Thread: Iraq/Dinar News until 6/17/07 8:30 PM CST

Man in the Storm

In a candid interview, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki talks about his struggles, relationship with President Bush and nation's future.


WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Larry Kaplow
Newsweek
Updated: 4:06 p.m. CT June 16, 2007
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June 16, 2007 - Probably no world leader has to deal with crises more frequently than Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. This weekend, his capital was under emergency curfew in the aftermath of the bombing Wednesday of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, a holy site for Shiite Muslims. An attack on the mosque last year caused a steep escalation in sectarian fighting.



Maliki reacted faster than his predecessor did in the last attack, imposing a days-long curfew in the capital and visiting the site within hours. There have been fewer reprisal attacks than last time, as well, at least under the curfew. With his meeting pace slowing some, Maliki met with NEWSWEEK on Friday in his official residence, one of Saddam Hussein's old guest villas. It's mainly an office building, as Maliki actually lives nearby.
The prime minister, a known workaholic, seemed relaxed de****e the formal setting—a non-descript salon with Maliki's aides and official photographer on hand. He talked about the sensitivities of the American push for movement on “Iraqi benchmarks,” implied that he hopes America will settle differences with “regional” players like Iran and Syria, and talked about his relationship with President Bush. Below are translated excerpts of the 40-minute visit.



EWSWEEK: The government response to the attack on the Golden Mosque was faster this year than when the shrine was bombed last year. What did you do?
Nuri al-Maliki: When such a thing happens, it provokes Iraqis' feelings and a reaction will happen. To confront the reaction there are procedures, first of which is the curfew to control those who have a negative reaction. Second, separate or isolate the different neighboring areas that have Sunnis in one side and Shiites on the other. We also have a reserve checkpoint system that we activated that managed to divide Baghdad and prevent those who wanted to do something.
Politically, we issued a statement calling for calm and self-discipline. We contacted clergy because they are influential and they did issue statements asking for calm. I asked the presidency council and a number of members of parliament and ministers to an urgent meeting. They spoke in the media and called for awareness and calm. These are the things we did in addition to the [televised] statement I gave. We also increased the protection on some Sunni mosques so that they would not be a target for those who want to incite riot. We even think that the same people who attacked Samarra would attack Sunni mosques to incite rioting.



What is your assessment of the past 48 hours?
Some negative incidents took place but I think [overall] it has been good. Any political and media observer who watched the first attack would realize that the worst security actions happened after the Samarra attack last time. Therefore, what happened this time is much less than what could have happened and this is a success for the government, that it managed to have a quick and wise reaction.

You know that Americans watch your government very closely to see if it can reach the benchmarks set by Washington to ease tensions with Sunnis, including an oil revenue-sharing law, a law to allow more ex-Baathists back to their jobs, Constitutional amendments and laws for provincial elections. Why are they are taking so long?

First of all, the things the Americans are talking about are things we talk about. These things are national goals that come in harmony with the nature of the new federal political regime. Success for us and for the American administration is very important. Now, the drafts of the laws of oil, [the DeBaathification revision] and provincial elections are all ready and will be submitted to the parliament next week. Some people in the U.S. administration make statements that are understood by observers as if the administration is dictating to the Iraqi government. This is not true, of course. It is an issue of partnership, there is no dictating.



A parade of American officials has come here and they say they are pressuring you to do these things. Does this help you or hurt you?
Actually, we completely reject the word “pressure.” We always tell them that there are two things you should avoid: That word [pressure], because the Iraqi government is a sovereign government, and giving timetables, because timetables are harmful for them and for us. When the U.S. defense secretary said, "We want to stay for 50 years in Iraq,” this had unpleasant consequences because this issue is the Iraqi government's business. The timetables given, sometimes I do not find them in President Bush's mind so much as they are in the minds of some [other] people who make [public] statements. The word “pressure” and timetables, they do not help and they are not a good principle for political relations.
What do you think the U.S. government will do if you don't reach these benchmarks?
Before I answer your question, you were asking about the many people who parade through here. Iraq is an Arab country and it is an Arab tradition to welcome guests, so, everyone is welcome to Iraq. Besides, everyone is talking about supporting the Iraqi government and the political process and to protect it, and this a good thing.
Regarding what the U.S. administration would do, this is an American issue that is governed by the political movement and debate within the Congress and U.S. administration. Things are still hard. The hardest thing is the regional interference [in Iraq] on the basis of regional conflicts and regional, American conflicts. The Iraqi government and political process might be the one paying the price for these conflicts. We urge all sides in the conflict to sit at a table and negotiate to solve the problems. [Also] we want to be aware of the decision [America] takes about the military presence on Iraqi lands so that we will not be surprised by their decision.
Some of your allies say that even if you don't do these things, the United States can't afford to leave Iraq.
They helped us by toppling the regime and accomplishing many steps of the political process but they still can leave. If the consequences of staying are bigger than the consequences of leaving, they will leave.
Some Iraqis complain of American soldiers or contractors acting here with immunity from Iraqi law. Do you want to change that?
Some violations happen, and they are in breach of the agreements and they sometimes provoke negative atmospheres in the relationship. For instance, Iraq is sovereign and it is not allowed for the Coalition forces to violate the state's sovereignty by entering ministries or governmental institutions. Arresting or detaining a person should be done with coordination with the Iraqi government.
Now, some field commanders make mistakes since they do not know the facts about people they deal with. They make mistakes by arming tribes sometimes, and this is dangerous because this will create new militias. We want to arm some tribes that want to side with us but on the condition that we should be well aware of the tribe's background and sure that it is not connected with terror. It should be under the control of the state and we should have guarantees that it will not turn into a militia. I believe that the Coalition forces do not know the backgrounds of the tribes. It is a job of the [Iraqi] government.
Do you still worry that some officers in the Iraqi army might not be loyal to you?
In fact, we depend on officers that were officers in the former regime. [In the past] nobody could be an officer unless he was a member of the Baath party; therefore, we cannot say that everyone is still a Baathist and works for the benefit of the former regime. We are on a continuous inspection of the military commanders and it is not a secret that we sometimes find that some of them do not have full loyalty to the country; they do not believe in the new Iraq.

