Thread: Iraq/Dinar News until 5/23/07 Midnight CST

Originally Posted by garthstar

theres no notice on the site about it being held steady like the last couple of times they posted a note to that effect then didnt chage it for a period.

2 days - same rate, todays is a low number as well.

too early to tell yet, but if we see three auctions in a row under 50, its definately drying up.

that and no rate change as well, for a week, definatelty we must be close.

let it be revealed!

if i remember right...they held a rate for 2-3 weeks...don't know if it was 1271 or 1272...maybe someone can confirm but nothin came of it/.

The Future of the Gulf: The World Economic Forum launches scenarios on the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries
he World Economic Forum today launched its latest regional scenario study which examines three possible futures for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

The GCC Countries and the World: Scenarios to 2025, the result of an 18-month research process involving over 300 experts from the Gulf countries and beyond, outlines three scenarios for the development of the GCC region from 2007 to 2025.

The research team led by the World Economic Forum, in partnership with the Economic Development Board of Bahrain, the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi and the Olayan Financing Company in Saudi Arabia, asked two key questions concerning the future of the GCCs:
1. Will leaders in the public and private sector in the GCC countries be able to implement the necessary and relevant economic and political reforms and successfully enforce the rule of law?
2. Will GCC countries be able to maintain internal order and stability, in particular vis-à-vis a complex and uncertain regional situation?

The report (World Economic Forum - Scenario Planning) presents three possible scenarios for the region over the next 20 years: Oasis, Sandstorm and The Fertile Gulf. Oasis describes a scenario where regional stability continues to be a challenge for the GCC countries, but they are nevertheless able to achieve substantial institutional reforms. The GCC countries develop strong identities and work together to coordinate diplomatic and economic policies through technocratic governance and a stronger internal market. Sandstorm describes a future where regional instability is the defining factor affecting the ability of GCC countries to effectively carry out much-needed institutional reforms. This scenario sees a number of conflating factors that make the surrounding region significantly turbulent, including conflict between the US and Iran, and spillover of violence from Iraq. The Fertile Gulf describes the rise of the GCC countries as innovation hubs in a global environment characterized by robust demand for energy and increasing globalization. Regional stability gives the GCC countries the opportunity to focus on enhancing their human capital at all levels, investing heavily in education while proceeding carefully with political and institutional reforms to support their growing economies and societies

'Over the next 20 years the region will continue to draw the world's attention not just in terms of energy security, but also due to its fast-growing capital markets and innovative cities. The world needs to anticipate what forces may throw the region off track, and what opportunities exist to help the GCC countries and the broader Middle East region exceed our expectations,' noted Nicholas Davis, Global Leadership Fellow and Project Manager at the World Economic Forum.

The scenarios are a result of a multi-stakeholder project involving participants and entities from the private, public and non-governmental spheres. The Economic Development Board of Bahrain and the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi are using the scenarios to generate a common basis of understanding with the private and public sectors in their countries, as well as with foreign investors and other stakeholders, in their work towards a positive scenario for the GCC countries. The Olayan Financing Company is committed to contributing to the well-being of both the country and the region and is using the scenarios to generate new ways of thinking about the future.

To explore the deeper issues and ramifications of the region's development, the World Economic Forum will take the results of the GCC Country Scenarios to international audiences at its numerous regional meetings, including the Inaugural Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, People's Republic of China, 6-8 September 2007 and the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 in January in Davos.

The World Economic Forum's World Scenario Series also includes previously-published scenarios on India, China, Russia, the Digital Ecosystem and Technology and Innovation in Financial Services.

The Future of the Gulf: The World Economic Forum launches scenarios on the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries | Iraq Updates

edited

Originally Posted by JudasPriest

if i remember right...they held a rate for 2-3 weeks...don't know if it was 1271 or 1272...maybe someone can confirm but nothin came of it/.

Held at 1272 from 2nd April to 22nd April

Multinational grab for Iraqi oil wealth

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

21 May 2007 (Malaysia Sun)
Print article Send to friend
An Iraqi law could mean overseas companies will control their oil fields for over 20 years.

A British campaign group, Hands Off Iraqi Oil (HOIO), has singled out the role of Shell, which it said had been working closely with Britain and the U.S. to create a policy to allow multinational companies to take control of Iraq's oil.

A spokesman for HOIO claims there has been a revolving door between Shell and the Foreign Office, with four of the last five permanent heads of the Foreign Office going on to become directors of oil and gas companies, two of them at Shell.

HOIO says a lobby group, working on behalf of BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Total and ENI, has been advised by the U.K. government on strategies for influencing the Iraqi government.

In March, an all-party group of British MPs expressed concern about involvement by the UK government in drafting Iraq’s new oil laws.

Meanwhile, The New York Times has reported that over between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels a day of Iraq’s oil production is unaccounted for and could have been siphoned off through corruption or smuggling.

Multinational grab for Iraqi oil wealth | Iraq Updates

Originally Posted by clintstella

Held at 1272 from 2nd April to 22nd April

Thanks for that! So, 3 weeks on 1272...the only difference this time apart from the length of time is that 1260 is what the budget is based on, isn't it?

