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

Iraqi parliament passes three laws

Iraq's parliament on Wednesday passed three key laws that set legislations for provincial elections, allotted $48 billion for 2008 spending, and provided general amnesty to detainees in Iraqi custody.

Branding the session as an “Iraqi wedding ceremony,” the Iraqi parliament speaker said in a press conference that “the voting took into consideration all blocs and their powers.”

“Rows took place in the session, but we voted on the laws and will abide by them,” al-Mashhadani conceded.

The Sadrists and a number of members of Fadhila party, Iraqi National List (INL), Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC), and the Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) withdrew from the session.

The withdrawal of the members did not affect the quorum," a parliamentary source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

The three measures were bundled together for one vote to satisfy the demands of Kurds who feared they may be double-crossed on their budget demands.

The Kurds wanted 17 percent of the budget to be allotted to the Kurdistan region. Other groups have argued that the Kurds deserve less as they represent a smaller percentage of the population. However, no census has been completed in decades.

A compromise was reached whereby the allocation would remain at 17 percent for this year, but will be reviewed once a proper census had been carried out.

The vote came a day after the Sunni speaker of the fragmented parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, threatened to disband the legislature, saying “It is so riddled with distrust it appeared unable to act on the budget or set a date for provincial elections.”

A draft of the law on provincial elections, which includes a detailed outline on devolving power to the provinces, had initially said voting would begin on Oct. 1. Other details on that law and the amnesty were not immediately known.

The U.S. administration has demanded the passage of a provincial powers law as one of 18 benchmarks for political reconciliation in Iraq.

The last time Iraqis voted for local officials was in January 2005, when nationwide elections ushered in representational government across Iraq for the first time in modern history.

Meanwhile Christian lawmaker Yonadam Kannah said the parliament would be on a break until Feb 15.

Aswat Aliraq

Jordanian company contracts with Iraq to build benzene production unit

Hydrocarbon Jordanian Company signed yesterday a contract with Iraq. The contract seeks to implement a project that aims to establish a new benzene production unit in Al Shuaiba refinery in Basra province.

The contract stipulates to set up Azmara unit, the productivity energy of which reaches 11 thousand barrels per day and aims to cover local markets benzene needs.

Jordanian company contracts with Iraq to build benzene production unit | Economics News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

Zain gets prepared to launch unified network

Mobile Telecommunications Company Zain gets prepared in order to launch the project of unified network between a number of mobile networks in Iraq, KSA, Jordan and Bahrain soon. The project would enable Zain clients to be considered as members in a local network while they travel to one of these countries and they would benefit from a series of services.

In another context, National Investment Committee for cooperation between public and private sector has been established in order to encourage investing in the province. The committee handles different industrial and services sectors and aims to boost local investment and to participate in reviving the province’s economic status.

Zain gets prepared to launch unified network | Economics News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

CEO of Russian crude producer LUKoil may visit Iraq soon

The CEO of Russia's largest crude producer LUKoil, could visit Iraq in the near future following an invitation from the Iraqi foreign minister, the company's press office said on Wednesday.

During his visit to Moscow on February 11, Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari officially invited LUKoil CEO Vagit Alekperov to visit the country.

Moscow wrote off $12 billion, or 93%, of Iraq's debt to Russia on Monday, a move widely rumored to be aimed at securing lucrative oil contracts. The deal on the debt cancellation was signed during Zebari's visit to Moscow.

Following the Russian government's cancellation of most of Iraq's debt, LUKoil said on Tuesday it hoped to regain the right to develop Iraq's giant West Qurna-2 oil field.

"The meeting of an Iraqi representative with the Russian government and the negotiations held between the parties give rise to optimism. We hope that the debt write-off will contribute to the advancement of our contract," LUKoil spokesman Vladimir Semakov said.

Russia's largest independent crude producer LUKoil operated the first phase of West Qurna and is looking to develop West Qurna-2 in southern Iraq. The deal for both phases was signed for 23 years in 1997 under the Saddam Hussein regime, but frozen in 2002.

During his meeting with the Russian government in Moscow, Zebari said a bilateral commission would be established to look into contracts suspended since the fall of Hussein's regime, which he said would demonstrate that his country is not trying to avoid issues "originating from former obligations."

"The commission will also consider contracts with LUKoil and other Russian companies," he said.

RIA Novosti - Business - CEO of Russian crude producer LUKoil may visit Iraq soon

Update.......

Iraqi House finally passes new budget, approves amnesty law

Iraqi lawmakers achieved a major breakthrough on Wednesday, passing the 2008 budget after weeks of delay and an amnesty law that could lead to the release of thousands of prisoners from the country's jails. Parliament also passed a provincial powers law that will define ties between Baghdad and local authorities. It allows for holding provincial elections by October 1 in which parties who boycotted previous polls could win some local power.

"I'd like to congratulate the ... government and people of Iraq for these significant accomplishments," US Ambassador Ryan Crocker told reporters.

Scores of MPs had stormed out of the legislature on Tuesday evening, blocking a vote on the bills in a sign of the deep distrust between the country's Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish politicians. Some MPs said Parliament should be disbanded and new elections held.