How did your tough background, hiding in the marshes and mountains from Saddam and the killing of more than 60 of your relatives by the old regime, prepare you for things like the pressures of the last two days?
The harsh circumstances that we lived in confronting the former regime, and the sacrifices we made in the prisons and in mass graves, enabled us to be tougher and stronger in countering the current challenges. If the former regime deserves any credit from us, it is for giving us the ability to face challenges by living under its injustice.
Does it also give you the ability to reconcile?
Of course, because we have a humane ideology and because of Islam. I will not deal on the basis of tribal revenge with those who killed my family and people. I will go to courts and respect the state and law. That is exactly what we did with Saddam. We gave him every chance to defend himself after he did not give us a chance to say a word when we used to go to execution chambers. I am the person who most believes in national reconciliation.
Some people would say there are similarities between you and President Bush. You both have problems with your legislatures. You both look to Iraq for success but you're in hard situations that are getting out of control.
Every time I meet President Bush through the videoconference I tell him that I have a hard time dealing with the Parliament or the political blocs [in Iraq]. He says, “I have a worse time dealing with the Congress.” And when he says, “I have aggravation in the Congress,” I say, “I have bigger aggravation with parliament.” But the positive thing that joins us is that, de****e all of the hardships that we have, both of us persist in continuing the relationship and continuing to work on the principles that we believe in. These are traits that prepare good ground for success.
Some say both of you need to be more flexible—him in recognizing more of Iraq's realities and you reaching out to your government's opponents.
Destiny wanted to bring together two people who strongly stick to their principles. I think that our belief in our principles does not prevent us from being open to the others. I always emphasize that I will extend my hand to whomever wants to negotiate and I will extend the other hand with the law to protect the state. It's not a fault to abide by principles of law and principles of sovereignty. But when the supreme national interest requires, I am fully ready to reach out to others and make compromises when I feel that they are ready to act.
You are both under a lot of time pressure to show evidence of progress in Iraq.
Others should understand that things are not easy. We are [working] to strengthen the state, a state that was built on the basis of tyranny, dictatorship, repression, neglect for the law and had no sign of democracy. Therefore, it is not easy to restore all these principles and values to the political process without hardships. We show evidence every day but usually such things are related to work we want for the [long-term] future and not for just the time being. It takes more time and effort.

You look very serious and worried on television. Do you relax? Your grandfather was a famous poet (and politician) and we hear you like poetry.
No doubt work takes most of the day. What I do in case I have time is to meet with friends. Secondly, yes, I do like poetry. I wrote poetry. My master's research was about poetry but I have not written poetry in a long time.I had this [serious] characteristic even in my early days. I might have inherited it from my family. My grandfather was known to be serious as well, during the 1920 revolution and establishing Iraq. It is a seriousness to relieve the people's problems; I feel the people's sufferings.



Q&A: Iraq's Maliki on Bush, Challenges - Newsweek The War in Iraq - MSNBC.com

You know that Americans watch your government very closely to see if it can reach the benchmarks set by Washington to ease tensions with Sunnis, including an oil revenue-sharing law, a law to allow more ex-Baathists back to their jobs, Constitutional amendments and laws for provincial elections. Why are they are taking so long?

