Thread: Archive Latest News - Think Tank - 16/08/07 - 03/11/07

Bush to Give In to Pressure on Iraq

WASHINGTON, Sept 12--President Bush is scheduled to announce on Thursday evening that he plans to reduce the US troops presence in Iraq by as many as 30,000 by next summer, officials said.

According to news agencies, Bush will endorse the recommendations of his top general and top diplomat in Iraq, following their appearance at two days of hearings in Congress, in a 15-minute address from the White House, administration officials said.

They said that the White House plans to issue a written status report on the troops buildup on Friday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Bush's speech is not yet final.

Bush was rehearsing and polishing his remarks even as the US commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker were presenting their arguments for a second day on Capitol Hill.

In the speech, the president will say he understands Americans' deep concerns about US involvement in Iraq and their desire to bring the troops home, they said.

According to the officials, Bush will say that, after hearing from Petraeus and Crocker, he has decided on a way forward that will reduce the US military presence but not as what he says "abandon Iraq to chaos".

Petraeus has recommended that a 2,000-member Marine unit return home this month without replacement.

That would be followed in mid-December with the departure of an Army brigade numbering 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers.

Under the general's plan, another four combat brigades would be withdrawn by July 2008.

That could leave the US with as few as 130,000-135,000 troops in Iraq, down from about 168,000 now.

Petraeus said he foresaw even deeper troop cuts beyond July, but he recommended that Bush wait until at least March to decide when to go below 130,000 - and at what pace.

At the White House, Bush met with House and Senate lawmakers of both parties and he publicly pledged to consider their views.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the president didn't talk about the nationwide address.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush appears poised merely to bring the country back to where it was before the election that put Democrats in control of Congress - with 130,000 troops in Iraq.

In Congress, cracks in Republican support for the Iraq war remained, as epitomized by heated questioning of Petraeus on Tuesday.

"Is this a mission shift?" asked Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

"Are we continuing down the same path that we have laid out before, entirely reliant on the ability of the Iraqis to come together to achieve that political reconciliation?"

Sen. Norm Coleman said he wants a longer-term vision other than suggestions that Petraeus and Crocker return to Capitol Hill in mid-March to give another assessment.

"Americans want to see light at the end of the tunnel," said Coleman, R-Minn.

Democratic leaders have rejected General David Petraeus's strategy for Iraq, saying he was planning on keeping US troops in the country for at least the next decade.

"It sounds to me as if General Petraeus is presenting a plan for at least a 10-year, high-level US presence in Iraq," said Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi after meeting with President George W. Bush.

Pelosi told reporters: "I told the president that I thought on Thursday night when he spoke to the nation, that he should give an explanation for why our country should have to continue to make that commitment."

"Here we have our young people sacrificing their lives ... and the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars."

"And no matter how successful our troops are, still the Iraqi government refuses to make the political change necessary to end sectarian strife."

Meanwhile, Joseph Biden, another top Democratic Senator told Petraeus on Tuesaday that his military "surge" was failing to translate into political peace in Baghdad.

"We should stop the surge and start bringing our troops home," the Senate's foreign relations committee chairman said at the start of a second day of hearings with Petraeus in Congress.

