bank said that its new monetary policy will enhance the ability of banks to manage short-term liquidity.

**5 April The UAE’s Crescent Petroleum met with Iraqi officials this week to finalise a joint study on an oil exploration area in southern Iraq, Crescent said in a statement on Thursday.

**6 April Iraqi Parliament to discuss the oil and gas in Dubai tomorrow --who knows what's going on with this--first it's 18 april, then postponed to may, and now it may happen on the 6th...stay tuned...

**13-16 (approx)April expanded meeting of the finance ministers with their counterpart in the American Arabs to be held in Washington to discuss the protection of Iraq's funds.

**14-15 April Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund Washington, D.C.

**15 April US funding for the war in Iraq expires

**17-18 April Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Amman of the United Nations, UNHCR had been invited by ministers and government representatives from more than 200 nations to participate in the conference on Iraq's humanitarian, which will be held at the ministerial level, in the period from 17-18 of this month at the headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva.

**18 April (maybe) The House of Representatives held a seminar in Dubai to discuss the expanded oil and gas, on the eighteenth of April in which government officials and parliamentarians as well as Iraqis and foreign experts.

**before the end of April the new international conference on Iraq will take place "in the near future, certainly during the month," explaining that the conference will be held "at the level of foreign ministers, not in Baghdad, but probably in Kuwait."

**sometime in April "The Iraqi government is now getting ready to have its first dialogue with WTO in April 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland," Iraq's government has fulfilled all requirements and procedures to apply for the membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a USAID official in Baghdad said on Saturday.

**7-10 May Rebuild Iraq expo Jordanian capital Amman is being marketed as a window to enter war-torn Iraq market where $100 billion business prospects can be explored by Pakistani businessmen by participating in a ``Rebuild Iraq 2007’’ Preparations are under way in Saudi Arabia for the participation of major companies and factories Fair reconstruction of Iraq in 2007, organized by Riyadh Exhibitions Company Ltd, in collaboration with a company of international exhibitions where the exhibition will be held at the plaza for exhibitions in Amman, the Jordanian capital

**28-30 May Iraq Oil, Gas, Petrochemical & Electricity Summit to be held in Amman, Jordan The key decision makers from the Iraqi Government will be participating with the full intent of establishing relationships and entering into contractual negotiations with all international operators wishing to be part of both the upstream and downstream sectors.

You left out the reval date! When the blazes is the reval?!!
Other than that...... two

Rice did not rule out a meeting Matki on the sidelines of the International Conference

(صوت العراق) - 06-04-2007(Voice of Iraq) - 06-04-2007
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رايس لا تستبعد لقاء متكي على هامش المؤتمر الدولي حول العراقRice did not rule out a meeting Matki on the sidelines of the international conference on Iraq

