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

Japanese Company to Establish Oil Studies Institution

Thiqar's governor Aziz Alwan, uncovered of signing 3 contracts with Arab & foreigners investors in the economical and commercial fields

He added that the province delegation to Egypt signed understanding memorandum with many specialized companies of treating heavey waters and transferred it to fertilizers and treating waters within a modern technology besides improving electric sector and the industries, pointing that they contracted with Arab and Iraqis outside the state to establish dairy and chickens projects besides establishing tourist hotels.

Meanwhile, the province delegation discussed with the biggest Japanese represents of oil field to invest oil fields in Ghrraf & Nasereya and improve it besides establishing big oil refined

ÌÑíÏÉ ÇáÕÈÇÍ - Japanese Company to Establish Oil Studies Institution

Iraq intel apparatus blocks Iran deals
Head of Iraq's intelligence service throws a monkey wrench into the implementation of economic contracts signed between Iran and Iraq.

Sources were quoted by the Arabic website Al-Jewar as saying that contrary to Iraq's other state bodies, the head of Iraq's intelligence service is under the thumb of US occupiers.

The sources added that five years after the collapse of the regime of the former dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq's intelligence service is dominated by Bathists who order their elements to use all available means to spoil Tehran-Baghdad economic projects.

The moves are made at a time when Iraq requires implementation of these economic projects for its reconstruction.

Iraq's Prime Minister said last week it was time to rebuild Iraq with the help of international companies, after years of concentration on security.

"We have managed to lessen violence in the country and are still working on it," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said.

"What Iraq needs now are international companies to carry out reconstruction projects and improve the country's infrastructure," Maliki added.

Press TV - Iraq intel apparatus blocks Iran deals

Tribes vow to protect oil pipelines in Diala

Iraq’s Oil Ministry spokesman on Saturday said that tribal leaders vowed to protect pipelines passing through Diala and any oil installations there from attacks.

"Oil Minister Hussein Shahrestani met today with tribal chieftains from Diala province, and entrusted them to protect the pipelines and oil installations in the province against any attacks,” Asem Jihad told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

He pointed out that "Shahrestani, on his part, pledged to appoint a large number of tribal fellows within the staff of the Ministry of Oil, and specifically in the facilities protection service (FPS), in order to the protect the oil pipelines passing through Diala."

Jihad pointed out that the recruitment policy of entrusting tribal fellows to protect oil installations had proved successful in many regions of the country, especially in areas that were classified as hot spots.

Iraqi oil installations and the network of pipelines transporting oil and gas have been exposed to sabotage operations that led to a significant decline in the capabilities of processing and export of petroleum products, as all efforts employed to provide protection to the pipeline failed, causing a passive impact during the past five years to provide fuel for power plants for electric power system.

Aswat Aliraq

Iraq: We will never accept Guardianship
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says the Iraqi nation will never fall under foreign tutelage nor will Iraq ever lose its sovereignty.

Maliki said Friday that there will be no need for the presence of occupational forces in Iraq as long as his government is able to enforce the law equally toward all factions and political parties in the country.

"No one in Iraq will accept the guardianship of foreigners. All Iraqis oppose it," he added.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of the Stockholm conference on Iraq.

According to the Iranian official, under Maliki's government Iraq has enjoyed more security and stability.

"We who view Iraq from an outside perspective know that Sunnis, Shias and Nationalists in Iraq are more united," said the Iranian minister.

Press TV - Iraq: We will never accept guardianship

Sadr bloc urges referendum on US pact
Iraqi politicians loyal to Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr have urged the government to hold a referendum on the US-Iraq 'security pact'.

The statesmen, including lawmakers Falah Hassan Shanshal and Maha Adel, issued a statement on Saturday in Baghdad and called on the Iraqi Preime Minister Nouri al Maliki to stop halt negotiations with the White House and hold a public referendum on the controversial issue.

The mandate of US troops in Iraq will expire in December 2008 and Washington has been trying to win the support of Iraqi politicians over the deal which would allow the US military to have at least 13 permanent military bases and grant American citizens immunity from legal prosecution.

