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

The English Text of the Security Agreement between Iraq and Turkey
Iraq and Turkey signed a Security Agreement in Ankara on 28 September 2007, where the two countries were represented by their Ministers of Interior.

Here below is the English text of the Agreement:

Agreement Between
The Republic of Iraq
And
The Republic of Turkey
On Combating Terrorism

The Republic of Iraq and the Republic of Turkey, hereinafter called "the Parties";

Reaffirming that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to regional and international peace and security and that all acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, whenever and by whomsoever committed.
Stressing their determination to combat all forms of terrorism.

Reaffirming, the existence of the belief and determination of the Parties for deepening and reinforcing the cooperation between the two countries, developing the existing good neighborly relations and strengthening the friendly ties in order to establish the security of the common borders binding the two neighboring countries and to prevent the infiltration of the terrorist elements through the borders aiming at destruction of the security and stability of the two countries.

Deeply concerned by the increasing number of victims, including civilians, children, police and military personnel, as well as by the destruction and damage caused by acts of terrorism committed in particular by the terrorist organization PKK/KONGRA-GEL and all entities affiliated with it and the terrorist organizations Ansar ul Sunna, Ansar ul Islam and Al Qaeda along with other terrorist groups affiliated with them, which constitute a threat to their security, stability and an impediment to the enhancement of bilateral relations.

Recognizing that, the Ankara agreement signed by the two parties on 5 June 1926, Friendship and neighborly Relations Agreement between Turkey and Iraq, signed on 29 March 1946 and the Agreement Between the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Iraq on Legal and Judicial Matters signed on 19 September 1989 and the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Prime Ministers of the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Iraq on 7 August 2007 are in force between the two States.

Confirming once again that the right of the peoples of both countries to a more secure and stable life is a fundamental right as underlined in the meetings of the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs of the neighboring States of Iraq.

Emphasizing their obligation to implement in full UN Security Council Resolutions 1373 (2001), 1546 and 1566 (2004) and 1624 (2005), as well as their common desire to cooperate effectively in combating the terrorist activities perpetrated by the terrorist groups.

Herewith agree:

ARTICLE I

The Parties shall take effective measures to prevent the preparation and commission of terrorist acts aimed at the security, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders and safety of citizens of the other party.

ARTICLE II

To this end the Parties shall take, inter alia, the following measures;
a) to put an end to prevent terrorist groups from using their respective territories as bases for presence, recruitment, training, planning, inciting or launching of terrorist acts against the other party.

b) To put an end and to outlaw all kind of financing activities, of the terrorist groups and logistical support given to these groups directly or indirectly.

c) Not to allow any mass media activities of the terrorist organizations including their radio and TV broadcasting, as well as their propaganda activities inciting terrorist acts.

d) To prevent the members of the terrorist organizations from affiliating with any political institutions and/or activity in their respective countries and from joining any state organization or official institution.

ARTICLE III

Each of the Parties are responsible for denying safe haven and bringing to justice, on the basis of the principle of "extradite or prosecute", any person who supports, facilitates, participates, or attempts to participate in financing, planning, preparation or commission of acts of a terrorist organizations.

ARTICLE IV

The Parties shall undertake, as soon as possible, to finalize the necessary arrangements and measures regarding combating terrorism, border cooperation and security.(See Annex)

ARTICLE V

Within a period of one (1) month after the entry into force of this Agreement, the Parties,

a) Shall exchange information on the terrorist organizations operating in their countries and the individuals involved in terrorist acts.

b) Shall exchange the international arrest warrants relating to terrorists sought with Interpol Red Notices or by Diffusion.

c) Shall appoint to their respective diplomatic missions a liaison contact point and provide the exchange of information for the implementation of the provision of this agreement.

ARTICLE VI

The Parties shall set up a Coordination Committee, responsible for the implementation of this Agreement which shall be chaired by the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Iraq and the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey of with participation of experts of other ministries or governmental institutions.

The Coordination Committee shall regularly meet every six months alternately in Turkey and Iraq.

In case of an urgent need, the Committee shall meet upon the request of one of the parties.

ARTICLE VII

This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of the receipt of the notification by which the Parties notify the completion of their respective internal legal procedures for notification.

The parties commit themselves to complete their ratification process in a period of three (3) months at the latest starting from the date of its signature. This agreement shall remain in force unless one of the Parties denounce it through diplomatic channels. The Agreement's validity will end after six (6) months following the receipt by the other Party of the notification of denunciation.

ARTICLE VIII

This Agreement is done in duplicate in Ankara on 28 September 2007, in the Arabic, Turkish, and English languages. All texts are equally authentic. In case of divergence of interpretation the English text shall prevail.


