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

Counterfeiters forge wrong dinar

Police have arrested 12 people who mistakenly forged Iraqi dinars and other currencies and official documents, news reports said Thursday.

The group was arrested in seven raids around Istanbul on Jan. 7.

The police found 250 fake traffic registration documents, 61 fake holograms, 15 fake drivers licenses, dozens of fake stamps from state offices and lastly 180 fake Iraqi dinars with a denomination of 25,000.

The police also seized various equipment used in counterfeiting.

It appears the group thought they were forging a valuable currency when they started working on the Iraqi dinars. Currently one dollar buys 1,213 Iraqi dinars, while the same dollar can buy only 0.27 Kuwaiti dinars.

The suspects told the police they had made a loss in forging the Iraqi money.

Police officials said the suspects had informed the police about each other.

Counterfeiters forge wrong dinar - Turkish Daily News Jan 12, 2008

Can You Tell Me Where The Dinar Should Be For Us Holding Dinars To Exchange?????????? I Know Nothings About The Dinars, But I Bought Alot. Help. I Look At Exchange Rate. But Not SURE HOW MUCH The Us Dollars TO THE DINARS SHOULD BE. Thank You

Originally Posted by zelly

Can You Tell Me Where The Dinar Should Be For Us Holding Dinars To Exchange?????????? I Know Nothings About The Dinars, But I Bought Alot. Help. I Look At Exchange Rate. But Not SURE HOW MUCH The Us Dollars TO THE DINARS SHOULD BE. Thank You

Well you have alot to catch up on Zelly. So I'll keep it brief - Keep holding, maybe a while yet - slowly but constantly going in the right direction (that's banking on 'no lop'). Check back now and again, just to keep yourself up to speed. Good luck.

Shahristani Calls to establish a Peaceful Nuclear Programme

Husain al-Shahristani the Iraqi Oil Minister asserted that Iraq must have a progress Nuclear Research Program for Peaceful purpose in the Health, Agriculture and Industry fields.

Shahristani who is a Nuclear Scientist said that Iraq’s need for building nuclear reactors is not to generate electricity because Iraq has law-priced energy resources to be used in that purpose.

It’s worth mentioning that Iraq used to have a Nuclear Program during Saddam’s regime, who tried to use it to possess a Nuclear Bomb, which was rejected by the International Community.

PUKmedia :: English - Shahristani Calls to establish a Peaceful Nuclear Programme

Iraq and U.S. Want Strategic Pact by July: Minister

Iraq hopes to conclude by July a pact with the United States that lays the basis for long-term strategic ties between the two countries and defines the legal status of U.S. troops, Iraq's foreign minister said on Saturday.

Hoshiyar Zebari said technical talks would be launched in Baghdad later this month on the alliance that lays the basis of ties once the one-year extension of the U.N. authorization for the U.S.-led forces in Iraq expires at the end of 2008.

"We will get by the end of the month into decisive and crucial negotiations to reach the long-term cooperation and friendship agreement. It will define the relationship in all its aspects," Zebari told Reuters in Amman.

"This agreement is very important for Iraq and the region ... We don't want to pre-empt events and matters will be decided in the coming talks and we hope to conclude by July," he added.

President George Bush and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki signed a declaration of principles in November to guide negotiations toward the security pact.

Bush said on Saturday that America's new strategy had reversed Iraq's descent into mayhem and the United States was on track to complete the withdrawal of 20,000 troops by mid-year.

After talks at a base in the Kuwaiti desert with his military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, Bush said security gains in Iraq "are allowing some U.S. forces to return home".

He added: "Any additional reduction will be based on the recommendation of General Petraeus, and those recommendations will be based entirely on the conditions on the ground in Iraq."

LONG-TERM COMMITMENT

But Bush gave a sense of the long-term U.S. commitment when he said in a television interview on Friday the United States would have a presence in Iraq that could "easily" last a decade.

Zebari said the future role of U.S. troops and their eventual pullout would be covered in the pact. In contrast, the declaration of principles did not clarify how long U.S. forces would remain in the country or what mission they would pursue.

"Iraq is in need of this U.S. presence but the period will be defined in the pact ... This timeframe will be set by the Iraqi government's authorization," he added.

"The pact will cover the tasks of U.S. troops in Iraq and their mission in the next phase. There was a lot that was raised in previous years about withdrawal of troops ... this accord can regulate this," Zebari said.

Iraq has said it will never allow the United States to have permanent military bases on its soil, calling the issue a "red line" that cannot be crossed.

The pact would not have any secret annexes and would address the relationship between Iraqi and U.S. army commands and the broader legal and security implications of the immunities currently enjoyed by American troops in Iraq, Zebari said.

Zebari said anticipated troop withdrawals this year was proof Iraq's military was restoring its vigor and its troops were better prepared to fill the vacuum left by U.S. withdrawals.

A drop in violence in Iraq since a U.S. troop "surge" was launched last year was also due to better security cooperation with Syria and Iran and a campaign by Sunni tribesmen against al-Qaeda militants, Zebari said.

"All of this has brought an improvement in security conditions ... even if there are bombings but the curve is showing a decline in attacks and a decrease in violence by 60-70 percent," he added.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraq and U.S. Want Strategic Pact by July: Minister

Fuad Maasom: President Talabani will announce an Initiative

In a statement to Alhurria satellite channel, Dr. Fuad Maasom the MP from Kurdistan Alliance Bloc said that President Jalal Talabani will announce within two days, an initiative to reshape the government and settle the disputes according to the Constitution.