Widespread objection of Iraqi religious and Political figures, however, has raised doubts that negotiators can meet a July target to finalize a pact which according to critics would turn Iraq into a 'US colony'.

Al-Sadr has also called for weekly protests against the deal.

The officials also said they 'absolutely reject' the accord and urged all Iraqis to continue their peaceful demonstrations against it.

On Friday Tens of thousands of people took to streets throughout the country after Moqtada al Sadr called for the protests.

Press TV - Sadr bloc urges referendum on US pact

US dodges issue of Gulf ditching dollar peg
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Saturday the dollar peg for currencies in the Gulf Arab countries had served the region well and any changes to the peg would be a sovereign matter.

Dollar pegs in all Gulf Arab states except Kuwait force their respective central banks to match US interest rate cuts, and has helped fuel inflation as their economies are booming due to record oil prices.

This also reduces their purchasing power for goods denominated in other currencies.

Asked about his concerns over the dollar peg, Paulson, on a visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, told a news conference: "That is a sovereign decision... The dollar peg, I think, has served this country [Saudi Arabia] and this region well. That speaks for itself."

Qatar's top economic policy adviser Ibraham Al-Ibrahim was quoted late on Friday as saying that Qatar must de-link its currency from the dollar peg.

But Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf, who joined Paulson in the news conference after a series of meetings, reaffirmed his committment to the dollar peg.

"We have no intention of depegging or revaluation," Al-Assaf said. "As Mr. secretary [Paulson] said... it's a position that has served us well. [The peg to the dollar] has served us well and we look at the long-term interest of Saudi Arabia."

Turning to the price of oil, which hit a record high of more than $135 a barrel last week, Paulson reiterated his calls for additional investment in oil producing countries, particularly from foreign sources, to help increase production.

"There is no doubt that the current prices are a burden on economies around the world and a burden on people around the world," Paulson said.

Al-Assaf agreed, saying Saudi Arabia was investing billions of dollars to increase both upstream crude oil production and downstream refining capacity to help meet global demand.

"We don't like these extreme volatilities in the [oil] market. They are not good for the consuming countries and they are not good for the producing countries." (Reuters)

US dodges issue of Gulf ditching dollar peg - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

Iraq and Egypt agree to establish joint investment cooperation
Source: BI-ME , Author: BI-ME staff
Posted: 30-05-2008 Back Email Print RSS Feeds

INTERNATIONAL. Iraq and Egypt have agreed to establish joint investment cooperation between Iraqi and Egyptian businessmen, to support the investment process between the public and private sectors. A report by Iraq Directory said that the initiative will include ten members of the Egyptian side and the same number of Iraqis.

Riyad Ghareeb, Minister of Municipalities and Public Works and head of the Iraqi investment delegation visited Egypt last week and said that this cooperation was formed after the delegation met with Egyptian and Iraqi businessmen, the Governor of Cairo, the Egyptian Investment Minister, the Egyptian Minister of Works and Municipalities in addition to many Egyptian officials and businessmen from the public and private sectors in Iraq.

He pointed out that the delegation included the Minister of Housing and Construction, Head of Investment Authority, seven governors of central and southern Iraq and a number of Iraqi businessmen to get acquainted with the Egyptian market.

The visit was instructed by Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, to activate the role of Arab investment in Iraq and to make 2008 the year of investment in Iraq.

Ghareeb explained that the delegation had reached several agreements, in addition to the establishment of the cooperation that will give the best start to investing in Iraq.

Business Intelligence Middle East - bi-me.com - Iraq and Egypt agree to establish joint investment cooperation - News, analysis, reports

31 May, 2008

Foreign Minister Meets Swedish State Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari met on Friday May 30th 2008, with Mr. Frank Belfridge, Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs. During the meeting several local, regional and international topics were discussed in addition to issues of bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to consolidate and develop them.

