Thread: Iraq/Dinar News to April 19, 2007 10PM CST

Nine Iraq Kurdish parties call for referendum on self-determination right
18 April 2007 (BBC Monitoring)

In a joint statement issued on 14 April, nine Kurdistani parties announced that they "strongly criticize [Iraqi Premier] Nuri al-Maliki's government and demand that the government implement Article 140 without any delays and as scheduled. Otherwise, we will ask the people of Kurdistan to call for a referendum through the UN to determine their fate." The statement was issued at the headquarters of the Kurdistan Toilers' Party.
Another part of the statement reads: "We condemn the Turkish threats and intervention in the Kirkuk issue."
Saman Majid, member of the Political Bureau of the Democrats Party of Kurdistan [this is not the Kurdistan Democratic Party, KDP], told Hawlati: "We believe that Article 140 will not be implemented on time; therefore, all of us should have a stance. Our stance in this regard is to warn Al-Maliki's government."
The nine parties include the Kurdistan Toilers' Party, the Democrats Party of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party, the Kurdistan National Party, the Kurdistan Liberation Party, the Democratic Member of the People of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Leftists' Party, the Kurdistan Independent Labour Party and the Communist Union of Kurdistan.
Source: Hawlati, Sulaymaniyah

Nine Iraq Kurdish parties call for referendum on self-determination right | Iraq Updates

PM Barzani extends hand of friendship to Turkey
Barzani suggests that political solutions can be worked out.
By Muhammed A. Salih
19 April 2007 (Kurdish Globe)

The PM insists that Turkey will not shut down Kurdistan Region's relatively open border at Ibrahim Khalil (Khabur), a vital economic supply line to the region.
Kurdistan Region's Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani expressed his government's readiness to talk with the Turkish government in order to end months of tensions between the two sides.
"We are ready for any means of negotiation," Barzani told reporters last Saturday during a press conference in the Kurdish regional capital of Erbil. "We are prepared for dialogue with Turkey to work out a solution (other than military)."
During the press conference, intended to "send a message to Turkey," Barzani used soft language in a bid to defuse the escalating war of words between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Turkey. He said the KRG is ready to speak with Turkey with or without the assistance of Baghdad.
"Turkey is an important country for us, and we extend our hand of friendship to them and hope that they will take it," he said.
Criticizing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Barzani said, "The PKK has made lots of problems for us in the past?But we can't solve this problem through military means." Barzani proposed that political solutions be worked out instead.
Ankara has been pressing Washington to crack down on PKK guerillas, who Turkey accuses of launching cross-border operations onto its soil from Iraq.
Barzani stressed the importance of economic ties between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan as a uniting factor that should prevent conflict.
Turkish companies have contracts worth $2 billion(USD) in Kurdistan, the largest slice of foreign investment in the region. Barzani also called on Turkish oil companies to invest in Kurdistan's emerging oil sector.
He dismissed the possibility of Turkey's shutting down the Ibrahim Khalil commercial route on the Iraqi Kurdistan border with Turkey.
"The Ibrahim Khalil crossing point is not only important for us but for Turks as well, because Turkey is a member of the World Trade Organization and cannot easily close down Ibrahim Khalil. No doubt, if they close it, it is going to affect Turkey more (than Kurdistan).
Turkey has threatened in the past to close the crossing point with the Kurdish region and instead open several other border crossings to Iraq through neighboring Syria.
Meantime, sounding disappointed at the failure of recent attempts to meet with Turkish officials, Barzani said it is Turks "who are not ready to meet us."
Senior Kurdish officials were supposed to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in Istanbul recently, but Turkey cancelled the plan, Barzani said.
The cancellation occurred after the Dubai-based pan-Arab channel al-Arabiya aired an interview with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani, in which he said his forces would not sit idle should Turkey invade Kurdistan Region. He added that Iraqi Kurds could incite unrest in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeastern region and an independent Kurdistan is a "natural and legal right of Kurds."
However, Nechirvan Barzani called for Turks to take into consideration the timing of the interview, saying it was conducted in late February but aired only recently. In February, a new round of hostile language between Iraqi Kurds and Turkey began after a top Turkish general accused the two main Iraqi Kurdish parties of being "the biggest supporters" of the PKK.
Massoud Barzani's interview sparked angry reactions in Turkey, with Turkish military Chief of Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit warning, "If you ask me whether a cross-border operation is needed, yes it is needed. It would be useful."
Hundreds of PKK fighters are based in the rough, mountainous areas of Qandil on the Iraq-Iran-Turkish border margin.
But the leaders of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have repeatedly denied any backing of the PKK, saying they are willing to see a political solution to the PKK issue.
They also argue that Qandil is not controllable, and that a war of Kurds killing Kurds will never take place. The same area used to be a harbor for Iraqi Kurdish fighters during their fight against successive Iraqi governments from 1961 to 1991.
Turkey has also voiced concerns over the situation of Turkomen in the northern, oil-rich city of Kirkuk, where a considerable number of Iraq's Turkomen live.
The KRG says it is committed to implementing Article 140 of Iraq's constitution, which has set a road map to normalize the situation of the disputed city by the end of this year. Kurdish leaders have warned that if Article 140 is not implemented, then "a disaster" will happen.

