Thread: Archive Latest News - Think Tank - 15/04/08 - 26/08/08

Parliamentary committee to disclose the draft law on the role of providing housing for the citizens ..

Head of the Economic Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Thursday, the draft law will be submitted to the House of Representatives on behalf of the housing project is working on providing housing compounds for citizens.

He explained Haidar Abadi, the Independent News Agency (Voices of Iraq) "We will present a bill to the House provides for the building of half a million housing units as a first stage" to provide "housing units for the classes, such as poor widows and the disabled who have no breadwinner", refusing to identify the date of submission of the project.

Abadi added that "the bill would include the poorer classes and thus includes advanced classes of society," has "put into account the building housing complexes in all provinces, taking into account the ratio of population of each province."

Between Abadi, a prominent figure Coalition's parliamentary majority, which occupies 83 seats in the House of Representatives of the total 275 seats, said "the draft law was discussed in legal terms through legal advisers."

And companies that would build housing complexes in the event of the passing of the bill, Abadi said that he "will be used foreign and domestic companies, and we are trying to preserve the building available to Iraq for the benefit of the Iraqi employment."

And the economic benefit of the project Abadi said that "there are three objectives of the project to provide housing for citizens and create employment opportunities and improving the Iraqi standard of living of the citizen."

Sotaliraq.com -

Iraq handing out cash to people on the streets - Yahoo! Philippines News

Apparently they are handing money out. I have been out of the loop for a long time and this used to be one of things to look for.

Kurdish MP: Dividing Kirkuk into Four Electoral Circles is in Contradiction with Iraqi Constitution

Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, Mohamed Khalil, told PUKmedia on Wednesday that there is an ongoing dialogue among the parliamentary blocs to reach an agreement that will convince all sides regarding the Iraqi draft law for Iraqi provincial councils on condition that not to be contrary to the Iraqi constitution.

“The suggestion of dividing Kirkuk into four electoral circles is considered in contradiction with the Iraqi permanent constitution and a dangerous precedent against the Iraqi constitution and political process,” he said indicating that adding this suggestion into the Iraqi draft law for Iraqi provincial councils is considered at odds with five constitutional articles. Therefore, I ask the Iraqi federal court to cutoff this suggestion as it is in contradiction with the Iraqi constitution,” he added.

“If the division criteria would be taken into consideration in Kirkuk, as being of a particular status, then it should be carried out in other provinces like Mosul, Selahaddin, Baghdad and Diyala as their status resemble Kirkuk’s,” he concluded.

PUKmedia :: English - Kurdish MP: Dividing Kirkuk into Four Electoral Circles is in Contradiction with Iraqi Constitution

U.S. to Establish Presence in Tehran: Report

The United States will announce in the next month that it plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years, a British newspaper said on Thursday.

In a front-page report, the Guardian said Washington would open a U.S. interests section in the Iranian capital, halfway towards opening an embassy.

The unsourced report by the newspaper's Washington correspondent said: "The Guardian has learned that an announcement will be made in the next month to establish a U.S. interests section in Tehran, a halfway house to setting up a full embassy.

"The move will see US diplomats stationed in the country.”

Senior U.S. diplomat William Burns said in testimony to Congress last week the United States was looking to opening up an interest section in Tehran but had not made a decision yet.

The Guardian said the development was "a remarkable turnaround in policy by President George Bush who has pursued a hawkish approach to Iran throughout his time in office."

Washington said on Wednesday it was sending Burns to join atomic talks with Iran this weekend to signal to Tehran and others that Washington wanted a diplomatic solution to their nuclear impasse.

Iran says its nuclear work is for peaceful power generation, and not for the development of nuclear weapons as the West suspects, and has rejected conditions it gives up uranium enrichment.

On Sunday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested Iran would consider any proposal by the United States for a U.S. interests section in the Islamic Republic, should one be forthcoming.

U.S. media have reported that the State Department is considering opening an interests section that could mean U.S. diplomats returning to Tehran but operating under another country's flag.

The United States cut off diplomatic ties with Tehran during the 1979-1981 hostage crisis, in which a group of militant Iranian students held 52 U.S. diplomats hostage at the American embassy for 444 days.

Iran maintains an interests section at the embassy of Pakistan in Washington. Mottaki said it serves the large Iranian community in the United States.

