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

Iraqi Kurdistan delegation briefs Talabani on talks with Maliki

Iraqi Kurdistan Region's Prime Minister Nejervan Barazani briefed Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on the outcome of his talks with Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki on the pending issues between the central government and the autonomous region, according to a presidential statement on Sunday.

"President Talabani received at his residence in Baghdad Barazani and his accompanying delegation to be posted on his talks with the Iraqi prime minister to solve outstanding issues," read the statement received by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"Talabani stressed the importance of cementing ties between the central and autonomous Kurdistani governments in a way sustaining cooperation and serving the higher interests of all groups of the Iraqi people," the statement noted.

Earlier on Sunday a Kurdish spokesman described as "positive" the Barazani-Maliki negotiations over oil contracts concluded by the Kurds with international companies to invest in the region and the possible incorporation of the Peshmerga (local Kurdish fighters) into the Iraqi army.

Aswat Aliraq

Update.......

An international conference to support reconstruction and development efforts in Iraq

Sweden is organizing a conference of the United Nations devoted to mobilize international support for development efforts in Iraq on the 29th of next May.

Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt, had announced in a press conference in Stockholm on Thursday that the conference called the first follow-up conference of the International Convention with Iraq aimed at strengthening the role of the international community in Iraq. He added that there is a major interest of the international community in stability and reconstruction in Iraq, pointing out that the conference will be held under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki.

The Swedish government announced last week that Ban Ki-moon and Al-Maliki requested from Sweden to host this conference, which is scheduled to convene at the ministerial level.

The International Convention with Iraq is a five-year plan aimed at strengthening security and developing economy in Iraq and was adopted in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt on the third of May last year during an international conference attended by officials from more than 60 countries and organizations promised to cancel $30 billion of Iraq's debt.

Also President Bush announced that American Secretary of State Condoliza Rice will participate in the Stockholm Conference.

http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=5888

Also.......

Fifth International Exhibition for Reconstructing Iraq opens next Monday

The Fifth International Exhibition for Reconstructing Iraq opens in Amman next Monday to introduce the investment opportunities available to regional and global companies from 16 countries. Director of Expo Jordan company, Mohammad Ziyadat, said in a statement to the Jordanian news agency that the Iraqi Economy Development Centre is participating in the organization of the exhibition " which has adopted since the first session held in Amman in April 2005 the responsibility of organizing the Iraqi wing and host Iraqi visitors and officials participating in Amman the whole conference long. He added that the Iraqi delegation will include a number of general managers in Iraqi ministries, governors and a number of businessmen in addition to Iraqi companies from the public and private sectors.

Ziyadat pointed out to the participation of regional and international companies specialized in the fields of construction, engineering, infrastructure material, services, oil and gas and the sector of security, protection and control systems; they were distributed to interior galleries while an external gallery, of about 2.3000 m., has been allocated to display heavy machinery, construction equipment, prefabricated houses and buses.

Participants in the exhibition are: Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Palestine, China, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, France, the United States of America and India. On the sidelines of the exhibition, a specialized conference will be held on the current projects in Iraq and materials required to complete these projects as well as tenders for the infrastructure work at hand and others, with the participation of a number of Jordanian and Iraqi officials.

http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=5889

A ِlarge number of service projects in Al-Sadr City

Baghdad Secretariat began implementing a large number of service projects in Al-Sadr City costing 5 billion dinars, within a plan developed by the secretariat to promote the service status in the areas with density population. The plan included two parallel tracks; the first is to implement development projects, rehabilitation and paving a number of the main streets, while the second includes exploiting a number of squares and spaces to build green recreational facilities to serve the people of the area, as well as developing the facades of a number of departments and government institutions.

http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=5892

Iraqi government dismisses 1,300 soldiers and policemen after Basra fiasco

The Iraqi government has dismissed about 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted or refused to fight during last month’s offensive against Shiite militias and criminal gangs in Basra, officials said on Sunday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said 921 police and soldiers were fired in Basra. They included 37 senior police officers ranging in rank from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general.

The others were dismissed in Kut, one of the Shiite cities where the fight had spread.

Last month, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the security forces to confront armed groups in Basra, Iraq’s second largest city.

But they met fierce resistance and the attack quickly ground to a halt as fighting flared across the Shiite south and Baghdad.

Since then, government officials have revealed that about 1,000 members of the security forces — including an entire infantry battalion — had mutinied, on some cases handing over vehicles and weapons to the militias.

The majority of Iraqi soldiers and police are Shiites.

Speaking in Basra, Khalaf said those dismissed included 421 police officers and 500 soldiers who had not returned to duty in the southern port city and would be tried by military courts.

"Some of them were sympathetic with these lawbreakers, some refused to (go into) battle for political or national or sectarian or religious reasons," Khalaf said.

But he said that those who returned in coming days and could prove they had been prevented from doing so by the militias would be reinstated.

In Kut, a senior police officer said 400 local policemen have been sacked for refusing orders to combat the militias, including the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the Interior Ministry in Baghdad had ordered the policemen removed from duty on Saturday.

Although fighting in Basra eased in late March, security operations are continuing.

Fighting in Baghdad’s Sadr City, a stronghold of al-Sadr’s militia, has been ongoing for the past two weeks. Fresh clashes were reported Sunday and at least two rockets or mortar rounds were fired at the capital’s Green Zone, which houses diplomatic missions and much of Iraq’s government.