واشنطن- طهران - أ.ف.ب : اعلن المتحدث باسم وزيرة الخارجية الاميركية شون ماكورماك امس ان كوندوليزا رايس لا تستبعد لقاء نظيرها الايراني منوشهر متكي على هامش المؤتمر الوزاري الدولي حول العراق في مطلع مايو.Washington-Tehran-a. P. B : A spokesman for the American Secretary of State Sean McCormack said yesterday that Condoleezza Rice did not rule out meeting her Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Matki on the sidelines of the International Ministerial Conference on Iraq in early May.
وقال ماكورماك "قلنا منذ البداية عندما تم التطرق الى هذا الامر لاول مرة, انه اذا عقد مؤتمر وزاري فاننا لن نستبعد اي اتصال على المستوى الديبلوماسي".He said McCormick, "said from the beginning when he was picked up for the first time, that if a ministerial conference, we will not exclude any contact on the diplomatic level."
واضاف "اذا كانت هناك مسألة ترى (رايس) انه من الضروري التطرق اليها, ما تفعله ايران على سبيل المثال في ما يتعلق بتزويد شبكات المتمردين بتجهيزات قاتلة, فانها بالطبع ستغتنم الفرصة للحديث عن ذلك. ولكن الامر متوقف عليها تبعا للوضع".He added, "If there is an issue the (Rice) that it is necessary to address, what Iran is doing, for example, in regard to the supply of equipment networks rebels fatally, of course, they will seize the opportunity to talk about that. But it depends upon depending on the situation. "
ورأى محللون ان افراج ايران في خطوة مفاجئة عن جنود البحرية البريطانية المعتقلين يثبت استعدادها لاعتماد خط براغماتي بعيدا عن الراديكالية وتجنب مواجهة مع الغرب.Analysts said that the release of Iran in a sudden step on the British navy soldiers detained prove its willingness to adopt pragmatic line away from the radical avoid confrontation with the West.
وان كان لم يتضح بعد كيف يمكن ان ينعكس الافراج عن الجنود على ازمة الملف النووي الايراني المعقدة, الا ان بعض الخبراء اعتبروا ان حل ازمة الجنود يبعث املا بامكانية التوصل الى تسوية بشأن برنامج ايران النووي بالرغم من تعذر ذلك منذ اشهر.Although it is not yet clear how that might affect the release of the soldiers on the crisis of the Iranian nuclear dossier complex, but some experts believed that the solution to the crisis of the soldiers is hoping the possibility of reaching a settlement on Iran's nuclear program in spite of not a few months.
ورأى المحلل الايراني محمد صادق الحسيني المقرب من الرئيس السابق محمد خاتمي ان اسلوب التعامل مع قضية الجنود "يظهر براغماتية ايران".The Iranian analyst Mohamed Sadeq Al-Husseini, who is close to former President Mohammed Khatami said the way to deal with the issue of soldiers "show pragmatic Iran."
وتابع الحسيني "انه يثبت ان ايران لا تسعى الى المواجهة مع الغرب ويشكل خطوة حكيمة في اتجاه حل سلمي للملف الاكثر صعوبة في منطقة الشرق الاوسط, المسألة النووية" الايرانية.Husseini continued, "It proves that Iran does not seek confrontation with the West, is a wise step in the direction of a peaceful solution to the most difficult issue in the Middle East, the nuclear issue" of Iran.
وقال "انها اشارة مباشرة وصريحة وتوجه رسالة واضحة الى بريطانيا والولايات المتحدة وحتى الايرانيين انفسهم, بأن الشرق الاوسط لا يحتمل نزاعا آخر".He said, "it is a direct, open and send a clear message to Britain, the United States and even the Iranians themselves, that the Middle East was likely to further dispute."
وبعد ان اثبتت ايران انها لا تخشى خوض اختبار قوة مع الغرب, عادت في النهاية وافرجت عن الجنود وسط المصافحات والابتسامات بعد فترة احتجاز قصيرة لم تتخط اسبوعين.After that Iran has proved that it does not fear the contest to test the strength with the West, returned in the end, the soldiers released amid handshakes and smiles after a brief detention had not overstepped their two weeks.
وقال المحلل امير موهيبيان المحافظ ان "ايران وجهت رسالة بانها مستعدة لتسوية ملفاتها بالطرق الديبلوماسية, غير انها في الوقت نفسه مستعدة للمقاومة في حال الضغط عليها".He said conservative analyst Amir Mohebian, "Iran has sent a message that it is ready to settle the files through diplomatic channels, but at the same time ready for the resistance in the event of pressure."

