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

Iraq rejects US security pact version
The Iraqi government has said that it has 'differences' with the United States over the so-called long-term security agreement.

The negotiations on the deal "are still in their early stages and the Iraqi side has a vision and a draft that is different'' from the draft which is presented by Washington, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement Sunday.

The statement comes as concerns have grown among Iraqis from all walks of life over the proposed deal which based on one of its proposals American citizens are to be granted immunity in the Muslim country.

Many Iraqi political and religious leaders have voiced their opposition to the pact, while tens of thousands of Iraqis joined the rising chorus of voices against the controversial issue by demonstrating throughout the country on Friday.

The protests came after prominent Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on the nation to show their opposition by holding peaceful weekly demonstrations.

Iraq's most revered Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has also expressed his strong condemnation of the deal in a meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The Grand Ayatollah reiterated that he would not allow Iraq to sign such an accord with "the US occupiers" as long as he was alive.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id...onid=351020201

Preparation for the provincial council elections
UNHCR ratify the 300 political entity

A senior UNHCR Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq that the number of political entities have registered and certified totals about 300 political entity with confirmed that the delay in the adoption of the electoral law will lead to a lack of provincial council elections on schedule in October next.

Member of the Board of Commissioners Karim al-Tamimi said that The number of political entities and independent candidates who had applied for registration and validation of UNHCR's hit more than 140 political entities, either at the provincial level has reached more than 130 expressing his hope that number up to nearly 300 political entity.

The UNHCR had extended the period of registration and certification of political entities wishing Participate in the elections for provincial assemblies until the next session of last May.

He added that the electoral law and the rules approved by the Commission reject the use of religious symbols, mosques and houses of worship in campaigning for the party or a particular political entity, it must be a message broadcast by the party for his voters are an independent programme Which can be ****uted for his supporters in the event of victory, as well as emphasis on the subject of non-use of words which raise sectarian prejudices and racism in order to get fair elections, transparent and neutral, indicating that the previous law for the elections to ensure such an item.

And the warning made by a deputy on repeating Mahsal previously with a number of former members of UNHCR who has been under suspicion of abuse of public money Tamimi stressed that the UNHCR budget was estimated at previous cocci and not subject to the control of the House of Representatives but is under the supervision of the International Assistance Group UNHCR's budget are for the current Budget-sections and chapters and the cost and budget speculative and the cause of exchange within the instructions for implementing the budget Finance in 2008 and ratified by the Chamber of Deputies and the Ministry of Finance and are therefore subject to the control of the Office of Financial Supervision Authority and integrity.

جريدة المواطن العراقية

Reports confirm that Iraqi oil revenues to reach 70 billion dollars this year
SUGGEST Turkomen and Kurds to maintain the division of the Supreme Council arrived at a solution in Kirkuk elections
Maliki of Kouchner: Iraq wants to provide the French armed forces sophisticated weapons

Iraqi government said in a report to international supporters that Iraq has sufficient economic resources and "does not need financial assistance and broad." In an appeal to companies optimistic about development and technical aid, the report said that Iraq provided "a unique opportunity to work with one of the most resource-rich countries of the world." The report added that it expected to hit oil revenues this year to 70 billion dollars and the foreign exchange reserves will increase to 34 billion dollars.

Report titled "new beginning" coincided with moves by Congress to push Iraq to focus on U.S. war efforts and the costs of reconstruction. Who called the recent legislation Baghdad's government for funding the training and equipping Iraqi security forces. Finance ministers and development in the Iraqi government had prepared a report composed of 75 pages of the International Covenant with Iraq, which was held in Stockholm. For its part, announced that the legal committee member in the House of Representatives Iraqi Alliance list MP from the common belief that Al Assadi, "the coming days, representatives of the political blocs in the manner of establishing provincial council elections in the city of Kirkuk." Indicated that Al Assadi, "committee to resolve differences around the city of Kirkuk was formed in Chamber of Deputies, by implication, a representative of the Badr Organization and the Supreme Council, in addition to a number of other members, to find a way to organize the elections in Kirkuk. "Asadi said that" the issue of the city of Kirkuk represents one of the main obstacles to finding a consensus among the political blocs to approve the law of provincial council elections. And resolved means of approaching the Adoption Law. "Revealed that Al Assadi," Turkomans from inside and outside the Alliance list submitted a proposal to partition the city of Kirkuk, in the elections based on geographical and ethnic lines, but the Kurdistan Alliance and independent Arab bloc rejected this proposal; which led to the postponement of the discussion Provincial council elections law by Parliament until a solution to this point. "Predicted member of the legal committee in the House of Representatives" Iraqi emergence of a number of differences between the political blocs in the coming days-the subject of Kirkuk, especially with the approaching deadline for the holding of provincial assemblies in October.

