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

6th edition of Iraqi businessmen conf. starts in Baghdad

The sixth Iraqi businessmen and investors conference was held on Wednesday in the Iraqi capital Baghdad with the participation of a number of ministers and senior officials.

The word of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was delivered by Iraqi Minister of National Security Affairs Shirwan al-Waeli, during which he asserted the improvement of security condition which positively affect the whole situation in Iraq, underlining the government's determination to boost the rule of law and the reconstruction process.

"The government insists on the return of Iraqi refugees to take part in reconstructing Iraq," he added.

Aswat Aliraq

Free Market at the Iraqi-Iranian Borders

In a press statement to al-Sabah newspaper, Mohammed Majid al-Sheikh, the Iraqi ambassador in Iran said “a free market will be established at the border areas between Iraq and Iran to facilitate the commercial exchanging.”

“The amount of trade between Iraq and Iran will arrive $3 Billion by the end of this year. The amounts were raised from $1.5 Billion in 2006 to $2.3 Billion in 2007. Commercial ties between the two countries were improved, in spite of the political and media impacts”, he added.

The ambassador mentioned that Iranian companies are going to establish a power station in al-Sadr City to supply it with 250 mega watts of electricity, and another power station between Karbala and Najaf Provinces to supply them with 320 mega watts.

PUKmedia :: English - Free Market at the Iraqi-Iranian Borders

Demand for dollar drops in daily auction

Demand for the dollar was lower in the Central Bank of Iraq's (CBI) auction on Wednesday, registering at $114.095 million compared to $140.715 million on Tuesday.

"The demand hit $23.145 million in cash and $90.950 million in foreign transfers outside the country, all covered by the bank at an exchange rate of 1,187 Iraqi dinars per dollar, the same as yesterday," an official source from the bank told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

The 15 banks that participated in the auction offered to sell $7 million, which the bank bought at an exchange rate of 1,185 Iraqi dinars per dollar.

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

Aswat Aliraq

Ministry denies halt to pay increase plans

The Iraqi Ministry of Finance on Wednesday denied a halt to the pay increase, which has been approved under the newly adopted salary scale.

"Some spoke to the media about a halt to the pay raise, which has been stipulated in the salary scale no. 22 of the year 2008," according to a ministerial statement received by Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

"The Iraqi government is keen to fulfill its commitment to increase employees' salaries," the statement noted.

"In late June, the ministry paid to all employees the salary variances for the first six month of 2008, and will grant the variances for July, August and September before the Lesser Bairam…," the statement explained.

"The salary variances for October, November and December will be paid by the beginning of 2009," the statement noted, citing public interest as the main reason behind paying in three installments.

In the beginning of its first legislative term early this year, the Iraqi Parliament approved a pay raise for government personnel, which economists say has driven inflation to higher levels.

A few days ago, the ministry announced that raised will be paid in two batches in September, and January of next year.

"The procedure was taken to offset inflation in the market, which is the result of the current monetary liquidity," a ministerial statement read.

Aswat Aliraq

$ 100 billion Iraq budget year 2009

The Ministry of Finance to Parliament in October next speculative budget for next year, it is hoped that up to 100 billion dollars in the case remained price of a barrel of crude oil at current levels.

While According to parliamentary sources, the beginning of the next legislative term, will vote on new amendments to the law on accountability and justice, which will grant rights to other sections were covered by previous law (de-Baathification), called on Parliament Speaker Dr. Mahmoud scenery of the government to speed up the formation of the supreme body of accountability and justice.

Hussain said the President made to the oil and gas: The Finance Ministry will submit to the House of Representatives in October next budget speculative ranging from 80 to 100 billion dollars, the amount wagered that the budget price of crude oil on world markets.

And the price of barrel of light crude oil during the period Years to the highest rates, since the sale of $ 144 b, before declining to $ 115 according to the latest rate link in the New York Stock Exchange trading yesterday, according to sources at the Oil Ministry in a statement earlier of the "morning" Iraq is the price of a barrel of oil sells for less than ten dollars on the world market.

Although the supplementary budget approved by Parliament recently adopted the price of a barrel of oil b $ 91. His statements to the special permit for "morning" to Iraq's export capacity currently reach between 900 million to two million barrels of oil per day, pointing out that in the event of a surplus In funds for the remaining months of this year, the amounts will be added to next year's budget, alluding at the same time that if the opposite happened (any deficit in the budget), it can either increase production or use of the amounts deposited in the Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which totals 30 billion dollars.

The observers explosive Economists said the budget for next year will contribute to the elimination of unemployment and the upgrading of living of the citizens, if properly invested, calling on the government, parliament and parties concerned to absorb inflation and setting the prices of commercial goods, particularly essential to them. In the context of efforts to promote reconciliation National, he urged Parliament Speaker Dr. Mahmoud scenery of the Government to speed up the formation of the supreme body of accountability and justice to the urgent need to in the present stage.

