Thread: Archive Latest News - Think Tank - 01/01/08 - 14/04/08

Higher demand for the dollar in daily auction

Demand for the dollar went up in the Iraqi Central Bank's auction on Thursday, registering at $68.430 million compared to $27.940 million on Wednesday.

"The demand hit $2.640 million in cash and $65.790 million in money transfers outside the country, all covered by the bank at an exchange rate of 1,210 Iraqi dinars per dollar, unchanged for the twelfth session in a row," according to the central bank's daily bulletin which was received by Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

The 11 banks that participated in the auction offered to sell $8.390 million, which the bank bought at an exchange rate of 1,208 Iraqi dinars per dollar.

Speaking to VOI, Ali al-Yasseri, a trader, said that the demand increased on Thursday as expected, following a sharp drop on Wednesday. "Both remittances and cash bids increased, but the demand for cash is still below average which ranges between $5 million and $6 million," he said.

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

Aswat Aliraq

ISX index rises by 0.545%

The Iraqi Stock Exchange (ISX) index rose by 0.545% on Thursday compared to the previous session, closing at 35.940 points.

Traded shares in Thursday's session exceeded 810 million at a total value of 1.160 billion Iraqi dinars (1 U.S. dollar =1,223 Iraqi dinars) by implementing 333 contracts. Non-Iraqi investors participated with over 28 million shares, totaling more than 46 million Iraqi dinars by implementing 13 contracts in the banking, investment and industrial sectors.

According to the daily analysis of the capital market, the banking sector's index, in which 13 companies traded, closed at 37.570 points; while the services sector, in which five companies traded, ended at 78.100 points.

The statement concluded that 36 companies were traded in Thursday's session out of 94 companies registered in Iraq's stock exchange, of which 10 indexes went up, 11 dropped, and 15 maintained their previous price.

Aswat Aliraq

Bob Fonow (Senior Adviser - Iraq Ministry of Communications ): Iraq critical for international network security

Bob Fonow (Senior Adviser in Iraqi Ministry of Communications) gave a speech at conference of Iraq's defense, security and communications, which was held in Dubai this week; he explained the importance of the telecommunications sector to the Iraqi economy and its International impact.

Using slides, he showed the impotance of Iraq's geographical location to security and stability of International communication network, and explained that the Internet break off which happened in the Middle East and India recently would not have happened if Iraq had been part of the international system. He also said that Iraq is the most important strategic network in the Middle East for two reasons:

1. Iraq's location between Europe and Asia
2. Iraqi young engineers who enter the labor market

Bob Fonow confirmed the importance of investment in linking Iraq with the world cables coming from Europe towards the Arabian Gulf, because it will provide financial resources to the Iraqi Government and the companies investing in such projects. As for training and education, the Iraq market will need 200000 - 300000 technicians and engineers in the sector of information and communication technology during the next 5-10 years; it might be better for them to be trained in countries such as China and Russia, where training costs are lower compared to the West.

At the end of his speech, he explained that success in this sector depends on 3 factors:

1. Completion of connecting major networks.
2. Commitment to develop the Department of Communications.
3. Education and training.

http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=5593

Baghdad to receive security file by end of 2008

Iraqi security authorities in Baghdad will receive the security file from the Multi-National Forces by the end of 2008, the governor of the Iraqi capital said on Thursday.

Speaking at an inauguration ceremony of al-Salam Bridge, attended by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI), Hussein al-Tahan said "security authorities in Baghdad will receive the security file by the end of 2008 from the Multi-National forces and will be able to finish all preparations to receive the file."

"All armed forms will disappear in Baghdad by the end of the year," he underlined.

Regarding the inauguration of the bridge, the governor said this is a result of Baghdad's law-imposing Fardh al-Qanoon plan, noting that the old Diala iron bridge, parallel to al-Salam Bridge, will be inaugurated after 40 days.

