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

A Delegation from Kurdistan Region's Parliament Visits Baghdad

A delegation from Kurdistan Region headed by the Parliament’s Speaker Adnan al-Mufti traveled to Baghdad today to discuss with Iraqi officials the latest situation and tensions on the borders of Iraq and Turkey.

Mr. Kareem Bahri, a member in Kurdistan Parliament said to our website that “the delegation included the Parliament head, Parliament blocs heads and representatives from the Supreme Council of Kurdistani parties.”

It is decided that the delegation will participate in the Iraqi Parliament sessions and meet President Jalal Talabani and PM Nuri al-Maliki.

PUKmedia :: English - A Delegation from Kurdistan Rigion's Parliament Visits Baghdad

Al-Najaf Province Tribes Request Establishing of the Middle and Southern Regions

A crowd of al-Najaf Province tribal masses requested the Iraqi government to establish the middle and southern regions, and they expressed their full support to the government of PM Dr. Nuri al-Maliki.

The tribes also promised to cooperate with the local authorities on keeping security, announced their loyalty to the religious referential and thanked the civilian administration of the city for supporting the tribes.

PUKmedia :: English - Al-Najaf Province Tribes Request Establishing of the Middle and Southern Regions

Iraq dismisses Mosul Dam Warnings

The Iraqi government has dismissed a US warning that Iraq's largest dam is at imminent risk of collapse and is threatening the lives of thousands.

Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said US claims that Mosul Dam, in the country's north, was the most dangerous in the world were inaccurate and "totally untrue".

Mr Dabbagh said it was under constant observation and regularly maintained.

In May, the US told Iraq a catastrophic collapse could unleash a 20m (65ft) wave on Mosul, a city of 1.7 million.

The warning was published on Tuesday in a report by the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), which said that the dam's foundations could give away at any moment.

SIGIR found that a $27m (£13m) US-funded reconstruction project, recently begun to help shore up the dam, had made little or no progress.

It said the "short-term solutions" had been plagued by mismanagement and potential fraud.

'Precautionary measures'

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Iraqi government insisted it was taking steps to reduce the risk and did not believe there was cause for alarm.

"These reports are not accurate and are totally untrue," Mr Dabbagh said.

Mr Dabbagh said Mosul Dam was observed 24 hours a day and that "all precautionary measures in terms of maintenance are regularly carried out."

"There are teams working round-the-clock to strengthen the dam," he added.

Mr Dabbagh said there were operations to pump grouting into the dam's foundations and to reduce water levels in the reservoir.

The Minister of Water Resources, Latif Rashid, told the BBC on Tuesday that work would also begin next year on a longer-term plan to make the foundations safe by encasing them in a concrete curtain.

'Fundamentally flawed'

The dam, 45 miles upstream of Mosul on the River Tigris, has been a problem for Iraqi engineers since it was constructed in 1984.

It was built on water-soluble gypsum, which caused seepage within months of its completion and led investigators to describe the site as "fundamentally flawed".

In September 2006, the US Army Corps of Engineers determined that the dam presented an unacceptable risk.

"In terms of internal erosion potential of the foundation, Mosul Dam is the most dangerous dam in the world," the corps warned, according to the SIGIR report. "If a small problem [at] Mosul Dam occurs, failure is likely."

The top US military commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, and US ambassador Ryan Crocker wrote in May to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki urging him to make fixing the dam a "national priority".

"A catastrophic failure of the Mosul Dam would result in flooding along the Tigris River all the way to Baghdad," the letter on 3 May warned.

"Assuming a worst-case scenario, an instantaneous failure of Mosul Dam filled to its maximum operating level could result in a flood wave 20m deep at the city of Mosul, which would result in a significant loss of life and property."

If that were to happen some have predicted that as many as 500,000 people could be killed.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraq dismisses Mosul Dam Warnings

President Talabani: PKK should Cease-Fire and do not allow Opportunity to other Battles

" PKK should announce a permanent cease-fire and without conditions, for not granting an opportunity for other battles," his Excellency, President Jalal Talabani said during an interview with the Turkish Milliyet newspaper about the latest developments on the Turkish-Iraqi border. President Talabani also pointed out that he is a friend of the Turkish people, not an enemy, and the PKK actions would cause damage to both Kurds and Turks."

