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

Lower demand for dollar as Baghdad's main roads closed

Baghdad, Sept 9, (VOI) - Demand for the dollar was down in the Iraqi Central Bank’s auction on Sunday, reaching $76.020 million compared with $103.050 million on Thursday, as many traders could not attend today's session for main roads in Baghdad in Baghdad were closed as a precautionary measure for holding a conference.

In its daily statement the bank said it had covered all bids, including $18.750 million in cash and $57.270 in foreign transfers, at an exchange rate of 1,237 dinars per dollar.

None of the 13 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 Sunday's session saw a decrease in bids compared to Thursday as many traders were unable to reach the auction for Baghdad's main roods were closed from the early morning as a conference for Iraq's neighbors convened in Baghdad.

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

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/eng...=2&NrSection=2

Iraqi President calls for turning Mahdi army into cultural institution

Baghdad, Sept 9, (VOI)- Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani expressed hope that the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will turn the Mahdi army into a social and cultural institution, stressing the need to set free the non-guilty Sadr's followers who were detained by security forces following the clashes that erupted in Karbala three weeks ago.

"President Talabani highly appreciated the move by Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr to freeze the armed activities of his Mahdi amry and his decision to restructure its fighters," Talabani's office said in a statement following a meeting between Talabani and the Sadrist MP Baha al-Aaraji.

The statement added "President Talabani expressed hope that the Mahdi army restructure will turn it into a social and cultural institution."
Meanwhile, the Iraqi President, the statement noted, called for "setting free detained Sadr's followers who were found non-guilty."

Following clashes between the security forces and gunmen, believed to be followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, in the Shiite sacred city Karbala three weeks ago, Karbala local authorities launched a campaign of detention against followers of Sadr on charges of involvement in Karbala incidents where 35 people were killed, and more than 100 injured, mostly Shiite pilgrims observing the birth anniversary of the 12th Shiite Imam.

Talabani, according to the statement, promised to "urge the Iraqi Prime Minister and the U.S. side to positively respond to Sayyed Sadr's decision."

Meanwhile, the statement said that Aaraji pledged that "Sadr movement will adhere at enforcing law, keeping order, prevailing security and regaining stability all over the country."

On Saturday, the Presidential Council held a regular meeting in which they appreciated the decision made by the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to freeze the armed activities of Mahdi army fighters.

The Iraqi Presidential Council is composed of the President and his two deputies.

Aswat Aliraq

Petraeus, Crocker To Say Stay The Course

President Bush's top two military and political advisers on Iraq will warn Congress on Monday that making any significant changes to the current war strategy will jeopardize the limited security and political progress made so far, The Associated Press has learned.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who has been less forthcoming than Gen. David Petraeus in advance of his testimony, will join Petraeus in pushing for maintaining the U.S. troop surge, seeing it as the only viable option to prevent Iraq and the region from plunging into further chaos, U.S. officials said.

Crocker and Petraeus planned to meet on Sunday to go over their remarks and responses to expected tough questioning from lawmakers - including skeptical Republicans. But they will not consult Mr. Bush or their immediate bosses before their appearances Monday and Tuesday, in order to preserve the "independence and the integrity of their testimony," said one official.

Petraeus and Crocker did have lengthy discussions with the president, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when Mr. Bush visited Iraq on Labor Day.

Crocker, a career diplomat with extensive experience in the Middle East who opposed the war when it began in 2003, is pushing for political change where progress has been elusive and the administration's options are limited under the fragile Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Yet the diplomat will say that as poorly as al-Maliki's government has performed, it would not be advisable at the moment for the U.S. to support new leadership or lobby for a different coalition of Iraq's fractious Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, the officials said.

Crocker also will discuss the challenges of corruption, reconciliation, de-Baathification and the difficulties of enacting wide-ranging legislation such as an oil law, according to officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations.

Both Crocker and Petraeus will say the buildup of 30,000 troops, bringing the current U.S. total to nearly 170,000, has achieved some success and is working better than any previous effort to quell the insurgency and restore stability, according to officials familiar with their thinking.

Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, and Crocker were in the Washington area on Saturday working separately on final drafts of opening testimony on Capitol Hill. Later in the week, Mr. Bush plans a national address.

The assessments by Petraeus and Crocker are intended to be considered equally. But officials expect Congress to focus on military matters, particularly possible troop withdrawals. Unless there are changes, the increase comes to a natural end starting in the spring and continuing through the end of next summer.

At the same time, officials close to Crocker pointed out that any revisions to the military strategy will have a profound affect on the political side.

"Clearly, the political, economic and diplomatic elements are directly related to what happens with security and our involvement in it," one official said.

The officials disputed suggestions that either Petraeus or Crocker would recommend anything more than a symbolic reduction in troop levels and then only in the spring.