Remnants of the previous economic downturn when handled

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Star nautical
انالشعبمنها... The economic plans initiated by Iraq since the year 1968 until the end of that system have not achieved the required ambitious about the welfare of the people and wished them simple ... التنفيذ... Development plans were sound in terms of implementation ... . For this they have failed altogether. . Estimated by poor budgets and field and Ignorance makers of those goals. اورة .. Now Iraq throughout its contracts within Medina (140 billion dollars) and thus those plans had opened loopholes in the economic and social infrastructure, due to wars imposed by the former regime of neighboring States .. والبشرية.. Even sapped the energies of the entire society and human material .. وة..! And so consumed inventories reserve of energy ..! .. Therefore, who have placed their plans then what they can achieve those goals along the calculations according to the Iraqi economy, leading to the degradation and underdevelopment, and atrophy at various levels, as most Iraqi governorates are still poor and disabled empty budgets and projects .. انذاك.. In light of that exclusive point out that the fiscal policy was not planned enough reserves to meet the required development plans then .. لقد). The state budget was (exclusively) for the years 1967-1968 theme of the report is a new principle of the unified budget system for the development Guesses discretionary budgets of any annexation departments and private institutions to the general state budget (central budget). . And thus become Almkhmanh figures of income and expenditures high for the budgets of previous years. عنها.. But in the true reality is not very different from .. جراء المالي.. The failure of the policy of the State Finance and financial miscalculation .. . The government during the decades of dictatorship are continuing deficit in the regular budget for emergency expenditures increase over the normal weight of the budget during the war of June 1967, after an increase of military expenditure in the doors and items and related national security. ديدة. We subscribe this deficit that the government is working on Mlavath continue deducting the amounts from the budget of economic development plan by arresting important agreement on some existing projects or stopping the creation of new projects. 1968). It also resorted to borrowing from the Central Bank of Iraq) where resorted to borrowing 10% of its normal weights borrow the same percentage figures, but any increase consolidated budget borrowing (17 million dinars under the 1666 budget year to about 52 million dinars under the budget year 1968). 3.3دولار. This figure compared to the years that the Iraqi dinar Mr. cash position in any arena that the dinar equivalent of the gold standard for the dollar under 3.3 dollars. ... This is the direct motivation for the then government through the unified budget system ... .. Or perhaps the most serious since the government followed through resorted To meet the fiscal deficit is the method used is shameful forced taxation, expansion and diversification .. . Authorities published during the year 1967-1968 unfair number of instructions and making tax direct and indirect rapidly away from the substantive study and the resulting economic effects of future physical, social and pension to the people. . The taxes imposed multiple times (on behalf of victims of flood relief in 1967 and again on behalf of National Defense) and other legal as amendments to the income tax and customs tariff, which increased tax rates which significantly. حتىUntil now the brunt of taxes mentioned, realized the magnitude and rate of multiple aspects until officials realized during those contracts ruling (issued a statement in which it promised to review all existing tax laws and developed according to the possibilities holders and end of the legislation but proceeded to amend certain taxes individually to achieve rates of staff cuts and workers. The amended tax law Civil Defense (National) on September 1, 1968 and the allocation of petrol prices .. In ****e of this reduction was attributed partly .. but it is a clear recognition of the financial and political power that taxes are high and are lifted from the burden citizens and improve the income level. this quick overview of what it was overburdened Iraqi economy and worries and problems and excessive accumulations on the Iraqi people .. now on the new government in Iraq should consider very seriously for that abysmal financial situation of the previous regime and the Mecca of poverty and deprivation and disease .. We must assume that Iraq not only leaves a gap and backfilling it .. the state debt overhang and resorted to by the government after the overthrow of the system up dropping them from the accounts of creditor nations but effective step is to chase crush those adverse effects. It also requires the abolition of a number of laws and regulations which are underdeveloped commensurate with the Iraqi people to achieve ambitious patient toward freedom and democracy. .. for the passage of legislation with amendments to the Constitution requires accuracy in serving the interests of people who suffer day after day ... in ****e of the terrorism active in the Iraqi arena, which calls for bundles position hard to confront him with .. becoming sustainable ways of reconstruction and development of the infrastructure which is now completely paralyzed .. and the size of the terrible unemployment, which the State must be addressed in full swing providing supplies required.
Translated version of http://ht/

Nice post rvalreadydang.

NDF: Petraeus trying to beautify life that comes to standstill at 06:00 p.m.

A legislator from Saleh al-Motlak's Sunni National Dialogue Front (NDF) criticized the Crocker-Petraeus report on Tuesday, saying the report "draws a rosy picture of the Iraqi reality, where life comes to a standstill at 06:00 p.m. in Baghdad."

"This rosy picture is very similar to that offered by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during his appearance before parliament on Monday," Mustafa al-Hiti told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

Earlier on Tuesday the Iraqi government welcomed a report submitted by General David Petraeus, commander of the Multi-National Forces (MNF) in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, to the U.S. Congress on progress in Iraq.

"The report underlines the transparent approach used to assess the situation in Iraq, where the government has realized historic progress towards consolidating democracy," Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, the Iraqi national security adviser, said during a press conference in Baghdad on Tuesday.

Petraeus said on Monday that his forces have managed to clean the Iraqi capital of all members of al-Qaeda Organization, noting the number of (U.S.) troops can be cut as of next summer without any concerns about security conditions.

