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

Security worsens in Baghdad despite U.S. claims of improvement

The security situation in Baghdad is deteriorating very quickly. Of course this bit of information no longer has any meaning for Iraqis as it has become an integral part of Iraq’s media discourse in the years since U.S. invasion of 2003.

But it assumes a special significance right now since it comes in the aftermath of the empty official statements made recently with regard to security conditions in Iraq and particularly Baghdad.

The synchronized bombing of churches in three major cities in the country – Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk – and the ostensible surge in bomb attacks targeting U.S.-supported Arab Sunni militias, government targets and U.S. Marines are indications of worsening security conditions despite Iraqi government’s efforts to present a different picture.

The upsurge in insecurity is a natural outcome of the drastic failure to lead in a country whose ruling political factions are the ones to blame. They are the ones who shoulder the responsibility for the deterioration in security.

Following a short ‘lull’, the current deterioration is extremely dangerous as it comes in on the heels of false statements and lies of gains in security. There were obvious signals that conditions would aggravate but the authorities ignored all of them.

They were childishly happy with their patchwork, thinking it could resist the collapse of their rickety security infrastructure. The structure of security in Iraq is falling because its foundations were built on sand or probably it had no foundations at all.

This is the real picture of conditions in the country outside the rotten official chambers which contain nothing but lies and slogans.

Security worsens in Baghdad despite U.S. claims of improvement | Iraq Updates

ISX-Daily Analysis For 10/1/2008 Session

Iraq Stock Exchange hold Third session for this month, the numbers of Traded Companies were (22)and still (25)companies are off Trading Floor because of their General Assembly meeting which they decided to Increase their Capital. ForToday the numbers of Traded Shares were (597)m/ shares and Trading volume (908) m / ID, the price Index was about 35.230 point . Bank sector Index was(36.650),Services Sector Index was(77.123) , Industrial Sector Index was(11.250), Hotels sector Index was (14.448), Agricultural sector Index was (85.680).

from the Bulletin we can see the Trading for (12) banks, (1) Services Company,(6) Industrial companies,(2) Hotels companies,(1)Agricultural company. Generally the shares prices were increase in (6) Decrease in about (9), & stables in (7).

ISX-Daily Analysis For 10/1/2008 Session | Iraq Updates

Iraq debt to AMF climbs to $530m

Iraq’s outstanding debt to a key Arab League financial organisation has swelled to more than $530 million (Dh1.9bn) as the conflict-battered country has been unable to repay funds owed to that institution for more than 10 years.

War-torn Somalia is another key debtor to the Abu Dhabi-based Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), while the fund has reached an initial agreement with Sudan involving rescheduling part of the debt and writing off the rest.

AMF figures show Iraq’s arrears to the IMF-style Arab fund have climbed steadily over the past 10 years because of accumulating interest and default on the principal debt the country has been unable to pay back after its economy was crippled by persistent wars.

From about $368m at the end of 2001, Iraq’s debt to the AMF surged to nearly $410m at the end of 2002 and more than $440m in 2003. At the end of 2006, the debt swelled to $530.5m and AMF sources said the debt would have further climbed to more than $550m at the end of 2007.

“Total defaults owed to the AMF reached around 176.6m Arab Accounting Dinars ($754m), including nearly $292m in principal debt,” the AMF said. “Iraq has remained the biggest defaulter in member states.”

The other key defaulter is Somalia, which owed the fund around $227m, including nearly $68m in principal loans and the rest in interest.

Sudan had been among the three main defaulters before it reached a tentative agreement with the AMF four years ago to settle the debt.

“Those arrears do not include the outstanding debt of around 18.4m Arab Accounting Dinars ($84.5m) owed by Sudan to the fund… it has been excluded under a rescheduling agreement, which involves a write-off at a later stage under a decision by the fund’s governing board,” the report said.

The swelling arrears forced the AMF to suspend Iraq’s membership and halt loans nearly 15 years ago although it has maintained its technical assistance to the Arab country. During AMF-Iraq talks in 2004, the fund said it would resume its lending activity and finance post-war reconstruction in the war-shattered country but stressed a solution to the debt must be reached.

