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

Rice Hails Saudi Arabia Efforts to Reopen its Embassy in Baghdad

During a joint conference with the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday, Saud al-Faisal the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs asserted on Saudi Arabia’s political and economic commitment to help Iraqis and to support the National Reconciliation.He also said that Riyadh’s efforts are continues to reopen its embassy in Baghdad.

On the other side Condoleezza Rice hailed the Saudi resolution referring that during her visit to Baghdad became acquainted with the preparations to achieve this purpose.

PUKmedia :: English - Rice Hails Saudi Arabia Efforts to Reopen its Embassy in Baghdad

Foodstuff Coupon will be Distributed for another 6 Months

In an exclusive statement to PUKmedia, Haider al-Ebadi the MP from the Unified Iraqi Alliance announced postponing the approval date on 2008 budget; he said “It was supposed that 2008 budget to be approved tomorrow, yet due to security measures on Ashorra ceremony it was postponed to the next Monday.”

“An agreement was made to continue in distributing the foodstuff coupon for another 6 months, after that a detailed study will be done by the Ministry of Trade”, Haider al-Ebadi added in this regard.

Haider al-Ebadi also referred that a census will be done during the recent year and through its results the poor and rich standards will specified, based on that, the foodstuff coupon will be distributed only on those who are in need of.

PUKmedia :: English - Foodstuff Coupon will be Distributed for another 6 Months

Gul: Iraq's Unity Important for All of Us

President Abdullah Gul said, "Iraq's territorial integrity, political unity, peace and security is important not only for Iraqi people, but also for everybody." Gul was speaking at a joint press conference with Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Tuesday.

Gul said that economic and political relations between Turkey and Egypt are developing, adding that Turkey and Egypt are two important countries of eastern Mediterranean.

Gul expressed pleasure over the acceleration in economic relations in recent years. He added that both commerce and mutual investments increased after Turkey and Egypt signed Free Trade Agreement last year.

Noting that they discussed regional issues with Mubarak, Gul said that a new hope emerged to settle peace in Palestine after the meeting which was held in Annapolis city of the United States.
Gul said that overcoming the political crisis

PUKmedia :: English - Gul: Iraq's Unity Important for All of Us

U.N. sees Iraq Progress despite Misgivings

The United Nations envoy to Baghdad said on Wednesday he would present a positive picture of progress in Iraq in a report to the Security Council despite earlier having serious misgivings about reconciliation efforts.U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura said the passing of a key law allowing former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to return to government jobs had changed what had been a pessimistic view of progress in a crucial year for Iraq.

"At the beginning of the year we were worried ... we were genuinely concerned by the lack of progress on national dialogue," de Mistura told Reuters by telephone.

"Today that has substantially changed. It has changed our mind from being worried or from being pessimistic," he said.

That view was echoed on Tuesday by visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who said it was a time of hope because of a "spirit of cooperation" between Iraq's ethnic and religious groups.

The law on reintegrating former Baathists passed on Saturday. It was the first in a series of bills Washington has pressed the Shi'ite Islamist-led government to pass to draw minority Sunni Arabs who held sway under Saddam back into the political process.

De Mistura had said in an interview with France's Le Figaro newspaper, published earlier on Wednesday but conducted almost a week before the bill was passed, that Iraq's sectarian groups lacked any true spirit of reconciliation.

He said in that interview that Iraq was running out of time and had six months to overcome distrust between the Shi'ite-dominated cabinet and Sunni Arabs and make political progress or risk a swift return to violence.

SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS

The passage of the bill was even more encouraging because it came at a time of sustained security improvements, de Mistura said, with attacks across Iraq down by 60 percent since 30,000 extra U.S. troops became fully deployed last June.

"The current dialogue we are seeing between the government and Sunnis is also encouraging," de Mistura said, referring to efforts to get the main Sunni Arab bloc to return to the government, from which it withdrew last August.

De Mistura said he would leave later this week to deliver a progress report to the Security Council.

"We are going to compliment the government," he said.

The government must nevertheless press ahead with reconciliation efforts and pass other key laws, including a revenue-sharing oil law and a provincial elections law, he said.

"Iraq needs to maintain the momentum, 2008 is going to be a crucial year," he said.

De Mistura told Le Figaro that progress was needed; otherwise insurgents would be tempted to return to violence.

"Iraq will not be the same country at the end of 2008: the U.S. officials will have changed...the international community will have modified its positions," he told the newspaper.

PUKmedia :: English - U.N. sees Iraq Progress despite Misgivings

Police foil attempt to smuggle oil derivatives

Police forces foiled an attempt to smuggle large amounts of oil derivatives in eastern Muthanna city, a local police chief said.

"Police personnel foiled an attempt to smuggle a large amount of gas oil in eastern Samawa city and arrested one of the smugglers," Muthanna Police Chief Brigadier Kadhem al-Gayyashi told Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

"The smuggled amounts were two large tanks, in addition to 50 barrels of gas oil," al-Gayyashi said, explaining that the arrest was made following intelligence about the gang's activities.

"A hunt for the rest of the smugglers is underway," al-Gayyashi added.

Samawa, the capital city of Muthanna province, lies 280 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Aswat Aliraq

USAID loan program pushed forward economy in Iraq- report

A loan program offered by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has helped achieve significant progress and rebuild Iraq's infrastructure and economy, according to an economic report submitted to the United Nations.

"Reconstruction always has been a focus of the coalition, but recent improvements in security have given coalition forces even more opportunities to repair facilities that have fallen into disrepair or have been destroyed by terrorists, build new facilities and other critical infrastructure, and assist Iraqis in gaining self-sufficiency," read the report that was published on the UN official website.