PUKmedia :: English - The English Text of the Security Agreement between Iraq and Turkey

Al-Hashimi Arrived in Saudi Arabia

Tariq al-Hashimi, the Iraqi vice-president, invited by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, arrived in Saudi Arabia, to perform Amra (of pilgrimage).

It is expected that during his stay, he will meet King Abdullah in Mecca.

PUKmedia :: English - Al-Hashimi Arrived in Saudi Arabia

Haji Omaran Border Crossing is Reopened Today

After the Iranian government closed its border with the Kurdistan region of Iraq on the grounds that American forces arrested Mahmoud Farhadi, the Iranian tradesman in the city of Sulaimani, the Haji Omaran border crossing today, Sunday, was re-opened by the Iranian, which was closed for more than two weeks.

In this respect, Darsim Tahseen, head of relations in Haji Omaran compound told PUKmedia: “After extensive discussions between the concerned authorities in Kurdistan region of Iraq and the Iranian city of Piran Shahir an agreement was reached to reopen the Haj Omaran border crossing, and traders can transfer their goods from this crossing from now on.

Also, today Parwezkhan border gate near Khanaqin officially was opened and transportations between Kurdistan region and Iran have started again.

Nazim Omar, representative of KRG in Tehran said in a statement yesterday that as a result of the meetings between the delegation of the KRG with officials in the Iranian government, Iranian authorities have decided to open its border gates with Kurdistan.

On the other hand, after it was scheduled that Bashmakh border crossing will be opened today, the border crossing has not been opened until now, and it will be opened tomorrow.

Regarding the issue, Jamal Abdullah, official spokesman of KRG, expressed KRG’s delight on the decision to open the border gates and said: “Those problems which happen on the borders are too small to deteriorate the bilateral relations between Kurdistan region and Iran.”

Closure of the border gates had a great impact on rising prices of goods in the markets of Kurdistan region, and made hundreds of workers, drivers and tradesmen idle who have been working in the border crossings.

PUKmedia :: English - Haji Omaran Border Crossing is Reopened Today

Head of Foreign Relations Bureau of KRG Arrived New in York City

In the framework of coordination between the KRG with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Iraqi government, and to participate in the meetings of the 62nd round of the UN General Assembly committees, Mr. Falah Mustafa ,head of foreign relations bureau of KRG arrived New York City within the delegation of the Iraqi government ,representing the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

It is planned that the UN General Assembly in this session, including 192 member countries, to discuss some important issues concerning the current world situation and developments on the international scene.

The most important issues and key topics of the meeting of the committees focus on this year: how to deal with the situation of climate and environmental change, the development of global economy ,adoption of international strategy to combat terrorism and work to develop management systems reform to commensurate with the objectives and requirements of the third millennium.

It is scheduled that the UN General Assembly committees’ 62nd meeting to begin its work on 8 / 10.

These actions will be implemented through six specialized committees responsible for disarmament, international security, politics, economics, sociology, as well as budget and law.

PUKmedia :: English - Head of Foreign Relations Bureau of KRG Arrived New in York City

Iraqi premier relieved over Shiite leaders' 'reconciliation deal'

Iraq's Premier Nuri al-Maliki welcomed on Sunday a "reconciliation deal" signed between rival Shiite leaders Moqtada al- Sadr and Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, a statement from his office said. "The deal, which came at the right time, expresses a high sense of national responsibility toward the critical circumstances the Iraqi people are going through," al-Maliki said in the statement quoted by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq.

The pact between the Sadr faction loyal to Shiite cleric al-Sadr and al-Hakim the leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, comes amid reports that the groups are vying for supremacy among the Shiites and are engaged in a fierce power struggle.

The premier said he welcomed "the deal and any other steps taken by the Iraqi political powers to stem bloodshed, enhance national unity, and spread an atmosphere of endearment among the groups of one people."

The two top Shiite groups in Iraq - both members of the ruling coalition known as the United Iraqi Alliance - said the new pact should end disputes between them and bring them closer.

The two parties agreed to bury the hatchet on Saturday and form a new body to be called the "supreme council" with branches across Iraq in order to monitor the relations between followers of the two groups and prevent problems and "sedition."

Iraqi premier relieved over Shiite leaders' 'reconciliation deal' : Middle East World

Higher demand for dollar, exchange rate still stable

Baghdad, Oct 7, (VOI) - Demand for the dollar was higher in the Iraqi Central Bank’s auction on Sunday, reaching $66.055 million compared to $62.615 million on Thursday.

In its daily statement, the bank said it had covered all bids, including $8.445 million in cash and $57.610 in foreign transfers, at an exchange rate of 1,233 dinars per dollar, unchanged for the fourth consecutive session.

None of the 15 banks that participated in Sunday's session offered to sell dollars.

In statements to the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI), Ali al-Yasseri, a trader, said that the commercial revival of the local market with the Muslim Eid al-Futr be celebrated next week encouraged traders to buy more dollars in today's auction session.

