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

Iraq President says US-Iraqi Security Deal No Threat to Iraq's Neighbors

In an interview Friday with VOA's Kurdish service in Washington, Iraqi president Jalal Talabani assured Iraq's neighbors that the forthcoming long-term strategic agreement between his country and the United States would not pose a threat for them.

"Iraq is in its springtime because our relations have never been as good as it is today with other countries," said President Talabani.

He also hoped that all Iraqi groups would understand the importance of the strategic agreement with the United States.

On Iraq's relations with neighboring Turkey, the President told VOA the Turkish Prime Minister will visit Baghdad and there will be an accord between the two countries regarding bilateral relations. He added: "Currently, Iraqi Kurds and Turkey have good relations following several meetings in Baghdad, Kurdistan and London."

Concerning the long-term security deal with U.S., Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says “a long-term security deal under negotiation between Iraq and the United States will not pose a threat to Iraq's neighbors.”
Mr. Talabani said Iraq's relations have never been as good as they are with other countries. He said he hopes all Iraqi groups understand the importance of the security deal with the United States.

Mr. Talabani also told VOA that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Baghdad next month, and that there will be a bilateral agreement. He said Iraqi Kurds and Turkey have improved relations following recent meetings in Baghdad, Iraqi Kurdistan and London.

The security pact would permit U.S. forces to remain in Iraq beyond December 31, when their U.N. mandate expires.

Mr. Talabani has been in the United States this week, and reports say he underwent medical treatment. He met with President Bush at the White House on Wednesday.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraq President says US-Iraqi Security Deal No Threat to Iraq's Neighbors

New panel to iron out differences on Iraq oil law: Kurd leader

Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish administration in northern Iraq have formed a new panel to resolve differences between them over a national oil law, a top Kurdish leader said on Saturday.

Nechirvan Barzani, the prime minister of northern Iraq's Kurdish government, said the committee would find a "joint solution" to the proposed energy law, which has yet to be approved by the national parliament.

The committee would include Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Barzani and other representatives of Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

"This committee will hold a meeting next week in Baghdad, and if we feel there is a need for a technical committee ... that too would be formed," Barzani told reporters in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish government.

Barzani was in Baghdad earlier this week to discuss the hydrocarbons law with Maliki.

In the past year, the Kurdish government has angered Baghdad by finalising its own energy law and signing contracts with global oil majors despite the absence of national oil legislation.

The law has been delayed in parliament over bitter differences among the assembly's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers over the sharing of the revenues generated from oil sales.

Its establishment is seen as a key benchmark by a Washington aiming for national reconciliation among Iraq's communities.

Barzani said he was convinced during his visit to Baghdad that there were political and constitutional differences over the law but insisted that his government would adhere to the contracts with foreign companies.

"Probably there are opinions in Baghdad that say we have no constitutional right," he said referring to signing of the contracts by KRG.

"I want to confirm that what we do in Kurdistan is a constitutional right."

"Nobody in Baghdad has the right to cancel the oil contracts that Kurdistan government signed with the foreign companies," he said, adding that the issue of contracts was not discussed with Maliki.

New panel to iron out differences on Iraq oil law: Kurd leader - Yahoo! News

Iraq says to file suits over UN oil/food programme

Iraq said on Sunday it would file lawsuits in US courts against companies and individuals that conspired to corrupt the UN oil-for-food programme.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement the government had decided to recover damages and wanted to make those who benefited illegally accountable.

The statement did not name any companies or individuals.

The U.N. programme was established to help Saddam Hussein's Iraq sell oil to buy humanitarian supplies while it was under U.N. sanctions due to its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

But a U.N.-commissioned inquiry headed by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker found the programme was corrupted by 2,200 companies in 66 countries that paid $1.8 billion in kickbacks to Iraqi officials to win supply deals.

The $67 billion oil-for-food programme began in 1996 and ended in 2003.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2008/June/middleeast_June667.xml&section=middleeast&col=
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The foreign minister receives the American ambassador and the U.S. negotiating team to discuss the Framework Convention Strategy

Met with Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari professor afternoon today, Sunday, 29/6/2008, His Excellency the Ambassador of the United States in Baghdad, Mr. Ryan Crocker and U.S. negotiation delegation, where the two sides discussed developments in the ongoing talks between the parties and to emphasize the importance of continuing to reach a framework convention kept the interests of Iraq National interest and sovereignty of the country.