"The renovation of the Ramana municipal government building in Anbar province after it was destroyed by a suicide bomber in July 2007. Coalition forces partnered with local Iraqi contractors to renovate the building so that the local government could return to work," the report quoted a spokesman for the Multi-National Force (MNF) in Iraq, Navy Rear Adm. Gregory J. Smith, citing examples of reconstruction throughout Iraq.

"The repair of a water treatment facility northwest of Fallujah that now provides clean water for about 6,000 Iraqis. The resurgence of a market in Yusifiyah that was essentially deserted before Iraqi and coalition forces secured the area in October. The marketplace was cleaned up, shops were repaired and the market came back to life. Shoppers from outside Yusifiyah now come to the market, new shops have opened, and the market gets 18 to 20 hours of electricity a day," Smith indicated.
"Smith also highlighted grant programs that have benefited local Iraqi entrepreneurs."

"Also on the economic front, the United States Agency for International Development is providing microfinance loans to Iraqi entrepreneurs," the report said.

According to USAID deputy director, Denise Herbol, the report explained that USAID is partnering with coalition forces in the Sunni Anbar province to "create locally owned microfinance operations that are consistent with Islamic principles."

"The program in Anbar has generated nearly $530,000 in loans to entrepreneurs, with 139 loans totaling $334,000 distributed in Al Qaim, 18 loans totaling nearly $47,000 in Ramadi, and 72 loans totaling $148,000 in Fallujah, Herbol said."

Aswat Aliraq

Demand for the dollar up, exchange rate stable in daily auction

Demand for the dollar was higher in the Iraqi Central Bank’s auction on Wednesday, reaching $76.555 million compared to $56.115 million on Tuesday.

"The demand hit $7.965 million in cash and $68.590 million in money transfers outside the country, all covered by the bank at an exchange rate of 1,214 Iraqi dinars per dollar, unchanged for the third session in a row," according to the central bank's daily bulletin which was received by Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

The 15 banks participating in the auction offered to sell $2.150 million, which the bank bought at an exchange rate of 1,212 Iraqi dinars per dollar.

In statements to VOI, Ali al-Yasseri, a trader, said, "Foreign transfers increased while cash bids declined due to fears of imposing a ban on vehicles in Baghdad as Shiite Muslim pilgrims would observe a religious occasion on Thursday through Friday."

Shiite Muslims observe Ashura which is an occasion marking the death of Imam al-Hussein, the prophet Muhammad's grandson and the third holiest figure for Shiite Muslims, in the battle of Taf in Karbala in the Hegira year 61 (680 in the Gregorian calendar).

Hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslims converge on Iraq's holy cities for the occasion.

On Wednesday, Baghdad operations command closed all main outlets of Baghdad's northern city of al-Khadimiya, a holy city for Shiite Muslims, and prevented vehicle access in preparation for the Shiite pilgrimage.
The Iraqi Central Bank runs a daily auction from Sunday to Thursday.

Aswat Aliraq

Fadhila Party denies joining new political alliance

A leading member of the Iraqi Shiite Fadhila Party denied on Wednesday that his party had joined a new political alliance, describing these news as groundless.

"All reports about joining a new political alliance are bare of truth," Jaber Khaliefa, a MP from the Fadhila (Virtue) Party, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

Last Sunday, MP Usama al-Najaifi of the Iraqi National List (INL) said that parliamentary blocs and political figures announced a new alliance called the national project to confront the sectarian quota system and support the national reconciliation.

"The national project aims at enhancing the political process by building a state of institutions and rule of law, supporting the national reconciliation, and broadening the base of political participation," al-Najaifi recited the alliance's first statement during a press conference held in Baghdad on Sunday.

The Fadhila party is a Shiite party with 15 seats out of the 275-seat parliament. Last year It withdrew from the Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC).

Aswat Aliraq

Parliament holds regular session

The Iraqi parliament held on Wednesday its regular session under First Deputy Speaker Khaled al-Attiya to discuss a number of issues listed in its agenda, a lawmaker said.

"The parliament will complete voting the 50-paper penal code bill as well as a number of issues listed in its agenda," MP Wesam al-Bayati from the National Dialogue Front (NDF) told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
He did not provide further details.

The NDF, which is of secularist orientations, is the seventh largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament with 11 out of a total 275 seats.

Aswat Aliraq

Update.......

Iraq Justice and Accountability Law stumbled

Despite the ratification of Justice and Accountability Law in Parliament, it is still facing difficulties preventing the law from entering into effect. Some lawmakers were suspicious that the presidential committee will approve the law mainly Vice President Tarek Al Hashemi, head of Islamic Party, unless certain paragraphs of the law are amended.

In this context, head of Parliament Accordance Bloc Iyyad Al Samirrai told Al Sharq Al Awsat Newspaper that Al Hashemi has not shown any positive or negative respond regarding the law saying that it needs assessment.

According to Al Samirrai, the law encompasses positive aspects as most of the Islamic Party members have voted in favor of the decision, however, a number of members have showed reservation towards the law while Accordance Front members did not attend the session.

Moreover, Al Samirrai expressed fears of revealing names of former Baathists who will be excluded by the law before members of parliament, for security reasons, mainly those who have joined the state’s institutions.

For his part, Iraqi List MP Ousama Al Nujaifi considered that Baathists reject the new law because it a copy of the de-Baathification Law, stressing that the List has not voted in favor of the law.

National Dialogue Front member MP Taha Al Luhaibi said the law includes articles that are worse than the former law despite that it provides benefits to Baathists’ families. Al Luhaibi added that he fears the law would be implemented on a sectarian basis, expecting Al Hashemi not to pass the law.

Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network | Iraq News | Iraq Justice and Accountability Law stumbled