The U.S. commander in Iraq, in a testimony before Congress, recommended the withdrawal of 30,000 U.S. troops before mid-July 2008.
"More than 20,000 Iraqi tribesmen, particularly in the Sunni provinces, have been hired for the Iraqi police. These tribes are taking part in the efforts to track down al-Qaeda militants in northern and western Baghdad," he said.

Crocker, on the other hand, said before Congress that "the United States can attain its objectives in Iraq."

On Monday, Maliki told the Iraqi parliament that his government had succeeded in saving the country from sliding into the pits of a civil war.

Hiti, whose bloc has 11 out of a total 275 seats in parliament, said the report "was made to sum up the reality in Iraq, but we all know the disastrous conditions of security and services."

"The report was meant to boost the image of the Maliki government or the Bush administration, which is facing objections and crises inside the United States," said Hiti.

NDF: Petraeus trying to beautify life that comes to standstill at 06:00 p.m. | Iraq Updates

Emir of Kuwait stresses support for Iraq's security, stability

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah emphasized his country's support for Iraq's security and stability during a meeting with Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, according to a presidential statement on Tuesday.

"Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah received Abdul-Mahdi on Monday at the al-Sayf Palace in Kuwait and discussed ways to bolster bilateral relations and recent regional and international developments," read the statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

Abdul-Mahdi arrived at Kuwait Airport on Monday on a one-day visit. He was received at the airport by Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah.

In 1991, Iraqi forces, under the former regime of President Saddam Hussein, invaded neighboring Kuwait.

Allied forces – chiefly from the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Syria, and France – were arrayed against the Iraqi army.

Under the command of U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf, the coalition began bombing military targets in Iraq and Kuwait, 24 hours after the United Nations (UN) deadline expired. In mid-February, Iraq signaled its willingness to withdraw.

However, a series of conditional Iraqi offers were rejected by the Coalition, and allied forces continued an air-land offensive. Within 100 hours, the city of Kuwait was liberated. Iraqi representatives accepted a permanent cease-fire on April 6, 1991. Iraq agreed to pay reparations to Kuwait, to reveal the location of its stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction.

Diplomatic relations between Iraq and Kuwait were re-established after the fall of the former regime in April 2003.

Emir of Kuwait stresses support for Iraq's security, stability | Iraq Updates

Kuwaiti interest in Iraq compensation issue should be treated "seriously"

Kuwaiti Ambassador to the UN Abdullah Al-Murad late Tuesday concurred with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad who said Iraq has the right to ask the Security Council to suspend or reduce payments to the Compensation Fund, but Kuwait's interest also has to be considered seriously.

"Of course the Iraqis have the right to ask for what they have asked for. I have not seen this letter, and of course we'll study it, and of course the Kuwaiti side also has to be treated seriously. So we'll take a look at the letter," Khalilzad told reporters.

The US envoy was answering a question about Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari's letter to the council president, circulated earlier in the day.

In that letter, Zebari said "the Government of Iraq believes that the time has come to review this matter ... Iraq would like to suspend the obligation to pay compensation or to have the amount of the payments reduced and, to that end, would like to work towards the creation of a new and just compensation mechanism." Ambassador Al-Murad also told KUNA that the council is "obviously Master of its own decisions" but "we hope it does not suspend or reduce the Iraqi payments to the UN Compensation Fund," arguing that 5 percent of Iraq's oil revenues earmarked to compensate Kuwaiti and non Kuwaiti victims of the invasion is "not a high percentage." A spokesman for the French Mission told KUNA that a response to Zibari's letter is being drafted by the council presidency - France - and that once approved by all council members, it will be sent to the Iraqi Mission in New York.

He declined to elaborate on the content, saying simply that he did not expect the response letter to be ready before the end of this week.

Zibari complained in his letter to the council president that the Iraqi payments made to the Geneva-based Compensation Fund, about 5 percent of its oil proceeds, have increased as a result of the increase in the price of oil and in Iraq's production capacity.

A UN official told KUNA that Iraq's payments to the Compensation Fund should continue until the Security Council, which established it following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the early nineties, decides otherwise.

Kuwaiti interest in Iraq compensation issue should be treated "seriously" | Iraq Updates

Lower demand for dollar in daily auction

Demand for the dollar was down in the Iraqi Central Bank’s auction on Tuesday, reaching $80.525 million, compared with $114.625 million on Monday.