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

Aswat Aliraq

CPI says Radi seeks media spotlight

Baghdad, Oct 7, (VOI) – Iraq's Commission on Public Integrity (CPI) slammed its former head, Radi Hamza al-Radi, for his testimony before the U.S. Congress and his accusations against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of covering up corruption in his government, and described his allegations as an attempt to cause a "media stir."

"The dignity and national pride of the Iraqi people are being violated by the sight of foreign troops and artillery in Iraqi streets and the former Iraqi regime is fully responsible for what happened," read a CPI statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"Following the handover of power to Iraqi authorities in June 2004, several constitutional and legal institutions and an elected government were formed…," said the statement that was signed by the commission's new head, Mousa Faraj.

While praising U.S.-Iraqi bilateral relations, the statement stressed that Iraqi parliamentary, legal and constitutional institutions are the only bodies authorized to decide upon critical and contentious issues.

"On October 11, 2006, a lawsuit was filed against al-Radi for committing financial and legal violations. Al-Radi was released on bail by the central court and was subject to parliamentary questioning, and a vote of no confidence was scheduled to be held against him ," Faraj said.

"Instead of defending himself before the Iraqi parliament, court and people, al-Radi fled abroad with some of his men and with dozens of documents in his possession. He sought a political asylum (in the United States) in an attempt to drop the charges against him. He gave a testimony before Congress, forgetting that the Iraqi parliament is the right place for such a testimony."

Expressing his indifference to the "U.S. boycott of the commission," Faraj said that he had urged officials from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad to listen to the CPI's point of view on the matter.

Ruling out internal pressure on the commission, Faraj said that the CPI is an independent institution that aims to curb corruption in the war-scarred country, which damages Iraq's international reputation and creates a gap between the current government and the Iraqi people.

The Iraqi government said on Saturday it will file a lawsuit against al-Radi for allegedly smuggling official documents and defaming al-Maliki.
"Al-Radi's testimony before U.S. congressmen is no more than a false allegation serving well-known figures and bodies, which are launching an organized campaign that aims to damage the reputation of the prime minister," an Iraqi cabinet statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) said on Saturday.

In his speech before Congress, al-Radi claimed that rampant administrative corruption in Iraq has reached al-Maliki's government and reported an $18 billion loss as a result of corruption, citing CPI figures.
Al-Radi accused al-Maliki of exempting some of his relatives, who were allegedly involved in corruption cases, from legal questioning.

Media source quoted al-Radi as accusing al-Maliki of hindering the commission's work by preventing it from pursuing former and current ministers involved in corruption cases without his prior approval.

"Blocking interrogation with state ministers or employees is not in the capacity of the prime minister or the concerned minister. The court is authorized to issue an arrest warrant against any employee without a prior approval from any administrative body," the statement explained.

Aswat Aliraq

Iran arming militias in Iraq: Petraeus

East Of Baquba, Iraq: The US military commander in Iraq stepped up accusations over the weekend that Iran was stoking violence in Iraq and said Tehran's ambassador to Baghdad was a member of the Revolutionary Guards Qods force.

Washington accuses the elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards of inciting bloodshed in Iraq and of training and equipping militias who have attacked US troops.

General David Petraeus, speaking at a US military base about 30 km from the Iranian border on Saturday, said Iran was giving advanced weaponry to militias in Iraq.

"They are responsible for providing the weapons, the training, the funding and in some cases the direction for operations that have indeed killed US soldiers," Petraeus told a small group of reporters when asked if the Iranian government was responsible for killing US troops.

"There is no question about the connection between Iran and these components, (the) attacks that have killed our soldiers."
Petraeus did not say how he knew Iran's ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, was a member of the Qods force.

"The ambassador is a Qods force member," said Petraeus, before appearing to suggest that Kazemi-Qomi was not under the US military spotlight because he was a diplomat.

"Now he has diplomatic immunity and therefore he is obviously not subject (to scrutiny). He is acting as a diplomat."

The Iranian embassy in Baghdad had no immediate comment.

Kazemi-Qomi has twice met US ambassador Ryan Crocker in Baghdad this year for landmark talks on ways to stabilise Iraq. The discussions have made little headway, with both sides accusing each other over the violence in the country.

Gulfnews: Iran arming militias in Iraq: Petraeus

Fresh hope for Iraq

by ArabianBusiness.com staff writer on Sunday, 07 October 2007

De****e daily news reports of bombing and kidnappings in Iraq, people still travel to and from the war-torn country.

Construction projects in the northern Kurdistan area are attracting major corporations and investment companies, while the 25 million people living in Iraq travel abroad to visit friends and relatives.


