Thread: Iraq/Dinar News until 5PM CST May 10,2007

I agree with cooldolpins. We were all NEWBIES at one point or another. WELCOME to Our World Of DINAR world , Facts and Fiction. I believe the Fiction will Very soon Become Facts. Go RV!

Wolfhounds work toward economic success
Tuesday, 08 May 2007
By Spc. Mike Alberts
3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

HAWIJAH — The local government approves a building project and provides the land. Local businesses supply the materials. Residents perform the work, and the community reaps the short-term and long-term economic benefits.

Several months ago, that was a vision for economic success in this predominantly Sunni Arab town. Now, with the assistance of coalition forces, that vision of the future is becoming reality in Hawijah, Iraq.

On April 24, coalition force representatives of 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, conducted the final pre-construction meeting for the Hawijah Industrial Park Security Wall - the “HIP Wall” - at Forward Operating Base McHenry, Hawija, Iraq.

“This is the first of many steps to moving economic development forward in Hawijah. The wall will truly be a symbol of the start of a new era for the people of Hawijah.”

U.S. Army Maj. Brian Payne

The HIP Wall is a more than one million dollar, three-phased public works construction project. The concrete block and chain-link fenced barrier will separate Hawijah’s primary industrial businesses from other mixed-use properties, according to Capt. Jeffrey Fuller, fire support officer for 2-27.

“The HIP Wall is very similar in concept to barriers in large industrial areas in the United States that are gated or fenced and that separate industry from residential areas,” said Fuller. “In Hawijah, it will not only provide businesses with a more secure place to operate, but will also offer residents a safer place to work.”

When 3rd Brigade’s Wolfhounds arrived last fall, they quickly realized that they needed to find a way to infuse money into the Hawijah economy in a way that would be accepted by the local population. So they listened.

“We wanted to focus on long-term economic development that would equate to employing a lot of residents, so we began to have conversations with local business leaders,” Fuller said.

“We learned that several of the more prominent businessmen in the area were already talking about how they could bring more jobs and industry into the city. The only thing really holding them back was security.”

The Wolfhounds offered the concept of the HIP Wall and the local city council, government officials and business leaders embraced it. The result will be the first joint, cooperative government and local business effort in Hawijah.

The wall will secure cotton and cinder block factories, as well as several other existing businesses that will be housed together. It is anticipated that the factories will employ more than 250 local residents and will generate products that Hawija can export to other parts of Iraq and beyond.

“This is the first of many steps to moving economic development forward in Hawijah,” said Maj. Brian Payne, executive officer for 2-27. “The wall will truly be a symbol of the start of a new era for the people of Hawijah,” he continued.

Payne cautioned, however, that whether the concept ultimately succeeds will depend on its acceptance by local residents, a conclusion reiterated by the project’s general contractor.

“Great efforts have been made for this project to be one for the people of Hawijah, constructed by the people of Hawijah. For that reason, we plan on hiring all labor for this project from Hawijah,” said engineer Ali, the general contractor’s representative at the final pre-construction meeting. The 29-year-old civil engineer is cautiously optimistic about the project’s success.

The biggest challenge will be showing the people that it is a project by them and for them. Without their acceptance, its future will be in jeopardy. But we have really done everything we can.”

Iraqi, U.S. officials discuss way forward
Tuesday, 08 May 2007


Daniel Speckhard (left), Charge D’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, Ali Al-Dabbagh (center), an Iraqi government spokesman, and U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the MNF-I spokesman, provided an update concerning the current relationship between Iraq and its neighboring countries at the Combined Press Information Center in Baghdad Sunday. U.S. Army photo courtesy of Combined Press Information Center.BAGHDAD — Iraqi and U.S. government officials along with the Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman held a press conference at the Combined Press Information Center Sunday.

Ali Al-Dabbagh, an Iraqi government spokesman, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the MNF-I spokesman, and Daniel Speckhard, Charge D’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, provided an update concerning the current relationship between Iraq and its neighboring countries.

“The stability of Iraq means the stability of the region itself, which matters to the whole world” said Al-Dabbagh. “As for the conference of the neighboring countries, there’s a general [good] feeling.”

Al-Dabbagh stressed the importance of national and international unity and cooperation to pull Iraq out of a state of violence.

“This success should be supported by a national determination between all political parties to pull Iraq out of violence,” he said. “[Iraq] could be a meeting of all cultures to remove violence and conflicts from the area.”

