Thread: Iraq/Dinar Until June 9th 1PM CST

Kurdish political statesmanship

Mohammed Abdul Jabbar carp
Once again demonstrate Kurdish political parties as more skill and wisdom, has moved the Supreme Council of the Kurdish political parties, which includes the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the Communist Party of Kurdistan, the Islamic Group in Kurdistan

Islamic Union of Kurdistan, the So******t Party of Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Kurdistan Toilers Party, quickly, to contain the political crisis which erupted in the past few days with regard to describe the political coup that was said that some political forces were prepared in coordination with him or the payment of some regional States said it was not satisfied with the overall current political process in Iraq. The main organic link between the Kurdish parties and the political front, which said it would take up to undertake a political coup involvement of one of the Kurdish parties on this front in the supposed meeting in Cairo last April 28, the Islamic Union of Kurdistan in Iraq. The Council has held an urgent meeting of all parties, including the Islamic Union, and listened to their point of view the subject, and understanding, and decided over the entire subject. A statement issued by the Supreme Council he discussed the issue "in a spirit of democracy and openness and transparency" would mean that each party has said loud and clear, and this is what is required in the democratic process. "After discussing the content of the record of the Cairo Conference and the clarification given by the Islamic Union of Kurdistan around freezing participation in all meetings which resulted from this conference and the lack of commitment by the Islamic Union of Kurdistan, with all respect to the Fourth" said the statement, "it before the meeting of the Supreme Council for clarification." The Supreme Council general rule says that "should not participate Kurdish political parties, public and private participation in the Supreme Council, in such fronts in the future, without reference to the Supreme Council of the Kurdish political parties," and "in the service of the unity of the Kurdish political parties and federal experiment decided during the meeting exceeded all data on the subject and the return of unity, and the situation in the relations between the Kurdish parties to strengthen the unity of the internal and face all the challenges that arise in the political arena."
That can only say that this political exercise civilized sublime. No Kurdish parties exchanged accusations, not offend each other, did not resort to the gun, de****e its long history in the sphere of armed struggle, but listened to the opinion, which was characterized by intransigence, its owners did not take self-righteousness, that there was a sin, and accept others, so they can then turn the page to the data the past few days, focusing on the central question for the Kurdish parties, namely, "the unity of the Kurdish political parties and federal experience", and start a new page of this reservation issue.
We do not find such a level Iraqi Arab parties, whether Shiite or Sunni, including Sunni Muslim armed forces, operating under the title of "resistance", but find the language of slander, accusations, threats and the use of weapons against each other, what makes the picture of the Iraqi Arab political scene composed of entities rival political speech, as in disarmament.
This simple example of one of the faces of some of the truth of what is happening in Iraq. This face is the conflict deadlock between certain categories of Arab Iraq influential and active, which shared Tauftih largest Shiites and Sunnis.
The Iraqi problem is not an Arab-Kurdish, but, in fact, Arab-Arab, not to say of course Shiite-Sunni, and Iraq did not solve their differences Arabs, the problem will remain, and will keep the right to Kurds, who are not like us suffer from the problem of Kurdish-Kurdish or Shiite-Sunni, to say they would not be party to the problems of Iraqi Arabs, and they will be detached from their brothers and their associates in the country if they chose to Etukathlwa sworn brothers among them ..

Translated version of http://www.alsabaah.com/

TURKISH MILITARY SAYS 'LIMITED' OPERATION CARRIED OUT IN IRAQ...
A Turkish military source told Reuters that Turkish troops carried out a limited operation in northern Iraq against Turkish-Kurdish fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on June 6, the news agency reported the same day. "This cannot be called a cross-border operation, it is a limited operation," the source said. In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters that "there is no incursion into any other country at the moment." PKK military commander Bahouz Ardal told Reuters that the reports of an incursion were fabricated to test public reaction. "These reports are a test balloon from the Turkish Army...to calm internal Turkish opinion, which is expecting a move against the PKK, and to test the reaction of the United States, Iraq, Kurdish parties, and the PKK," Ardal said. Turkey has threatened unilateral military action against the PKK since 2004, but has yet to launch a major attack across the border into Iraq. Meanwhile, the Turkish General Staff has announced a ban on all traffic across Turkey's borders into and out of Iraq, Istanbul-based "Hurriyet" reported on June 7. The daily said the ban was announced on June 6, and applies to land and air travel. The army will reportedly enforce the ban through September 9. KR

