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

The Quadruple Agreement Parts Meets

In the attendance of President Jalal Talabani and PM Nouri al-Maliki, the Quadruple Agreement Parts that consist of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Kurdistan Democratic Party, Iraqi Supreme Islamic Council and Islamic Dawaa Party, met.

In a fast breaking banquet which was held in President Talabani’s residence in the attendance of Sheikh Humam Hamodi, Ali al-Adib, Dr. Latief Rashid and Haider Ebadi, they discussed the situation in Iraq and filling in the blank ministries with qualified ministers.

In the meeting, the effect of Crocker and Petraeus reports on the Iraqi situation was discussed, also they discussed the necessity of gathering all the political forces for developing the National Unity Government and they expressed their sadness for the assassination of Sheikh Sattar Abu Reesha.

PUKmedia :: English - The Quadruple Agreement Parts Meets

Iraqi securities market Index drops 1.6%

The session of the Iraqi securities market on Sunday, the fourth this month, witnessed weak investor attendance; the meeting was delayed by a quarter of an hour until the arrival of brokerage companies and approved bank mediation offices to execute investor buy/sell orders.

The market bulletin showed that over 399 million shares worth over 529 million ID were traded in 184 contracts.

VOI: "The market price indicator dropped 1.6%, compared to the previous session, and settled at 38.95 points at the end of the session; most of the circulation has been in the banking sector, which ... traded 305 million shares valued 473 million ID; no contracts were executed for non-Iraqis in Sunday's session. Shares of 31 shareholding companies listed in the Iraq market for securities were traded: 12 of them for a Banking company, 2 an investment company, 3 to a service company, 12 for industrial companies and 2 a hotel company.”

Shares of 6 of the 12 banking companies traded increased, namely: the Bank of Mosul 9% (the highest of Sunday's session), the Islamic Bank 5%, Sumar Commercial Bank 4.7%, the Gulf Bank 3.5%, the Iraqi Commercial Bank 3% and the Bank of the North 1.2%. Prices of five decreased: the Iraqi National Bank by 8.3%, the Bank of Basra 4%, the Bank of Babel 3.7%, the Iraqi Investment Bank 3.5% and Alwarkaa Bank by 3.1 %; the Iraqi Credit Bank was unchanged, as was the banking index at 37.609 points.

Over 305 million (90% of the total number of shares traded) were bank stocks, at a value of over 473 million ID, 89.5% of total trading volume, with 130 trades. Al-Warkaa Bank had the highest share volume in the banking sector (24.8%) and the highest percentage of banking sector value (25%), with 75 million shares worth over 118,000,000 ID.

In the investment sector, the shares of two investment companies attracted high prices: Al-Wiiam for Financial Investment rose 4.1% and Al-Qimmah for Financial Investment 3.4%. The investment sector index closed at 108.570 -- plus 0.092% from the previous meeting.

In the services sector, three companies traded: Al-Badia Company, public transport, rose 5%, while the Iraqi Company, land transport, dropped 5.3%. Al-Maamoorah Real Estate Company was unchanged, as was the services sector index at 77.938.

Shares of 12 industrial companies traded Sunday; two increased: Baghdad Company for Carbonated Drinks by 4.3% and Electronic Industries Company 3.1%. Seven companies decreased: Al-Hilal Industrial Company, 7.6% ; the Company of Metal Industrial and Motorcycles, 5.8%; Eastern Beer Company, 5.5%; Al-Kindi Company for Veterinary Vaccines 5%; Modern Dyes Company 4.7%; Light Industries Company 3.4%, and finally the Chemical Industries Company by 2.6%. 3 firms were unchanged: Nineveh Company for Food Industries, the Carpets Company and finally the Iraqi Company for Engineering Works. The industrial index closed at 11.834 points, down 0.429%.

Baghdad Company for Carbonated Drinks had the highest share of the volume, (58.7%), and value, (50.7%), in the industrial sector with 11 million shares trading for over 13 million dinars.

The final outcome of Sunday's session showed 31 out of 93 listed companies traded; prices of 11 rose, 14 dropped and 6 were unchanged.

http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=4533

Economic development conference for Anbar

The clan leaders in Anbar held an economic conference with American and Iraqi officials to discuss methods of economic development, three days after the surprise visit by the American President. About three thousand American and Iraqi soldiers participated in protecting the Ramadi City Hall where the meeting was held over one day.