Al-Dabbagh recognized the need of neighboring countries to help with reconstruction.

“[Iraq] will stay like this unless the neighboring countries help Iraq enter a new era,” he said.

Speckhard commented on the ‘International Compact of Iraq,’ and the Neighbors’ Ministerial Conference. Both meetings offered leaders from around the region to participate in peaceful dialogue.

“The neighbors’ meeting marked the first time there has been a gathering on Iraq at this level with the participation from all the neighbors in the region,” he said. “The participation of Iraq’s neighbors shows the promise for the goal of addressing Iraq’s challenges by creating a stable, secure and prosperous Iraq with the support of its neighbors.”

“The ‘International Compact for Iraq’ laid the economic foundation, which progress can be built on,” he continued. “Iraq’s leaders have to move forward with courage and boldness in bringing the country together through political action.”

According to Speckhard, Iraq’s reconstruction will not be easy.

“Iraqi leaders have a full plate of issues on their agenda,” he said.

Caldwell expressed the importance of securing Iraq and how efforts may get harder before the quality of life for the Iraqis gets easier.

“Once security is improved, the Iraqi people will be able to move forward, build their government, deal with challenging issues and develop their own security forces so they can assume responsibility for protecting themselves,” he said.

According to Caldwell, al-Qaeda continues attempting to decimate hope by advancing their agenda through chaos, fear and intimidation to discredit the Iraqi government and demoralize the citizens.

“Al-Qaeda is a vicious and committed enemy,” he said. “They target symbols of progress, vital infrastructure and gatherings of innocent people.”

Recently, Coalition forces discovered detonation wire leading to a girls’ schoolhouse in Tarmiyah, Iraq, which was found to be rigged with explosives around and within its construction.

“It was designed to be a vicious, ugly, sophisticated, premeditated attack against the most vulnerable and innocent members of society – girls trying to get an education,” he said.

However, Caldwell remained optimistic due to the amount of help received from the Iraqi populace.

“We have seen a dramatic increase in the reporting and discovering of weapons caches,” he said. “People know the security forces are there, and they are there to protect the people.”

As Iraq continues to progress in reconstruction, Speckhard reaffirmed the commitment of the U.S. to support the Iraqi democracy.

“The United States remains firmly committed to supporting the government, the nation and the people of Iraq as they move ahead, which is of vital importance to all Iraqis,” he said.

(U.S. Army story by Spc. Carl N. Hudson, Combined Press Information Center)

Kirkuk Police Academy takes training to a new level
Monday, 07 May 2007
By Spc. Amanda Morrissey
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment



Iraqi police cadets at the Kirkuk Police Academy practice drill and ceremony techniques during training. The academy, in Kirkuk, Iraq, offers basic physical training to cadets, as well as advanced training in criminal investigation, computer skills, first aid, and more. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Amanda Morrissey.KIRKUK — It’s the sound that strikes you first. The yelling and chanting, shrieking whistles, the thunder of boots striking the ground. Then there is the visual: hundreds of Iraqis lined up and arranged in groups of blue uniforms. Some stand still, some march, and some perform movements in place at the commands of their instructors. It is in this crucible that men are transformed from civilians into Iraqi police officers.

This is the new life of the cadets at the Kirkuk Police Academy. Just a few weeks ago, these men lived the normal everyday lives of Iraqi citizens. Then they answered the call to serve their country and their people, leaving behind the life they knew for one of training, discipline, sacrifice and honor.

“The training is hard, but it’s also easy because we have a goal to reach,” said Adnan Omar Ahmed, a cadet at the academy. “The majority (of cadets) came here for more than just a job. They came here because a lot of them got hurt by terrorists. They have had a cousin killed, a relative, or a brother. Everybody has a problem with the terrorists and the bad guys.”

With more than 1,000 graduates from the previous four training sessions, and almost 900 cadets in the current session, the Kirkuk Police Academy draws in many whose desire for justice leads them to become police officers.

The Iraqi police basic training experience is similar to that of U.S. soldiers. During the eight-week course, cadets engage in physical training every morning, followed by drill and ceremony and weapons training the rest of the day. All of their instructors are Iraqi police officers.

“We teach them how to use the guns and how to defend themselves and the police station they’re going to work with,” said Capt. Samad Mustafa, a weapons instructor. “It’s not a game, it’s something important. That’s what I’m teaching them.”