PM Barzani extends hand of friendship to Turkey | Iraq Updates

Iraq Oil Law to Go to Parliament Next Week: Minister
DUBAI, 19 April 2007 (Reuters)

Iraqi cabinet will present an oil law to parliament next week that aims to lure billions of dollars in foreign investment, the country's oil minister said on Wednesday.
"It will be ready next week to be presented to parliament," Hussain al-Shahristani told reporters in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
He said that all political blocs in the Iraqi parliament had agreed to try to pass the law before the end of May.
About 60 Iraqi parliamentarians and experts began a meeting in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday to discuss the war-torn country's oil law that will give its regions the right to negotiate with global firms on developing oilfields.
In February Iraq's cabinet endorsed the draft oil law, which is awaiting parliament's ratification, regulating how wealth from the country's vast oil reserves will be shared by its ethnic and sectarian groups.
The OPEC member has the world's third-largest proven oil reserves and needs billions of dollars to revive its oil sector, which is crucial for rebuilding its shattered economy.

Iraq Oil Law to Go to Parliament Next Week: Minister | Iraq Updates

Saudi Arabia writes off most of Iraq debt
WASHINGTON, 19 April 2007 (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia has decided to write off 80 percent of the more than $15 billion it is owed by Iraq, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
As part of its plan to help Iraq rebuild, the Bush administration has been pressing Iraq's creditors to follow Washington's lead and write off debt it is owed by Baghdad.
A senior Saudi official, who was not named, told the Post that his country would write off 80 percent of Iraq's debt. The official estimated Iraq's debt to his country at $15 billion to $18 billion.
Iraq's Finance Minister Bayan Jabr estimates Iraq's debt at $140 billion. Much of that money was borrowed to finance the 1980-1988 war between Iraq and Iran.
Jabr, who was in Washington for World Bank meetings, said he had asked Saudi Arabia to forgive all of Iraq's debt but was rebuffed.
So far, 52 countries have cancelled 80 to 100 percent of Iraq's debt, Jabr told the Post.

Saudi Arabia writes off most of Iraq debt | Iraq Updates

Kurdish businessman
19 April 2007 (BBC News)

Delsoz Sherwani is the CEO of Zagros Group, which started life as a construction company 15 years ago.
He is 51 and is based in the Kurdish capital, Irbil.
The group has diversified into air travel, bringing Kurdistan closer to the outside world.
We are in the top three companies in Kurdistan; we employ 400 people.
Zagros Air was the first airline to be registered in Kurdistan after the liberation. We registered in 2004, after Irbil International Airport was opened.
We fly direct from here to Dubai, Istanbul and Vienna several times a week.
Most of the passengers are foreigners coming to do business in Kurdistan - especially those people flying from Austria.
Or they are Kurdish people living abroad who are visiting home.
We started this airline when we saw Iraqi Airways could not provide what we wanted.
Foreign investment it's not been simple; we have invested a lot of time and money.
Actually, many, many companies are now starting up in Irbil. Some are in partnership with foreigners.
There's a lot of construction - housing and factories. Lebanese, UAE and American companies are investing in housing here.
Many start with their HQ in Irbil and then follow up other activities in other parts of Iraq.
They choose Irbil because of the security and because it is the governmental capital.
They are also investing in Suleimaniya and Dohuk.
It is all growing faster than we imagined, actually.
Back in 1991 we started by helping our regional Kurdish government in construction projects: buildings, water projects.
Since 2003 we have diversified into IT, the medical sector and telecommunications.
Construction work in Irbil: the Kurdish capital is relatively safe
Before 2003 all businesses suffered from the banking system - there wasn't one.
We had to take our currency to neighbouring countries.
Now, we have an international system which meets international standards. It's easier for us because we can operate from Irbil.
People can reach Kurdistan easily now.
So, things are improving here. But we are not happy because other parts of Iraq are suffering.
We hope every part of Iraq will be secure. For me, I feel secure in Kurdistan.

Kurdish businessman | Iraq Updates

Tender Alert : Electrical Wire, Power and Distribution Equipment; Doura Thermal Plant Re-commissioning (Unit 5)
19 April 2007 (PortAl Iraq)

The Department of the Army, Project and Contracting Office, Joint Contracting Command - Iraq has issued a pre-solicitation notice for electric power generation work in Iraq. The close date is May 2.
For details, click here (PDF).

Tender Alert : Electrical Wire, Power and Distribution Equipment; Doura Thermal Plant Re-commissioning (Unit 5) | Iraq Updates

English : Preparations to hold conference of international convenient
Baghdad, Apr.18 p.8

Minister of finance has discussed with his Egyptian counterpart preparations to hold the meeting of international convenient which would be held next month in Egypt

Minister showed that Iraqi government looks forward for the support of its brother states to rise again to build a strong economy with no debts that have been attached to it by acts of previous regime, stressing the importance the essential role of Egypt to end reads debts in international convenient.