In its daily statement the bank said it had covered all bids, including $15.925 million in cash and $64.600 in foreign transfers, at an exchange rate of 1,236 dinars per dollar, same as yesterday.

The banks that participated in Tuesday's session offered to sell $2.7 million.

Ali al-Yasseri, a trader, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) that the banks' offers to sell dollars are an "endeavor" to lower the exchange rate. According to him, the demand for the dollar in Tuesday's session was relatively high, de****e being much lower than that on Monday.

The Iraqi Central Bank runs a daily auction from Sunday to Thursday.

Lower demand for dollar in daily auction | Iraq Updates

3 Big Fuel Tanks to be Erected in Maisan

General director in projects department in Maisan oil field Engineer Jameel Hussein said that, the engineering and technical staff in the board were carried out erecting of 3 big fuel tanks for the oilm capacity of each tank amounted 36 000 cubic liter, as well as carrying out of erecting searchlight system for Bazargan complex which including 200 sodium light.

He added that, they finished from erecting 3 new pumps for pulling the oil from the pump stations in Bazargan fields instead of the damaged pumps, and erecting of 15 electrical pump for air pressure in the field stations to pump the oil with erecting of light columns for the third station BS3.

3 Big Fuel Tanks to be Erected in Maisan | Iraq Updates

KRG responds to Dr Shahristani’s recent statements on oil
The Spokesman
Kurdistan Regional Government

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) would like to make it clear that Dr Shahristani's recent remarks about the legality of the KRG's oil and gas contracts are totally unacceptable. His views are irrelevant to what the KRG is doing legally and constitutionally in Kurdistan. Dr Shahristani should concentrate on making a positive contribution to the country, rather than undermining the constructive work that the KRG is carrying out for the benefit of all the Iraqi people.

Dr Shahristani was already strongly advised to stay out of issues over which he has no authority. But once again he has repeated his false mantra of “it is illegal”. Unfortunately this has been his way of dealing with the legitimate concerns of the hard working oil union members in the south, with the achievements of the KRG or with any other organisation that he does not like. Dr Shahristani has no authority to question the legitimacy of contracts awarded by the KRG acting under the powers of the newly enacted law passed by the unanimous decision of the Regional Parliament and according to the new Iraq constitution.

We suggest that the Minister concentrates on his real task of preventing illegal oil smuggling under his watch, which is crippling the Iraqi economy, and removing the unconstitutional obstacles that he has created against the agreed draft oil law, so that it can go to the Iraqi parliament in its agreed form. As far as we know this would be consistent with government policy, but if he cannot do that, he should do the decent thing and step aside as the Iraqi oil industry deserves better.

The KRG would also like Dr Shahristani to explain why, during his frequent visits to some neighbouring countries he recommended to their authorities that they should not supply fuel products to KRG, as in his view “this will undermine the Oil Law in Iraq”? What is the connection between the KRG’s fuel supply and the Oil Law? We can only conclude from his behaviour that he has a personal grudge or vendetta against the Kurdish people.

On the Oil Law, we would like to remind Dr Shahristani that most of Saddam’s oil-related laws are inconsistent with the new federal constitution and cannot apply. No company will dare to sign agreements under such laws. Furthermore, all Saddam’s laws have been nullified in Kurdistan under the newly passed oil and gas law of the Region. Once again Dr Shahristani appears to prefer Saddam’s laws over laws enacted according to the new constitution. The answer is not to stick to Saddam’s laws, which is merely an act of desperation, or to invite the anti-oil law campaigners to conferences to attack the constitution. The answer is to get on with the agreed draft oil law and present it without changes to the parliament. That way we will all get on with the task of developing the oil industry for the benefit of the people.

KRG responds to Dr Shahristani’s recent statements on oil | Iraq Updates

After the Iraq progress report, what can the US do?

De****e the arrival this week of reports on progress - or the lack thereof - in Iraq, hard-liners and soft-liners in the United States have already announced their willingness to accept or, more likely, reject any report that does not conform to their preconceived notions. In this rush to condemn without considering the unintended consequences of a US withdrawal, Americans seem to have their eyes more on the 2008 presidential and congressional elections, and none on Iraq. It is a point not missed by embattled Iraqi politicians and Iraqis exhausted by the four-year siege on their security and their country's existence.

