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

Minnows Complain as Majors Meet on Iraq

Iraq's launch last week of a prequalification process for international oil companies ahead of a tender for undeveloped oil fields has drawn fire from smaller companies, which say the criteria and requirements set by the oil ministry exclude them from the competition and favor bigger firms, especially the majors.

Minnows Complain as Majors Meet on Iraq

U.S. Says Iraq Forces could Control Provinces this Year

Iraq's army and police could be ready to take over security in all 18 provinces by the end of this year as the U.S. military moves toward a less prominent role in the country, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

"We look at it every month. We make recommendations. I think that if we continue along the path we're on now, we'll be able to do that by the end of 2008," Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the No. 2 commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said when asked when Iraqi forces could take the lead in all provinces.

He said that a joint operation under way led by Iraqi troops and supported by U.S. troops against al Qaeda militants in the northern city of Mosul was a model for the future.

"That's how I see our role frankly in the future here," he told Pentagon reporters via video link from Baghdad.

Iraqi security forces are now in control of nine provinces after assuming control of Iraqi's southern oil hub, Basra, in December. Iraqi forces are also expected to take control in Anbar province, a one-time insurgent stronghold, as early as March.

The ability of Iraqi forces to take the lead in security operations is vital to President George W. Bush's plan to withdraw 20,000 U.S. troops by the middle of this year.

The troops were sent to Iraq last year in a bid to quell sectarian violence in a war now in its sixth year. With U.S. troop levels up to about 155,000 now, violence levels have since dropped sharply.

"All the evidence available to me now suggests we will be able to complete the drawdown," Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters separately.

"(It) remains my hope that the pace of the drawdown in the second half of the year will be what it was in the first half of the year," he said.

Lt. Gen. James Dubik, commander of security transition in Iraq, told the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the number of Iraqi security forces, or ISF, could exceed 580,000 by the end of the year, up from the current 500,000.

But he also expressed caution about their abilities.

"Force structure and capability still lack a certain maturity. The ISF have not yet achieved self reliance in all area of logistics, maintenance and life support," he told the panel.

Odierno said he was confident the withdrawal of the five brigades will occur despite expectations for an upswing in insurgent attacks as militants respond to a new joint offensive known as Operation Phantom Phoenix.
The operation has killed or captured 92 "high-value individuals, according to the U.S. military.

"While we may see a short-term increase in violence in response to our operations in the weeks ahead, I expect Phantom Phoenix to contribute significantly to the population's security," Odierno said.

Gates' hopes for further reductions in U.S. forces this year will depend on a March assessment by the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus.
"To predict now whether we can go lower or not is difficult and I would not want to make that prediction right now," Odierno said.

But Gates said the U.S. mission in Iraq has begun its planned transition to a more supportive role that would focus on border security and combating al Qaeda in Iraq. "That's ultimately where we are headed, and we have begun that process of transition," he said.

PUKmedia :: English - U.S. Says Iraq Forces could Control Provinces this Year

Sistani’s Assistant survives Assassination Attempt

A security source announced that unknown armed men shot the convoy of Sheikh Mohammad Falak al-Maliki, one of Sayed Ali al Sistani assistants last night. Sheikh al-Maliki was survived from the assassination attempt and no casualties were in the accident.

On the other hand, Basrah International Airport, headquarter of the British Forces was a target of a severe attack by mortars and rockets. No information was obtained about any damages, according to the source.

PUKmedia :: English - Sistani’s Assistant survives Assassination Attempt

Update......

Iraq Says Power Cut Halts Kirkuk Oil Flow

Iraq has stopped pumping crude oil along its northern pipeline to Turkey after Kirkuk's oil fields were hit by a power cut, the Iraqi Oil Ministry said on Thursday.

"The power cut has badly affected crude oil production and the pumping of crude oil through the pipeline to Turkey," ministry spokesman Asim Jihad told Reuters.

He said he did not know when pumping would resume but that it would depend on the fields having a stable electricity supply.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraq Says Power Cut Halts Kirkuk Oil Flow

MP urges govt. to speed up submitting general amnesty draft to parliament

An Iraqi legislator urged the government on Friday to accelerate submitting the draft law on general pardon to parliament ahead of the beginning of the current legislative term recess.

"The government has not so far sent the general amnesty draft to parliament for debate and approval," Harith al-Ubaidi, the deputy chairman of the Iraqi parliament's human rights committee, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

Ubaidi, who belongs to the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF), the third largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament with 44 out of a total 275 seats, called on the government to send the draft as soon as possible before the parliament's winter recess, adding the draft "is one of the important laws that would help consolidate national reconciliation and stability in the country."