It is a demanding schedule that leaves many cadets exhausted by the end of the day. However, they come back every day, ready to learn more of what it takes to be a police officer.

Col. Samir Morshed Khorshid, the chief of the academy, is credited for the high attendance of the academy. Samir took charge of the police academy more than a year ago, and has worked with 25th Infantry Division soldiers on the Police Transition Team (PTT) at nearby Forward Operating Base Warrior. PTT soldiers work as advisers to the Iraqi colonel, helping him improve training at the academy.

“We step behind the Iraqi instructors, let them take charge and do their own thing,” said Staff Sgt. Amaury Garcia, a PTT adviser to Samir. “Basically, we’re there to assist if they need assistance, or mentor them on whatever they need.”

Some improvements implemented by Samir are the additional training programs offered at the academy. Besides basic training for cadets, the academy offers a variety of advanced training courses which are taught by International Police Liaison Officers (IPLO), civilian police officers from the United States.

The academy has graduated about 3,100 officers from its advanced training courses, including criminal investigation, sergeants training program, first aid and computer skills. Currently, more than 100 officers are enrolled in advanced training courses. After attending the Kirkuk Police Academy, those officers will also be able to share their knowledge with fellow officers back at their stations.

“I came to learn the computer, and I’ve learned a lot here,” said Abas Nathim. “There are many guys in my police station, and they will ask me questions about the word (program), the keyboard, and I can teach them what I learned here.”

Samir also wants to start a training course for women who want to become police officers. He is in the planning stage of the operation, but hopes to recruit 100 women so he can start a trial course soon, Garcia said.

Through the combined efforts of Samir, the academy instructors, the PTT soldiers and IPLOs, the next generation of police officers should hit the streets of Kirkuk with better training and a wider range of knowledge to use in the fight to secure their city.

“I can’t speak for the rest of Iraq, but I feel that they’re going to make a big change overall in Kirkuk,” Garcia said. “I believe that Col. Samir is doing a great thing. He’s all about training and doing the right thing. He’s actually taking charge and leading them forward.”

Fourth Rebuild Iraq Exhibition Opens



AMMAN, 8 May 2007 -- Jordanian Minister of Trade and Industry Salem Khazaleh yesterday opened the Fourth Rebuild Iraq Exhibition with the participation of about 1,000 firms from 40 countries. The four-day event provides a "good opportunity for international firms to forge regional investment alliances" for taking part in Iraq's reconstruction, Khazaleh said.

Chairman of the Economic and Investment Committee at the Iraqi Parliament, Unadem Kena, said that the reconstruction of the war-ravaged Iraqi economy would require $300 billion worth of projects.

By Abdul Jalil Mustafa

© Arab News 2007

Originally Posted by utahrancher

IM a newbie. (hate that word) anyway hello everyone...I sure hope we're getting close...it's sure been a long haul...got to hand it to the Iraqi people though after all they've been through Thanks for alowing me to join...great bunch of folks!!!

Welcome utahrancher!


Please keep hands and feet inside of the ride at all times!

Iraqi expatriates costing Jordan $1 billion annually -- Interior Ministry


07 May 2007
Economists differ on estimated losses
AMMAN -- Iraqi nationals in the Kingdom are costing Jordan $1 billion a year, according to preliminary estimates recently released by the Interior Ministry.


The billion-dollar budget burden was first revealed in April during a UN conference in Geneva designed to raise awareness on the Iraqi refugee crisis and its effect on neighbouring countries that have absorbed them.


"Our initial investigation estimates that the overall cost of hosting Iraqi nationals on our national budget is no less than $1 billion," Interior Ministry Secretary General Mkhaimar Abu Jamous told The Jordan Times.


According to the 2007 budget, capital expenditure (mostly spending on infrastructure) is expected to exceed JD1 billion for the first time, whereas current expenditure was forecast to cost the country JD3.3 billion, noting that the bulk of current expenditures are civil servant salaries and pensions.


Final figures cannot be released until FAFO -- a Norwegian agency contracted to conduct a survey on Iraqis in Jordan -- defines the exact number of Iraqis in the Kingdom and identifies their living conditions, financial status and needs.


Bisher Al Khasawneh, the newly appointed director general of the Jordan Information Centre, who was previously in charge of the Jordanian supervisory team for the study, told The Jordan Times that the survey is expected to be completed in the first half of July.