The Minister thanked the Swedish Government for hosting the first conference to review the agreement of the International Compact with Iraq, stressing that the meeting was successful and highlighted international attention on the new Iraq, and explained that the review conference came in the midst of the improvement and development in the political and security situation in Iraq which was confirmed by most of the participating delegations , and expressed their strong desire to contribute to building the economy, reconstruction and investment in joint ventures.

His Excellency Minister zebari added that Baghdad looks forward to the reopening of the Swedish embassy after the Swedish delegation's visit and initial preparations for reopening the embassy. Minister Zebari spoke about domestic conditions and the Iraqi's Government's insistence on achieving its programs on various levels.

Minister Zebari also stated Iraq's desire to develop regional relations to new levels, stressing the keenness of Baghdad to build the best possible relations with the region on the basis of good neighborliness and non-interference in internal affairs, and through this the Foreign Ministry works on removing obstacles that may occur in the relations with neighboring countries.

On his part, Mr. Frank Belfridge expressed the Swedish government's keenness to establish better relations with Baghdad and that 2008 will witness the reopening of his country's embassy in Iraq.


http://www.mofa.gov.iq/english/news/...px?newsid=4793

Prime Minister calls for individual responsibility at engineers conference

Erbil, Kurdistan – Iraq (KRG.org) – Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani today in Erbil called for engineers to harness the latest technology and for the private sector to play an even greater role in the Kurdistan Region’s progress.

The Prime Minister made the remarks in a speech on the first day of a contracting, design and engineering conference. The aim of the conference is for engineers to explore how they can establish innovative private engineering firms that can better participate in the Kurdistan Region’s reconstruction and serve both foreign and local investors.

Prime Minister Barzani said, “Each one of us, based on our own duties, is responsible for the advancement of our society, and all must play a role in the process of change. Progress can not take root when everyone waits for the government to act and no individual initiative is taken. In order to progress, we must all work together.” He added that responsibility and pride in one’s work are the key to clamping down on negligence, laziness and corruption.

The Prime Minister said that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) would play its part by providing and facilitating the right education. He said, “First we must develop our education system, particularly in the areas of higher education, engineering and sciences. Second, we need to establish national scientific centres and institutions for research and analysis in the fields of industry, agriculture, construction and information technology so that they act as the catalyst for our progress in the Kurdistan Region. And third we must benefit from the opportunities of transferable technologies at an international level. We need to achieve the ability to connect to that network.”

Mr Dilshad Jaff, a member of the conference's preparatory committee, also addressed the delegates. He said, “This conference symbolises the change that has taken root within our Region. We are experiencing rapid growth in our private sector, and all sectors are beginning to understand the importance of cooperation and individual responsibility. While we have challenges to overcome, we are seeing that the people of the Kurdistan Region are fully capable of working towards a bright and economically flourishing future for all.”

The three-day conference organised by the KRG has attracted more than 350 engineers from all three governorates of Suleimaniah, Dohuk and Erbil. The theme of the conference is “The best use of our engineering capacity for the development process in the Kurdistan Region”.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)

San Francisco Chronicle, 16:18:49 01 Jun. 2008
Will Iraq's wounds heal with time?


Keith Humphreys

Over the front desk in my hotel in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, are four dusty clocks that display the times in different cities around the world. The country also runs on four time zones, but the spacing among them dwarfs anything a simple set of clocks could convey.

"Kurdistan time" is the most modern. Having ended their bitter civil war a decade ago, the Kurds are enjoying the fruits of peace, newfound freedom and high oil prices. People in Erbil, including Western visitors such as me, linger in markets and cafes without fear. The main roads are smooth, and an increasing number of homes have electricity and clean water. Yes, there are still blast walls and gun-toting soldiers, but mercifully, they are not being put to use.

Visitors to Erbil can hardly believe that this is Iraq. Late in the evening, in a new water park, parents stroll on the walkways while their children laugh and play. And throughout the city, anti-Americanism is rare. A friend asks a pet store keeper the price of a bird because he wants to compare it to the cost in the United States. The storekeeper replies "There is no price. You liberated us; what I have is yours." After a few days, I hesitate to look too long at bread or fruits or sweets because I know the shop owner is likely to offer some to me as a gift.