I expressed this and the next Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Government wished to provide the French armed forces sophisticated weapons during a meeting in Baghdad, Sunday, Foreign Minister of France, who between his country's readiness to equip and train Iraqi forces and security agencies, according to a statement released by the Office of Maliki. The statement quoted the al-Maliki said during the Meeting with French Foreign Minister in Baghdad yesterday that Iraq wants "to provide the French armed forces sophisticated weapons, in addition to strengthening cooperation in the fields of medical and receive Iraqi patients in French hospitals." Indicating "the Iraqi government's keenness to establish better relations with France and developed in the economic and commercial areas." The statement said that the citizen has received a copy of which was reported yesterday that al-Maliki suggested that the French side to open a centre for heart surgery for children at the Ibn Al-Bitar hospital in Baghdad. Voiced his French minister, according to the statement, "expressed the readiness of France to equip and train Iraqi troops and security services, and cooperation in the medical field and development centers Heart surgery in Iraq.

جريدة المواطن العراقية

Skinner: too early to talk about the Iraqis - U.S.

Dr. Skinner on the official spokesman for the Iraqi government that the talks Iraqi-American is still in its early stages, when the Iraqi side, and the draft vision differs from the draft vision and the American side, there is a significant tightening by the Iraqi government to preserve Iraq's full sovereignty on its land, skies, waters and all its internal affairs and relations Foreign Iraqi government will not accept any item without prejudice or detract from the sovereignty and to ensure that the interests of Iraqis. Skinner stressed it was too early to talk about the timing of the agreement or the terms agreed upon with the American side, and each stage of the negotiation will be presented to the Political Council for National Security for consultation. Skinner added that the events of the modern home and abroad about the agreement does not reflect the position of the Iraqi negotiator, who is keen full careful not to alienate any right of Iraq and Iraqis

جريدة المواطن العراقية

Appointment of 15 thousand unemployed in Mosul

A source in the Ninawa Governorate The Commission on Reconstruction and award procedures will start today the appointment of 15 thousand unemployed in the city of Mosul. The Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who supervised the military aspect of the process being implemented in Mosul to hunt down Al Qaeda terrorist gangs had promised to appoint the unemployed and create jobs for them.

On the security aspect security source said police in Salahuddin province to Iraqi security force arrested 70 suspects Sunday after exposure to fire their patrol in the district Alherquat north of the province. The source, who requested anonymity, that "Iraqi police patrol hours yesterday to launch Shooting by unknown gunmen in the village of Sheikh Hamad on the left coast to spend Alherquat, which forced troops launched a security operation range in the village and arrested 70 suspects. "Source did not mention any further details.

جريدة المواطن العراقية

Peace in Baghdad
Posted by Correspondent Hussein
Sat May 31, 9:30 AM ET
“No single item in Baghdad for today,” I told my bureau chief with great joy. I was so glad to have that news as all Iraqis were, of course .The meaning of “item” is so simple--it means that no car bomb or roadside bomb targeted Iraqi people or Iraqi security forces. No mortar shell hit any neighborhood in Baghdad . No gunmen killed or injured anyone in sectarian violence or targeted security forces. No child, student, woman or anyone else was kidnapped for ransom. So no ransom money was used to target other people.


I was excited to see the Daily Violence Report (which the McClatchy Baghdad bureau and special correspondents compile every day) did not mention Baghdad . We were clear of violence on Friday during all day and night .I was so happy to see my city without violence.

People ask why. The answer is so simple, in my opinion. Iraqis found out their mistakes and restarted their normal life far away of the terrorism’s agenda. For more than five years, Iraqis were busy killing, kidnapping, displacing and stealing. Recently, they realized that those who were killed were just Iraqis--whatever sect or religion they belonged to.