But Parliament convened again on Wednesday and despite a walkout by some MPs, managed to overcome a row over voting procedures to pass the three measures as a package.

"We have proven today that Iraqis are just one bloc," said Speaker Mahmoud Mashhadani, a Sunni Arab.

Washington has pressed Iraqi leaders to pass legislation to help heal sectarian divisions that have festered during a Sunni Arab insurgency against US forces and savage violence between majority Shiites and minority Sunnis. The laws passed on Wednesday are not among several key benchmarks sought by the United States, but the measures, especially the amnesty law, would still form an important component of reconciliation, US officials have said.

The main Sunni Arab bloc, the Accordance Front, said passage of the amnesty law would help accelerate its return to the Shiite-led Cabinet of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The Front, which quit the government in August, has long demanded the release of security detainees.

US forces and Iraqi authorities each hold more than 23,000 prisoners, many of them Sunni Arabs behind the insurgency against the American-backed government that erupted after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

"We have no doubt that passing this law will have a remarkably positive effect in speeding up the return of the Accordance Front to the government," said Salim al-Jubouri, a legislator and spokesman for the bloc.

The government has said prisoners under investigation, on trial or convicted could be eligible to be freed. The pardon, however, would exclude those convicted of major crimes such as murder. It only applies to prisoners in Iraqi custody.

Sunni Arab MPs said inmates who had spent longer than six months in prison without being charged would be freed. So would prisoners who had been charged but not appeared before a judge for a year.

MPs had also spent weeks wrangling bitterly over the level of spending on the largely autonomous Kurdish region.

Some Shiite and Sunni Arab legislators had said Kurdistan should get less money based on current population estimates.

Officials had said the prolonged delay in approving the $48 billion budget was holding up vital spending at a time when the United States is urging the government to jumpstart the economy to take advantage of falls in violence.

In recent days, leaders of the political blocs agreed to vote on all three measures as a package because of mutual suspicion that if one was voted on separately and approved, the faction that wanted that most would renege on the rest.

Parliament also passed a law last month that will allow former members of Saddam's Baath Party to regain their jobs in the government and military, a key demand of Sunni Arabs who were dominant under the former dictator.

But Maliki's government has struggled to make headway on other key laws, especially legislation that would equitably share the country's vast oil reserves.

US Attorney General Michael Mukasey said during a visit to Baghdad Wednesday that Iraqis are "firmly committed" to the rule of law.

"I'm impressed and encouraged what I have seen here," Mukasey said on his first trip to Iraq since he took office in November 2007. Iraqis "are committed to the independence of the judiciary and are fully committed to having law being the only influence on the outcome of their cases," he added.

Mukasey said he had met with Crocker and the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, as well as some of the more than 200 Justice Department staff serving at the US mission in Iraq. He had also held talks, he said, with Chief Justice Madhat al-Mahmood and two other senior judges, whom he did not identify.

"All three are remarkable men whose leadership is making an impact across Iraq," Mukasey said. "They face many obstacles each day in carrying out their duties as agents for the law in the face of many dangers.

"The judges were emphatic in their recognition not only of the importance of the rule of law but also the independence of the judiciary," he added.
In an earlier statement released by his office in Washington, the attorney general said that his visit to the wartorn country was aimed at bolstering "efforts to establish the rule of law in Iraq." - Agencies

Iraqi House finally passes new budget, approves amnesty law | Iraq Updates

Longford Eyes Kurdistan for 'High-Impact' E&P Opportunities

Longford Energy that following the strategic review initiated in the fourth quarter of 2007, management has aggressively pursued and evaluated high impact international exploration and production opportunities that could potentially offer significant upside and shareholder value.

One of the primary focus areas has recently been the Kurdistan region of Iraq under the authority of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Geologically, the area is a part of the Zagros fold and thrust belt, and is considered to be one of the most prospective, underexplored, hydrocarbon fairways in the world, with prolific oil and gas discoveries including the Kirkuk field with estimated discovered reserves of 25 billion barrels. To date, the Company has not entered into any definitive agreements with the KRG or any independent third parties with regards to potential participation or acquisition of an interest in a concession.

Longford Eyes Kurdistan for 'High-Impact' E&P Opportunities | Iraq Updates

Iraqi politicians open to Ahmadinejad's planned visit

A planned visit by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Iraq has brought a mixed reaction from politicians, although a date for the trip has not yet been confirmed.

Iraqi Foreign Ministry undersecretary Lubaid Abbawi confirmed to Gulf News that contacts between Baghdad and Tehran are setting a deadline for Ahmadinejad’s visit to Iraq.

The Iraqi foreign minister had earlier announced that the visit will be in early March, without giving a date.

Ahmadinejad’s visit will be the first by an Iranian president to Iraq in decades.

Omar Abdul Sattar, a member of the Sunni Islamic Party (headed by vice-president Tariq Al Hashimi), said: “Ahmadinejad’s visit represents a political message to Iraqis, Americans and the entire region: Iran is a regional superpower — the second force after Israel.”