PUKmedia :: English - U.S. to Establish Presence in Tehran: Report

Kuwait names ambassador to Iraq

Kuwait has decided to name former army chief of staff Ali al-Momen as its first ambassador in Baghdad since the 1990 Iraqi invasion of the emirate, the official KUNA news agency said on Thursday.

Kuwait's emir is expected to issue a decree naming Momen as ambassador, KUNA quoted Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad al-Sabah as saying.

The report, issued in a text message, gave no further details.

It will be the first time Kuwait has had an ambassador in Baghdad since it was invaded by Saddam Hussein's regime in 1990. Kuwait was liberated by a US-led coalition in the 1991 Gulf war.

Kuwait is the latest in a string of Sunni-ruled Arab states to announce that they are sending ambassadors to Baghdad amid pressure from Washington to upgrade relations with Iraq's Shiite-led government as a counterweight to Shiite Iran.

Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have all anounced in recent months that they are to send ambassadors.

Kuwait names former army chief as Iraq envoy - Middle East News

Iraqi PM heads for a tour in Europe

Iraq’s Cabinet spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh announced that Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki will start next Monday a European tour heading a senior political, security and economic delegation. Al Maliki is due in Germany where he will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel to enhance political, economic and security relations between Iraq and Germany. Al Maliki will meet as well representatives of German firms that showed willingness to enter Iraqi market and contribute to major development projects in Iraq as well as to exchange trade between the two countries.

Al Dabbagh added that Iraqi Prime Minister will visit Italy next Thursday and meet with Italy’s Prime Minister Sylvio Berlusconi to discuss cooperation between both countries and encourage investments as well as to expand joint programs between Italy and Iraq. The Cabinet spokesman noted that Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki will meet as well with Pope Benedict XVI on Friday July 25 to brief the pope on the steps and measures taken in Iraq on the path of forgiveness, equality, justice and national reconciliation among Iraqis in aim to build up a Democratic Iraq including all components of the Iraqi Society

Iraqi PM heads for a tour in Europe | Iraq News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

Investors flood Iraq with project deals
Investors are flooding Iraq's new government investment agency with proposals worth tens of billions of dollars, the agency's head told newswire Reuters this week, as violence has dropped in recent months to a four-year low.

"If you come in the beginning, you're going to get cheap labour, support and many privileges, because we want investors. Later, the chances will be less," Ahmed Ridha said in an interview with Reuters and a Lebanese magazine.

Iraq requires huge investment to rebuild after decades of wars and sanctions. Foreign direct investment in Iraq in 2006 was a mere $272 million, according to United Nations statistics.

Ridha said that the proposals lodged with the National Investment Commission included a mammoth housing and tourism project from Gulf investors in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf.

"Security has improved in 2008 by more than 90 percent, that is what encouraged us to call on investors to invest in Iraq," Ridha said.

Politicians, religious clerics and even former insurgents are calling for investment projects to build on the security gains by providing jobs.

The commission, which was set up in December, awards investment licences and sets rules for doing business. It covers all sectors apart from oil, gas, insurance and banking.

So far, the commission has issued licences worth only $418 million, partly because it needs more documentation for some deals and also due to difficulties allocating land, Ridha said.

The proposals have come from a mix of foreign and Iraqi investors, some collaborating on projects. Investors can bypass the commission to strike deals, but if they do, they won't get incentives such as 10-year tax breaks, Ridha added.

Business delegations from South Korea, Japan and Germany have visited Iraq recently. Gulf Arab states, awash with cash from high oil prices, were especially interested, Ridha said.

The Najaf project was proposed by Kuwaiti investment firm Al-Aqeelah. It includes the construction of 200,000 new homes as well as schools, medical facilities and an artificial island in Najaf lake, Ridha said.

A representative of Al-Aqeelah in Kuwait told Reuters a multi-billion dollar proposal had been lodged.

Shi'ite holy sites in the south - especially in the cities of Najaf and Kerbala - attract millions of visitors each year.

Ridha also said officials would lay the foundation stone for a new luxury hotel in the heavily fortified Green Zone government and diplomatic compound in Baghdad on Sunday.

Companies such as South Korea's Hyundai and Kia were considering building factories in the country, Ridha added.