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English : Germany, China, France Support Political Process
Baghdad, Apr.18 p2

Each of China, Germany & China offered their preparations governments of the serious participation in the international covenant document and supporting conference of the political and economical process in Iraq.

On the other hand, Dr. PM. Norri al-Maliki met separately both of German and Chinese ambassadors in Iraq besides the French Charge d 'affairs, and discussed with them the bilateral ties and the most important new political and economical moderations on the two levels and Iraqi provincially. Mean while, he discussed with them the valuable ways of enhancing bilateral relations as to serve Iraqi people in different sides.

ÌÑíÏÉ ÇáÕÈÇÍ - Germany, China, France Support Political Process

Serious economic : trade in the 'free trade zones in border outlets
19.04.07
In their quest for the progressive reduction of customs duties on goods
Baghdad-Imad Principality

Economic indicators point to that trend dictated by rapid developmental changes in the world has led to the establishment of open trading through the World Trade Organization by which the looming States seeking economic growth at the malls and other commercial attract attract. Let us see through frequent declarations to the Ministry of Trade seriousness in unleashing the trade areas Free near the border outlets

Ali Abdul Zahra Abboud Associate Director-General of the Foreign Economic Relations Department in the Ministry of Commerce told "Assabah" : The aim of the establishment of free trade zones is a gradual reduction or outright cancellation of customs duties and non-customs restrictions between Member States in the region without the countries of the region should abide by the Standardization Alkamrki wall, and added that the free trade agreements are bilateral or multilateral agreements approved by the States, which is the first stage the stages of economic integration, which are exempted from customs duties, pointing to the adoption of the executive to reach the full liberalization of goods within the framework of the free trade zone.

Abboud stressed : that the executive program of the Free Trade Area of the Arab States began early in 1998 and the gradual reduction of 10% of customs fees in the Arab countries, pointing out the zero-tariff access to early 2005 is exempt goods originating in the Arab customs fees.

The Social Economic Council, the Arab part of the opinion given period of time identified the years 2007-2008, access to the mechanisms whereby Arab countries resolved all obstacles to the movement of players without the mutual consent of goods between the countries of the region so that the free trade zones are important to the foundation of Arab economic integration, it is stated that all States fall under the areas of trade, of the 17 Arab countries committed to the provisions of the free trade zone agreements on customs fees.

He pointed out that States Abboud superior in trade and competition and capable of penetrating foreign markets depends on many factors, perhaps in the forefront of "technical content in the industry," which several positive reflection on the total cost of the product pointing out that the retreat self experienced by Iraq over the past two decades, making the production apparatus is not kept pace with the technical sophistication of global industry has made Iraqi industry is unable to compete with those of foreign goods, saying that decline and competition form an obstacle to the permeability of goods abroad, which negatively affected the Iraqi economy.

He explained that the production could not meet the requirements of the actual need for creating a wide gap between supply and demand, pointing to the need to activate the private sector in light of trade liberalization trends at the international level within the framework of the World Trade Organization requires upgrading its performance by raising the technical content of Iraqi industry and access to the level of quality of goods so as to be able to permeability.

He called for the development of strategic importance, especially activating the free trade zones, which are being held in the border outlets and commercial policies rise effectively Foreign Trade to make the flow of foreign goods into commodities parallel to the internal movement of the exchange in the framework of commercial and advanced players.

It remains to translate frequent declarations to the Ministry of Trade to establish such zones, according to the vision of economic cycles, which reflected positive once the process of economic, trade policy is an essential and pivotal role of the Iraqi economy, which began slowly freed from totalitarian and central mechanisms closed to the open spaces free economy, or the so-called mechanisms the market economy.

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The first political : Finance Minister discuss with his American intensify efforts to extinguish Iraq's debts
19.04.07
Baghdad-Sabah

He met Finance Minister Baqer Jabr Al-Zubaydi, Undersecretary of the Treasury Department in Washington, American Mr. and were subsequently discussed with him bilateral relations between the two countries and to intensify international efforts to extinguish Iraq's debts and revive its economy.

Reviewed Zubaidi aspirations for the success of the meetings of the International Conference and the neighboring countries due to be held next month in Sharm el-Sheikh and to intensify efforts to ensure the participation of the majority of States in those meetings and support Iraq to get rid of its debts and revive its economy, particularly as it has all the elements of a sound economy and that the majority of Iraqi debt and the benefits resulting from the actions of the Principles, which shattered the wealth and heavily burdened the Iraqi people and therefore the citizen hopes of those meetings, and the brotherly and friendly countries to provide resources and support for the advancement of economic reality again.

His Kate on cooperation for the mobilization of international efforts to attend those meetings. In relation to a meeting that included d-Zubaidi. Sinan Shabibi governor of the Central Bank of Iraq and a number of spe******ts in the delegation to discuss issues related to the International Decade of the Iraqi debt and economic reforms and implementation of the budget.

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