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

Iraqi Oil Ministry: Deals are Imminent with Major Companies to boost Production

Iraq is in the final stages of discussions with major oil companies to help the country boost its production, an Oil Ministry official said Thursday.

The official told The Associated Press that only "one or two" issues remain under discussion, including "mechanism of payment."

The official did not identify the companies and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to discuss the matter with the media.

Last December, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, BP PLC, ExxonMobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. submitted technical and financial proposals to develop five fields in southern and northern Iraq.

Iraq intends to compensate these companies with crude oil rather than in cash.

The U.N. International Advisory and Monitoring Board has expressed concern over paying with oil instead of cash because of problems in determining fair market value.

A 2003 U.N. resolution, extended through the end of this year, stipulates that all of Iraq's oil proceeds must be deposited into an account in the New York-based Federal Reserve Bank under supervision of the U.N. board.

The resolution also calls for taking five percent of oil sales to compensate Kuwait for the loses it suffered during the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

Iraqi Oil Ministry: Deals are imminent with major companies to boost production - International Herald Tribune

Sweden has begun preparations for UN-Iraq Summit

Stockholm - Sweden has begun preparations to host a summit on Iraq at the end of May in collaboration with Baghdad and the United Nations, Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said Thursday. At a briefing along with International Development Cooperation Minister Gunilla Carlsson, Bildt said the one-day summit would focus on "international support, reconciliation and state building" in Iraq.

A year ago the International Compact for Iraq (ICI) was launched at a summit in Egypt.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki were due to attend the conference that was not a donor meeting, Bildt said, adding he had no word yet who would represent the United States.

The invitations were to be sent out from the UN headquarters, but Bildt and Ambassador Krister Kumlin, who would be in charge of organizing the May 29 conference, expected some 80 delegations to attend.

Carlsson said the conference was important against the backdrop of the "UN's increasing role" to coordinate and supervise reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

Bildt reminded of the UN's difficulties in Iraq after the August 2003 bombing that killed among others UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello, the then UN Special Representative in Iraq, but noted that the organization had "considerable knowledge" about issues in the country.

The summit was the first follow-up conference since the ICI was launched a year ago at a conference hosted by Egypt, Bildt said, adding it was likely other conferences would be held in future.

The ICI aims at linking peace-building and economic prosperity.

Sweden has begun preparations for UN-Iraq summit : Europe World

Report: Bush to announce shorter combat tours for Iraq

US President George W Bush is expected to announce that US Army combat tours in Iraq will be reduced from 15 to 12 months, the Washington Post reported in its Thursday edition, citing officials in Bush's government. After testimony to congressional committees this week by General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, US ambassador in Baghdad, Bush was scheduled to deliver an address later Thursday.

Petraeus, architect of the troop surge ordered last year by Bush, told Congress that a 45-day freeze in force strength should be imposed in July, when levels are scheduled to return to the pre-surge total of about 140,000 US soldiers in Iraq. The surge had added an additional 28,000 combat and support troops, and has been widely credited with quelling the worst of the violence that peaked in early 2007.

In his speech Thursday, Bush was expected to endorse the Petraeus freeze, intended to allow a full evaluation of US force requirements in Iraq, as well as announcing a return to the 12-month rotations that had been in place before the surge began. The restored policy would give Army units a full year out of combat between 12-month tours in Iraq.

Opposition Democrats who control Congress are pushing for faster handover of responsibility to Iraqi government security forces, in hopes of speeding the reduction of US troop commitments.

Report: Bush to announce shorter combat tours for Iraq : US World

Gov't's disarming campaign must include all militias-cleric al-Sadr

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said he is not against the government's disarming campaign provided that it includes all militias, Iraqi Vice president(VP) office reported.

"The Sadrist movement does not reject the announced disarming campaign provided that it includes all militias" said a VP office statement received by Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq(VOI).

A delegation of Al-Sadr main office led by Hazim al-Araji and Muhanad al-Azzawi visited VP Tareq al-Hashemi to handed a letter sent by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr about the current situation.

The announcement pointed out "VP al-Hashemi urged the Sadrist movement to show the restraint and to allow the government to confiscate the unauthorized weapons and to arrest the suspects".

Fierce clashes erupted in Basra after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a major crackdown, dubbed as Saulat al-fursan(Knights' Assault), on gunmen in the southern port city .The security operation sparked heavy fighting between government security forces and militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Basra and Baghdad along with major southern cities.

Iraqi government a cash-for-weapon plan late March in the wake of clashes engulfing Iraqi cities for three days.It extended the ultimatum to ten days, ending last Tuesday.

Aswat Aliraq

Demand for dollar down at daily auction

Demand for the dollar was down in the Iraqi Central Bank's auction on Thursday, registering at $68.485 million compared to $149.485 million on Tuesday.

"The demand hit $24.195 million in cash and $44.290 million in money transfers outside the country, all covered by the bank at a rate of 1,204 Iraqi dinars per dollar, stable for the third session in a row," according to the central bank's daily bulletin and received by Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

The 14 banks that participated in the auction offered to sell 870,000 dollars, which the bank bought all at a rate of 1,202 dinars per dollar.

Speaking to VOI, Ali al-Yasseri, a trader, said that though the bids in today's session were lower than the last sessions, they relatively were within the average demand.