05 April 2007 (Kurdish Globe)



Kurdish soldiers from Erbil, who were sent to Baghdad to secure the Iraqi capital as part of the new security plan, have not yet engaged in combat operations but are to work alongside U.S. forces in the near future.
It was the Kurds who fought alongside U.S. troops in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.
The soldiers left their bases in Kurdistan Region Five weeks ago and have since undergone intensive training in preparation for urban combat.
Although it is not yet clear if their task will be confined to the protection of government and civilian buildings or street combat, their aim is to help in restoring peace to the city of 6 million, which has been ravaged by violence.
"We are all pleased. that the American trainers are satisfied with our capabilities. Moral is high and we believe we can bring peace to the Iraqi people," Lt. Hazhar Sadulat, of the Kurdish ground forces, told The Globe in a phone interview from Baghdad.
"We received training from U.S. forces and were trained in all kinds of anti-terror tactics," he said. The training included shooting from behind doors and barricades, and how to use different weapons and rockets. The air force also took part in the training.
The new Baghdad security plan, which began in early February, is part of U.S. President George W. Bush's new Iraq strategy. The level of violence has risen to alarming levels over the past few months, raising fears that it could develop into a civil war. Extremist Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias are believed to be responsible for the sectarian violence in the country.
Two Kurdish brigades from Erbil and Sulaimaniya, who are under the command of Iraq's Defense Ministry, are to take part in operations in the capital. The two battalions made up of nearly 3,500 soldiers are to be deployed for three months and then replaced by other units.
Iraqi and U.S. troops are currently doing neighborhood-to-neighborhood search operations to clear Baghdad of insurgents and local militias.
"We are part of the Iraq Defense Ministry. We are not here to fight. Our intention is to keep the Shiite and Sunni insurgent apart" said Capt. Peshko Darbandi, a unit commander with Kurdish troops in Baghdad.
"All the soldiers on ourbase are Kurds and all of them are in excellent form. The only problem is that they are a long way from their homes and families," he said. "We have no problem. We're just homesick and I miss my mother," he said.
He added that the residents of the capital are happy to see the Kurdish troops helping to restore peace as soon as possible.

Local troops to join U.S. forces in Baghdad | Iraq Updates

A nice video that is very much worth watching

LiveLeak.com - ABC News Reports Peace is Returing To Baghdad

Originally Posted by neno

A nice video that is very much worth watching

LiveLeak.com - ABC News Reports Peace is Returing To Baghdad

Nice to finally see some good news in the western media.

And Iraq's big oil contracts go to ...
Companies from China, India and other Asian nations are seen getting the first contracts. But don't write off Big Oil just yet.
By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer
April 5 2007: 1:42 PM EDT


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Despite claims by some critics that the Bush administration invaded Iraq to take control of its oil, the first contracts with major oil firms from Iraq's new government are likely to go not to U.S. companies, but rather to companies from China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

While Iraqi lawmakers struggle to pass an agreement on exactly who will award the contracts and how the revenue will be shared, experts say a draft version that passed the cabinet earlier this year will likely uphold agreements previously signed by those countries under Saddam Hussein's government.

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"The Chinese could announce something within the next few months" if all goes well with the oil law, said James Placke, a senior associate at Cambridge Energy Research Associates who specializes in the Middle East.

Behind high oil and gas prices
The Asian firms are at an advantage for several reasons.

First, less constrained by Western sanctions during the Hussein regime, they've been operating in Iraq and know the country's oilfields, said Falah Aljibury, an energy analyst who has advised several Iraqi oil ministers as well as other OPEC nations.

Aljibury said the first contracts likely awarded will be to the Chinese in the south central part of Iraq, the Vietnamese in the south, the Indians along the Kuwaiti border, and the Indonesians in the western desert.

The contracts under consideration are small.

Aljibury said the Chinese agreement is to produce about 70,000 barrels of oil a day, while the Vietnamese one is for about 60,000.

It's hard to put a dollar amount on what those contracts might be worth, as security costs, drilling conditions and the exact terms to be offered by Baghdad are unknown, said Christopher Ruppel, a senior geopolitical analyst with the consulting firm John S. Herold.

But the barrel amount is tiny even by Iraq's depressed post-war production of around 2 million barrels a day.

And the country is thought to be able to ramp up production to over 3 million barrels a day with fairly little effort, providing the security situation improves. Rosy estimates even have Iraq producing 6 million barrels a day in the long term, which would make it the world's No. 4 producer behind Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

But the Asian firms are also well positioned to grab further contracts.

Having avoided military entanglements in the region, they may curry more favor with the Iraqi people.