Unlike many of its neighbours, Iraq has agricultural land, metal and mineral deposits, two rivers for fresh water, and crucially, it sits on the world's third-largest proven oil reserves, which could fund a building and construction boom.

In late June, Iraq's oil ministry flung open the doors to foreign investment in its major producing oil fields.

"As long as there are no obstacles in exporting from Iraq to any country, it's better to manufacture in Iraq... and aim for foreign export," Ridha said.

Still, security will be top of most investor concerns.

While violence has dropped sharply, suicide bombers haunt northern Iraq and periodically Baghdad.

Few major foreign companies have any presence in Iraq. Those that do tend to confine themselves to the Green Zone.

Ridha said the Defence Ministry had pledged to protect any project that was granted an investment licence.

Another concern is the legal and regulatory framework.

An investment law passed in 2006 takes precedence over any law that would conflict with it, Ridha said, making it the main guide for potential investors.

"The investment law has given many privileges to investors, whether Iraqi or foreign," Ridha said.

"For 50 years Iraq's economy was socialist. The government bought, sold, imported and exported. We've now moved to a free economy."

Investors flood Iraq with project deals - Construction & Industry - ArabianBusiness.com

Kirkuk oil exports towards Turkey reach 430 bpd

A naval source said that Kirkuk oil exports from North Iraq towards Turkey reached 430 thousand oil barrels per day. However, he pointed out that oil flow was irregular during the last two weeks. He also added that production problems might be the cause of the impedance that occurred at the beginning of the week.

Kirkuk oil exports towards Turkey reach 430 bpd | Economics News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

Accord Front to declare their support postponing the elections in Kirkuk

The Accord Front, today, Thursday, it supported the postponement of the elections in Kirkuk when voting on the law governing elections.

The Accord Front spokesman Salim al-Juburi in an interview with "Uzmatik", today, Thursday, that "the issue of Kirkuk national issue nor a party may resort to arm me the other party," stressing "the importance of creating suitable ground for holding elections."

The Nation stressed the "necessity to reach a consensual solution, and that each party waives a portion of the claim to reach a satisfactory formula for all."

The spokesman for the Accord Front to all parties "must understand that the solution does not come imposition, and they offer an agreement by law to vote in the House next session, otherwise the passing of the bill will not be possible", as saying.

A Nation that "there are several proposals on Kirkuk will be discussed and agreed on one, during a meeting between the political blocs before the next meeting scheduled next Monday."

The spokesman called compatibility political blocs to "speed up the vote on the law of provincial assemblies and that the issue of Kirkuk obstacle in adopting it," pointing out that "recourse to postpone the issue of Kirkuk is better than postponing the elections in the rest of the governorates of Iraq."

The last parliamentary session held last Tuesday witnessed differences between the political blocs over the issue of Kirkuk and the Kurdish coalition withdrew bloc which occupies 55 seats out of 275 seats of the parliament meeting, on the backdrop of a parliamentary committee Territories paragraph in the law of provincial council elections, demanding the division of city Kirkuk into four constituencies, prompting Parliament Speaker Mahmoud scene to adjourn the meeting and postponed to next Monday.

Translated version of http://iraqalaan.com/

Opening of the Arab common market in 2015 and the Arab Economic Union in 2020

The Committee of the Russian customs unified Arab meeting yesterday, Tuesday, the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Arab League, headed by the United Arab Emirates and the participation of representatives of Arab countries to conduct appropriate adjustments to the draft unified Arab customs law and its implementing regulations in light of comments received by the State Secretariat of the League.

The Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League for Economic Affairs Ambassador Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri told a press yesterday, Tuesday, that meeting, which comes in implementation of the Economic and Social Council resolution, recommended the adoption of common customs law on the Gulf Cooperation Council states of the law as a unified Arab customs is the amendment by Bmaitvk and conditions of Arab States as a member Taking into account the draft unified Arab customs law prepared by the Arab Economic Unity Council, as it promoted by the World Organization for customs and the International Trade Organization and take into account when preparing benefits Kyoto Convention to streamline customs procedures.

The preparation of the draft customs law common prelude to entering the stage of the European customs scheduled next year in order to establish a common Arab market in 2015 and then the Arab Economic Union in 2020.

Translated version of http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNewsAr.aspx?id=6531