The daily auction session was cancelled on Wednesday as the Iraqi capital was slammed with a ban on vehicles on a day that marked the fifth anniversary when the U.S. forces stormed Baghdad and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi Central Bank runs a daily auction on Sunday through Thursday.

Aswat Aliraq

Iraqi Political Blocs Support al-Maliki

Iraq's prime minister got a show of support from political leaders of both Muslim sects at a meeting yesterday as he moved to isolate anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his followers.

Sadrist lawmakers warned that the government's effort against them could backfire even as fighting between Shi'ite militants and U.S.-Iraq forces eased after days of fierce clashes in Baghdad's Sadr City district.

The fighting has taken its toll on all sides. The U.S. military announced that an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb Wednesday in Central Baghdad, raising to 18 the number of Americans who died in Iraq the first 10 days of April.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite, convened the meeting of the main political blocs to discuss the Iraqi-led crackdown on militias that began March 25 in the southern city of Basra, triggering the current crisis.

The notable absence of the Sadrists signaled that Mr. al-Maliki was making good on a threat to try to isolate the movement politically if its Mahdi Army militia is not disbanded.

The Sadrists said they were not invited to the meeting.

"The Iraqi prime minister is waging a political war," Sadrist lawmaker Falah Shanshal said. "But he is committing a big mistake because the Sadr movement enjoys the support of a large portion of the Iraqi public."

Iraqi authorities announced Wednesday that they would lift a two-week-old vehicle ban on Sadr City and another Shi'ite militia stronghold, Shula, this weekend. The intent is to provide relief to residents who have suffered from food shortages as well as the violence.

Sheik Salman al-Feraiji, Sheik al-Sadr's chief representative in Sadr City, welcomed the decision but warned that "the battle is not over yet because the U.S. helicopters are still hovering over the city and U.S. forces are still surrounding it."

He accused Mr. al-Maliki of waging a personal vendetta against the Sadrist movement, despite the government's assertion that it is targeting only criminal gangs.

"Al-Maliki is refusing to listen to us or meet our leaders," Sheik al-Feraiji said. "We think that al-Maliki is determined to continue his mission, and the recent lull happened because of the U.S. criticism of the fruitless performance of his security forces."

Violence in Iraq declined last year and early this year after a seven-month-old cease-fire by Sheik al-Sadr, an influx of American troops and a Sunni revolt against al Qaeda in Iraq. But the government crackdown on the Mahdi Army has provoked fierce retaliation, underscoring the fragility of the security gains.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraqi Political Blocs Support al-Maliki

Iraq Weekly Status Report 09 Apr 2008

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

- General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker testify before Congress on the situation in Iraq. Both cite progress but caution patience, including a 45-day period of 'consolidation and evaluation' following currently scheduled troop withdrawals. (POLITICAL, page 4; SECURITY, page 10).

- PM Maliki ordered Sadr to disarm his militia. Sadr responded saying that he would follow the advice of top Shia leaders. (POLITICAL, page 5).

- Muqtada al-Sadr threatens to end the cease-fire imposed on his Mahdi Army. (SECURITY, page 11).

- Senators Kennedy and Biden called for a senior official to coordinate US policy on Iraq's 2 million refugees and over 2 million internally displaced persons. (POLITICAL, page 6).

- The WTO met April 2 to discuss Iraq's accession. (ECONOMIC, page 15).

- The Government of Sweden announced April 3 plans to host the next meeting of the International Compact with Iraq (ICI) May 29. (DIPLOMATIC, page 27).

PUKmedia :: English - Iraq Weekly Status Report 09 Apr 2008

New Security Plan in Basrah

A security source from Basrah operations room told PUKmedia website, on condition of anonymity,” The security forces will launch new military operations in Basrah to bring order to the City.”

Meanwhile, the security forces have arrested more than 70% of the wanted criminals including the senior leaders who are involved in killing and smuggling crimes. The source added.

PUKmedia :: English - New Security Plan in Basrah

KRG Delegation Head to Baghdad to Settle Pended Issues

Today a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) headed by the KRG Premier, Nechirvan Barzani and including several KRG ministers visited Baghdad to settle pended issues between the Kurdistan region and the Iraqi federal government.

Speaking to PUKmedia prior to their departure, the KRG Housing and Reconstruction, a member of the delegation, Imad Ahmed said “The purpose behind this visit is to activate the committees which are responsible to implement of the article 140, discussing the Iraqi oil and gas draft law, the KRG oil contracts with the foreign companies and settling the budget of the Kurdistan region forces.”

In addition to discussing those issues, several other issues related to bilateral ties between the Kurdistan region and the Iraqi federal government also will be discussed, Imad added.

PUKmedia :: English - KRG Delegation Head to Baghdad to Settle Pended Issues

Top Sadr Aide Shot Dead

Gunmen shot dead a top official from radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's movement in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf after Friday prayers, police and an aide to the cleric told AFP.

Riyad al-Nuri, director of the Sadr movement's office in Najaf, was shot dead near his home as he was returning from the weekly prayers, Najaf police chief Major General Abdul Karim Mustafa said.

Police imposed an indefinite curfew in the shrine city following the shooting, Mustafa added.

Sadr aide Haider al-Turfi said the gunmen were waiting for Nuri, 37, near his home in the city's eastern Al-Adala neighbourhood.

PUKmedia :: English - Top Sadr Aide Shot Dead