...AS IRAQI KURDISH OFFICIALS CONFIRM INCIDENT, BUT DOWNPLAY SIGNIFICANCE
Jabar Yawir, the deputy minister for peshmerga affairs for the Kurdistan regional government, told Reuters on June 6 that 10 Turkish helicopters carrying around 150 Turkish special forces landed in Mazouri, located in Iraq around 3 kilometers from the Turkish border. He said the helicopters left two hours later, adding, "There were no confrontations with the PKK." Yawir said Mazouri is in a PKK-controlled area. Meanwhile, the northern Iraq-based Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) released a similar report in a post on its website, saying the 10 helicopters landed and took off again after troops inspected the area. The PUK said the aircraft were carrying the general commander of the Turkish infantry forces and the military commander of the Van region of southeastern Turkey. The PUK statement quoted eyewitnesses as saying the border area between Silopi, Turkey, and Iraq is "crammed with thousands of Turkish troops." KR

IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT SAYS ARAB IDENTITY IN DANGER...
Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi said that Iraq's Arab identity is in danger, in a statement following a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on June 6, KUNA reported the same day. Hashimi called on Arab leaders in the region to help protect Arab identity by opening embassies in Baghdad. He said Mubarak gave a "favorable response" to his request. Al-Hashimi's discussion of Arab identity is apparently a reference to Sunni Arab identity. Al-Hashimi and other Sunni Arab leaders in Iraq claim the country's Shi'ite Arabs are increasingly falling under Iran's influence. KR

...AS HIS PARTY SAYS IT WILL PUSH FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Vice President Al-Hashimi's Iraqi Islamic Party posted a statement on its website on June 6 saying it will continue to push for the constitutional amendments promised by Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders in 2005. "The [Iraqi] Accordance Front and the Iraqi Islamic Party have exerted arduous efforts in order to amend the constitution, which was written hastily and in unnatural conditions. We will keep struggling until...the amendments to the constitution come into force," the statement said. It continued, "We will not make any concessions on [amending] the articles that harm Iraqis or make Iraq captive in the hands of the foreigner for long decades." The party is opposed to federalism and special privileges for regional governments, including the establishment of regional representative offices in embassies abroad. Al-Hashimi and his party supported the constitutional referendum in October 2005 after receiving guarantees from Kurdish and Shi'ite leaders that some articles would be reviewed and amended by mid-2006. To date, the document has not been revised, and remains a source of contention for the Sunnis. KR

IRAQI PREMIER CALLS ON ARMY TO FIGHT FOREIGN INFLUENCE
In a speech broadcast on Al-Iraqiyah television on June 6, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a meeting of military commanders in Iraq that Arab states in the region are supporting terrorists and trying to destabilize Iraq. He called on the military to strike with an iron fist against such influences, adding, "There will never be any room for plots that are hatched in this or that Arab capital." Al-Maliki contended that the states that back terrorists in Iraq believe a weak Iraq "is an opportunity for their survival in the region, an opportunity that allows certain states to emerge on the regional scene." He added that some of Iraq's neighbors "want to create among us an ethnic struggle, but we must reject such a struggle, although we are all proud of our religious, denominational, and ethnic affiliations. Iraq will remain above all these affiliations.... There is no difference between an Arab, a Kurd, and a Turkoman, between a Christian and a Muslim, between a Sunni and a Shi'a." Al-Maliki called on Iraqis to reject sectarianism and urged them to move toward unity and equality. He also criticized Iraqi politicians who support Arab interference in Iraq, without identifying the parties by name. KR

training courses for Iraqi engineers in the Russian Lukoil

Russia-Sabah.
Continue in the city (Prem) large industrial zone located in the heart of Russia train a group of Iraqi spe******ts in the educational establishments and factories of the company "Lukoil" under the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the "Lukoil" and the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, which was signed in Baghdad in March 2004

Workers lifted the organizational units of the Iraqi Oil Ministry of beneficiaries of the level of competence of the oil-producing companies and is the "Lukoil Baram", "Lukoil Overseas what" and a number of other projects for the company "Lukoil" and within the company "Eurasia Baram", and also for drilling in the oil and gas Institute of the University of Perm Technical University, as well as in oil and gas Russian (Ivan Gubkin) in Moscow. The group is composed of Iraqi engineers intern young (average age 35 years) and highly qualified and good prospects, all fluent in English and have higher qualifications and Khberhaml in the production and oil refining ...