A senior military commander said Sunday that Iraqi forces in Basra were expanding their sweep of six neighborhoods, with army and police cordoning off the areas while searching for illegal weapons, ammunition and criminal elements.

Lt. Gen. Mohan al-Fireji said the operation, which started on Saturday, had netted significant amounts of weapons, roadside bombs and *****. He said a large number of suspects had been detained, but he provided no figures.

Al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, repeated on Saturday his demand for American soldiers to leave the country and urged his fighters not to target fellow Iraqis "unless they are helping the (US) occupation."

Despite the strident rhetoric, however, there were signs that al-Sadr was trying to calm his militia to avoid all-out war with the Americans. Al-Sadr is also under pressure from al-Maliki, also a Shiite, to disband the Mahdi Army or face a ban from politics.

Meanwhile, an Apache helicopter accidentally destroyed a US Humvee in eastern Baghdad when a Hellfire missile missed its target and struck the armored vehicle instead, the military said Sunday.

Two US soldiers and three Iraqi civilians were injured in the incident on Saturday, the statement said.

Gulfnews: Iraqi government dismisses 1,300 soldiers and policemen after Basra fiasco

This must be a state owned Bank

Industrial Bank capital increasing to ID25B

Finance Ministry decided increasing capital of Industrial Bank to ID25B and redice interest rates to 2%, a statement of the ministry said

This decision came to support the industrial development of small and middle projects in Iraq and to encourage investors especially at this sector, the statement added.

ÌÑíÏÉ ÇáÕÈÇÍ - Industrial Bank capital increasing to ID25B

Maliki: referring issues with Kurdistan into Ministers

PM Noori Maliki declared referring outstanding issues with Kurdistan region govt. to involved ministers to set suitables solutions as energy committee at parliament disclosed that it would raise oil law before the legislative council if political leaders fail to solve this issue, though they agreed on 75% of its articles.

PM confirmed that constitution controls political process and keeps all Iraqis' rights and the political parties' support to the Govt.'s security measures gave strong position in favor of the process. PM praised at his meeting with the Kurdistan region PM, Nejervan Barzani, national attitudes of President Jalal Talabani and president of the Kurdistan region, Masood Barzani, especially at latest operation that targeted outlaws.

PM disclosed that outstanding issues like oil law and the region guards would be referred to the invloved ministers at the federal Govt and the Kurdistan Govt.

ÌÑíÏÉ ÇáÕÈÇÍ - Maliki: referring issues with Kurdistan into ministers

Iraqi PM to discuss energy deals during first official visit to EU

Aides say Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will travel to Brussels later this week for his first official visit to discuss relations with the European Union, especially in the energy field.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh says it will be a two-day visit starting Wednesday that will be aimed at enhancing political, security, military and economic relations.

He says the Iraqi leader will meet with the EU's foreign affairs chief Javier Solana, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and other top officials.

Al-Dabbagh said Sunday that the prime minister also will discuss "an Iraqi-European understanding in the field of energy, especially in the gas field."

Iraqi PM to discuss energy deals during first official visit to EU - MSN News UK - news & weather

Iraq qualifies 35 Oil Companies to bid for oil, gas contracts

Thirty-five international oil companies have qualified to bid for future oil and gas contracts to develop one of the world's largest oil fields, an Iraqi oil ministry statement said Sunday.

''The total number of the companies and consortia that participated in the prequalification process was 120 from various nationalities,'' said the ministry's petroleum contracts and licensing office.

The office listed 35 companies that it said were qualified. They include, among others, BP PLC, Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Lukoil Holdings, China National Petroleum Corp., Edison International SpA and Eni SpA.

The contracts office, however, said it would continue updating the process of qualifying companies ''especially those that didn't pass (the qualification process) by updating their information with the view to allowing as many as possible of the IOCs to participate in the next licensing round.''

Santa Barbara News-Press

Iraqi government orders crackdown on unauthorized control of gas stations by militias

The Iraqi government on Sunday announced plans to crack down on militiamen controlling gas stations and oil distribution in a new move to dry the resources of armed groups.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has given instructions to ban the interference or the presence of any unofficial people or groups at state-run and private gas stations, refineries and oil distribution centers, according to a government statement.

"Anyone who interferes in the supply, pricing and working hours mechanisms or who charges money will be subjected to law," the statement said.

It is widely believed that gas stations and distribution centers, especially in eastern Baghdad and some Iraqi southern provinces, are covertly controlled by Shiite militiamen dominated by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.

They in turn make large sums of money by selling smuggled gas and kerosene on the black market.

Gas costs about 1,800 Iraqi dinars (US$1.50) per gallon at gas stations and about 3,000 Iraqi dinars (US$2.53) per gallon on the black market — usually vendors peddling it from jerrycans on the side of the road so motorists can avoid long waits and shortages.

Kerosene is sold for 600 Iraqi dinars (50 US cents) per gallon through official channels and 4,000 Iraqi dinars (US$3.37) on the black market.

"These are part of our continuous efforts to protect our national resources from manipulators and those who make fortunes at the expense of public money and in order to free resources from corruption and smuggling and to combat crime," said the statement.

The decision came after bloody fighting between government security forces and militia groups believed to be involved in oil smuggling in the southern oil-rich city of Basra.

The statement said the national oil and interior ministries would coordinate on the necessary measures to prosecute the violators "involved in such actions that deemed as economic sabotage."

Iraqi troops were sent in the past to keep militiamen away from gas stations, but they failed to end the problem.

Iraqi government orders crackdown on unauthorized control of gas stations by militias - International Herald Tribune