During the ministry official's address to more than 450 delegates from 60 countries at the Geneva conference, Abu Jamous explained that the bulk of spending is being directed towards the water, energy, health and education sectors, which are subsidised by the government.


He noted that Jordan is one of the poorest countries in the world in water resources, while power and basic infrastructure services are being upgraded to keep up with the continuously increasing demand, and that Iraqi nationals have equal access to these services.


But according to Jordanian economist Yusuf Mansur, the numbers simply don't add up.


Mansur explained that if the estimated 1 million Iraqis residing in Jordan are costing $1 billion, then (assuming they are equally treated) the 5.5 million population should be costing the country $5.5 billion, which is not the case.


"I challenge anyone to come up with a number higher than JD200 million ($282.3 million) annually, that is if one million Iraqis are all being subsidised for water, energy, school and health services... plus we haven't seen any major infrastructure changes in Jordan besides the Amman ring road which has been in the planning for 10 years," Mansur told The Jordan Times.


The columnist disputed the extra energy cost, since the "government is expected to make a surplus of JD167 million this year from oil derivatives and is therefore not subsidising anyone."


"We cannot look at this as a one-sided problem and not attribute the benefits we have seen from the surging population. Iraqis have spent tons of money in the Kingdom and are partly behind the boost in the stock market and real estate... if we calculate money the government received in visas alone we are talking around JD50 million," he said.


Mansur claimed that the impact on Jordan would be tremendous if all Iraqis left, adding that with "proper strategic planning" the government could turn this into a profitable opportunity.


"Allowing more Iraqi nationals to enjoy full residency means that they will work, contribute, pay taxes and Jordan will benefit further," he said.


Economist Fahed Fanek, however, said $1 billion was a "reasonable" figure.


Fanek, who is chairman of the Jordan Press Foundation, pointed out that an unexpected 15 per cent population increase, with the majority concentrated in Amman, has created havoc in the capital.


"All of our services have been under pressure, for example phone lines, energy and water... the extra water-distribution is a major problem in itself in a water-poor country," Fanek told The Jordan Times.


He added that energy prices rose 35 per cent in one year and the capital's infrastructure is not equipped to handle this kind of major population surge in such a short time.


"We must also take into account all the added security measures the government is paying for... this adds up," Fanek added.


In his speech, Abu Jamous said: "Jordan deals with Iraqis based on our historic friendly relationship and the Kingdom's political will and leadership to provide assistance and humanitarian services to neighbouring countries despite our limited resources, in addition to the burden placed on Jordanians having to deal with consecutive waves of refugees."


The Interior Ministry secretary general pointed out that despite the country's meagre resources, Iraqi guests have access to the public heath system and education institutions for a token fee.


Any child who holds a residency permit is accepted into public schools and official figures place 40,000 non-Jordanian students in public institutions.


But a government source told The Jordan Times that around 50,000 Iraqi children, with or without residency permits, are in some of Jordan's 3,200 schools.


"We have already reached our limits... as you know most public schools run on the double-shift system," the source said.


Positive response


The overall response to UN pleas for international recognition of the "human tragedy being ignored," was positive at the conference, with neighbouring countries promising to keep their borders open and most European and Western countries pledging to allocate funds and accept more refugees for resettlement.


"The meeting was not a 'pledging funds' conference. It was meant to gather decision-makers, NGOs and donor countries to highlight the problem and create partners to focus on the road ahead," Astrid van Genderen Stort, UNHCR senior information officer, said.


Stort told The Jordan Times that the agency expects clearer figures and "hopefully more pledges" from the international community in the coming weeks, adding that the only solid figure committed was from the Iraqi government, which promised $25 million for its citizens in neighbouring countries.


"I think it is a commendable first step by the Iraqi government to allocate resources under the magnitude of problems they face ... even if it is a drop in the bucket," she said.

By Linda Hindi

© Jordan Times 2007

Cheney to seek help on Iraq, Iran
[8 May, 2007 l 0808 hrs ISTlAP]
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WASHINGTON - US Vice President Dick Cheney heads on Tuesday to the Middle East, seeking help from sometimes wary US allies for stabilizing Iraq and hoping to enlist them to counter Iran's growing regional influence.

But Cheney -- who will visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan -- will leave the diplomatic heavy lifting on the Arab-Israeli peace process to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a top aide said on Monday.

