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

Iraqi PM Emphasizes Increasing Electricity Power

Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister chaired yesterday a meeting with the experts and specialists in Oil and Electricity Ministries.

In the meeting, Nuri al-Maliki emphasized the necessity of increasing the production of electricity power, to protect the major power stations and to take the measures in order to prevent any trespass on the workers in these stations.

Nuri al-Maliki, also ordered the security forces to protect the pipelines and power lines in coordination with the Ministries of Interior, Defense and the Multi-National Forces. They also discussed the active mechanism of General Electric Company in Iraq.

On the other hand, the experts emphasized the obvious improvement in power production.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraqi PM Emphasizes Increasing Electricity Power

Bombardier Inks Deal with Iraq

Bombardier Inc.'s aerospace unit has won a contract that will get in on the ground floor of Iraq's efforts to rebuild its civilian airline, although it may be flying into a legal dogfight going on between the war-ravaged country and its neighbor Kuwait.

Bombardier Aerospace said yesterday the government of Iraq has placed a firm order for six CRJ900 NextGen regional jet aircraft, with options to buy another four. The contract is worth $239-million (U.S.), based on list prices.

However, Iraq and Kuwait are involved in a fierce legal battle, as Kuwait seeks to enforce a 2004 British court award of $1.2-billion in compensation against Iraqi Airways for 10 aircraft and three million spare parts it stole from Kuwait Airways during Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Bombardier Aerospace spokesman John Arnone would not comment on the dispute, but emphasized the contract is with the government of Iraq, not with Iraqi Airlines. "We're very clear on this," he said in a telephone interview. "We have a firm order from the government of Iraq for our CRJ900s."

PUKmedia :: English - Bombardier Inks Deal with Iraq

New Pipeline to Transfer Iraqi Oil to Turkey

Asem Jihad, the Official Spokesman of Iraqi Ministry of Oil, said in a press statement that an agreement was signed between Iraq and Turkey, to construct a new pipeline to transfer Iraqi crude oil to the Turkish Jihan Harbor.

Iraqi Oil Ministry took this step in order to raise the rate of exported crude oil from Kirkuk to Turkey into about 500,000bpd. The Ministry will also transfer the Iraqi gas to Turkey through the Syrian territory, Asem Jihad added.

PUKmedia :: English - New Pipeline to Transfer Iraqi Oil to Turkey

Norway's DNO Says Revises N.Iraq Production Deal

Norwegian oil company DNO has signed revised agreements with the Kurdistan regional government in north Iraq, amending the production sharing contract for the Dohok and Erbil licence areas, DNO said on Friday.

The revised deal divides the Dohok area into two licence areas, one for the Tawke field and one for the remaining Dohok area, and it is meant to bring the contract into line with the oil and gas law of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, DNO said. After the revision, DNO holds three production sharing contracts in the Kurdistan region of north Iraq, the Tawke PSC with a working interest of 55 percent, Dohok PSC with an interest of 40 percent and the Erbil PSC with an interest of 40 percent, the company said.

"It is the opinion of DNO that the terms of the PSC contracts provide a solid basis for creating substantial values to our shareholders, the region and all of Iraq," DNO said in a statement.

PUKmedia :: English - Norway's DNO Says Revises N.Iraq Production Deal

$5 million for services projects in Missan

The advisory committee responsible for services projects allocated on Friday five million U.S. dollars for services projects in Missan province, as part of the European Union’s (EU) donation.

“Five million dollars have been dedicated as EU’s donation to Al-Maimona suburb, west of Missan,” Monther al-Shawai told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

He added “Representatives of seven international organizations attended the meeting that discussed methods of improving infrastructure and basic services in the province.”

Al-Shawai referred “Through this donation, electricity will be provided to some villages, an Olympic stadium will be built in the suburb, in addition to constructing a number of schools and drinking water compounds in al-Oda marsh, 60 km west of Missan.”

Amara, capital city of Missan province, is 390 km south of Baghdad.

Aswat Aliraq

Government to create 800,000 new jobs

The government’s announcement that it was creating 800,000 new jobs is a sigh of relief amid nearly a five-year-succession of bad news, Iraqi economists said.

They said the jobs if distributed fairly and equitable should alleviate rampant unemployment which they partly blamed for fueling the current cycle of violence in the country.

“The allocation of 800,000 jobs will certainly reduce the current high jobless rates substantially if they are distributed in an equitable and natural manner,” said Isam al-Mahawili.

The government said it was keen to slash unemployment levels in the country and use soaring oil revenues to put the nation to work.

Mahawili, one of Iraq’s top economists, said the government took the right decision, adding that reducing unemployment was “one of the most effective ways to revive the economy.”

But he warned that ambitious plans like these had little chance of success unless the government reinstated stability and peace first.

Ali Khalifa, a Baghdad University economist, described the move as the right step in the path of combating violence.

“Most of the bloody and violent events we see can be attributed to skyrocketing jobless rates in the country.

“Accommodating the jobless will contribute to stability and lead to economic prosperity,” he said.

Khalifa urged the government to encourage private sector entrepreneurs to re-open their factories most of which have been idle since the 2003 U.S. invasion.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2008-03-14\kurd.htm

Turkey and Iraq to forge economic partnership

Iraq's President Jalal Talabani pushed Saturday for closer economic ties between Ankara and Baghdad on a fence mending trip to Turkey following a Turkish military incursion last month.