The bridge was destroyed in a lorry bomb explosion last May. It was inaugurated in 2005 as it was completely destroyed in U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

The bridge links Baghdad to the southern provinces.

Aswat Aliraq

New stand-off on Iraqi borders with Turkey

Turkish forces stationing in Bamarni district in the farthest part of northern Iraq near borders with Turkey moved five kilometers outside agreed barracks on Thursday leading to a new stand-off with Kurdish Peshmerga, Kurdish officials said.

"A climate of tension cast over the situation between the Turkish forces stationing in Bamarni district and the Peshmerga (Local Kurdistan) fighters in Duhuk province," the spokesman for Iraq's Kurdistan Presidency, Foad Hussein, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

"The Turkish forces intend to move outside their barracks in contrary to an accord with the Kurdish authorities," Hussein added.

The spokesman noted that the Peshmerga (Kurdistan official) forces surrounded the Turkish troops "in an attempt to prevent the troops from moving outside their barracks in the district that lies about 40 km away from the Turkish borders."

According to a Kurdish official source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, "Turkey keeps about 1,000 troops along with 60 vehicles and tanks stationing in barracks in districts of Bamarni, Sirti, Batofa, Kani Masi and Bikofa. The agreement was reached in 1997 allowing the presence of these Turkish troops on the Iraqi soil on condition that they should not move outside their barracks unless they got official permission from Kurdistan government."

The same source added that Turkey also keeps a base for "logistic support in Amadiya district, 70 km east of Duhuk."

Meanwhile, the official in charge of the Kurdistan Democratic Party branch in Amadiya, Duhuk province, told VOI "the Turkish forces moved outside their barracks and headed five kilometers to the east, but forces from the Peshmerga blocked their way and requested the troops to return to barracks as the agreement signed with Turkey provided that Turkish troops should not move outside barracks without a prior permission from Kurdistan government."

Mohammed Mohsen, the Kurdish party official, added "a Peshmerga representative was sent to the Turkish troops and succeeded after an hour and a half of negotiations to persuade them to move back to barracks."

The new stand-off came only hours after Turkish artillery bombed Iraqi villages near Soran district with no reports of casualties according to Soran police deputy chief Colonel Halkot Rifaat.

Turkish forces repeatedly shell cross-border regions in hunt for the Turkish outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) whose fighters, Ankara claimed, use Iraqi northern mountainous areas as bases to attack Turkish targets.

Aswat Aliraq

Iraq unresolved about governmental crisis

Iraqi political blocs are caught in a row between ministerial amendments and a small government while the country is gripped by security and economic crisis. As political parties seem unbending regarding ministerial distribution, the government is stumbled. After his visit to Najaf City where he met Grand Ayatollah Al Sistani, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani announced that a new government might be formed regardless of sectarian considerations and would be headed by Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki. However, the governmental crisis has reached a new turn point after political blocs refused a proposal to form a new small government or amend the existing one. Al Maliki has called on the presidency committee and blocs’ leaders to clarify their stands on the project of a new government after he set the principles and groundwork upon which the government would be formed along with the number of ministerial portfolios.

Al Maliki’s political advisor Sadeq Al Rukabi noted that Iraqi Prime Minister is waiting for the green light to start forming a new small government comprising technocrats. Al Rukabi added that the two committees formed to negotiate with the Accordance Front and the Iraqi List are pursuing negotiations and have reached positive results as for the return of their ministers to the government. Yet, observers fear that a new political wrangle would arise between parliamentarian blocs over ministerial portfolios in the new government. In this context, Kurdistan Alliance Bloc renewed in the name of MP Mahmoud Othman the party’s attachment to the Foreign Ministry while Iraqi List member MP Izzat Al Shapender ruled out an immediate ministerial amendment stressing the political blocs’ rejection to reducing ministries as it spurs deep rows among different parties.