The scene in a letter sent to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and got "morning" to copy them, "the necessity to speed up the formation of the supreme body of accountability And justice in order to begin its work, particularly with the urgent need for the work of the Higher Commission for Elections and degrees of being related to them. For his part, attributed the deputy of the Committee for Justice and Accountability in the House of Representatives Rashid Al-Azzawi reasons for the delay in the formation of the supreme organ of accountability and justice to the work pressure faced by the Prime Minister's Office.

He said Al-Azzawi told the "morning:" The presidency of the parliament stressed in an urgent letter to Prime Minister on the need for a body and the appointment of a President, even by proxy to carry out its work quickly, especially since "the former de-Baathification" is to do business. The board Parliament has approved the Law of accountability and justice by the government, as an alternative to uproot the Baath Party, in a step to promote reconciliation project, and orientations of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to support national reconciliation.

He pointed out that Al-Azzawi, ministers and attorneys general managers and governors and directors of the board and candidates for provincial council elections pending a bit of accountability and justice On the non-encompassing law for proofed in managerial positions and that candidates from contesting the elections, noting that the first sessions of the Legislative next chapter will vote on amendments to the law after it was signed by Vice President Tariq Hashimi and got preliminary approval from President Jalal Talabani, while still the law CONSIDERS by Vice President Dr. Adel Abdel Mahdi.

A member of the Committee that the amendments in the law, as demanded by the government is "the exception of participants from the former security elements in building a new security devices as encompassing law would raise an upheaval in the work of these devices, noting that its work on an exception to leave the Baath party before April 9, 2003 As well as coverage of POWs returning from Iran, who have been granted honorary degrees partisan coverage of the special law of accountability and justice.

Translated version of http://www.alsabaah.com/

Al-Hashimi: Consensus Solution through Mutual Concessions is required in Kirkuk

After a meeting between both Vices of the Iraqi President Dr. Adel Abdel Mahdi and Dr. Tariq al-Hashimi, the latter said in a press statement “I m grateful for this visit and honest feelings.

Dr. Adel Abdel Mahdi was closely pursuing my health condition when I was abroad. May be my returning before a while from holding the new session of the Iraqi Parliament was necessary for dialogue with the political leaders in order to reach a consensus solution achieved by mutual concessions. We are talking about one home not about concessions by one country to another.”

PUKmedia :: English - Al-Hashimi: Consensus Solution through Mutual Concessions is required in Kirkuk

Iraqi Deputy Premier Arrives in Iran

Iraqi Deputy Premier, Barham Amhed Salih, Wednesday arrived in Iran in a three day visit to that country for discussing several political issues with the Iranian top officials.

Salih is expected to meet with the President of Iran Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Iran's Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki, to discuss key issues including economic issues and promoting commercial transactions.

Paving the way for implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed this month, for establishing a joint free market zone is expected to be another topic of the meetings.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraqi Deputy Premier Arrives in Iran

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Negotiations on the convention security in its final stages

Said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wednesday, the Iraqi-American negotiations on the Convention long-term security, reached its final stages, pointing out that it is in the process of completion of the controversial points.

He explained Mohammed al-Haj Hammoud, the Independent News Agency (Voices of Iraq), that "negotiations Iraqi-American Convention on long-term security, reached its final stages", and expressed the hope that "negotiations will bear fruit for resolving the disputed points, notably the subject of the mandate, and the two sides take the final position , Formulas and clear and not subject to the discretion of the future. "

The governing convention, the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq, following in 2008, it currently relies on the presence of UN authorization, renewed at the end of each year, at the request of the Iraqi government, noting that U.S. forces operating in Iraq at the present time are subject to American law.

These negotiations are an extension of the "Agreement of Principles" signed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President George W. Bush, on November 26 of last November, which lays the foundation for cooperation between Iraq and the United States in the areas of security, economy and politics.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, "The issue of the mandate of the earth and air within U.S. bases and how to place U.S. forces out of bases in the forefront of controversial matters between the parties," noting that "some crucial points of contention and need a lot of effort," Mstdricka "On the other hand, but there are other things Can be overcome and find solutions on the subject of formulations and determine their meaning. "

The plane was supposed to reach both Washington and Baghdad, with solutions on July 31 last, to come into effect on January first of January next year.

The various political forces and the influential Iraqi religious references showed strong opposition to the Convention, notably the current angina leadership of Mr. Muqtada al-Sadr, which holds 30 seats out of 275 seats is the sum of the Chamber of Deputies, said that it will force of the Convention by all means, arguing that it detracts from Iraq's sovereignty and independent decision Given the freedom to the American forces on its territory and granted "military bases" permanent.

It also raised the issue of the Convention and the negotiations on it, a lot of controversy in official circles and the American People.

The Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, has said on more than once during the last term, the need to respect Iraq's sovereignty and supreme interests, calling because there are specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

Convention will not be effective unless ratified by the Iraqi parliament.