The conference was attended by Democratic Senator Joseph Biden who came to Iraq specifically to attend this forum. Also attending were the American ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, and the Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, the second highest American military official in Iraq, in addition to a delegation from the Iraqi government headed by the two Vice-Presidents, Tariq Al-Hashemi and Adel Abdul-Mahdi, plus Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih.

An American official said that the aim of this conference is to give economic support to this province where former rebels have joined the police to fight Al Qaeda alongside American forces.

Noah Miller, the official at the American embassy, said that "the Anbar Forum is an attempt to bring together the central government with local government," and added, "During this forum we expect the central government to announce an assistance program for the province."

The American President George Bush had made a surprise visit to Al-Assad air base in the province, and has hinted during his visit to the possibility of reducing the number of American troops in Iraq if the security situation continues to develop there, in what had been one of the main strongholds of the insurgency in Iraq.

http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=4534

Head of High Committee of Implementation Article 140: There is Progress in Steps of Normalization

Mr. Raaid Fahmi, Iraqi minister of science and technology and head of High Committee of Implementation Article 140 of the Iraqi permanent constitution which deals with normalizing Kirkuk and the other disputed areas, during an interview with al-Huriah radio said that there is progress in steps of the normalization.

He clarified that there are three phases of implementing article 140 including normalization, census and referendum, indicating that there are difficulties in the census issue .However, he said that there is a decision of the Iraqi council of ministers about non-availability of proper circumstances of making a public census in Iraq because of the security bad situation in some areas. He expressed his viewpoint and said that the census cannot be done in some areas without the other areas.

“ Works are going on better than people expects pointing out that the Iraqi government, the presidency council and Kurdistan political leadership expressed large will and interest for implementing the article because it is a constitutional one and it is not on any ones account.” He said.

“ Implementation of Article 140 needs a large scale of intention to the technical aspects. The committee has only 4 months for implementing the article 140 .In this period as much as we overcome the obstacles we can gain so much success.” He added.

Concerning the foreign interference in the issue and its impacts on the committee’s works Mr. Raaid Fahmi said: “The general principle is that the issue is an Iraqi one and the Iraqis must implement it, however the current Iraqi difficult situations need to be considered.”

“One of the principles that guarantees success is commitment on professional accurate aspects in preparing the demands of compensating the displaced people and the settlers according to the governmental evidences and those decisions issued during the reign of the ousted regime.” Mr. Raaid Fahmi said as well.

PUKmedia :: English - Head of High Committee of Implementation Article 140: There is Progress in Steps of Normalization

To Make the Facts More Clear (2)

Very often a question is raised here and three: why should the parties and the political forces working in the other parts of Kurdistan be prevented from carrying out their armed struggle on Kurdistan region soil against their states? The question is made under the pretext that the Iraqi Kurdistani parties used the soil of other parts of Kurdistan in the past.

Obviously Iraqi Kurdistan has been in struggle for the last fifty years. The neighboring countries were never willing to deal with Kurds like they are today.

We mention Iran as an example .De****e the great problems in Iraq which have confronted both of us like the issue of terrorism- since the toppling of the shah-ties between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan parties have been existed even when those ties faced real problems .Ties with Turkey have been economic and cultural besides exchanging mutual visits, although direct political relations do not exist. So, it is not right to put Kurdistan regions relations with each other under the direct influence of those parties in different parts of Kurdistan and their attitude towards states.

In fact this is a realistic and right policy. It says more Iraqi Kurdistan is a part of the Iraqi federal state. It is not like the old days when free Kurdistan was only a “revolutionary” state or reality .Today Iraqi Kurdistan in its external policy, is bound to alley itself with the federal state in Baghdad. And that state abides intentional law.

That’s why Kurdistan region deems it as its right to openly tell other parties in different parts of Kurdistan, that Iraqi Kurdistan soil cannot be used for armed forces because it is not right to international law and we do not see it as an advantage to this part of Kurdistan.

Moreover, this intense military situation, which forms some parties’ military activities on the borders causes the region’s deterioration relations with both Turkey an Iran and makes them dangerously complicated ,thus putting this region under a great threat. This is not an issue that becomes a common policy of all parties in Kurdistan and in return Kurdistan region should be bound to it. But this is originally a decision of a single party in Turkey which wishes, to implement in all problem _triggering method. There, fore example in Iranian Kurdistan many parties exists and don’t agree that armed policy. They have room in Iraqi Kurdistan with their bases and open headquarters. The political leadership of Kurdistan provides excuses. That’s why a unilateral policy of a party cannot be an example to all and can not cerate a complicated and unknown de facto situation to be imposed on other parts of Kurdistan the way PKK wishes. This situation in particular directly harms Iraqi Kurdistan .For that reason we advice them not to use the territory of Kurdistan region for armed conflicts. It is a legitimate demand and not a service offered to the countries. It is in the interest of Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Iraqi Kurdistan political leadership is responsible for protecting the interests of this part of Kurdistan and safeguarding them from danger.