The Iraqi cabinet, in a meeting held late December 2007, had approved a general pardon law setting certain criteria for the release of detainees in Iraqi jails.

The draft also set the categories that would not benefit from the law, including those convicted in administrative and financial corruption and drug dealing.

The number of inmates inside Iraqi and Multi-National Force (MNF) jails is nearly 32,000, according to Iraqi official government sources. From this number there is about 18,000 inside Bocca prison, in Umm Qasr town, in the southern Iraq province of Basra. Nearly half this number is detained in Krupper prison, inside Baghdad Airport.

Aswat Aliraq

Accordance Front return to Cabinet at hand

Will internal efforts and new alliances succeed in finding a solution to the government crisis after many stands hinting about the return of withdrawn ministers to the government?

The proposals put at the table currently await mutual compromises that are expected to take shape. In a positive development, head of Accordance Front Adnan Al Dulaimi confirmed that the return of Accordance Front Ministers to the government is at hand if Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki’s government meets their demands, expecting to resolve this issue early next month. In a statement to Al Hayat Newspaper, Al Duliami stressed that the front is still coherent, while preparing to reorganize its structure, ruling out any divisions therein.

For his part, MP Hussein Al Falluji affirmed that current circumstances are more appropriate for the return of Ministers. Moreover, Islamic Party’s announcement in the name of MP Iyyad Al Samirrai about the party’s unwillingness to join the tripartite alliance without referring to the Accordance Front first leaves optimistic echoes.

In a related issue, the ruling unified coalition is heading towards solution as Al Fadhila (Virtue) Party leaders Fadhila leaders announced their plan to return to the ruling unified coalition if an understanding pact is signed upon which the Coalition is committed to be more open in view of drawing other political components. Al Fadhila leaders insist on not joining the new political alliance announced last Sunday against the quartet alliance. While sources from the party did not affirm their engagement in the tripartite alliance, Al Sabah Al Saidi, one of Al Fadhila Party leaders, noted that its party withdrawal from the coalition was meant to disintegrate sectarian alliances in order to boost up the political process in Iraq. For his part, Al Fadhila Party MP Jaber Khalifa denied allegations saying that the party has joined new political alliances among which the national project brought to light on Sunday.

Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network | Iraq News | Accordance Front return to Cabinet at hand

Al Maliki meets with Arab Bloc delegation

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki received a delegation from the Independent Arab Bloc with whom he discussed main issues on the political scene. MP Abed Motlaq Al Jibouri noted following the meeting that the Arab Bloc has a national project and it is allying with any party that denounces sectarianism in Iraq. As for the possibility of changing Iraq’s flag, Al Jibouri affirmed that the flag aims to unify Iraqis in addition to its historical signature.

Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network | Iraq News | Al Maliki meets with Arab Bloc delegation

Shuaiba refinery rehabilitation might need a week to be finished

A source in Shuaiba refinery in Basra announced that rehabilitation works in the refinery that was shut on Tuesday because of the huge fire that erupted might need a week to be finished. The source affirmed that fire destroyed gas production unit and caused great damages to the pipelines.
Oil Ministry pointed out that Shuaiba compound can refine 160 thousand crude oil barrels per day. However, its production nowadays varies between 100 and 120 thousand barrels per day only.

Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network | Economics News | Shuaiba refinery rehabilitation might need a week to be finished

Pumping Kirkuk crude oil to Jihan port to be resumed as soon as possible

An oil official said that Iraq expects to resume pumping Kirkuk crude oil thru Turkish pipeline as soon as possible. To that, Iraq aims at increasing its exports to 350 thousand barrels per day during February.

The same source affirmed that Iraq's State Oil Marketing Company is decided to sell 3 to 4 million barrels from Kirkuk crude oil from January 20 till the end of the month. One should note that Kirkuk crude oil exports are stopped since 10 days, a naval source said today and oil reserves in Jihan Turkish port reservoirs is between 400 and 500 thousand barrels. However, the tiny quantity of oil in reservoirs raised fears that Iraq will not be able to provide oil quantities it undertook to deliver.

Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network | Economics News | Pumping Kirkuk crude oil to Jihan port to be resumed as soon as possible

DNO: Iraq well shows “strong indications” of oil

D.N.O Norwegian independent oil company announced today that an exploratory well in Iraq showed “strong indications” of oil. The company affirmed in a statement that it issued that according to the results an extensive test program will be carried out in the well.

However, DNO said that its share of production from the Tawke field in the Kurdish part of north Iraq fell to 4914 bpd in December from 5882 bpd in November.

Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network | Economics News | DNO: Iraq well shows “strong indications� of oil