President Talabani also talked about the new spirit of the new century, that is, dialogue and democracy, negotiation and peaceful methods, focusing on that the stage of the armed struggle is over, expressing at the same time his regret at the death of Turkish soldiers. "

"Turkey should not asking the impossible from us, there are things possible, and there are things which are not possible, wondering : How can we go to the Qandil Mountains and arrest 5 thousands of PKK elements and to hand in them to Turkey."

PUKmedia :: English - President Talabani: PKK should Cease-Fire and do not allow Opportunity to other Battles

Erdogan Seeks `Concrete' U.S. Steps against PKK

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will ask President George W. Bush to take immediate and ``concrete steps'' against Kurdish militants sheltering in northern Iraq when the leaders meet next week.

The U.S. response to Turkish demands to crack down on the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, will determine ``the fate of our future relations,'' Erdogan told his party's lawmakers in a televised speech at the parliament in Ankara today. Bush and Erdogan are due to meet Nov. 5 at the White House.

Turkish helicopter gunships attacked suspected PKK positions within Turkey, close to the Iraqi border, in battles that have lasted more than a week and killed more than 50 people. The NATO member is threatening a military incursion over the frontier to attack the PKK unless the U.S. and Iraq arrest the group's leaders and shut down its camps.

The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union.

The Turkish government will send troops into northern Iraq only when diplomatic options have been exhausted, Erdogan said. Turkey will decide on military action ``when appropriate,'' he added. More than 80,000 Turkish soldiers are currently deployed along the 400-kilometer border with Iraq.

Seeking to avert a Turkish incursion, northern Iraq's Kurdish administration said it will work with the U.S.Baghdad to ``adopt a corrective approach to protect the borders and prevent any use of these areas for activities against our neighbors,'' according to a statement published on its Web site.

Rice Visit

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Turkey's capital of Ankara on Nov. 2 for talks on how the U.S. might work with Turkey to combat the PKK. The Bush administration is already providing intelligence to help Turkey pinpoint PKK fighters entering Turkey from Iraq. The U.S. and Iraq must also arrest the group's leaders and disband its military camps, Turkey says.

In their meeting next week, Bush will talk to Erdogan about ``exercising restraint, limiting actions against PKK,'' and ``making sure that they continue to have that dialogue with the Iraqis, because ultimately the neighbors need to work together to make sure that they solve this problem,'' White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. ``We understand that the Turks feel that they want to protect their people.''

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will attend a high-level diplomatic meeting on Iraq to be held later this week in Turkey, his spokesperson announced today.

The Istanbul Expanded Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Neighbouring Countries of Iraq will focus on ways to promote greater regional dialogue, Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.

PUKmedia :: English - Erdogan Seeks `Concrete' U.S. Steps against PKK

Iraq to hinder Supplies for Kurd Rebels

Iraq will set up more checkpoints along its northern frontier to keep out supplies for Kurdish rebels, who have been striking the Turkish military in raids across the border, the Iraqi foreign minister said Wednesday.

Hoshyar Zebari said Iraq would set up the checkpoints along with the border with heavily Kurdish southeastern Turkey to stop fuel, food and other supplies from reaching the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has killed dozens of people inside Turkey over the past month. He said they would also take other unspecified measures against the rebels.

Zebari, who is Kurdish, told reporters that Iraq would also restrict the movement of PKK fighters in order to "prevent them from reaching the populated towns and areas" inside Turkey.

The Iraqi official's comments came after he discussed the border issue with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Baghdad.

Turkish helicopters have begun pounding rebel hideouts in Turkey with rockets, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his nation would exhaust all diplomatic options before ordering a cross-border offensive.

Zebari warned that a Turkish military incursion into northern Iraq would have "serious consequences for the entire region and could undermine its stability."

He said Iraq was ready "to cooperate actively with the Turkish government to find practical measures" to prevent the attacks staged by Kurdish rebels from Iraqi territory.

A Kurdish insurgent group affiliated with the PKK is also fighting for autonomy inside Iran.