Petraeus offered some insights into his testimony on Friday. In a letter to troops serving in Iraq, he cited "uneven" but quantifiable progress in the security situation and acknowledged that the political side "has not worked out as we had hoped."

"We are, in short, a long way from the goal line, but we do have the ball and we are driving down the field," he wrote. It was perhaps the clearest indication he favors carrying on with the troop increase.

Officials said Crocker is focused on trying to do the best he can with the tools available to him now before completing his tour in Baghdad and retiring. More is at stake for Petraeus because he is believed to have higher ambitions, including possibly elected office.

In their testimony, the two will lay out for Congress the situation on the ground, discuss the merits of possible revisions to Mr. Bush's strategy, including troop drawdowns and a reduction in support for embattled al-Maliki and conclude that such changes are unwise, officials told the AP.

The testimony will set the stage for an announcement by Mr. Bush on how he will proceed in the face of widespread public unhappiness with the war and criticism from congressional Democrats, especially senators seeking the party's 2008 presidential nomination.

Petraeus and Crocker previewed their thoughts to Mr. Bush during his stop in Anbar province last Monday. It is one of several regions where the administration has claimed success with the additional troops, with decisions by local leaders to join with U.S. forces against insurgents, the officials said.

To that end, the presidential advisers will press lawmakers to recognize achievements at the local level and argue that such results will force Iraq's national leaders into action.

But that development is not covered by any of the 18 military and political benchmarks Congress set out for judging the effectiveness when it approved the new policy that was announced by Mr. Bush in January and reached its full strength in July.

In their testimony, Petraeus and Crocker are expected to repeat the assertions made in the White House's July report that progress is being made, official said. A new updated report is due Sept. 15.

They also are expected to make the oft-stated case that an independent report by congressional auditors, who found only three of 18 benchmarks fully met, set unfair standards for judging success, the officials said.

In Other Developments:

President Bush, in his weekly radio address, urged Democrats and Republicans to unite and back the war strategy he'll lay out for the next chapter of U.S. involvement in Iraq. He recounted his surprise trip to the desert in western Iraq, where he met with Iraqi leaders and local sheiks who have joined U.S.-led coalition forces in fighting al Qaeda.

In the Democratic radio address, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid repeated his contention that Mr. Bush had misled the country into "an ill-planned war in Iraq" before finishing the job of destroying al Qaeda.

Iraq's parliament voted unanimously Saturday to extend the work of a committee that is in charge of recommending amendments to the constitution until the end of the year, a sign of the difficulties that the commission is facing in completing a task demanded by Sunni politicians. The main points that are proving the most difficult include the powers of the president, the fate of the northern ethnically-mixed city of Kirkuk and the personal status law which governs marriage, divorce and inheritance according to a person's religion. Amending the constitution is one of the key demands, such as a new oil law, by the United States.

A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives-packed Mercedes near a row of stores in the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City, killing at least 15 people, police and ho****al officials said. The attacker was believed to be aiming for a busy market but was forced to detonate his explosives early after Iraqi police fired at his car, devastating a barber shop and other nearby stores.

A bomb went off midday at a crowded market in Kufa, 100 miles south of Baghdad, killing four and injuring five, said Khalil al-Yasiri, a health official in the neighboring city of Najaf. Salah Mihsin, 35, was shopping with his child, Ameer, when he received injuries in both his legs from the explosion. "I still don't know the fate of my child," he said while laying in his ho****al bed.

Gunmen in Najaf killed Mohammed al-Qarawi, director of tribal affairs in anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's office. The local police commander Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim al-Mayahi said the attack occurred Friday on the road between Kufa and Najaf.

In a major step to try end attacks on the country's oil industry, Iraq's Defense Ministry warned Iraqis to keep their distance from oil pipelines or power lines because military planes "will open fire immediately on anyone who tries to harm the nation's wealth or infrastructure."

The U.S. military said it had brought a new weapon into the fight in Iraq, announcing the Army's first-ever use of a drone aircraft to kill enemy fighters in the country. The Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, dropped a precision bomb on two suspected insurgents believed to be preparing to plant roadside bombs on Sept. 1, the military said. The drone was called in for the attack near Qarraya, 180 miles northwest of Baghdad, after a scout team from the 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, observed the insurgents at work.

Petraeus, Crocker To Say Stay The Course, Bush's Top Iraq Advisers To Warn Congress About Changes In War Strategy - CBS News

Dallas Oil Company Signs Deal With Kurds

18 hours ago

HOUSTON (AP) — Texas' Hunt Oil Co. and Kurdistan's regional government said Saturday they've signed a production-sharing contract for petroleum exploration in northern Iraq, the first such deal since the Kurds passed their own oil and gas law in August.

A Hunt subsidiary, Hunt Oil Co. of the Kurdistan Region, will begin geological survey and seismic work by the end of 2007 and hopes to drill an exploration well in 2008, the parties said in a news release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hunt is a privately held independent oil company based in Dallas. A third partner, Impulse Energy Corp., also has a stake in the project.