"They have no involvement with the secular or ethnic people," said Aljibury. "The conditions favor them."

Given its rapidly growing thirst for oil, combined with its feeling of isolation from world oil markets, China is sometimes viewed as more cavalier than Western oil firms when it comes to putting capital and people at risk. That could lead them to sign contracts in violent Iraq sooner than Western firms.

"The Chinese seem to be willing to go places where other companies can't find workers to go," said Adam Sieminski, chief energy economist at Deutsche Bank.

But none of this suggests Western firms like ExxonMobil (Charts), Chevron (Charts), BP (Charts) and Royal Dutch Shell (Charts) will be completely cut out of the action.

First, their technical prowess is world renowned.

"I have not heard anything from any Iraqi ministers against U.S. oil companies," said Aljibury. "In fact, I have heard the opposite. They are the best in field exploration and development. They want them."

Second, Iraq's oil contract game has just begun.

According to a letter supplied by John S. Herold's Ruppel, memorandums of understanding have been signed with all the oil majors for several years. And Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani has said the country plans to tender for major oil projects in the second half of 2007.

Steve Kretzmann, executive director of Oil Change International, an industry watchdog group, criticized the draft oil law for allowing long-term oil contracts to be awarded to foreign oil firms, a practice he said was unique in the Middle East.

"Giving out a few crumbs to the Chinese and Indians is one thing," said Kretzmann, who noted the draft law was seen by both the Bush administration and the International Monetary Fund before it was given to Iraq's parliament. "But the real prize are the contracts that award long-term rights. I think the [Western oil companies] are biding their time."

linky...
Why Asian oil firms are likely to be first at Iraqi's oil - Apr. 5, 2007

Originally Posted by shotgunsusie

the oil and gas moved up, the ici rescheduled for later, finance ministers scheduled par article here. is that about it for alterations??

I don't know, but just looking through the past few days of news, it's amazing to me how much money the GOI is allocating for this and that...I can't remember what their budget was for this year--50 billion USD?? I think it's already been determined that they don't have enough dinar printed to cover that...we've also seen articles that state the GOI is pulling in reserves to cover the budget...but take a look at their spending...I would say yes, the budget has been implemented because in the past few days we've seen:

Iraq will pay $64 million for importing equipment from Iran to upgrade one of its refineries.

Cabinet allocated 11 billion dollars, the equivalent of 25% of the budget in 2007 to an unprecedented investment plan in Iraq.

KARACHI, March 31: Jordanian capital Amman is being marketed as a window to enter war-torn Iraq market where $100 billion business prospects can be explored by Pakistani businessmen by participating in a ``Rebuild Iraq 2007’’ exhibition to be held from May 7 to 10.--this isn't income folks--they're talking about $100 billion in business prospects for foreigners...this is money going out of Iraq's pockets for reconstruction...

The Immigration Service and the displaced in the province of Dhi Qar, the Prime Minister distributed grants amounting to 380 million dinars to the families displaced in the city. And the director of the Immigration and Immigrants in Dhi Qar Ali Saleh Al Hilo, the families covered by the 3800 grant each family received 100 thousand dinars.

It should be noted that the budget allocated for Najaf in the year 2007 amounted to 111 billion dinars, while the ambitious officials in the province was more than 200 billion dinars in order to project power and the need to maintain balance unusual to meet its obligations to the citizen who yearn to find the reality of the construction and reconstruction.

