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

Security authorities to conduct Baghdad residents' registration

Iraqi security authorities prepare to start a campaign to register population in Baghdad in preparation of issuing passes cards for Baghdad's residents, while two security plans were worked out: one for Shiite pilgrims' visit to Karbala and the other in preparation for the holy month of Ramadan, due on mid September, the official spokesman for the Baghdad law-imposing plan said on Monday.

"Security authorities in Baghdad will hold a registration for the capital's local residents," Brigadier Qassem Atta told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI), highlighting that the registration comes in preparation of issuing passes cards for Baghdad's residents.

"The registration will be held only in the secure and stable neighborhoods," he also said, noting that the plan aims at determining alien gunmen who would enter into the city to implement bombing attacks.

He did not set a specific time for launching the registration.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said that the security authorities worked out a security plan to protect the Shiite visitors who will head for Karbala, 108 km southwest of Baghdad, to celebrate the birth of the last Shiite Imam al-Mahdi, due next week.

"There is another plan made by the Baghdad operations command in coordination with the security forces before Ramadan, a sacred month for Muslims, to protect all regions in Baghdad, mainly mosques," he continued.

Security authorities to conduct Baghdad residents' registration | Iraq Updates

Gunmen kidnap technology deputy minister in central Baghdad

Unknown gunmen kidnapped the undersecretary of the sciences and technology ministry on Sunday night while on his way back home in central Baghdad, a source from the ministry said.

"Unidentified gunmen kidnapped Dr. Sameer Saleem al-Attar, undersecretary of sciences and technology ministry, and his driver while on his way back home in Arasat al-Hindiya region in central Baghdad and took him to unknown place," the Director of the ministry's information department Abdul Amir Finjan told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

"The kidnappers phoned his family later and told them about the incident without demanding any ransom," he added.

Al-Attar has a Ph.D. in Physics from the Baghdad University and he has been in his current post for more than two years.
The man is married and has two children.

No word was available from security authorities or the Iraqi government on the incident.

Gunmen kidnap technology deputy minister in central Baghdad | Iraq Updates

Syria and Iraq discuss cooperation and bilateral ties

Syria on Monday expressed readiness to offer support and aid to the Iraqi people, participate effectively in rebuilding Iraq and construct what has been destroyed by the war there.

"Syria will stand by the Iraqi people and back every effort that eases their suffering and helps them overcome their ordeal," Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Ottri said during an official session of talks with Iraqi counterpart Nouri al-Maliki.

"Syria spared no efforts to offer aid to the Iraqis, and did her best to support and realize Iraqi national reconciliation, security and stability…. Syria endured pressures, social and economic burdens as a result of the existence of nearly 1.5 million of Iraqi refugees in Syria," Ottri added.
He held the occupation forces in Iraq responsible for the social, economic and security deteriorating situation there, saying "the presence of occupation forces in Iraq attracted extremism powers and led to escalating blind violence which claims the lives of scores of innocent people every day in Iraq."

"Putting a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq will boost opportunities of reconciliation among Iraqis and provide suitable atmospheres for a serious dialogue among different Iraqi parties," Prime Minister went on.

He said that the visit of Iraqi Prime Minister and the accompanying delegation to Syria will open new horizons of cooperation between Syria and Iraq, adding "both sides aspire for activating previous signed agreements and agree on new ones in the fields of economy, trade, transport, energy, agriculture, industry and water."

For his part, Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki described the Syrian-Iraqi relations as brotherly and historic, underlining his country's commitment to develop ties between the two states in the economic and social domains.

Al-Maliki referred to the situation in Iraq and the importance of neighboring countries to cooperate with it in order to achieve security and stability there and overcome current conditions which the Iraqi people are passing through.

He pointed out to the importance of studying signed agreements between the two states through a joint technical commission.

Talks between both sides dealt with a number of issues, concentrating on bilateral cooperation between Syria and Iraq and means of enhancing them in all fields.

Discussions also covered the conditions of Iraqi refugees in Syria and the economic and social burdens which Syria endures, and the necessity of cooperation to tackle this issue.

Members of the Iraqi delegation expressed appreciation of Syria for providing suitable conditions to the Iraqi refugees' residence in the country; stressing Iraq will do its best to help the Syrian government ensure good conditions.