“I think there is a possibility for Iranian-American coordination, unlike what has been said in the media over this visit. The agreement stems from the service provided by Americans for Iran in removing the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussain in Iraq,” said Sattar.

Fariad Rawanduzi, of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan led by Iraqi president Jalal Al Talabani, said: “The visit comes to strengthen the Iran-Iraq relationship and I do not think Iran wants to send a political message to Americans.”

Ebrahim Al Janabi, a prominent figure in the National Accordance Party, led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, had a mixed reaction. “We welcome it. But if Iranians want to formulate a political message to challenge the United Sates, it would be unacceptable and unwelcome by Iraqi forces”.

Shiite leader Moqtada Al Sadr’s movement, supported by Iran, welcomed the upcoming visit. Talal Al Saeedi, a Sadr spokesman, said: “Ahmadinejad’s visit is important to supporting Iraq to banish the American occupation and fight terrorism.”

Mariam Al Raies, former foreign affairs adviser to the Iraqi Prime Minister, thinks an Iran-US meeting is possible. “Regardless of criticism directed towards Iran, the president’s visit is important to support Iraq and the Iraqi government has to invest in this visit, to strengthen its role in calming the current tensions in Iranian-American relations.”

Sources in the Iraqi army said: “Something ironic about the Iranian President’s visit to Baghdad, the American army will play a key role in ensuring the safety of the visit despite Iranians asking the Iraqi government to carry out this task without Americans’ intervention and therefore probably the American role to protect President Nejad will be indirect and limited to logistical support of Iraqi security and army forces.”

Iraqi politicians open to Ahmadinejad's planned visit | Iraq Updates

Ssangyong Engineering Will Lead $10.6 Billion Iraq Projects

Ssangyong Engineering & Construction Co. will lead four other South Korean contractors to build roads, factories and other infrastructure projects worth an estimated 10 trillion won ($10.6 billion) in northern Iraq.

The group today signed an initial agreement with the Kurdistan regional government, the Seoul-based company said in an e-mailed statement. Construction will start next month on the first project, a 450-kilometer (280-mile) highway from Zakho to Sulaimaniyah worth about 2 trillion won, it said.

Surging oil revenue is encouraging war-torn Iraq to rebuild itself. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government plans to set aside about $10 billion for reconstruction projects in the areas of electricity, water, communications and education.

Doosan Construction & Engineering Co., Kukdong Engineering & Construction Co., UI Enc Corp. and Anhung Development Co. will partner Ssangyong Engineering. The group will also be involved in building chemical factories, hospitals and schools in the Kurd area in the northern region of the country.

Iraq has an estimated 115 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, behind Saudi Arabia and Iran, according to BP Plc figures. Iraq produced 2.43 million barrels of oil a day in January, according to Bloomberg estimates.

Ssangyong Engineering, which is up for sale by creditors, gained by its daily 15 percent limit to 21,000 won as of 12:49 p.m. in Seoul. Doosan Construction climbed 6.4 percent to 13,250 won. UI Energy Corp., which counts UI Enc as its biggest shareholder, advanced 1.6 percent to 7,500 won.

PUKmedia :: English - Ssangyong Engineering Will Lead $10.6 Billion Iraq Projects

Pres-elect Calls for Oil Dev. Opps. for Korean Firms

President-elect Lee Myung-bak on Thursday called on the Kurdish regional autonomous government of Iraq to give Korean firms many opportunities to develop the region's ample oil resources.

He made the remark at a meeting with visiting Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani at his office in Seoul, congratulating him on the Kurdish government's signing of a contract with a Korean oil developer.

Lee said he has a special interest in the Kurdish region, recalling that he'd been there a long time ago. He added that Korean builders and enterpreneurs will contribute greatly to development in the region.

Citing the deployment of Korean troops in the Kurdish region, Lee expressed hope that Iraq will be able to enjoy peace again.

The Kurdish leader responded by saying that his regional government wants close ties with Korean companies, vowing to give them priority.

PUKmedia :: English - Pres-elect Calls for Oil Dev. Opps. for Korean Firms

South Korea to Develop Oil Fields in Kurdistan

South Korean energy developers said Thursday they are moving to secure development rights to four oil fields in northern Iraq that may hold enough crude to supply the country for up to two years.

The deal that is to be signed later in the day between a local consortium led by state-run Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC) and visiting officials from Iraq's autonomous region of Kurdistan could allow local energy companies to gain access to 1-2 billion barrels of untapped crude oil.

The memorandum of understanding calls for the consortium to develop oil while helping build up basic infrastructure that can ensure continued growth of the largely underdeveloped region.

"Details of how oil will be divided between South Korean companies and the local government will be decided at a later date," a KNOC official said.

The state-run oil company also said it plans to set up a local office to start development of the Bazian oil field that is estimated to hold around 500 million barrels of crude. The KNOC has already signed a contract for development of the field.

PUKmedia :: English - South Korea to Develop Oil Fields in Kurdistan