Iraq : more than (11) trillion dinars to speed up provincial reconstruction

BAGHDAD - Omar Abdel-Latif The Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation (9) trillion and 665 billion and 305 million dinars to develop the provinces within the investment budget for 2007 has also risen to 604 billion dinars for program development and accelerate the reconstruction of the same year. An official source in the ministry said in a statement to Al (morning) : the amounts distributed by trillion and 367 billion and 131 million dinars to Baghdad governorate, 164 billion and 627 million dinars of Basra, 214 billion and 564 million dinars of Nineveh, 125 billion and 578 million dinars of Babel. He added that it had been allocated 224 billion and 904 million dinars for Wasit governorate, 73 billion and 749 million dinars you Qar, 64 billion and 109 million dinars to Diyala, 61 billion and 882 million dinars of Kirkuk. the source went on to say that the share of the Qadisiyah Governorate amounted to 46 billion and 881 million dinars, 46 billion and 901 million dinars of Muthanna, 219 billion and 357 million dinars. for Salahuddin, 57 billion and 484 million dinars of Najaf, 78 billion and 657 million for Karbala, 93 billion and 611 million dinars of Maysan, 77 billion and 518 million dinars of Anbar province, pointing out that the share of the Kurdistan within the investment plan amounted to 160 billion dinars during this year.
According to the announcement by Iraq on the budget for the current year had been allocated huge sums of money estimated trillion and 408 million Iraqi dinars to support Iraqi families powdered, which live below the poverty line. The coverage of so-called 'network system of social protection', which serves nearly ten million Iraqis on the assumption that the average size of single family up to five members.

The protection system has been allocated a monthly per capita of bachelors of 50 thousand dinars, while the salary of the family, composed of six members and over 120 thousand dinars per month, 20 thousand dinars per person from the family maximum!

Also included network system of social protection of more than 33 thousand and 153 Iraqi migrant family Mahmoud Nadi according to the statements of Minister of Labor and Social Affairs.

A total of 224.904 billion dinars ($176,811 million US dollars) has been allocated to implement an investment plan in Wassit province, central Iraq, during the fiscal year 2007, the largest allocation, compared to other Iraqi provinces, after Baghdad, an official source in the province said on Monday.

Wassit came second, with regards to the investment allocations, after Baghdad, which received 2,367 trillion dinars, while Salah ad-Din province ranked third with 219,357 billion dinars, followed by Mosul with 214,564 billion dinars.
Muthanna ranked last with 46,901 billion dinars allocated.
One U.S. dollar is currently equal to 1,272 Iraqi dinars.

The spokesman for Prime Minister Dr. Skinner, in a press conference held after the meeting of the Council of Ministers in Baghdad, and the cabinet agreed to provide loans of each of them 50 million dinars for small projects and for the citizens of Iraqi banks and to ensure the Ministry of Finance.
He pointed out that the second point which was approved by the Board was the implementation of the Najaf gas to generate electricity at a cost of up to $ 55 million, 22 megawatt capacity.
He said he will be signing the contract with a company specialized in order to establish the station, but he did not mention the name of the company.

Approval of the implementation of the gas station project Najaf (2 * 123) megawatts, the amount of ($ 55331737), and during the period of (12) months from the date of the opening of credit.

where he said that the project, which was approved by the Ministry of Oil will cost one billion dollars

A contract with the Ministry of Health to the value of eight billion dinars for the supply of medicines
Economic : two billion dinars for service projects in Nasiriyah

The first political : 117 billion dinars for the development of services in Salahuddin and plan for the delivery of materials Supply
Versar, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Air Force awarded Versar a $2.3 million Task Order to inspect and provide corrective plans for a large number of border forts in Iraq.

The foundation stone for the Modern Village project was laid as part of upgrading 26 villages in Iraqi provinces at a cost of 10,400 billion Iraqi dinars, Iraq's agriculture minister announced on Saturday.

Cabinet decided to grant one million dinars for each family returning to its original location after forcibly displaced as a result of Samarra in February of last year to distract from the budget of the province of Baghdad.

I was going to add it all up, but I don't know how many zeroes are in a billion, let alone a trillion!! I would say that Iraq is definitely open for business. We've seen contracts awarded to SKorea ($23mil for portable power stations) and to Turkey...the Russian energy giant Lukoil is getting in along with China...(sounds like I know what I'm talking about--don't be fooled!! )...perhaps one of our more economically astute members could interpret this for us...I hope it means we're going to be RICH!!!

OrdinarySeaWoman