Iraq unresolved about governmental crisis | Iraq News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

Iran Border Guards interrupt work of Iraqi oil technical experts

Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein Al Shahristani announced that technical experts from the Oil Ministry have been forbidden by Iran Border Guards of working on Abu Gharb northern oil field, which is a common field between Iraq and Iran in Missan Province. For more details, click on play movie to watch the video report of this article

Iran Border Guards interrupt work of Iraqi oil technical experts | Iraq News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

Basra provincial council: Loans granted to industrial projects

A source from Basra provincial council noted that loaning 250 industrial projects out of 300 has been approved as part of development loan program to which 30 million dollars are allocated. The source added that loans granted to owners of plants and industries are estimated between 15 and 20 million Dinars for each project according to its economic efficiency.

Basra provincial council: Loans granted to industrial projects | Economics News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

Al Shahristani: OPEC ready to take all necessary measures to stabilize oil market

Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein Al Shahristani affirmed that OPEC is ready to take all necessary measures including the reconsideration of production levels to stabilize the market after oil prices surged to 98,96.

On the other hand, a senior Iranian official said that Iran does not deem necessary for OPEC to change production in order to stem oil prices surge give that there is no lack in crude supplies as the main reason for prices surge is competition.

In the same context, IAEA oil market analyst Julios Walker said that Agency wants from OPEC in its coming meetings to maintain oil production levels unchanged in order to rebuild up low crude stocks.

Al Shahristani: OPEC ready to take all necessary measures to stabilize oil market | Economics News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

For UKer's - Channel 4 unveils Happy Birthday Iraq plans

Channel 4 is to launch its Happy Birthday Iraq season on March 15 with a week of programmes examining the devastating fall-out of the war for Iraq and the Middle East, America and Britain.

In a week-long season to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Channel 4 and More4 are screening 11 films by award-winning journalists and filmmakers.

They include acclaimed documentary-maker Nick Broomfield's Battle for Haditha, two special editions of Dispatches and a one-off film by Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow.

At the heart of the season will be Broomfield's latest feature film, Battle for Haditha, which will be followed on More4 by On That Day - an investigative documentary about the Haditha massacre.

On That Day uses exclusive interviews with the two Iraqis responsible for exposing the incident to Time magazine, plus testimonies from the three Marines mainly involved.

The first Dispatches investigation features journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy travelling to Jordan and Syria to meet Iraqi refugees struggling to start new lives from scratch.

In the second Dispatches documentary, political commentator Peter Oborne examines the geopolitical repercussions of the prolonged US and allied military presence – including looking at how the invasion has "affected Britain and America's reputation, prestige and relations with the international community".

Jon Snow's Hidden Iraq features Snow reporting on the "dismal reality of everyday life inside Iraq" in a late-night current affairs film.

Footage for the Snow documentary has been shot by Iraqi cameramen and interviews carried out with ordinary citizens, to show "a country on the brink of collapse with broken infrastructure, devastating violence and the power of gangsters and militias".

Channel 4 News will also broadcast a special hour-long bulletin during its Happy Birthday Iraq week, anchored by Snow from Iraq and the surrounding region.

The season also includes the Channel 4 premiere of The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, which will feature disturbing pictures of torture at the infamous Iraqi prison.

Four special Iraq films have been made for the 3 Minute Wonders documentary shorts strand that runs after Channel 4 News.

They look at how Britain's perceptions of Iraq have been changed by the coverage of the war, including how some have profited from it - from the British company that is printing the new Iraqi currency, the Dinar, in the UK to the computer designer who has set his next violent video game in Baghdad.

The Channel 4 head of news and current affairs, Dorothy Byrne, is overseeing the season.

Byrne said: "Over the past five years our award-winning coverage of Iraq has stood out for its bravery and its incisive analysis and sheer hours devoted to these issues.

"This season of programmes will be a no-holds-barred examination of the fallout from five years of horror."

Happy Birthday Iraq will run from March 15 until March 23.

Channel 4 unveils plans for Happy Birthday Iraq season | Media | guardian.co.uk