Less than an hour's drive from the center of Kurdistan, the predominately Arabic part of Iraq runs on the clock that held sway here during the mid-1990s. The "Arab Iraq time" zone is punctuated by unpredictable, brutal violence and constantly shifting strategies and alliances by various factions. Colleagues from Baghdad, who are here to attend a psychiatry course I am helping to teach, tell stories of kidnapped doctors, mothers seeing their children killed, and the unending fear that when spouses part in the morning, it will be for the last time.

The third clock of Iraq is "Saddam Hussein time," which can rear its head anywhere in the country. When Iraqis criticize the government, they still instinctively lean in closely and lower their voices, scanning with their eyes from side to side before speaking. And corruption is rampant, with every government ministry issuing a large number of paychecks to employees who never come in to work, if they exist at all. The most despairing Iraqis say they long for Saddam Hussein's return, but the fact is that, in many ways, he is still here.

"Medieval time" is the last and most frightening time zone in Iraq. Colleagues from Ramadi, Diyala, Mosul and Basra live in fear of theocratic militias who wish to roll back human rights a thousand years - especially for women - and terrorize anyone who stands for modernity, education and rationality. To return to the medieval time zone is a prospect my well-educated Iraqi friends dread, particularly because they know that many less-privileged Iraqis are sorry they ever left it. Many people at the bottom of the society brood over the lost grandeurs of the Abbasid Caliphate, and believe that only the sermons of conservative imams give full voice to their desperate hope and seething anger.

When the disparate time zones of Iraq intersect, the result can be humorous. A cultural center named after the bisexual poet Rimbaud, of the French Decadent movement, displays paintings of transvestites to puzzled Kurds in the middle of the 8,000-year-old citadel of Erbil. An antiques store contains piles of Saddam Hussein-era suitcase phonographs and 13-channel **********s with rabbit ears a few blocks from a store with the latest ***** cell ****** and ****s.

But the clash of time zones can also be horrifying. A psychiatric resident diagnoses a young woman with schizophrenia and prescribes the latest, best medication and psychotherapy. At the next appointment, she arrives bruised from head to toe and has multiple broken bones. Upon learning the diagnosis, her parents took her to a traditional healer, who strapped her down and savagely beat her to drive out the jinni that causes her illness.

A main topic of conversation here is whether Iraq will ever converge in a single time zone, and if so, which one? Is Arab Iraq truly just a decade behind post-civil-war Kurdistan, or is it a fantasy to believe all that separates Kurdistan from the rest of the country is time?

The Kurds are clearly different in ways that can't be ascribed simply to the passage of time. Not religiously, although most Americans would not know it because the Western media regularly uses the term Sunni as if it only applied to Arabs, when in fact the Kurds are predominantly Sunni Muslims as well. But other differences are pronounced. Kurds have their own language and identity. Even across clans, they feel a strong sense of kinship, not the least because they were so brutally persecuted by Hussein.

Most of the people I meet who are stuck in "Arab Iraq time" do not see a Kurdish future for themselves. A sad-eyed woman from Baghdad says simply, "Because we have oil, they will never allow us to be happy." A few are desperate enough to want to move backward to "Saddam Hussein time" or "medieval time," where there was some predictability in daily life, if little justice.

Others Iraqis are more optimistic, noting that the factional rivalries in Kurdistan were every bit as bloody as those in the rest of Iraq, but the population (with encouragement from the United States) figured out that there was much more to be gained by putting down their guns and sharing Iraq's riches for mutual benefit.

Who is correct, the optimists or the pessimists? Even after hundreds of conversations with Iraqis over the past few years, I still can't do better than fall back on a cliche: Only time will tell.

Keith Humphreys is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University who has been a volunteer consultant to the Iraqi mental health care systems since 2004.


Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)