“The Iraqi President, due to his constitutional position with his two Vices is responsible to protect and carry out the constitution, President Jalal Talabani has a bill which is almost finished concentrating on the mechanisms, we have the government’s work program, Quadruple Agreement, Triple Understanding Memo, (3+1) and many other agreements and understandings, his Excellency wants to apply which was agreed on, and to be committed with according to the constitution.” Dr. Fuad Maasom added.

PUKmedia :: English - Fuad Maasom: President Talabani will announce an Initiative

Blocs and Members in Iraqi Council of representatives Announce National Understanding Project

Today, Salih al-Mutlag, Khalaf al-Olean, Osama al-Nujefi, Hannen Kadu, Ezaldeen al-Dawla and Abdul Kareem al-Enzi, members in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, announced in a press conference in Baghdad a National Understanding Project.

Basic Principles of this Project were announced in the conference including:

-Oil Revenue belongs to Iraqi People; it can be managed only by the Iraqi Government in cooperation with the regional authorities.

-Solving Kirkuk Issue which represents the National Unity.

-Serous Work to build the Iraqi Army and setting a timetable for the foreign existence in Iraq.

-Considering Census and resorting to Ministry of Plan in this respect to approve 2008 Budget, in addition to other Measures.

The participants in this project are “Al-Sadr Bloc, Islamic Daawa Party, al-Resaleon, Iraqi National Dialogue Front, Iraqi National List, Independent Bloc in the Iraqi National Accord, Independent Arabic Bloc, Turkmen Front, Ezdies Movement for reform and Progress and Hannen Kadu the Shabak representative in the Iraqi Council of Representatives.

PUKmedia :: English - Blocs and Members in Iraqi Council of representatives Announce National Understanding Project

PUK & KDP Political Bureaus: Kurdistan Region not in Need of Awakening Council

Today a joint meeting was held in Erbil between PUK and KDP Political Bureaus which was attended by a number of PUK and KDP high officials. The minutes of the meeting were announced in a press conference after the meeting.

“The reduction of the KRG ministries, relations between KRG and central government, and offering public services are of the topics of our discussion.” PUK Undersecretary General, Kosrat Rasul, told the reporters.

“We suggested reducing KRG ministries, but it should be decided upon by Kurdistan National Assembly and KRG not by us as the political parties.” He added, in reply to a PUKmedia correspondent’s question.

On his part, chief of KDP Political Bureau, Fazil Mirani, told the reports they have reservations to forming Awakening Council in Kurdistan region and other disputed areas.

“As far as we are concerned, we passed the stage in which such council is needed since we have border patrol and regular army in Kurdistan region.” He added.

PUKmedia :: English - PUK & KDP Political Bureaus: Kurdistan Region not in Need of Awakening Council

Bush Hails Legislative Action in Iraq

Iraq's Parliament has passed a law that removes restrictions that prevented many members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from serving in government posts. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports President Bush quickly hailed the move as an important step.

The news from Baghdad reached President Bush in the midst of a Middle East tour, and just hours after he visited a U.S. army base in Kuwait that acts as a staging ground and support center for American forces in Iraq.
By the time he reached Bahrain and sat down for talks with King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Mr. Bush was jubilant - hailing the achievement of a key U.S. benchmark.

"I'm pleased to inform you, your majesty, that the Iraqi Council of Representatives passed a de-Baathification law today," Mr. Bush said.

The Bush administration has been pushing the Iraqis for months to pass a law that would remove restrictions on members of the Baath Party, allowing some to return to government jobs they held under Saddam Hussein.

For Mr. Bush, passage was a personal victory.

"It's an important step toward reconciliation," Mr. Bush said. "It's an important sign that the leaders in that country must work together to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people."

The restrictions on Baathists were put in place after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

But over time, the White House realized they were exacerbating tensions between Iraq's majority Shi'ites and once-dominant Sunnis. As a result, Washington urged Shi'ite leaders in parliament to lift the restrictions and make a gesture that could bring more Sunnis into the political process.

The new law will enable thousands of former Baath party members to apply for reinstatement in the civil service and military. Many more reforms are still awaiting action in the Iraqi legislature, including a measure on the distribution of oil revenue.

Iraq is one of many issues the president is discussing here in Bahrain - the home of the U.S. fifth fleet. Mr. Bush is the first sitting American president to visit Bahrain, and he received a warm and, some would say, unusual welcome.

After the speeches and military pageantry of the official welcoming ceremony, a troupe of dancers entered the stone and tile courtyard in front of the presidential palace.

They swayed as they sang, carrying swords and rifles and performing a traditional dance of tribesman going off to war or returning home. It was a reminder of the bloodshed the region has known for centuries and the underlying desire of warriors to put down their weapons and live in peace.

PUKmedia :: English - Bush Hails Legislative Action in Iraq

Sharp drop in the demand for the dollar in daily auction

Demand for the dollar dropped sharply in the Iraqi Central Bank's auction on Sunday, registering at $55.345 million compared to $199.375 million on Thursday.

"The demand hit $18.565 million in cash and $36.780 million in money transfers outside the country, all covered by the bank at a stable exchange rate of 1,215 Iraqi dinars per dollar, unchanged for the seventh consecutive session," according to the central bank's daily bulletin which was received by Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

The 13 banks participating in the auction offered to sell $3 million, which the bank bought at an exchange rate of 1,213 Iraqi dinars per dollar.

Speaking to VOI, Ali al-Yasseri, an Iraqi trader, attributed the drop in the overall demand for the dollar to the decline in foreign transfers.

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

Aswat Aliraq