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Assembly and the estimated duration of their internship approximately one year), including the half year in the city of Perm) .. De****e the complex situation in Iraq, but that there was cooperation between the businessmen always oil in Russia and Iraq.
Meanwhile, "Lukoil Baram" expressed the hope that fellow Iraqis during training on what must of theoretical knowledge and practical.
And in turn, said Zia Mustafa, chief engineer with the South Oil Company on the San Iraqi spe******ts that Shaker's Russian colleagues for their ho****ality and warm reception and very good conditions for study and rest ... and across Mustafa expressed confidence that survive in the land of Baram and aid experts before high efficiency would help to identify Iraqi engineers to map oil and gas technologies currently used in the new "Lukoil" and the Russian oil industry in general.

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The first three days days during which he received for the arrival of Iraqi trainees participants general information about the region and the city and the "Lukoil Baram" and the Technical University ...

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And then began the implementation of the curriculum includes intensive education and the quota theoretical and practical exercises several rounds of tariff and visits oil fields and drilling sites and workshops in oil refineries and gas ... Where Iraqis receive training during the period of salary commensurate with the average rate for this sector in Russia.
In 2004 the assistance of "Lukoil" was upgraded 59 Iraqi spe******ts in the field of oil and in 2005 they numbered 177, in 2006-146 ... and so taught at the University of oil and gas Gubkin Russian and the Technical University of oil and gas in the city of Ufa in Attaralbramaj school full boats and 84 students received scholarships from the "Lukoil."

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It should be noted that the company "Lukoil" carried out late last year all Altazamathanatalch swearing technical assistance program charities Iraqi Oil Ministry ... And during the implementation Hmaalbernamj been recognized to the Iraqi side of the ambulance vehicles and medical excavators and loading mechanisms tracked and hydraulic installations and tanker trucks to transport water and acid, cranes and other machinery and equipment required (total more than 30 pieces of equipment) ..

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It is noteworthy that in 2006 Lukoil produced 2.95 million tons of oil, including the 5.89 million tons in the territory of Russia and 7.5 million tons outside ...

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In 2006 the increasing volume of oil production in international projects increased by 46% compared with the previous year ...

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And gas production increased in 2006 compared with 2005, more than twice to reach 8.15 billion cubic meters ... The volume of crude oil refineries in the company's factories increased to 95.48 million tons, including a 54.39 million tons in Russian factories and 41.9 million tons in factories outside Russia ... and increased the overall size of the refinery in 2005, compared with 3%.

Translated version of http://www.alsabaah.com/

Iraqis take lead in community project
Saturday, 09 June 2007
By Spc. Courtney Marulli
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs



Three soccer fields replace what was once a flooded and overgrown field in the Al Razul area in eastern Baghdad. The soccer fields are available for use by local schools and the general public. The project was carried out by Iraqi community leaders with help from 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, currently attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. U.S. Army photo.FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH — Iraqi and coalition forces have been working together to build a better Iraq, but in the Al Razul area of eastern Baghdad, the Iraqis carried out a community project themselves with only financial help from 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment.

The 1-8th Cavalry, operating in eastern Baghdad attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, helped Iraqis in the Al Razul community to undertake a project to build three soccer fields near a school that students and the general public can use during their free time.

Capt. David C. Freeman, the effects coordinator, said the idea to improve the area stemmed from seeing how unsuitable the flooded, trash strewn fields were for use to the community and from the squadron's desire to help develop that neighborhood.

"It's a project done by the Iraqis to better an Iraqi community with the money going directly to the community," Freeman, a native of Detroit, said.

Wanting to help make the area better for the residents, the project was started but given to the Iraqis to control and implement.

Using a local contractor and 37 local workers, the Iraqis took a flooded and overgrown area and turned it into three soccer fields.

The location near a school enables the school to use the fields, but is available to the entire community, much like facilities run in the United States by city parks and recreation departments.

Economically, Freeman said the project allows the local Iraqis to have a stake in building up their community because they are in charge of the project. It also gives the youth a positive outlet for their free time such as playing soccer or just interacting with one another.

"The youth can develop a sense of unity through sports," Freeman said. "You see it in the U.S., too."

The community's reaction has been positive, Freeman said. When the soldiers drive by on patrols they see more people out playing.

"It's not a huge project," he said. "But it doesn't have to be huge or expensive. It can still make an impact."

New courthouse complex takes shape
Saturday, 09 June 2007
By Norris Jones
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers



An artist’s rendering of the new Rusafa Courthouse complex that will be a 5,000-square-meter, two-story building. About 120 Iraqis are helping to build it.BAGHDAD — A new regional courthouse is taking shape to help Baghdad enforce the rule of law.