Syrian Ministers of Finance, Irrigation, Economy and Trade, Petroleum in addition to Interior Minister, Transport Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad attended the meeting for the Syrian side.

Iraqi Ministers of Interior, Petroleum, Trade, Water Resources, Deputy of Foreign Ministry Labid Abadi attended the meeting on the Iraqi side.

Syria and Iraq discuss cooperation and bilateral ties | Iraq Updates

Maliki walks a fine line in his recent efforts to put Iraq first

It has been nearly a year since Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki made it a point to blatantly tell President George W. Bush: "I consider myself a friend of the US, but I'm not America's man in Iraq." Yet de****e this firm declaration, which was widely publicized by media outlets around the globe, the Iraqi premier has had a hard time shaking off the impression that his every move is determined by his puppet******* in Washington. However, during the past few weeks, as the premier has come under increasing pressures at home with all Sunni Arab ministers either boycotting or quitting Cabinet, Maliki has begun to show increasing signs of spine and independent initiative.

On Monday, he started his first trip as premier to Damascus, where he met with Syrian leaders to discuss ways of improving security in his war-torn country. His trip, which follows his visits last week to Iran and Turkey, is part of a broader effort to garner support from Iraq's neighbors, two of which happen to be arch-foes of the United States. Maliki's effort to drum up external support for his country is also coupled with a bid to reach out to internal communities, particularly the Sunni Arabs, and draw their members back into his government. This initiative included a trip last week to Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, where Maliki tried to win the support of Sunni tribal leaders. Maliki's change in tone and approach toward Sunni Arabs, who have long suspiciously viewed the premier as being biased toward his own sect, is a necessary step toward fostering national reconciliation in Iraq.

But it is too early to tell whether Maliki's recent burst of initiative will have a huge impact on the Iraqi situation, especially since his efforts follow months of inaction. Maliki's credibility may already be worn too thin for him to be able to foster a sense of national unity at home, and his efforts abroad may be complicated by tense international relations. Already, Maliki's moves to warm up to Syria and Iran have been met with consternation in Washington. For example, after Maliki was quoted by Iranian state media as praising the Islamic Republic for its "positive and constructive" role in Iraq, Bush moved swiftly to publicly respond, saying: "If the signal is that Iran is constructive, I will have to have a heart-to-heart with my friend, the prime minister, because I don't believe they are constructive." Bush may try to strong arm his Iraqi protege, since he still harbors fantasies that he can single-handedly repair Iraq, even though experts from his own country have urged him to resort to a multi-lateral, cooperative approach involving Iran and Syria.

Maliki will have to navigate the pressures that will no doubt result from his attempts to set a new Iraqi agenda. In doing so, he will need to be careful not to fall into the trap of being America's man in Iraq, or Iran's or Syria's. He will need to keep his sights on being the man of a united Iraqi people.

Maliki walks a fine line in his recent efforts to put Iraq first | Iraq Updates

Lack of common vision causes instability in Iraq says VP

Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said on Monday that the lack of a common vision among different political parties is the main reason for Iraq's instability, considering the Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) as not responsible for what he described as "chaos" in the country.

"Al-Hashemi asserted, during his meeting with a number of U.S. Congressmen at his office this afternoon, that the absence of a common vision among political parties and social entities is the main reason for this instability," al-Hashemi's office said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

"The IAF participated in the government as there are several joint pledges, but some parties violated these agreements," the statement quoted the Iraqi official as saying.

"We were keen on performing our role, but we did not have the chance to realize that," he also said.

Al-Hashemi is the leader of the Islamic party, one of the main components of the Sunni IAF.

The IAF had quit the Iraqi government earlier this month in protest against the government's failure to respond to 11 demands forwarded by the front, including the release of detainees, disbanding of the militias and re-building the Iraqi army.

The IAF has five ministerial portfolios within the Iraqi government and the vice president position, occupied by Tareq al-Hashimi, and the deputy premier position, occupied by Sallam al-Zawbaie.

The Sunni bloc is the third largest in the Iraqi parliament with 44 out of a total 275 seats.

The Islamic party refused to take part in the four-way meeting, which gathered President Jalal Talabani, President of Kurdistan region Massoud Barazani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi.