The total arrears at the end of 2006 accounted for nearly 28 per cent of the fund’s paid up capital of around $2.68bn, subscribed mainly by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt and Libya. The AMF was created by the Arab League in Abu Dhabi in 1975.

Iraq debt to AMF climbs to $530m | Iraq Updates

Iraq seeks to "compromise" with Kuwait on the issues of debt and reparations

Iraqi Vice President, Tariq Al-Hashimi, said on Wednesday that he discussed with the Kuwaiti leadership the issue of a "compromise" on the debt of Iraq's invasion and reparations for the Iraqi invasion to this country, estimated at tens of billions of dollars. He said he had asked Kuwait to assist the possibility of reducing the amounts deducted from the proceeds of Iraqi oil, which are 5%, for the benefit of the United Nations Compensation Fund. Al-Hashemi said, "5% is too large in light of the high oil prices and Iraq has very large projects in infrastructure, services and the budget of Iraq is not enough."

Al-Hashemi said that agreement had been reached to set up a joint technical committee between the two countries to discuss such matters and that the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, will discuss these topics also in the course of his visit to Kuwait, which begins next Sunday.
The government and the private sector in Kuwait had received, so far, $11 billion from Baghdad for the Iraqi invasion of this oil-rich Gulf State in 1990 out of the $41.3 billion approved by the Compensation Committee in the United Nations.

Kuwait had demanded compensations of up to $178 billion and presented it to the Committee, which was formed in 1991 right after the liberation of Kuwait. Kuwaiti deputies had warned the government of the consequences of a waiver for any of these awards and threatened to interrogate the government if this was done. But Kuwait agreed in 2004 to an American request to reduce Iraq's debt owed to them and estimated by $16 billion.

Iraq seeks to "compromise" with Kuwait on the issues of debt and reparations | Iraq Updates

Gates, al-Mufriji discuss long-term U.S.-Iraq security relationship

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Iraqi Defense Minister Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji on Thursday held discussions that continue to lay the foundation for a normalized long-term security relationship between Iraq and the United States, Gates said during a joint Pentagon briefing with Mufriji.

Since the year-long U.S. troop surge into Iraq, the number of improvised explosive device attacks per week has declined by half; Anbar province, once a stronghold of al Qaeda, has been reclaimed; high-profile attacks, car bombs and suicide attacks are down 60 percent since March; and civilian deaths are down 75 percent from a year ago, "although still far too high," Gates said.

Over the past year, Iraqi security forces have grown in capability, confidence and size, expanding by more than 100,000, Gates said.

"Iraqis have assumed security responsibility for nine of 18 provinces, and we expect this transfer to continue," he said. "As significant as the progress has been, the deaths of nine U.S. servicemen announced yesterday is a stark reminder of the work that remains to be done and of the risks that coalition and Iraqi troops take every day." Most of the U.S. troops died when a booby-trapped house exploded in Diyala province.

The security gains made possible by the U.S. troop surge have created an opportunity this year for Iraq to move forward on economic, political and legislative fronts, Gates said.

"Many local Iraqi groups have started to address some of these issues in their own communities," he said.

"For 2008, the challenge is to link these actions with the government in Baghdad in a way that strengthens both local and national government."

Gates, al-Mufriji discuss long-term U.S.-Iraq security relationship | Iraq Updates

Syrian, Iraqi, Turkish Irrigation Ministers meet for First Time in 20 Years

Irrigation ministers from Syria, Iraq and Turkey met in Damascus Thursday, nearly 20 years after the three suspended cooperation on water issues.

Syria, Iraq and Turkey suspended water-sharing meetings two decades ago amid political and economic disputes.

A 1987 water-sharing protocol requires Turkey to give Syria 500 cubic meters (17,500 cubic feet) of Euphrates water per second from the Ataturk Dam.

On Thursday, Syrian Irrigation Minister Nader al-Bunni hosted Turkish Minister of Environment Veysel Eroglu and the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources, Abdul-Latif Jamal Rasheed, in Damascus.
The meeting was expected to last two days.

The next water conference would be held in Istanbul in March 2009, Eroglu said.

PUKmedia :: English - Syrian, Iraqi, Turkish Irrigation Ministers meet for First Time in 20 Years

Snow Falls on Baghdad for First Time in Memory

Snow fell on Baghdad on Friday for the first time in memory, and delighted residents declared it an omen of peace.