Minutes before posting this blog ,I had a phone call from a police source telling me that a female child had been kidnapped in Baghdad . This suffocated the happiness I had been feeling, but it didn’t kill the hope that this poor girl will soon be released to be with her family ..Or my undying hope that all Iraqis live in peace.
Peace in Baghdad - Yahoo! News

Iraq carried out a huge IT project to transform cities to "electronic"
Initiate a parliamentary government delegation and a high-level visit to Britain next week to discuss political developments, economic and security with a number of politicians, British and American personalities, and implementation of the project includes a large Technology throughout the country in collaboration with an international company, with the aim of providing "Computers and Internet" Every Iraqi house.
The Advisor to the President of the Chamber of Deputies victory Allawi: that a delegation comprising a number of chairing a parliamentary deputies from the committees of education, economy, labour and services and legal committee to leave Britain in the sixth of this month to participate in the workshop and discuss matters with an international company to implement a project on behalf of Chief Technology (Computers and the Internet Each house of an Iraqi). She Allawi told of the "morning" to a similar invitation sent to the Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh to participate in the workshop and discuss matters mentioned in the same project, as well as to invite each of the ministers of communications and education, finance, science and technology and education.
She explained that the objective of the project is to enhance the diffusion of technology in various aspects of life, in addition to providing computer line Internet technology (Wimax) for each house with support from an Iraqi company Recite world, indicating that the company would ensure all global technical issues in this project by allowing the families Iraq to buy computers line Internet at reasonable prices and installments with moral support provided by the Government of Baghdad. The Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, had revealed last month during Tadhaifa in Parliament, on a national campaign to upgrade education, and attract international expertise and sophisticated equipment, means of education and modern education Used in advanced countries in the world.
They pointed out that Allawi's first steps project will be implemented in the governorate of Basra, which will be converted to electronic city in the coming months after the successes achieved by security through the process (arriving Knights) and the project will be implemented in the governorates respectively according to provide appropriate security conditions for the project, arguing that the draft (Body Computers line Internet every Iraqi house) a draft humanitarian and charitable and patriotic contribute advancement of technology in the area of Iraq after years of neglect in this area. The Government has implemented recently, a significant security in Basra named "Knights arrival," contributed to the return to normalcy in the city, which was Outlaws from the law messed it. Adviser emphasized that the visit will also hold meetings at the political level political figures with British and American to discuss latest developments in the situation in Iraq in various fields, especially political, economic and security.
Translated version of http://www.alrafidayn.com/

Huge demand for the dollar at daily auction

Demand for the dollar was dramatically increased in the Iraqi Central Bank's auction on Monday, reaching $119.910 million compared to $23.710 on Sunday.

"The demand hit $5.760 million in cash and $114.150 million in foreign transfers outside the country, all covered by the bank at an exchange rate of 1,197 Iraqi dinars per dollar, a tick lower than yesterday" according to the central bank's daily bulletin which was received by Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

The 16 banks that participated in the auction offered to sell $7 million, which the bank bought all at an exchange rate of 1,197 dinars per dollar.

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

Aswat Aliraq

Update.......

Food prices fuel Iraq inflation, Central Bank says

Inflation in Iraq hit 16 percent in April due mainly to high food prices, the Central Bank said in a statement.

It is the highest inflation rate reported this year. The surge, despite unprecedented hard cash earnings from oil sales, has angered civil servants who rely on salaried income which is not pecked to inflation.

Iraq’s inflation index relies heavily on foodstuffs which make two thirds of items included in it.

Iraqi economist Isam al-Mahawili said 2008 had seen the highest monthly rate of inflation in the past three years.

“Inflation is now devouring the latest hikes in civil servant salaries,” he said.

Mahawili said the impact of global food prices should not be blamed for the current inflation rates in Iraq.

“Iraq is not pegged to the global economic system and besides Iraq produces agricultural products.”

Mahawili blamed what he described as “greedy traders” for the latest price hikes.

The double digit inflation began early this year and by the end of January it reached 11 percent.

The Central Bank has kept its prime interest rate at 17 percent, one percentage point below April inflation.

The bank, sources said, is determined to keep interest rate above inflation.

Azzaman in English

Update.......

Shahristani: Our Production Raised due to Security Improvement

Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani told Reuters in an interview that the improved security had helped Iraq, which has the world's third-largest oil reserves, raise oil production to a post-war high of 2.5 million barrels per day in May.

Iraq's oil industry, hit by decades of sanctions, war and neglect, was a vulnerable target for saboteurs after the U.S. invasion. Attacks on pipelines quickly destroyed any hopes of using Iraq's vast oil reserves to fund its reconstruction.

The military says violence in Iraq is now at a four-year low following crackdowns by U.S. and Iraqi forces on Shi'ite militias in southern Basra and Baghdad and on al Qaeda in the northern city of Mosul, its last major urban stronghold.

"In May we have exceeded for the first time 2 million barrels per day export rate. In production we have exceeded 2.5 million bpd," Shahristani said.

The number of Iraqi civilians killed in May also fell, to 505, after reaching a seven-month high of 968 in April, figures compiled by the interior, defence and health ministries showed.

http://pukmedia.com/english/News/2-6-2008/news2.htm