First of all, the things the Americans are talking about are things we talk about. These things are national goals that come in harmony with the nature of the new federal political regime. Success for us and for the American administration is very important. Now, the drafts of the laws of oil, [the DeBaathification revision] and provincial elections are all ready and will be submitted to the parliament next week. Some people in the U.S. administration make statements that are understood by observers as if the administration is dictating to the Iraqi government. This is not true, of course. It is an issue of partnership, there is no dictating.
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You know that Americans watch your government very closely to see if it can reach the benchmarks set by Washington to ease tensions with Sunnis, including an oil revenue-sharing law, a law to allow more ex-Baathists back to their jobs, Constitutional amendments and laws for provincial elections. Why are they are taking so long?

First of all, the things the Americans are talking about are things we talk about. These things are national goals that come in harmony with the nature of the new federal political regime. Success for us and for the American administration is very important. Now, the drafts of the laws of oil, [the DeBaathification revision] and provincial elections are all ready and will be submitted to the parliament next week. Some people in the U.S. administration make statements that are understood by observers as if the administration is dictating to the Iraqi government. This is not true, of course. It is an issue of partnership, there is no dictating.


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Talks Set to Evaluate Aqaba's Role in Iraq Reconstruction

Arab News - 17/06/2007

(MENAFN - Arab News) AMMAN, 17 June 2007 — The Iraq Business Council is due to hold a meeting at Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba on June 30 to appraise the role of the facility in Iraq's reconstruction, IBC's chairman Saad Naji said yesterday.

At least 40 leading Iraqi investors in various sectors are due to take part in the three-day meeting "which seeks to acquaint Iraqi businessmen with the investment environment of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) that could be of benefit in terms of helping the process of rebuilding Iraq", Naji said in a statement.

"The Iraqi businessmen will, in particular, focus on utilizing the multi-transport systems and logistic services available at Aqaba in such a manner that facilitates their linkup with the Iraqi market."

Over the past three decades, Aqaba has been used as a major conduit for Iraq-destined trade, particularly during the Iraq-Iran war and the UN sanctions on Iraq that were imposed after the former regime of President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990.

Iraq's Ministry of Industry and Minerals (MIM) is seeking strong international investors to enter into joint venture production-sharing partnerships with its state-owned plants in several industries, including cement, glass and ceramics, paper, petrochemical, iron and steel, sanitary ware, and automotive.



MENAFN - Middle East North Africa . Financial Network News: Talks Set to Evaluate Aqaba's Role in Iraq Reconstruction

Here's Another.....

Iraqi Business Council to hold first forum in Aqaba at end of month

Jordan Times - 17/06/2007
(MENAFN - Jordan Times) AMMAN (Petra) — In cooperation with the Aqaba Development Corporation, the Iraqi Business Council will hold the first Iraqi Business Forum in Aqaba on June 30. During the three-day forum, to be held under the slogan, "Aqaba, your gate to Iraq", participants will be acquainted with Aqaba's conducive investment environment and will be able to look into the best means to benefit from it in rebuilding Iraq. The forum will host 40 Iraqi investors, representing the fields of industry, commerce, agriculture, construction and services. In a statement to the press, the council's secretary general Saad Naji underlined the council's interest in cooperating with the public and the private sectors in the Kingdom in various economic fields to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq.


MENAFN - Middle East North Africa . Financial Network News: Talks Set to Evaluate Aqaba's Role in Iraq Reconstruction

Baghdad curfew ups prices of foodstuffs, fuel

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Saturday , 16 /06 /2007 Time 6:02:14

Baghdad, June 16, (VOI) – Prices of fruits and vegetables as well as fuel went up in the Iraqi capital Baghdad due to the curfew imposed by the Iraqi government following a bombing attack on a Shiite shrine in Samarra, Salah al-Din province, on Wednesday.
"Outdoor markets all over Baghdad were nearly vacant of any goods due to the curfew," a green grocer in a market in Sadr City, eastern Baghdad, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had announced a curfew on Baghdad till further notice after the two minarets of the tombs of Imams Ali al-Hadi and Hassan al-Aaskari, who are highly revered by Shiite Muslims in Iraq, in Samarra were destroyed in a bombing attack.
"The price of one kilogram of cucumbers rose from 500 Iraqi dinars to 1,000 dinars and the same case applies to eggplants, tomatoes and potatoes," the green grocer told VOI on customary condition of anonymity.
One U.S. dollar equals 1,260 Iraqi dinars.
Benzene prices also skyrocketed from 350 dinars to 1,500 dinars per liter and gas oil in the black market hit 1,000 dinars per liter, he said.
Due to the long hours of electricity off in the hot Summer in Iraq, people resort to use small power generators that operates on fuel to compensate for the shortage of power with only four hours electricity on per day.
AE

Aswat Aliraq

BAGHDAD — Adjusted security measures have resulted in a resurgence of economic growth in the western BaghdadBaghdad soldiers and Iraqi Security Forces give way to shopkeepers, and fear gives way to progress. neighborhood of Hateen. A local market has seen a resurgence of activity as Multi-National Division –

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, have teamed up with members of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army to find a way to stimulate business in the Hateen Market while still maintaining security.