Three billion dollar airport in Karbala

Final approvals have been completed for the establishment of Karbala International Airport, as announced by the Board committee of reconstruction. Abdul Al al- Yasiri, head of the city council of Karbala, said that a Cypriot-British company specializing in building aircraft, made an offer to implement this project and a Kuwaiti investor indicated willingness to finance three billion dollars for it. The implementing company expressed its willingness to bring in the biggest planes in the world within one year of starting the project. But the Kuwaiti investor said that there will be 11 taxes imposed on the airport, and expressed willingness to provide the necessary amounts to the company implementing the insurance with the city council and enter as a partner only for one of these taxes.

Mr. Abdul Al al-Yasiri, head of Karbala City Council and Mr. Mohsin Al-Kinani, member of the Committee of Transport and Communications met the Adviser to the Prime Minister, Ali Saadawi, and reviewed the steps performed by the City Council in completing Karbala International Airport and the subsequent steps to find a financier to build the airport. Al-Yasiri demanded during the meeting that the central government allocate a sum for the completion of this project so they won't have to turn to investment companies, since this project is a vital one which will bring substantial profits to the province. Also, ideas about investment and how to transfer control of the airport were discussed during the meeting.

Three billion dollar airport in Karbala | Iraq Updates

Originally Posted by JudasPriest

Thanks for that! So, 3 weeks on 1272...the only difference this time apart from the length of time is that 1260 is what the budget is based on, isn't it?

Yes, exactly!

Originally Posted by Raditz

Yes, exactly!

So this ought to be significant if it remains the same. Is this the end of the journey then?!

U.S. Restarting Iraqi Factories
Four years after the disastrous decision by the U.S.-led provisional authority to instantly privatize all Iraqi state-owned industries - a move that resulted in the failure of many factories and, consequently, 50-percent unemployment in much of the country - an American Defense Department task force is finally launching a concerted effort to re-open idle Iraqi plants.

The factory initiative, led by Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Business Transformation Paul Brinkley, is part of a renewed emphasis on reconstruction and other economic assistance that complements the "surge" of an additional 20,000 U.S. troops into Baghdad.

"The task force has performed over 60 detailed assessments to date," according to a press release from the group. "Major industrial operations in Iskandiriyah, Najaf, Baghdad and Ramadi have been re-started."

"We're turning on factories almost weekly," Brinkley reports. For the time being, they will remain state-owned. "Violence here has made it unreasonable to expect a free market to quickly emerge."

One short-term goal is to get more Iraqis working and dry up the pool of potential insurgents and militia members. "If you impose 50-percent unemployment in any country, there are going to be militia roaming around. Economic distress creates sympathy for violent activity."

Brinkley says that his bosses have seen "specific cases where employees of factories that had been shut down were being paid $300 to place IEDs," or Improvised Explosive Devices, the biggest killer of coalition troops in Iraq.

Using employment as a way of disabling militias was first attempted by Soldiers from the U.S. 101st Airborne Division in northern Iraq in 2003 and by British Soldiers in southern Iraq. In addition, a few private groups including U.S. nonprofit CHF International have quietly overseen small-scale employment schemes. But for U.S. forces in north-central Iraq from late 2003 until recently, combat operations have trumped reconstruction as a priority. Brinkley's group plus the expanded number of "Provincial Reconstruction Teams" represents a belated recognition by U.S. leaders that combat won't solve Iraq's most vexing problems.

Re-opening shuttered factories requires start-up funding, organizational expertise and commercial orders. The funding is coming from the Iraqi government, the expertise is Brinkley's and the initial orders are coming from coalition forces. Brinkley's team tours old facilities to identify the best candidates for re-opening. "A surprising number of these factories are in good condition," he reports. And despite years of idleness, Iraq's 500,000 former factory workers still represent what Brinkley describes as one of the "most highly skilled workforces in the Middle East."

A longer-term goal is to restore Iraqi industry's internal connections and its access to global markets, both necessary steps to ensure Iraq's eventual self-sustainability. Ironically, the country's economy is surprisingly diverse thanks to a decade of sanctions that limited imports and exports and forced Iraqi businesses to try meeting all of the country's needs on their own. The result today is an economy that, according to Brinkley, is capable of producing "anything an economy can consume except high-tech goods." The flip-side of the sanctions - and of the violence that has plagued the country since 2003 - is that Iraq's re-launched and surviving businesses are highly isolated.

To end that isolation, Brinkley's task force has escorted representatives of U.S. and other foreign firms on tours of Iraqi factories. "The appeal I make to them is simple," Brinkley says. "If you come to Iraq and see a factory making a good you consume, consider buying from the Iraqi factory."

"Supply agreements are now being negotiated for everything from construction materials to clothing to machine parts," Brinkley says, signaling Iraq's first baby steps towards economic adulthood.

But ending Iraqi factories' isolation from each other requires better security in Iraqi cities and on its dangerous highways - a mostly military mission that might be easier in coming months and years if Brinkley's task force succeeds in boosting factory employment. In that way, the military and economic efforts are intertwined. The task force's work has the added benefit of educating senior Iraqi leaders in basic economic management - a phenomenon that U.S. Ambassador Daniel Speckhard identified earlier this year while discussing the effect that the Baghdad surge was having on Iraqi government ministers. He said that the security plan had forced the ministers to improve their organizational skills. But he added that it was "too early" to tell if this represented sustainable progress at the highest levels of Iraqi government.

U.S. Restarting Iraqi Factories