"We're very pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of these landmark events by actively participating in the establishment of the petroleum industry," Ray L. Hunt, Hunt's CEO, said in a statement.

Revenue will be shared by the KRG throughout Iraq, consistent with the Iraq constitution and the Kurds' new petroleum law, issued by the Kurdistan National Assembly early last month.

De****e Iraq's vast oil reserves, major international companies have sat on the sidelines, not only for security reasons but because of the absence of legislation governing the industry and offering protection for investments.

A draft oil law for all of Iraq has been bogged down for months, in part because of disputes over who will control the proceeds.

In August, however, the Kurdish self-governing region in northern Iraq enacted its own law governing foreign oil investments. The move angered the central government in Baghdad, but the Kurds are determined to push ahead with oil exploration.

Ashti Hawrami, the regional government's minister of natural resources, said in a statement that the signing by Hunt is evidence the government's new oil and gas law has created "a supportive and transparent business environment which promotes investment by international oil companies in our region for the benefit of all."

The Associated Press: Dallas Oil Company Signs Deal With Kurds

At least 20 Iraqis killed in violent incidents

At least 20 Iraqis were killed in separate violence on Sunday with attacks in the northern cities of Kirkuk and Tikrit leaving 14 dead, and two suicide attacks claiming the lives of six people in the towns of Balad and Mahmudiya. In a village south-west of Kirkuk, 250 kilometres north of Baghdad, Iraqi army forces launched an early-morning rocket attack on a militant gathering killing seven of them, according to police sources.

The local forces were aided in their raid by US troops.

One of those killed was a leader in the so-called Ansar al-Sunna Islamic group, one of the most violent Sunni insurgent groups that has been blamed for several killings and kidnappings across the war-ravaged state.

At least 14 suspects were also rounded up in and around al-Oyoun village, west of Kirkuk, during an operation carried out by joint US and Iraqi military forces, the same source said.

In the south and north of Kirkuk, a total of seven bullet-riddled corpses were discovered. The bodies' hands were bound, and according to local authorities, the victims remain unidentified.

In another incident, seven policemen were killed in Tikrit, 180 kilometres north of Baghdad, when armed gunmen stormed into a roadside police centre and opened fire.

The centre was on a road between Tikrit and Bayji, 20 kilometres away. Two more police officers suffered serious wounds, according to local authorities, while the police station itself suffered considerable damage.

Following the incident, a firefight between security forces and armed residents of the area occurred. However, the attackers fled, reportedly to an area in the north of the nearby Lake Thirthar.

Meanwhile, at least four Iraqi soldiers were killed and 15 injured in a suicide bombing outside a military checkpoint in Balad, 70 kilometres north of the capital, an Iraqi military official said.

Deputy governor of Balad Amir Abdel Hadi told Deutsche Presse- Agentur

At least 20 Iraqis killed in violent incidents - Summary :

Iraq PM urges regional cooperation

Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki defended his government's record on Sunday and urged neighbouring countries to work together to stop what he called "evil" from destabilising the region.

Maliki was speaking a day before top U.S. officials in Iraq deliver a long-awaited assessment to the Democrat-controlled Congress on President George W. Bush's decision to send 30,000 extra soldiers to Iraq.

The reports by the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker could influence any decision Bush takes on troop numbers amid demands from Democrats and some Republicans for U.S. forces to start leaving Iraq.

Addressing a meeting of officials from neighbouring countries, Maliki said his government had made progress "in all directions".

"This government is working hard to develop the political situation. It has made many gains de****e the huge destruction left by the former regime," Maliki said.

"We are at the beginning of the road, but at the same time, we say that what has been achieved is something promising."

Senior Democrats in the United States have slammed Maliki's performance, with some even calling for his replacement.

The assessments by Petraeus and Crocker are expected to highlight a reduction in violence in Iraq but also note the country's failure to pass laws aimed at reconciling warring majority Shi'ites and Sunni Arabs.
Petraeus said in a letter to troops on Friday that the government's record on political reforms had been disappointing.

"STAND TOGETHER"

Maliki, referring to attackers including Sunni Islamist al Qaeda, said all nations had a stake in making the region safer.

"Evil wants to strike this or that country, it will not stop at the border of one country. For this, we have to stand together as a wall in the face of this evil," Maliki said.

The purpose of Sunday's meeting is to review the work of several committees that were set up after a high-level conference in Egypt in May where ministers from the region and major Western powers discussed ways to stabilise Iraq.

The committees have been looking at greater cooperation in security, energy and economic matters.

Fresh from his visit to Iraq where he raised the possibility of cutting troop levels, Bush said on Saturday he would address Americans next week to "lay out a vision" for the future U.S. role in Iraq after Petraeus and Crocker deliver their testimony. CNN said Bush would speak on Thursday.