"I'm not sure that getting another cook in that kitchen makes much sense," a senior Cheney aide told reporters in a pre-trip briefing held on condition that he not be named.

"So my sense is that the division of labour on this was really the vice president would be focused on Iraq and some of the other security challenges that we have in the region," the aide said.

Instead, Cheney will aim to convince Iraq's mostly Sunni neighbours to back the four-month US-led crackdown and convince their fellows in Iraq to end support for the insurgency and embrace the country's shaky political process.

"These are some of the, I think, the most respected and most influential leaders in that part of the world," the aide said. "You're in a situation where you want to be firing on all pistons and using every tool we have," he continued.

The US vice president, a potent force in an increasingly weak White House, will be the senior-most official from Washington to visit Riyadh since King Abdullah railed against the "illegitimate foreign occupation" of Iraq.

Asked about such tensions -- King Abdullah recently refused to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki -- the Cheney aide said Riyadh's other actions, including significant Iraqi debt forgiveness, spoke louder than words.

"I think on the whole, Saudi leadership is a very good thing given the strength and enduring nature of our relationship with the Saudis and the amount of work and cooperation we've done over the years," the aide said.

The US-Saudi alliance may also prove critical amid mounting tensions between rising powers Saudi Arabia and Iran on Iraq and Lebanon though the aide declined to characterize the struggle for influence as a "proxy war."

"On the sort of notion of a proxy war, I mean, it's clearly important to avoid any kind of inflammation of those tensions to that extent," the Cheney aide said.
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Iraq stops doctors leaving
Iraq: 13 hours, 18 minutes ago
Iraq's education ministry is trying to stem the flow of doctors leaving the country by stopping local medical schools issuing graduation certificates and transcripts to new graduates, The Washington Post reports. Physicians need the documentation to work abroad. The Iraqi Medical Association says that at least one-third of the country's 40,000 registered doctors have fled to Jordan, Syria and other countries.

Iraq pleads for help at Jordan reconstruction fair



Jordan Times - 08/05/2007 [-] Text [+]





(MENAFN - Jordan Times) AMMAN (Agencies) ? Minister of Industry and Trade Salem Khazaaleh on Monday opened the 4th International Rebuild Iraq Exhibition, stressing the country's keenness to support Iraq and its rebuilding efforts.

At the opening ceremony, Khazaaleh underlined the importance of holding the exhibition which opens the way for forging new partnerships and launching new investments. The First Iraqi Business Forum, organised by the Iraqi Business Council, also opened in Amman on Monday on the sidelines of the exhibition.

Around 150 Iraqi companies representing different economic sectors, are participating in the forum, viewed as a good opportunity to highlight investment opportunities available in Iraq.

The forum also provides Jordanian and Iraqi businessmen the chance to build business partnerships.

An Iraqi lawmaker urged foreign firms attending the exhibition to help rebuild his war-battered country, saying that more than $300 billion were needed.

"Iraq needs more than $300 billion for reconstruction in all fields ? oil, economy, industry, agriculture, infrastructure," said Yunadem Kanna, a member of Iraq's parliamentary commission on the economy, investment and reconstruction.

"I urge the representatives of the firms attending this exhibition not to hesitate and to participate in the reconstruction of Iraq," Kanna told AFP.

"Iraq is a huge market that needs expertise and technology in order to take its seat among world countries," he said during the opening of the exhibition which lasts until Thursday.

"We are not here to say that everything is fine in Iraq," added Kanna, acknowledging that deadly daily violence was the main hurdle facing foreign investors.

"There are security problems but we have safe areas in the north and the south, and there is an investment law that gives foreign firms many benefits," he indicated.

More than 700 Arab companies and foreign firms from Britain, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States are at the exhibition.

"This huge international participation clearly shows a desire by these firms to work with their Iraqi counterparts and to forge future deals," Khazaaleh told reporters.

"The Iraqi market needs a lot of what is on display here today, and everyone is hoping for stability in that country in order to participate in its reconstruction," he said.

Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki told South Korean business leaders that the Iraqi people were struggling to "rise from the ashes" of conflict.

"Because of its abundance in resources such as oil and gas, Iraq has a great potential to become an advanced country," Maliki said in Seoul after a visit to Japan to drum up support to revamp Iraq's oil and petrochemical sectors.

Last week, the leaders of more than 50 countries agreed at an international conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh to fund reconstruction if Iraq meets certain economic benchmarks.