Eventually we must realize the fact that the situation in Kurdistan is not similar to other parts because they have achieved nothing and they are negligent toward actual conditions .Because Iraqi Kurdistan to a great degree and in all aspects is advancing and progressing .If the balance of other parties in great Kurdistan be like that :you have nothing to loose ,this does not apply to Iraqi Kurdistan .Here the point is not wining but also not losing ,which undoubtedly means losing this part, in essence losing the other parts .

PUKmedia :: English - To Make the Facts More Clear (2)

Originally Posted by livefree

I was looking at the title of this thread. Think tank and discussion.
Seems like most of what we are seeing is copy and paste from internet news.
I suppose this is a good thing for those without television or internet.
What do you guys think?

Personally I think copying and pasting news sux....what we really need is someone to volunteer to fly into Baghdad and get us first hand unbiased news....and you've got my vote. Thanx...call me when you get back.

Seaview and Lunar your hard work here in "Latest News-Think Tank-Discussion" is appreciated by me. Thank you so much.




Seaview
Senior Investor
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,133
iTrader: (0)
Thanks: 44
Thanked 275 Times in 183 Posts



You need internet to read this.

Discussion is a good idea but you need members to contribute to discuss.

Iraqis tell Washington to monitor its own progress

Iraqi lawmakers said today Washington was covering up for its own mistakes in Iraq by setting them artificial benchmarks to meet and ticking them off like scorecards.

Frustrated by criticism from the U.S. over their slow progress toward political goals meant to foster national reconciliation, Iraqi leaders said Washington would be better served by examining its own progress in the unpopular war. "The Americans always try to pretend the responsibility for cleaning up this mess isn't theirs and tend to shift blame onto Iraq, Iran and Syria for everything that goes wrong,'' said veteran Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman. "But they should stop this nonsense and admit that most of the accountability rests on their shoulders,'' he told Reuters.

In a report ordered by Congress, the White House said on Friday that Iraq's leaders had not met half of their key goals.

Monitor -- 2 U.S. admission of shortfalls in the performance of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's fractured government came a day after President George Bush had said enough progress had been made to justify troop withdrawals.

The White House report concluded Iraq's leaders had made satisfactory progress on nine out of 18 political and security benchmarks and unsatisfactory progress in seven. It said it could not rate two other targets.

The benchmarks, which include a crucial revenue-sharing oil law, are designed to promote reconciliation between Iraq's warring majority Shi'ite and minority Sunni Arabs. Maliki's shaky unity government has been all but paralysed by infighting.

Monitor -- 3 A dozen ministers, Shi'ites and Sunnis, have left his cabinet and the political movement of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has threatened to pull out of the coalition.

The White House report followed two days of Congressional testimony by General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, and U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker in a progress report that was seen as possibly presaging a change in U.S. policy in Iraq.

Their much-anticipated report noted some security improvements but also described very modest political gains. Bush broadly backed Petraeus's recommendation for a limited withdrawal of about 20,000 troops by July.

"Before they ask the government to treat the problems in Iraq they should correct the mistakes they committed, like the disbanding of the Iraqi army,'' Sunni Arab lawmaker Izzedine al-Dawla said.

United Press International - Africa Monitoring

Thanks Sexy-Nana.

Alan Greenspan claims Iraq war was really for oil

AMERICA’s elder statesman of finance, Alan Greenspan, has shaken the White House by declaring that the prime motive for the war in Iraq was oil.

In his long-awaited memoir, to be published tomorrow, Greenspan, a Republican whose 18-year tenure as head of the US Federal Reserve was widely admired, will also deliver a stinging critique of President George W Bush’s economic policies.

However, it is his view on the motive for the 2003 Iraq invasion that is likely to provoke the most controversy. “I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil,” he says.

Greenspan, 81, is understood to believe that Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the security of oil supplies in the Middle East.

Britain and America have always insisted the war had nothing to do with oil. Bush said the aim was to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and end Saddam’s support for terrorism.

Alan Greenspan claims Iraq war was really for oil - Times Online