"It is the first time we've seen snow in Baghdad," said 60-year-old Hassan Zahar. "We've seen sleet before, but never snow. I looked at the faces of all the people, they were astonished," he said.

"A few minutes ago, I was covered with snowflakes. In my hair, on my shoulders. I invite all the people to enjoy peace, because the snow means peace," he said.

Traffic policeman Murtadha Fadhil, huddling under a balcony to keep dry, declared the snow "a new sign of the new Iraq."

"It's a sign of hope. We hope Iraqis will purify their hearts and politicians will work for the prosperity of all Iraqis."

The streets of the capital were largely empty as big, thick, wet flakes fell on Friday morning, a weekend day in Iraq. The temperature hovered around freezing and the snow mostly melted into grey puddles when it hit the ground.

But it was still lovely, said Mohanned Rahim, a baker: "This snow will bring pleasure to the people of Iraq. It's beautiful!"

PUKmedia :: English - Snow Falls on Baghdad for First Time in Memory

Presidency Council Holds a Meeting

Yesterday, His Excellency President Jalal Talabani headed an ordinary meeting of the Presidency Council, attended by his both Vices Dr. Adel Abdul al-Mahdi and Dr. Tariq al-Hashimi at the president residence in Baghdad.

Political Challenges and the essential ways to remove the obstacles which hinders the recent political process were discussed in the meeting. Dr. Adel Abdul al-Mahdi dedicated to the Council, a summary about his visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Dr. Tariq al-Hashimi also summarized the results of his visit to Kuwait, both Vices shed light on their fruitful meetings with Senior Officials in both countries.

The Presidency Council evaluated the two visits and described them as the very successful and fruitful to the future of bilateral relations between Iraq and both Iran and Kuwait.

Meanwhile, President Talabani and his Vices asserted the necessity of activating the (3+1) meeting, which consists of the Presidency Council and the Prime Minister to discuss the situation and to follow the political problems in order to find accepted solutions to the disputed issues between the political blocs, in addition to spend all possible efforts to reform the political situation.

PUKmedia :: English - Presidency Council Holds a Meeting

Oil ministry excludes corporations dealing with Kurdistan from investment in Iraq

Iraq's oil ministry invited foreign corporations to invest in the oil field in all Iraqi provinces including those of Iraqi Kurdistan region and Kirkuk but excluded the companies that have signed contracts with the region without prior approval by the ministry, a spokesman said on Friday.

"The oil ministry would not allow international corporations that already signed oil contracts with the government of Iraqi Kurdistan to invest in Iraq," Aasem Jihad told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by telephone.

The Iraqi oil ministry objects the autonomous Kurdistan region's signing of contracts with foreign companies to prospect for, produce and export oil without referring to the central government in Baghdad.

The region had signed 15 contracts with 20 foreign oil corporations in defiance of the central government's objection and ahead of the Iraqi parliament's final endorsement of a new draft law on oil.

Parliamentary debates on the oil & gas draft were postponed more than once despite strong pressures practiced by the United States on the leaders of Iraqi parliamentary blocs to accelerate a new law. The postponement was due to differences among the political powers over some items.

The draft, adopted by the Iraqi cabinet since late February 2007, provides for distribution of oil revenues to Iraqi provinces based on the rate of population.

It also would open the door before foreign investments in the domain of oil and gas prospecting, production and export in Iraq, a country rated by specialized international agencies to have one of the largest reserves in the world.

Aswat Aliraq

Al-Maliki Meets the Commanders of Baghdad Law Plan

Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki praises the role of the Iraqi security forces and Awakening councils in rescuing Iraq from a civilian war, and expected to annihilate al-Qaeda organization in a final battle in Ninawa Province.

He added that the awakening folks played a major role in achieving security, and urged that this experiment might face offense and breakthrough.

He also said that the awakening elements helped to clean al-Anbar province from terrorists, and that there is an intention to face the terrorists who ran to it by the awakening men in Ninawa province, and expected that the final battle with al-Qaeda will be there.

PUKmedia :: English - Al-Maliki Meets the Commanders of Baghdad Law Plan