As a result, economic activity in the market has increased, fostering better relations between local merchants and the Iraqi Army.

The market, located in the southeastern Mansour neighborhood of Hateen, is the economic center of the area and its activity is directly tied to the economic prosperity of the residents.

Markets in Baghdad have long been a favorite target of suicide bombers, and the previous Iraqi Army unit in Hateen worried that the market there might be next in the long line of attacks committed by insurgents. With its three blocks of
grocery stores, butcher shops, cafes, and vegetable stands, the Hateen Market presented a security problem for 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Infantry Division.

In response to this problem, the Iraqi battalion blocked the roads leading into the market with concertina wire and concrete and sand-filled barriers. The concertina wire and concrete kept suicide bombers at bay, but it also limited
pedestrian access to the market. As a result, sales plummeted and a large number of proprietors closed their shops.

The local merchants were distraught by the decline in customers, and requested that the Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces find a way to secure their market without limiting pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

The new Iraqi Army battalion commander, Col. Ali Al-Obaydi, made fixing the situation in the Hateen Market his top priority. On May 21, Col. Ali toured the market, along with Maj. Jim MacGregor, 2-32 FA’s executive officer, and Capt. Brian McCall, commander of Battery A, 2-32 FA.

Together, the three leaders engaged local merchants about the status of commerce in the market and asked the shop owners what could be done to stimulate business. Most of the owners agreed that the Iraqi Army needed to remove the concertina wire and abandon its blocking position to allow local residents easier access to the market.

They also asked that Coalition Forces conduct regular combined patrols of the market with Iraqi Army units. Within one week, the blocking position was unmanned and the concertina wire was removed. Business in the market immediately picked up. Soldiers from 2-32 FA regularly patrol through the market with Iraqi Army troops, and local merchants greet both forces with smiles and, many times, an offer of a cold drink or snacks.

“It was unbelievable,” remarked McCall, following a patrol of the market a week after his tour with Col. Ali. “Just a week ago, half of these stores were closed, and the ones that were open had owners who only wanted to complain to Col. Ali and I. A week later, I felt like I was walking through a completely different market. The shops were all open. The merchants seemed happy, and best of all, there were customers everywhere.”

McCall added that his unit, in conjunction with 2-5-6th IA, will continue to evaluate economic activity in the market. He said they are currently planning an advertising campaign that will use billboards to highlight the security of the market.


Multi-National Force - Iraq - West Baghdad market thrives during troop surge

During his meeting with the presidency : The American Secretary of Defense calls for accelerating the adoption of constitutional amendments

Luna / June 17 / Baghdad / The full membership of the Presidential Council on yesterday, Saturday, with the American Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who is visiting Iraq currently.
And two sides reviewed the Iraqi and American security conditions and the cooperation between the Iraqi armed forces and the multinational forces to confront the emerging force of the law, and ways to establish security and stability in all parts of Iraq.
The parties stressed the importance of cooperation with the local population as the main backers of the Iraqi forces in establishing security and confront rebel forces and lawless.
For his part, the American Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to the importance of the effective participation of all Iraqi factions and parties in the process of political decision-making and security through effective collective leadership and effective.
Certainly the importance of speeding up the adoption of constitutional amendments and other key legislation which is of utmost importance in achieving national reconciliation and rebuilding the country and providing security and services / / completed / u p / e h / Presidency of the Republic ..

Translated version of http://www.wna-news.com/inanews/news.php?item.4330.5

Number of banks 13 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1258 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ----- -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 36.750.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) -----
Total offers for buying (US $) 36.750.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ----- -----

Gooooooooooooooood Morning Rolclub


"The More They Take, The More We Make"
"Stay the Course, its the difference between Winners and whiners"



11.82 Trillion taken out and still the Party has not started


1. "0" Dinar rate change today, it was 1258, it is now 1258

2. A (net) worth of dinars, IQD - 46,231,500,000 pulled out of circulation today 6/17/07.

3. 13 banks participating today

4. 165th auction since the beginning of CBI's reval plan

5. 260 days into the CBI's reval plan. (Eight Months+)

6. 11,823,037,398,000 dinars pulled from circulation !!

6A. Conservative ESTIMATE of Dinars still in circulation or controlled by the CBI 5,176,962,602,000

7. "0" Dinars back into circulation today

8. 219 dinar change since Oct 1st (baseline was 1477) 14.827% increase in value of the dinar since beginning of reval plan (Approximatly Oct 1st).

9. 0 point reduction in the rate so far this week. Was at 1260 at the end of last week, 1258 so far this week.

10. 2 point drop in the month of June. Ended at 1260 in May, now stands at 1258.