He stressed on the necessity of the continuity to arm Iraqi tribes to give citizens larger role to participate in the security file, and contribute in achieving peace and security, the statement concluded.

Lack of common vision causes instability in Iraq says VP | Iraq Updates

Syria says ready to offer aid to rebuild Iraq

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Ottri said Monday his country was ready to offer aid to the Iraqis, participate effectively in rebuilding Iraq and construct what has been destroyed by the war, the official SANA news agency reported.

"Syria will stand by the Iraqi people and back every effort that eases their suffering and helps them overcome their ordeal," Ottri was quoted as saying during an official session of talks with his visiting Iraqi counterpart Nouri al-Maliki.

"Syria has spared no efforts to offer aid to the Iraqis and does her best to support and realize the Iraqi national reconciliation, security and stability," said Ottri.

"Syria endured pressures, social and economic burdens as a result of the existence of nearly 1.5 million Iraqi refugees in Syria," he said.
Ottri also held the occupation forces in Iraq responsible for the social, economic and security deterioration there, referring to the U.S.-led coalition forces.

"The presence of occupation forces in Iraq attracts extremism powers and leads to the escalation of blind violence which claims the lives of innocent people every day in Iraq," said Ottri.

"Putting a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq will boost opportunities of reconciliation among Iraqis and provide suitable atmospheres for a serious dialogue among different Iraqi parties," he said.

Ottri said the visit of Maliki "will open new horizons of cooperation" between Syria and Iraq, adding that "both sides aspire for activating previous signed agreements and agree on new ones in the fields of economy, trade, transport, energy, agriculture, industry and water."

It was Maliki's first visit to Syria since he took office in 2006. It was also the second time for Maliki to visit a U.S. arch- foe within one month. In early August, Maliki visited another U.S. arch-foe in the region, Iran.

For his part, Maliki described Syrian-Iraqi relations as brotherly and historic, underlining his country's commitment to developing ties with Syria in the economic and social domains.

Maliki stressed the importance of neighboring countries to cooperate with Iraq in order to achieve security and stability and overcome the current plight which the Iraqi people were passing through.

Ottri-Maliki talks concentrated on bilateral cooperation and means to enhance them in all fields, SANA said.

The conditions of the Iraqi refugees in Syria and the economic and social burdens Syria endures, and the necessity of cooperation to tackle this issue were also covered.

Members of the Iraqi delegation expressed appreciation of Syria for providing suitable conditions to the Iraqi refugees' residence in the country.

Maliki, accompanied by his ministers of interior, oil, trade and water resources, arrived here on Monday morning for an official visit.

Syria and Iraq restored diplomatic relations last November after a quarter century's rupture during former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's regime. Syria and Iraq severed diplomatic ties because Damascus sided with Tehran during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

Syria, which strongly opposed the U.S.-led invasion against Iraq, has been accused by Washington of doing little to stop anti- U.S. militants and weapons from infiltrating into Iraq, an allegation denied by Damascus.

Syria says ready to offer aid to rebuild Iraq | Iraq Updates

Iraq lowers light crude oil price for USA and increases it for Asia and Europe

An Iraqi official announced that Iraq lowered the official selling price of Basra light crude oil destined to be exported to the USA. In the meantime it raised the same which is destined to be delivered to Asian and European countries.

The official said that Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization, SOMO, fixed the price for the US buyers equal to West Texas crude oil price decreased by $6.8, after it was decreased by $4.4 in the current month.

However, SOMO, increased light crude oil price for Asian buyers and fixed it according to Oman and Dubai crude oil average price decreased by $1.2, after its was decreased by $1.8 during the current month.

Iraq lowers light crude oil price for USA and increases it for Asia and Europe | Iraq Updates

Is the 'special relationship' unraveling?

Is there a wind of change blowing across the Atlantic toward Washington from London? Is British Prime Minister Gordon Brown distancing himself from the United States', and from his predecessor Tony Blair's, policies in Iraq and the Middle East? The latest evidence that Brown is moving toward a more semi-detached arrangement comes in the shape of last week's report from the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, which chastised American and British Middle East policy.