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U.N. Pledges to Expand Efforts in Iraq

The United Nations pledged on Wednesday to hasten its cautious steps in helping Iraq rebuild, five years after a devastating bomb pushed it to pull foreign staff out of the country.

U.N. and Iraqi officials gathered at U.N. headquarters in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone for a sombre ceremony commemorating the 22 people who died when a truck bomb struck U.N. offices in a Baghdad hotel on August 19, 2003.

It was a grim turning point in the first months after the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, prompting the U.N. to withdraw most foreign staff and foreshadowing the bloodshed that quickly took hold across Iraq.

"There are moments when we wonder whether all this was worth it or not," U.N. special representative Staffan de Mistura said.

"What we are doing at the moment is sending a signal that the U.N. is back. The U.N. is back to stay. The U.N. is back to have its footprint increasing, its activities increasing."

U.N. officials say there are about 350 international civilian and military staff members across the country, and that the number of civilian foreign staff members increased by 30 percent over the last year.

Iraqi Planning Minister Ali Baban and David Shearer, De Mistura's deputy, signed a two-year pact governing the U.N.'s humanitarian, reconstruction and development activities in Iraq.

The new U.N. strategy targets what it called a "worsening human rights situation and an overall deterioration of services, infrastructure and shelter", among other challenges.

The needs are great. Violence has driven some 4.5 million Iraqis to flee their homes to other parts of Iraq or to neighbouring countries.

Within Iraq, unemployment is sky-high. About half of the rural population lacks proper access to drinking water. Sewage flows into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. More than 3,000 primary schools and some 1.27 million new homes are needed.

CAUTIOUS STEPS

But officials said the new strategy does not foresee a quick ramping up of foreign staff levels in Iraq past current levels, due mainly to continuing security precautions, or in U.N. spending, which stands at about $350 million (187 million pounds) a year.

They say their focus has shifted from bricks-and-mortar projects, such as building schools, to training and advising Iraqi ministries and officials.

With violence at four-year lows across Iraq, the United Nations is also venturing further into the tempestuous world of Iraqi politics.

U.N. officials sought to broker a compromise this month to an impasse in parliament over plans for a provincial elections law needed to hold the anticipated polls this year.

The U.N. proposal ultimately failed to end the deadlock over the fate of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, a feud which has stoked tensions with Iraq's minority Kurds.

The U.N. voice in Iraq may grow as that of the United States becomes less dominant.

U.S. and Iraqi officials are negotiating an agreement that will outline the U.S. presence in Iraq after its mandate expires in December, and Iraqi officials have said they want U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by 2010.

"In coming years, the political role of the United Nations in Iraq will grow," Minister Baban said.

PUKmedia :: English - U.N. Pledges to Expand Efforts in Iraq

Update......

Iraqi government and United Nations sign a joint cooperation agreement

Signed by the Iraqi government and the United Nations, today, historic agreement for cooperation was to identify how will the United Nations, which, support for reconstruction, development and humanitarian needs in Iraq in the coming three years. The strategy of United Nations assistance first of its kind that was adopted in the country since the era nineties.

This was signed by Dr. Ali two doors, Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation, Mr. David Shearer, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and easy Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, this Convention during the high-level attended by a constellation of officials with the Iraqi government and representatives of United Nations agencies in Iraq .

Dr the two doors, saying: "This convention is a an important step forward in the process of reviving Iraq, where they gathered together all UN organizations jointly with the Government of Iraq and its people in order to reduce poverty and promote growth and consolidate democracy in the country."

While Mr. David Shearer said: "This strategy highlights the real opportunity in Iraq to stabilize the best will and a clear recovery and greater presence of the United Nations and better access to services in many areas. Now we can unite our achievements and our conversion to help Iraq to mobilize its core capabilities and in time We work to meet the humanitarian needs personalities. "

Under this strategy, a how cooperation through United Nations agencies to help Iraq achieve its important economic and social according to the International Compact with Iraq. The strategy also includes solutions for Humanitarian Affairs and Development to provide better social services such as education, water and protect the most vulnerable groups. This strategy focuses on supporting the private sector to create more job opportunities and systems of government more power and responsibility.

Mr. Shearer pointed out that signing the agreement coincides with the fifth anniversary of the tragedy that befell the United Nations to present its headquarters in the Canal Hotel bombing in August 2003. He said: "After five years, we now seek to strengthen the international presence in Iraq." "****** to seeing the implementation of the ground faster and stronger policy guidance in Baghdad."

And ensure that these new strategic projects concerned with the results and responsible in accordance with the requirements of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness, which were approved by the Iraqi government recently. And these projects will be financed through three key mechanisms: the sharing of basic expenditures for the Iraqi government itself and international support through the Iraq Trust Fund and the humanitarian appeal.

Translated version of http://nahrain.com/news.php?readmore=20534