Bush's administration has to give its own report to Congress by next Saturday.

One of the goals of Bush's seven-month-old troop "surge" was to give Iraq's divided leaders breathing space to reach a political compromise. U.S. troop numbers now stand at 168,000.

But differences run deep, with the ruling Shi'ite majority reluctant to cede too much power while Sunni Arabs dominant under Saddam Hussein feel marginalised.

Leaders of Iraq's parliamentary blocs met on Sunday to try to resolve some issues blocking reconciliation, officials said.

Adnan al-Dulaimi, leader of a Sunni Arab political party, said items to be discussed included proposed amendments to the constitution, a key demand of Sunni Arabs and the United States.

Iraq PM urges regional cooperation - Yahoo! News UK

Iraq: unions join Anti-Oil Law Front

Submitted by WW4 Report on Sat, 09/08/2007 - 22:57.

From the Iraq Freedom Congress, Sept. 8:

Leaders of Iraqi Federation of South Oil Unions (IFOU) join Anti-Oil Law Front
The Leaders of Iraqi Federation of South Oil Unions (IFOU) and many other unionists warn the Iraqi parliament of passing the draft oil law Many Unionists and political figures join the anti-Oil Law Front.

In a conference held by the Federation of worker councils and unions in Basra today, September 8, 2007, and in the presence of a large number of union activists and political figures, the leaders of the South Oil unions join the ranks of Anti-Oil Law.

In a statement to Sana TV, the president of the IFOU Hassan Juma announced that the union will shut down the oil pipeline in the event of passing the draft law. He also added that if the Anti-Oil Law Front calls on strike to pressure the Iraqi parliament, the IFOU will respond to the call and join the strike. Noteworthy that Sana TV will broadcast the full coverage of the conference soon.

The keynote speakers in the conference were Subhi al-Badri; president of the Anti-Oil Law front, Hassan Juma; president of Iraqi Federation of South Oil Unions (IFOU), Ali Abbas; Chairman of the Federation of worker councils and unions in Basra and Mufeed Haider; chairman of Iraq Freedom Congress in Basra. The conference concluded in passing a number of resolutions to tighten the campaign against the draft of oil-law such as demonstrations, sit-ins and strikes in various sectors including the oil sector.

Iraq: unions join Anti-Oil Law Front | World War 4 Report

Implementation of Article 140

Concerning the steps of implementation of article 140 of the Iraqi permanent constitution, Mrs. Narmin Othman, head of finance and economic committee of high committee of implementation of article 140, held a press conference today.

She talked about the amount of the money identified for compensation to the Arab settlers.

She said that until now more than 6 million dollars have been signed for the compensation process.

She also said that now it is time to start the compensation stage so that it may pave the way for starting the second stage, the stage of census.
Concerning the delay of the compensation, she rendered it to the detail in their works.

Regarding the style and how the above-mentioned amount of money submitted to the Arab settlers, she said: “They are required to have been transferred their identification records and their rational cards to their previous places so that they might not have voting right .Then they receive 20 million ID .She said the Arab settlers have the right to sell agricultural or houses in their current places and to transfer their employment records. Those Arab settlers who remain will not have voting right.”

Regarding the returning of the districts and sub-distracts to their real administrative boundaries Mrs. Narmin Othman said: “Those districts and sub-distracts which are outside of KRG areas their procedure are completed, but there are still several other Iraqi cities which have administrative boundary problems. Having finished those problems, it will be submitted to the Iraqi president for last decision on it.”

PUKmedia :: English - Implementation of Article 140

Presidency Council Stressed on Sticking to the Constitution

Iraqi presidency council held its periodically meeting yesterday in the President’s residence in Baghdad city.

The Council discussed in the meeting political and security situations, especially the last events in Karbalaa city, also it praised the decision of Muqtada al-Sadir in suspending al-Mahdi’s Army activities for 6 months.

On the other side, the council stressed on the importance of sticking to the constitution materials which more than 12 million Iraqis has voted on it.

PUKmedia :: English - Presidency Council Stressed on Sticking to the Constitution

Syria Denies the Demanding Visas from Iraqis

An official source in the Syrian Foreign Minister denied that Damascus has drooped its measures in demanding visas from Iraqi citizens traveling to Syria as the Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki office announced.

And in answering a question for France Press Agency, the source denied the announcement of PM al-Maliki office about this subject, and he added that “the visa demand will start in Sept. 10th.”

Damascus has announced its intention to impose visa requirements on Iraqi citizens and specifically on people working in economic, science and academic fields.

PM al-Maliki office announced on Friday in a statement that “contacts have been made between the director of PM’s office with the Syrian side succeeded in exempting the Iraqis from visas.”

PUKmedia :: English - Syria Denies the Demanding Visas from Iraqis