Among a raft of criticisms and recommendations, the committee called on the Quartet - the US, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union - to empower its recently appointed envoy, Tony Blair, to enter into talks with Hamas, Hizbullah and the Muslim Brotherhood as well. All this at a time when Washington is preparing to brand all or part of Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group. Do you see a pattern emerging here?

"There is absolutely no linkage between what we have said and anything the government is or isn't doing. It's rubbish," committee chairman Labor MP Mike Gapes insisted when I asked him. Well perhaps. House of Commons select committees are independent of the government, composed of MPs from all the main political parties. But the committee does have a built-in Labor majority and more than one commentator has observed that its findings fit in neatly with what the government is briefing, even if Brown has assiduously avoided saying so in public.

Brown has allowed his close friend and political apprentice, Douglas Alexander, the international development secretary, to make a speech warning against the use and abuse of American power. There was also the appointment of the former UN deputy secretary general, Mark Malloch-Brown, a critic of US foreign policy, as a Foreign Office minister, whose first pronouncement in his new job was to say Britain and America would no longer be "joined at the hip." More recently, Foreign Secretary David Miliband demanded that the US release five foreign-born British residents - not citizens - held at Guantanamo Bay. Blair had refused to ask for the release of the men, whom US officials consider dangerous.

Against this are Brown's own pronouncements indicating the exact opposite. When he met US President George W. Bush last month, the prime minister insisted that the UK had "duties to discharge and responsibilities to keep" in Iraq, and " we're in a generation-long battle against terrorism, against Al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism, and this is a battle in which we can give no quarter.'' This from a man who continually insists "mistakes" were made in post-war Iraq.

Confused? Don't be. In the UK we are used to Brown's mixed messages, and at any rate what is happening here is as clear as day.

In reality, Brown is as keen to maintain the laughingly lopsided "special relationship" with the US as all his predecessors were, from Winston Churchill to Tony Blair. But Brown can recognize a lame-duck president when he sees one. Watching from this side of the Atlantic it is plain that Bush is increasingly isolated. Even the much-touted "surge" strategy in Iraq - effectively Bush's last throw of the dice - lies in ruins following last week's appalling bombing in the north of the country. The success of the surge in Baghdad was paid for by almost 300 Yazidis murdered as bombers shifted their deadly attentions to easier targets.

The next US administration may well follow Britain's lead and pull out of Iraq and leave its squabbling politicians to their fate as fast as decency will permit. Brown is looking ahead. He knows that he needs to recalibrate his relationship with Bush, but it will not be at the expense of the UK's love affair with America's power and influence; hence the drip-drip of mixed messages emanating from London. To this end the select committee report either put Brown and his "generation long battle against terrorism" under pressure to distance British from American policy; or more accurately gave the prime minister another fig leaf to cover his determination to distance himself from the American president.

Committee chairman Gapes is a vocal supporter of Israel, who has faced problems in his constituency from a Muslim group that has campaigned against him, accusing him of being anti-Islamic. Yet he insists dialogue with Hamas could be the catalyst for a sea change in Middle East politics.

"I'm not a fan of Hamas, but I take the view that it is in Israel's interest. Hamas has a territorial aspiration, it's a political organization as opposed to a purely Islamist movement. In that respect it is like the problems we faced in Northern Ireland."

Well up to a point. Gapes worked, albeit in a junior role, on the Northern Ireland peace process, but comparisons with the situation there and the Middle East are not that straightforward. In Northern Ireland the UK government negotiated directly with those who could deliver the hard-line gunmen, those who effectively controlled them. That point of contact does not appear to exist with Hamas. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya may not sing from the same song-sheet as Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.
And though British officials have held talks with high-ranking Hamas officials in recent months, Gapes is not advocating talks with Meshaal.

If you add in the fact that getting Blair to deliver your message of peace is a bit like asking singer Pete Doherty to do your baby sitting, the main recommendations of the report look pretty unrealistic.

But in the end this is probably all about realpolitik rather than fulfilling the aspirations of the Palestinians. Writing in The Guardian newspaper last week, Gapes said that Blair's talking to Hamas could have the same impact on the Middle East as former US President Richard Nixon's famous visit to China in the early 1970s. Of course, Nixon's desire to reach out to China was based largely on a desire to cover his hasty exit from a calamitous war in Vietnam and bring pressure to bear on America's then-arch enemy, the Soviet Union. See any similarities between the current debacle in Iraq and the increasing strength and influence of Iran?

