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

Bahrain Plans to Appoint Ambassador to Iraq Soon

Bahrain said on Sunday it was setting up a new embassy in Baghdad and selecting an ambassador to Iraq, the latest sign of warming ties between Iraq and its Gulf Arab neighbours.

"We are currently choosing an ambassador. We have finished deciding where the embassy should be. We have an agreement with the Iraqi government," Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told a news conference.

"It just remains to choose the ambassador and as a result of the security situation it is ... not easy. For the person chosen or those who choose him."

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan visited Iraq on Thursday, the first Gulf Arab foreign minister to do so since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have both promised to open up embassies in Baghdad and say delays are the result of logistics and safety concerns rather political considerations. The UAE also said it would appoint an ambassador to Baghdad.

No Arab country has had a permanent ambassador in the Iraqi capital since Egypt's envoy was kidnapped and killed shortly after arriving in 2005.

The United States has been pressing Sunni Arab governments to shore up the government of Nuri al-Maliki by forgiving debts and establishing high-level diplomatic representation.

Improved ties with Gulf Arab states could increase Iraq's chances of persuading two of its biggest creditors, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, to cancel Baghdad's debts.

Oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia, the region's most influential country, wants the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government to reach out politically to Sunnis, which ruled Iraq under Saddam Hussein but have complained of being marginalised since his overthrow.

Political analysts say Baghdad's reliance on U.S. and other foreign troops and close ties with non-Arab, Shi'ite-majority Iran may also lie behind the reluctance of Sunni Arab states to normalise ties. Iraq is the only Shi'ite-led Arab country.

PUKmedia :: English - Bahrain Plans to Appoint Ambassador to Iraq Soon

Iraq to sign Deals with foreign Oil Firms this Month

Iraq intends to sign Technical Support Agreements (TSAs) with foreign oil majors by the end of June to add an eventual 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) in output capacity, a specialist newsletter quoted the oil minister as saying.

Five consortia are in talks with the Iraqi government for the two-year contracts, the Middle East Economic Survey said in its edition to appear on Monday.

The agreements cover Kirkuk field (Shell), Rumaila (BP), Al-Zubair (ExxonMobil), West Qurna Phase I (Chevron and Total), Missan province development (Shell and BHP Billiton) and the Subba and Luhais fields (Anadarko, Vitol and the UAE's Dome), MEES said.

"Four companies have been informed that time is running out," Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani told the newsletter, as his ministry continues to push hard to fast-track the TSA signings.

Shahristani said the companies have been given the option of being paid in either cash or crude.

The TSAs are a bridging contract designed to fast-track foreign oil involvement in Iraq, while a new hydrocarbons law has yet to be passed by the Iraqi parliament.

Shahristani said Iraq hoped to add 300,000 bpd of output capacity by the end of this year.

Iraq is also working to launch an upstream bidding round this year that, unlike the TSAs, is expected to require the prior passage of the new hydrocarbons law.

"We are working on a development round. We have a draft contract prepared. We are working towards having it ready for July," the minister said.

Iraq's current output is estimated at around 2.5 million bpd.

AFX News Ltd. London : Financial News Products

Minister says violence receding in Basra

Security conditions are improving in Basra and the main beneficiaries are the hard-pressed Iraqi women there, Deputy Women Affairs Minister Narmeen Othman said.

Othman said Basra courts have reported a plunge in the killing of women. She gave no figures but scores of murders had forced many women to stay within the confines of their homes.

She said women were no longer under forced restrictions with regard to attire and ‘verbal abuse’ of women shopping or going to university has dropped.

Supreme Judge Soaad al-Saad of Basra’s Juvenile Court agreed.

“Women conditions have generally improved in the aftermath of the successful military operations. Shops now remain open until late at night and women can stroll in streets without fear,” Saad said.

“The phenomenon of killing women has substantially decreased,” she said.

Saad also gave no statistics but added that her peers in Basra courts dealing with such cases concurred.

“Women and girls working as civil servants or students can now be seen wearing trousers and skirts, something they were scared to do before,” she said.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index...06-08\kurd.htm

High-level Kurdish delegation to visit Baghdad to resolve the crisis file and Kirkuk oil

An official Office of External Relations of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq Falah Mustafa "that a delegation from the province headed by Barzani, head Mosques regional government, will visit Baghdad within the next few days to complete negotiations with the central government on issues of oil contracts and Kirkuk, will meet with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to discuss the recent decision of the Government Iraqi oil exports would halt across two Austrian and South Korea, which signed a number of oil contracts with the Kurdistan Regional Government, in addition to examine the agreements signed between the two parties on the law of oil and oil contracts to the Government of the Territory with a number of international companies. "
The chief of the territorial Government Mosques Barzani has said in previous statements during his recent visit to the United States that he had new proposals on the issues of oil and Kirkuk carried to Baghdad to negotiate with the central government in Baghdad, but the Office of External Relations official in the Kurdistan region of Iraq refused to reveal the substance of that Proposals that the situation has become more sensitive with the issuance of the report of the Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq on the issue of Kirkuk, and must wait until the studies and extensive consultations on the content of this report to build a proper attitude towards him "

Mustafa said that "the Kurdistan region can now be issued approximately 150 thousand barrels of oil abroad." Regarding the outcome of the recent visit by Prime Minister regional Arab Emirates and predictive value for the holding of a large 9 / 14 billion dollars with the company Adama Kamara, said Falah Mustafa "The aim of the visit of Prime Minister to the UAE was essentially to attract investments to the province and attract the attention of Iraqi and Arab investors to the appropriate investment environment in Kurdistan region of Iraq as a safe and stable, and the call to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq from the Kurdistan region, and provides contract with Adama Emirates company to implement several housing projects, hotels and modern markets, hospitals, stadiums and other sports in the regional capital of Arbil "

Regarding the volume of investments in the northern Iraqi province government official revealed that "the volume of investments in the Kurdistan region now stands at about ten billion dollars

Translated version of http://www.hewarat.dk/hewarat_data.php?sid=7097

Geological survey shows that the new Iraq oil reserves greater than Saudi reserves

According to a member of the Committee on Oil and Gas Deputies Abdel Hadi ABOLHASSANI that the volume of Iraqi oil proven reserves, according to the geological seismic surveys of about $ 350 billion barrels of reserves exceeding that of Saudi Arabia, which more than 260 billion barrels, which is currently the top ranking World size its oil reserves.