Why did Washington opt for a surge tactic militarily? This is an issue for military strategists. Of greater concern is the political equivalent of the surge strategy, its objectives and potential consequences. For those searching for coherency and consistency in American policy toward Iraq, the political surge strategy is confusing. Is it intended to reinforce the Maliki government or remove it? Is it intended to strengthen the ability of the central government to provide security, enact national reconciliation and govern Iraq or to prove that the weak decentralized government created by constitutional design cannot function and should be ignored? Is Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki the problem or is it the system? Should he be removed for the system's failure or is something wrong with a system that perpetuates ethnic, sectarian, tribal and family values over the rule of law, contained corruption and meritocracy? In Iraq, the struggle is all about identity and power. In the US, it is all about the next election.

This is not to say that the US should remain in Iraq for the long years it takes to end insurgencies. Americans should not be involved in determining Iraq's internal political quarrels, insurgencies or foreign relations. Regardless of how one feels about the reasons the US went to war in Iraq, the consequences of a precipitate withdrawal cannot be ignored. Iraq will face greater chaos and uncertainty, violence will spread, mass killings of those deemed insufficiently Iraqi or Muslim will continue, extremist Sunni and Shiite factions will thrive, and politicians will remain self-absorbed in carving out their version of the new Iraq.

What Iraq will resemble is clear enough: One need only look at the Shiite factions fighting each other for control of Basra, the sectarian and ethnic cleansing of Baghdad and other mixed communities, the attempted genocide of the Yazidis, the Kurds' rush to settle Kirkuk quickly, the sharp increase in Iraqi casualties and the 4 million Iraqis now living as refugees abroad or in internal exile.

If the intention of the surge was to target Sunni and Shiite extremists, then it has achieved significant success. Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar Province are cooperating with US forces out of self-interest and not because they have suddenly decided to endorse the government or become America's new allies in building Iraq or opposing Iran. Passage of legislation rolling back de-Baathification and equitable distribution of oil revenues will not mollify Sunni Arabs. Like other political factions, they are settling in for a season of hard bargaining and probably assume the US will repay their cooperation against Al-Qaeda with support.

If, however, the political surge in Iraq is intended to redraw the lines of authority and governance and deconstruct Iraq along Sunni-Shiite or Arab-Persian lines, then there is danger. Iraq's Sunni-led neighbors - in particular Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia - warn of a coming clash of civilizations as Shiite empowerment spreads from Iran and Iraq throughout the region. They have little interest in Iraq as a failed or a successful state - either way, they see risk. How should the US respond?

First, it should take steps to sustain the elected government in Baghdad and help it act decisively to establish its authority through a consensual exercise of power. Threats from Washington will not strengthen Maliki's hand or enhance the ability of his government to act. Efforts to destabilize the elected government, even if it is unpopular with Iraqis and Americans, or to encourage regime change by unconstitutional means will drive a further wedge between the US and Iraq. Miscalculation of America's ability to influence Baghdad could push the Maliki government - or its successor - into the arms of Tehran. Similarly, over-confidence on Iran's part regarding its influence in Iraq could tilt public and official opinion to favor US support.

Second, stop insisting on unrealistic benchmarks for Iraq's government that it is inherently unable to meet. Iraq needs a more responsive, transparent and inclusive political system, but demanding that the government approve specific measures intended to create national reconciliation by fiat will not work. Encouraging electoral reform could achieve this goal. The current electoral process of national lists and a nation-wide election only strengthens sectarian and ethnic factionalism. Provincial elections and electoral districts based on geography should produce candidates from local communities and responsible to them.

Third, use the uncertain outcome of US elections in 2008 and prospect of a drawdown of forces to underscore the need for political progress. Make clear to Iraqis that the US is serious about long-term withdrawal and that its policy is not dependent on the status of the insurgencies in Iraq; it is based on protecting US national interests. The risk here is twofold: following through on the threat and precipitating a government collapse that could usher in even greater conflict or total collapse.

And fourth, engage Iraq's neighbors in supporting the government in Baghdad. This includes talks with Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia on the need for them to bolster a united Iraq with secure borders and the need to limit foreign intervention. Iraq's neighbors do not see resolution of its crises in the same terms as Iraqis. Like the factions in Anbar, they are acting defensively. They have little interest in direct engagement in Iraq or redesigning borders to absorb Iraq's troublesome tribes and political issues.

After the Iraq progress report, what can the US do? | Iraq Updates