"Our main goal with this visit is to have a strategic, prolonged relationship with Turkey on all levels: economic, trade, oil, political, culture, everything," Talabani told business leaders.

"I can assure you that you have all kinds of support facilities in Iraq, both in Iraqi Kurdistan (and) in the south, in Baghdad," he said on his first trip to Turkey as head of state.

His remarks came a day after Talabani and Turkish President Abdullah Gul vowed to take measures against rebels from Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), following a week-long ground incursion by Ankara into northern Iraq.

"I'm sure you understand that the Iraqi people regard the Turks as a people and a country of brothers," Talabani said, as the two countries looked to bury the hatchet after weeks of tension.

He also cited "progress" in Iraq's economy, saying his finance minister Bayan Jabr Solagh had "in his hand more than 25 billion dollars (16.2 billion euros) for investment and for strategic projects."

During a lunch reception given by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his honour, Talabani suggested the creation of a cross-border office for cooperation which would also extend to the fight against the "calamity" of terror attacks, the news agency Anatolia reported.

Erdogan's remarks underlined the spirit of warmth the pair were seeking to convey, the Turkish leader calling for a new beginning in the two countries' relationship while insisting that "Turkey has always acted towards Iraq with feelings of friendship and brotherhood."

"I think that we are in a position today to demonstrate the necessary political will to open a new chapter in Turkish-Iraqi relations," he said.

While much work remains to be done on political issues, the details of proposed economic partnership were starting to be fleshed out.

Turkey's deputy minister for foreign trade, Kursda Tuzmen, said after talks with Iraq's oil minister, Hussein Shahristani, that the two neighbours would conclude "an agreement for a stronger economic partnership" by the end of May.

The accord would aim "to integrate the economies of the two countries as much as possible to form a common zone of prosperity," he said.

"Turkey's priority is to invest in the development of Iraqi gas fields, for import and transit to Europe," he said.

Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler, who also met Shahristani, spoke of plans to build a second pipeline from Iraq's oil centre of Kirkuk to Yumurtalik in southern Turkey.

The Iraqi minister also urged Turkey to invest in his country's energy sector and maintained that "Iraq could be a reliable supplier for Turkey."

Turkish exports to Iraq amounted to 2.82 billion dollars (1.83 billion euros) last year, while Iraqi imports only came to 650 million dollars, according to Turkish government statistics.

Turkish businesses in Iraq, largely centered around the construction sector, have amassed some 4.2 billion dollars in contracts since 2003.Tuzmen predicted that two-way trade would total six billion dollars this year and said the target was 20 billion by 2010.

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Iraq Investment Summit provides Lucrative Opportunities for Construction & Engineering Operators

Global construction and engineering contractors will have the opportunity to hold discussions and negotiate with senior officials from the Iraqi Ministry of Industry & Minerals at the forthcoming Investing in Iraq’s Industry Sectors Summit, which takes place in Dubai on 19-20 April 2008.

Hosted in formal partnership with the US Department of Defence Task Force for Business Stability & Operations and the American Chamber of Commerce-Iraq, the summit takes place on the instruction of Iraqi Minister of Industry & Minerals HE Fawzi Hariri, who wishes to open up Iraq’s largest non-oil sectors to the commercial market.

Minister Hariri will be attending the summit with Director Generals from Iraq’s leading and most lucrative state owned enterprises, which include the State Companies for Construction, Cement, Glass & Ceramics, Iron & Steel, Mechanical Industries, Automotive Industries, Engineering, Heavy Engineering, Information Systems and Electrical Industries.

These senior officials are attending with the purpose of sitting down over the course of the two days to discuss investment opportunities, consider production sharing agreements and sign letters of intent, with participation strongly recommended for all operators working within these key sectors.

Iraq's construction industry is among the most crucial within the country, with huge demand for services and materials to support the transformation required to rebuild infrastructure, following years of neglect. It is estimated that as much as $2.5 billion is needed in investment to bring the various production facilities up to full capacity.

The summit is therefore viewed by the Ministry as the key opportunity to discuss the commercial development of these sectors, building on the initial success enjoyed last year when tenders were issued to a small number of operators. This process is viewed as the first step towards privatisation of Iraqi industry.

The summit is the only business forum that provides this unique opportunity under the Ministry of Industry & Minerals. To find out more about opportunities for attendance Click here or for more details please visit IDP

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Nujaifi accuses Kurdistan regional government of excavating oil in Mosul

Iraqi List MP Ousama Al Nujaifi accused Kurdistan regional government of excavating oil in Mosul Province. In return, Kurdistan Alliance MP Mohammed Khalil denied these accusations noting that they are aimed to ignite a crisis between the regional and central governments.

Nujaifi accuses Kurdistan regional government of excavating oil in Mosul | Iraq News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

Accordance Front: Negotiations to return to government fail

In regards of the governmental issue, Accordance Front announced that negotiations on its ministers’ return to government have failed. The front accused the government of not showing a serious willingness towards the participation of Accordance Party in the Cabinet.

Accordance Front: Negotiations to return to government fail | Iraq News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network