He ABOLHASSANI in an interview with "Radio Sawa" that these quantities of oil distributed in almost all regions of Iraq, and said:

"Geological Survey seismic is proved that there are fields discovered and undiscovered fields, but the Iraqi buffer stock is 350 billion barrels.

These areas, which they call undiscovered mostly in the south and western regions and areas of eastern Baghdad Sadr City and Alartawiyeh In many areas in Iraq. Iraq's entire we go on a lake of oil."

He stressed member of the parliamentary economic committee, Mohamed Khalil that Iraq is the largest oil reserves in the world, according to an Iraqi research, announcing at the same time, government reports indicated that Iraq also possesses natural gas reserves of 52 trillion cubic feet.

According to the reports of international oil organizations, including "OPEC", Iraq is currently ranked third in the world after Saudi Arabia and Iran in possession of oil reserves, which is calculated approximately 120 billion barrels.

Translated version of http://www.radiosawa.com/arabic_news.aspx?id=1610430

Iranian source: Khamenei had not agreed so far to meet Maliki

Said political analyst Hassan Hashemian that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei the Iranian revolution had not agreed so far to meet al-Maliki, pointing out that the latter tried to convince the Iranians that there is no danger if they sign the agreement with the United States.

He explained Hashemian told "Radio Sawa":

Hashemian He expressed his belief that Iran still has strong influence in Iraq:

Hashemian pointed to the possibility that the Iranians used to put pressure on Maliki by certain political parties:

Regarding the fears Tehran is holding a long-standing convention of Beit Baghdad and Washington, said Hashemian:

Translated version of http://www.radiosawa.com/arabic_news.aspx?id=1610358

Delegation from the Investment Authority in Najaf, is visiting Kuwait to complete REHABILITATION CONTRACTS

The attorney spokesman blessing Vice Chairman of the Investment Authority in Najaf that a delegation of authority is currently visiting Kuwait agreed with a group of Gulf investors to establish pools of residential and tourist facilities in the cities of Najaf and Kufa.

This came during a recent interview with "Radio Sawa", following up on that one of the most important projects agreed upon is a reconstruction of a hotel, 800 apartments, and the city of Najaf, which prepared the new design and implementation of an ongoing study, in addition to other projects

He criticized what he described as grace, weak awareness of investment and development in government departments and institutions of Iraq, pointing to the existence of a crisis in the housing sector in Iraq.

He called on the government to adopt a blessing, an action plan containing attract capital of Iraqi and foreign, stressing that routine practice in some government departments contributing to the slow pace of investment projects, he said.

Translated version of http://www.radiosawa.com/arabic_news.aspx?id=1610506

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia affirms his country's support for Iraq

Sultan bin Abdulaziz said Saudi Crown Prince, who is currently visiting Spain that his country is striving to restore stability to Iraq and will continue in its efforts to support the Arab world, regionally and internationally. He added Abdul Aziz said his country sought to consolidate the principle of dialogue between Iraqis and prevent sedition Mecca when it hosted the conference which brought together clergy from various Iraqi sects, according to statements reported Saudi News Agency. Abdul Aziz praised the Arab League, reminding its initiative to convene the first conference of national reconciliation between Iraqis of all shadows of political, ethnic and religious groups. For his part, welcomed Alhaji Mohammed Hamoud, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry, confirmed the Saudi crown prince his country's support for Iraq and pointed out that the Riyadh have made efforts to help Iraq: A Hammud hoped that the Arab countries to reopen their diplomatic missions in Iraq, pointing out that Kuwait will open its embassy in Baghdad soon

جريدة المواطن العراقية

US Experts to Open Modern Banking Systems in Kurdistan Region

The Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Prime Minister, Omar Fatah, on Monday met with a US banking system expert’s delegation.

The delegation explained the purpose behind their visit, which is to renew bank systems and to invest in heavy industry, including iron in the Kurdistan region.

The KRG deputy premier reassured the delegation that the KRG will offer all cooperation and facilitation, urging them to accelerate the practical steps towards carrying out the projects. He also said that the policy of KRG is to stimulate investment and provide all that is necessary to guarantee success in the region.

PUKmedia :: English - US Experts to Open Modern Banking Systems in Kurdistan Region

506 Iraqi Companies Registered in May

The Iraqi Ministry of Trade on Monday said that a total of 506 Iraqi companies were registered by the General Company for Registering Companies in May 2008.

"The registered companies are 500 limited companies, a general partnership and five individual firms," according to a ministerial statement received by Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

In May, the General Company for Registering Companies issued 281 decisions ordering amendments to the deeds of association of the registered companies, in addition to three decisions ordering the closing down of a number of limited companies, the statement noted.

Moreover, the company has verified the final accounts of Iraqi national companies, which were as follows: four companies in 2001, eight in 2002, 22 in 2003, 39 in 2004, 103 in 2005, 168 in 2006 and 385 in 2007.

Aswat Aliraq