Zebari pleaded with participants in a regional conference, planned for Saturday in Istanbul, to remain focused on the issue of Iraq's stability and security, rather than Turkey's threat of sending its military into suspected PKK strongholds in northern Iraq.

"This meeting is very important and should not be hijacked by the current tension and crisis over the PKK terrorist activities in Turkey," he said. "We want this meeting to focus on Iraq's stability and security."

At a May conference in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, Iraq's neighbors promised to stop foreign militants from joining Iraq's insurgency — a pledge that the United States says has not been met.

Turkey is also considering economic sanctions that could wreck the economy of Iraq's Kurdistan region, the most peaceful part of the country.
Kurdistan's regional government has significant autonomy and provides virtually all its own security in the three-province region.

Zebari has said the Iraqi government plans to present the Istanbul conference with recommendations in three key areas — security, refugees and energy.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraq to hinder Supplies for Kurd Rebels

Talabani receives Delegation of the Kurdistan Region Parliament

His Excellency President Jalal Talabani Received Delegation of the Kurdistan Region Parliament and the Kurdistan political parties headed by Mr. Adnan Mufti Speaker of Kurdistan Region Parliament .The delegation also includes Mr. Fadhil Mirani, secretary of the political bureau of KDP, and heads of other parliamentary blocs today at his office in Baghdad.

During the meeting, President Talabani expressed his delight to their visit, and expressed his full support to ensure the success of their national and peaceful mission.

The delegation informed President Talabani of the objectives of their visit, which is lobbying to find a peaceful solution to the current tension on the Iraqi-Turkish border, where the delegation intends to meet with the decision-making centers in Baghdad and other Iraqi parties for this purpose.

President Talabani received an Iraqi political delegation, including Dr. Hachim Al-Hassani, Ayad Samurai and welcomed them warmly, blessing their initiative to send an Iraqi delegation to Turkey in order to end the current crisis, stressing the need for making all possible efforts, and launching initiatives and good movements on all levels.

President Talabani pointed out the need for consolidating relations with Turkey, a neighbor of Iraq, stressing the need for addressing problems through peaceful and fraternal options.

PUKmedia :: English - Talabani receives Delegation of the Kurdistan Region Parliament

Lower demand for dollar, stable exchange rate

Demand for the dollar was down in the Iraqi Central Bank’s auction on Wednesday, reaching $79.485 million compared to $99.515 million on Tuesday.

In its daily statement, the bank said it had covered all bids, including $5.980 million in cash and $73.505 in foreign transfers, at an exchange rate of 1,232 dinars per dollar, unchanged for the 13th session in a row.

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

In statements to the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI), Ali al-Yasseri, a trader, said that transactions are still relatively high, while foreign transfers dropped because of their heavy reliance on governmental remittances.

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

Lower demand for dollar, stable exchange rate | Iraq Updates

AsiaCell starts service in Arbil on Thursday

Arbil, Oct 31, (VOI)- AsiaCell will launch its services in the city of Arbil on Thursday, an official source from the company said on Wednesday, while a source from MTC Atheer said that the company will start its services in Iraq's Kurdistan region by the end of the year.

"We will start our services in Arbil tomorrow and the company's subscribers in Iraq have reached three and a half millions since its establishment in 2000," Abdullah Hassan, official of the AsiaCell's public relations, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The Iraqi government had announced last August that MTC Atheer, AsiaCell and Korek Telecom won the three licenses in the auction for mobile phone in Iraq, which was held in the Jordanian capital Amman.
AsiaCell was providing its services throughout Iraq, except Arbil and Duhuk, where Korek Telecom was the main provider.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Official in MTC Atheer, Ussama Batti told the VOI on Wednesday that his company will start its services in Kurdistan region by the end of the year.

"We started working in Kirkuk, while we are in the experimental period in Mosul. the company will launch services in Kurdistan by the end of the year," he explained.

Mobile phone services were first launched in Iraq in early 2004 after the collapse of the former Iraqi regime and the Cairo-based Orascom Telecom Holdings, Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Co and AsiaCell were the winners in an auction that drew 35 bidders. Under the then contracts, Orascom's network covered central Iraq, including Baghdad, AsiaCell served northern Iraq, while Atheer Tel (from Kuwait) operated in the south.