However, the absence of clear communication channels can make travel impossible without a reliable contact on the ground and a military escort to meet clients when they arrive.

Most governments warn against travel to Iraq and the American Department of State says terrorists are targeting civilian and military aircraft arriving at and departing from Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). Nordic Airways recently suspended flights to Iraq after a missile was fired at an aircraft travelling from Iraq to Norway with 130-passengers on board.

However, Royal Jordanian has seen the gap in the market for flights to Iraq.

Royal Jordanian operates more than 30 flights per week into four cities in Iraq; Baghdad, Basra, Irbil and Suleimaniyah.

"Nobody else operates into Iraq because of the security situation," says Samer Majali, president and CEO, Royal Jordanian. "We are very closely linked to Iraq and the flying time from Amman to Baghdad is one-hour and 20 minutes. The road journey is very long and arduous and insecure, so commercially and politically [flying to Iraq] makes a lot of sense."

Hard living

Iraq's most famous hotel remains the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad.

Built by Le Meridien as the Palestine Meridien Hotel in 1982, the property was once the safe haven of journalists during the first and second Gulf Wars, but the hotel is now located outside of the fortified International Zone, and statying there is not recommneded.

The Sheraton Ishtar, confiscated from Sheraton Hotels in 1999, has been closed since 2006, but is reportedly open for business once again. The Al-Rasheed is the only major hotel located in the International Zone, home to diplomats, foreign press and western businessmen working in Baghdad.

The 18-storey property has 338 rooms and 52 suites. While still technically a functioning hotel, its services are rudimentary, and guests should not expect any of the usual luxuries.

The Iraqi government has recently formed a Ministry of Tourism, a sign of its confidence that it can restore its tourism industry and attract foreign investment. It has put forward a plan to train staff in neighbouring countries in hotel services skills.

In addition, The Kurdistan Development Company has launched a campaign called The Other Iraq to promote commerce, investment and trade in the northern province, which remains largely unaffected by violence.

Amongst other infrastructure projects, the government is building a new airport in the region's capital Irbil to complement another new airport in Suleimaniyah.

According to Basil Al Douri, former regional manager of Iraqi Airways, now general manager of the recently opened Ema Travel and Tourism in Irbil, the mountainous northern Kurdish region used to be a popular holiday destination for Gulf Arabs.

"People come to the mountains in the North every summer - it is cold and offers an escape from the heat," he explains. "Before the first Gulf War we had people from all over the GCC coming to the mountains; now its only Iraqis, but we hope to change that in the future.

"The government wants to develop Irbil like Dubai - there is very fast work going on in the construction world. Projects, including hotels, ho****als, offices and serviced apartments, are springing up all over the city."

Ema Travel and Tourism handles ticketing, airport transfers, tours to the northern mountains, and travel planning within Iraq.

According to Al-Douri, a new five-star hotel is among the new buildings being built. Industry speculation has suggested that Kempinski will operate the new hotel, but the hotel chain has denied these rumours.

Rotana Hotels recently made a commitment to the region after signing a partnership agreement with Lebanese holding group Malia for the management of a 205-room hotel in Irbil.

The five-star Erbil Rotana Hotel will be built on a 20,000m² plot of land strategically located in front of the Sami Rahman Park, between the convention centre and Irbil Exhibition Fair.

Rotana Hotels president and CEO Selim El Zyr says the move is part of Rotana's plans to have a property in every "key city" in the Middle East. "We are proud to have been chosen to manage this new spectacular five-star property and our team is very excited about the opportunity to be in Iraq," he says.

"We are confident that we will introduce a new dimension of ho****ality in the country."

In addition to the 205 rooms and suites, the property will feature restaurants and recreational areas, including Bodylines health and fitness club and a swimming pool.

Fresh hope for Iraq - Travel & Ho****ality - ArabianBusiness.com

President Talabani Concludes his visit to New York, Washington and goes to the Mayo Clinic

President Talabani, today, Sunday, concluded his visit to New York and Washington in the United States of America, His Excellency initiated by his participation in the Clinton Global Initiative.

His Excellency then visited Washington, where he met senior officials there in the American administration, and on top the American President, George W. Bush and Defense Minister, Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in addition to a number of other administration officials and members of Congress.

President Talabani, following the conclusion of his visit to Washington, visited Rojester city where His Excellency visited the city Ho****al of “Mayo Clinic" to conduct medical examinations complementary to those conducted in the month of May of this year in the same ho****al.

It is scheduled that President Talabani to return to Home when these tests complete.

His Excellency had left Iraq and traveled to New York, on Tuesday 25-9-2007, for the purpose of participating in the annual meeting which was held by the former American President Bill Clinton, and attended by many heads of States, and well-known personalities in the world.

PUKmedia :: English - President Talabani Concludes his visit to New York, Washington and goes to the Mayo Clinic