De****e his short time in the top job, Brown is perhaps already proving to be a good deal more Machiavellian than his predecessor.

Michael Glackin is a writer living in London and a former managing editor of THE DAILY STAR, for which this commentary was written.

Sorry if already posted.

IMF advises Iraq to shore up reconstruction, oil investment

For the first time in 25 years, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised Iraq to increase the pace of reconstruction and investment, mainly in the oil sector.

"Directors commended the Iraqi authorities for keeping their economic programme on track by strengthening economic policies and making progress in structural reforms, de****e an unsettled political situation and a very difficult security environment," said the IMF in a statement Tuesday summarizing its Executive Board assessment on Iraq's economic performance.

"The expansion of oil production is lagging, and that inflation, while on a downward path, remains high, reflecting in large part continued shortages, notably of fuel products," added the statement.

After a decline in oil production in 2005, economic growth was estimated at nearly 6 per cent in 2006, while maintaining an average annual crude oil production of two million barrels per day since 2004.

The IMF urged the Iraqi authorities to "strengthen the protection of oil installations" and welcomed Baghdad's decision to raise the fuel price to the regional level to avoid direct subsidies on fuel products.

Inflation in Iraq is at 46 per cent in June 2007, the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) allowed the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar to appreciate by 15 per cent and the CBI's gross domestic reserves increased to USD 18.7 billion by end of last year.

The Executive Board praised the Iraqi government's fiscal policy in 2007, calling on the CBI to "stand ready to accelerate the pace of appreciation and tighten monetary conditions further if inflation deviates from its downward path and dollarization is not reduced as expected".

"Key to fighting inflation would be to continue restraining public spending pressures and stepping up efforts to reduce shortages, especially by actively supporting private sector fuel imports," added the statement.

This consultation, taking over two years to culminate, advised the Iraqi government to "streamline the tax system with a view to expanding the tax base and improving incentives for economic activity", improve public transparency and accountability, and restructure the banking system.

The IMF linked economic improvement to security condition in Iraq and encouraged Iraq's effort to join the World Trade Organisation (WHO).

IMF advises Iraq to shore up reconstruction, oil investment | Iraq Updates

Leaflets Said to Warn of Iran Move into North Iraq

PUKmedia 2007-08-21 17:09:38
(Reuters)

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq - Kurdish authorities in northeastern Iraq said on Tuesday they were investigating the authenticity of leaflets warning villagers to evacuate ahead of an Iranian military offensive against Kurdish rebels.

Hundreds of villagers have fled their homes in Iraq's mountainous northeast while others hid in caves after what local authorities said was days of intermittent shelling by Iran across the border.

So far there has been no official comment from either Tehran or Baghdad about the shelling.

Cross-border skirmishes occasionally occur as Iraq's neighbours Turkey and Iran combat Kurdish separatist rebels operating from bases in Iraq's mountainous and remote north and northeast.

The government of Iraq's largely autonomous region of Kurdistan said it was investigating after villagers said they had seen the leaflets thrown from helicopters on Monday.

Residents said there were no identifying marks on the leaflets, written in Kurdish, apart from the words "The Islamic Republic of Iran" across the top and bottom.

The leaflets said villagers had 48 hours to evacuate before an Iranian offensive began.

"They do not carry an official stamp of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards or the Iranian Defence Ministry," said Jamal Abdullah, a spokesman for the Kurdish government.

"These leaflets made many people leave their homes."

The leaflets said the offensive would be around the villages of Qandoul, Haj Omran and Isaw and the town of Qal'at Dizah, 325 km north of Baghdad.

Two women have been wounded, livestock killed, farms and orchards set ablaze and homes damaged in the shelling near small villages across a front of about 50 km, local officials have said in the past three days.

On Saturday, the Iranian news agency Mehr said an Iranian army helicopter which crashed near the border of northern Iraq had been engaged in an operation against the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkey blames the PKK for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since 1984, when it launched its struggle for an ethnic homeland in Turkey's southeast.

PUKmedia :: English - Leaflets Said to Warn of Iran Move into North Iraq