There are eight millions mobile subscribers in Iraq which has 26 million inhabitants.

The fixed phone lines network was damaged because of sanctions imposed on the country after invading Kuwait in 1990.
Less than 4 percent of the Iraqi people have fixed phone lines.


Aswat Aliraq

Iraq rebuilding still falling short of goals, U.S. officials say

More than $100 billion has been devoted to rebuilding Iraq, mainly thanks to American taxpayers and Iraqi oil revenues, but nearly five years into the conflict, output in critical areas like water and electricity remain below U.S. goals, federal oversight officials reported to Congress.

After the influx of that much cash into Iraq's infrastructure, there are also some hopeful signs, one of those officials, Stuart Bowen Jr., who heads the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, said Tuesday. The amount of electricity on Iraq's national grid, while still well below expectations, has made modest gains recently on the strength of some new generators and improved security.

But another oversight official, Joseph Christoff, the director of international affairs and trade at the Government Accountability Office, said some measures of what some see as progress in Iraq were not as clear-cut as they might seem.

For example, Pentagon statistics indicated that a drop in violence in Iraq over the past several months "was primarily due to a decrease in attacks against coalition forces," Christoff said in written remarks to a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.

"Attacks against Iraqi security forces and civilians have declined less than attacks against coalition forces," Christoff wrote.

Bowen's testimony, before the same committee, showed that some of the same disastrous failures that had repeatedly damaged the reconstruction program were still occurring. A project to fix a dangerously flawed dam on the Tigris River at the northern city of Mosul has cost at least $27 million and achieved essentially nothing of practical value, his testimony and two related reports by his office found.

Oversight of the dam project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which had responsibility, was so weak that a contractor hired to build a giant production facility to seal leaks in the soil did the improbable, to say the least: the contractor undertook to build a different kind of facility, which could not seal the leaks.

The Army Corps and its designated oversight personnel apparently did not notice the discrepancy, Bowen's office found. Problems with the dam are so severe that in a letter included in one of the reports, Ryan Crocker, the American ambassador to Iraq, and General David Petraeus, the top American commander there, warned that the dam could collapse and unleash a giant flood onto the northern city of Mosul.

Bowen said in an interview that even with the waste of so much of the $100 billion, there was probably no other choice after the 2003 invasion but to spend it.

"I think it was necessary given the severely debilitated condition of Iraq's infrastructure," Bowen said. "It could have been spent better on all fronts," he said.

American funds devoted to reconstruction have come to about $45 billion, compared with about $40 billion from Iraq. The rest are international pledges, only a few billion of which have actually been spent.

Among the major expenditures on the American side is what the accountability office estimates to be $19 billion to train and equip Iraqi security forces and $7 billion to rehabilitate the country's oil and electricity sectors. Even so, de****e endless American news releases on Iraqi forces taking over responsibility for parts of the country, the office estimates that just 10 of 140 Iraqi Army, national police and special operations units were in fact operating independently as of September.

The Mosul dam, the largest in the country, was built under Saddam Hussein in the 1980s. It was built on porous and water-soluble soil, so huge cavities continually form beneath the dam, threatening it with collapse.

Iraqi engineers, who are often improvisers on a grand scale, have long dealt with the problem by regularly drilling down to the cavities and filling them with large amounts of grout, a sealing agent. As part of its own solution, the United States awarded contracts to several firms to build five giant new grout-mixing plants around the dam.

But for whatever reason, the contractors built cement-mixing plants instead and even those have never worked, Bowen's office found. To make the case still more puzzling, the contractors' drawings plainly showed that they had the wrong type of plant in mind before the work even started.

One result was essentially nothing besides some shoddily built storage silos and other idle equipment, the office found.

"The Iraqis are facing a very serious problem," said Ginger Cruz, a deputy inspector general in the office. "The United States tried to do a little bit to help them out, and so far we've been completely unsuccessful."

Iraq rebuilding still falling short of goals, U.S. officials say - International Herald Tribune