Construction on Rusafa Courthouse got under way in November and is currently 25 percent complete. About 120 Iraqis are on the crew helping build the facility that is scheduled to open in December. The 5000-square-meter, two-story structure will serve Rusafa District and neighboring areas east of the Tigris River, benefiting more than 1 million residents. A Witness Protection Facility is also part of the complex that will house up to 200 people testifying for the prosecution.

“We’re building the Rusafa Regional Courthouse for the Ministry of Interior,” said Navy Lt. Robert Leines, who is assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “It’s a key institution in Iraq’s quest for law and order.”

Once open, 350 Iraqis are expected to work there including judges, lawyers, investigators, administrative assistants, and security personnel. Leines said that the majority of his 50-member staff are Iraqi engineers.

“Our Iraqi Quality Assurance representatives visit that courthouse site every day, taking photos, ensuring we’re getting quality construction in a safe manner.”

He praised the courage those individuals display reporting to work and getting the job done.

“They believe in what we’re doing and want to make Iraq a better place,” Leines said.

He and his staff are overseeing 100 active projects valued at $400 million, including new water and sewer lines, school renovations, primary healthcare centers, upgrading gas stations, and installing new electric distribution networks in east Baghdad. He noted they work in partnership with the Baghdad public works directorate, or Amanat, and Iraqi ministries on these projects.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing construction of five such courthouses throughout Iraq. The Karkh Courthouse is nearing completion in western Baghdad and the others are in Mosul, Basrah and Erbil.

“These facilities are critical to enforcement of the rule of law,” explained Navy Cmdr. Joseph Mauser, the Corps of Engineers’ security and justice sector lead in Iraq. As an interim measure, a temporary courthouse has opened at Rusafa.

“As the case load continues to grow, having a permanent facility with sufficient capacity becomes increasingly important,” Mauser said.

Apart from the courthouse complex itself, Rusafa also will have a facility where up to 5,400 accused individuals will be housed awaiting their arraignment or trial dates. The entire area is surrounded by concrete barriers similar to the International Zone located on the other side of the Tigris River, and the many involved in the project have started calling it a second Green Zone - this one the “Rule of Law Green Zone.”

To the New "Think Tank Thread".: http://www.rolclub.com/iraqi-dinar-d...hink-tank.html

Originally Posted by Mike5200

TURKISH MILITARY SAYS 'LIMITED' OPERATION CARRIED OUT IN IRAQ...
A Turkish military source told Reuters that Turkish troops carried out a limited operation in northern Iraq against Turkish-Kurdish fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on June 6, the news agency reported the same day. "This cannot be called a cross-border operation, it is a limited operation," the source said. In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters that "there is no incursion into any other country at the moment." PKK military commander Bahouz Ardal told Reuters that the reports of an incursion were fabricated to test public reaction. "These reports are a test balloon from the Turkish Army...to calm internal Turkish opinion, which is expecting a move against the PKK, and to test the reaction of the United States, Iraq, Kurdish parties, and the PKK," Ardal said. Turkey has threatened unilateral military action against the PKK since 2004, but has yet to launch a major attack across the border into Iraq. Meanwhile, the Turkish General Staff has announced a ban on all traffic across Turkey's borders into and out of Iraq, Istanbul-based "Hurriyet" reported on June 7. The daily said the ban was announced on June 6, and applies to land and air travel. The army will reportedly enforce the ban through September 9. KR

...AS IRAQI KURDISH OFFICIALS CONFIRM INCIDENT, BUT DOWNPLAY SIGNIFICANCE
Jabar Yawir, the deputy minister for peshmerga affairs for the Kurdistan regional government, told Reuters on June 6 that 10 Turkish helicopters carrying around 150 Turkish special forces landed in Mazouri, located in Iraq around 3 kilometers from the Turkish border. He said the helicopters left two hours later, adding, "There were no confrontations with the PKK." Yawir said Mazouri is in a PKK-controlled area. Meanwhile, the northern Iraq-based Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) released a similar report in a post on its website, saying the 10 helicopters landed and took off again after troops inspected the area. The PUK said the aircraft were carrying the general commander of the Turkish infantry forces and the military commander of the Van region of southeastern Turkey. The PUK statement quoted eyewitnesses as saying the border area between Silopi, Turkey, and Iraq is "crammed with thousands of Turkish troops." KR

Interestings,

And the NY Times reported thousands of troops were involved. Just amazing just how slanted the news is towards sensationalism of negatives.

Good luck and health to all, Mike