Was also reviewed a set of ideas and options for moving forward in the coming days, was to emphasize the need for flexibility and balance in order to reach an acceptable outcome that satisfies the Iraqi people and kept him their legitimate rights.

http://66.102.9.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=ar%7Cen&u=http://nahrain.com/news.php%3Freadmore%3D15775&prev=/language_tools

Oil Company for each Governorate

Iraq's oil minister, Dr. Hussein al-Shahristani, has announced that the Iraqi government is going to follow a new policy in the establishment of oil companies in each and every governorate where the oil fields reach the production of 100,000 barrels per day........

http://www.noozz.com/Iraq/Index.aspx?Id=0&SectionId=0&gclid=CKjRoavWm44CFQ9C EAodg3ktTQ

Iraqi Trade Minister expected rise in trade with Turkey to 5 billion dollars

Trade Minister said farmer Hassan Abdel Sudanese at the opening of Turkish Iraqi Forum for Investment, which was held in Baghdad, today, Sunday, that the volume of trade exchange between Iraq and Turkey this year will exceed the amount of five billion dollars, after last year hit three billion dollars and 500 million dollars.

He said in an interview with the Sudanese "Uzmatik", "Iraq wishes to participate and invest with the Turkish side, has been discussing with the Turkish side in all fields of economic, trade," noting that "there are opportunities to contract with Turkish companies."

The minister disclosed trade agreement of the parties "to form a Council of Businessmen, assisted by Iraqi and Turkish governments to strengthen cooperation frameworks between the two countries."

The Sudanese that "the agreements and projects between the two countries, agreement on setting up free zones at the border," asserting that "are not yet concluded any contracts with the Turkish side.

The Trade Minister, told a recent "Uzmatik" saying that "Iraq's relations with Turkey, a long and old and I hope that more sophisticated and powerful in the future."

The Conference was held with Minister of State for Foreign Trade Turkish Korchad Cosme, and a number of Iraqi ministers as well as the participation of 25 Turkish companies, corporations and Iraqi businessmen.

The spokesman said Prime Minister Ali Skinner in an interview with "Uzmatik", "The Forum provides an opportunity for convergence between Turkish and Iraqi investors, to make more room for trade exchange and cooperation in energy and transportation between the two countries."

Skinner emphasized that "Iraq is important for Turkey, Turkey as a gateway to the Persian Gulf, and the importance of Turkey for Iraq as Iraq's gateway to Europe", pointing out that "Turkey is technically advanced countries, and has potential in the field of construction, transport, services and infrastructure needed by Iraq."

The trade exchange between Iraq and Turkey has increased dramatically over recent years, while Turkish companies are more firms working in Iraq in various sectors after in 2003.

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Parliamentary official calls on Arab countries to reopen embassies in Baghdad

An Arab parliamentary official on Sunday called on Arab countries to re-open their diplomatic missions in Iraq in a bid to help reconstruct the violence-ravaged country.

Speaking at the second round of the Transitional Arab Parliament held in Cairo, Mohamed Jassim al-Sakar, said “Arab must re-open their embassies in Baghdad to stregthen the Arab presence and to help stabilize its security condition”.

Al-Sakar, a Kuwaiti MP, criticised “weak Arab presence in Iraq”, calling on Arabs to “improve cooperation in all sectors to maintain Iraq’s security and to restore its life normalcy”.

Iraq’s 3-member parliamentary delegation at the Arab gathering consists of Abbas al-Bayati,MP from the United Iraqi Coalition(UIC), Nour al-Din al-Hiyali, MP from Iraqi Accordance Front(IAF) and MPSarteeb Mohamed from the Kurdish Alliance.

The Transitional Arab parliament held in Cairo is an attempt to enhance joint Arab efforts to for establishing a united Arab Parliament.

http://66.111.34.180/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle =84055&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

Parliament to vote on complementary budget within 2 weeks - lawmaker

A lawmaker from the Kurdistan Islamic Union on Sunday expected the government would refer its complementary budget to the Iraqi parliament within two weeks.

"The referral of the complementary budget has been delayed, as it was supposed to be tabled to the parliament by the mid of June" Sami al-Atroshi, the parliamentary financial committee member, said in a phone interview with Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

He added “ it will be difficult to vote on that budget, if it misses its deadline”.

Iraq's fiscal budget for calender year of 2008 amounted to $48 billion dollar, along the government right to submit a complementary budget by the second half of th same year in order to encompass further expemdirures.

"The government would submit the complementary budget to parliament for endorsement within the upcoming two weeks," he asserted.

The lawmaker noted"It would be hard to vote on the complementary budget after July, 2008".

"Parliament will go for one month vacation in August, and then the holy month of Ramadan will fall, when it would be hard to gather enough votes for approval," he explained.

He conceded "no damage will incur because of the current delay, as the government can no transfer funds until the complementary budget is approved".

The MP laid the delay blame on "the government for admitting separate demands of ministries to the parliament”, noting "the government should refer the budget to the parliament in one package, and not in parts".

Al-Atroshi expected that the complementary budget to be between $10–15 billion dollar, in which the Trade Ministry demanded $4 billion dollar allocations, the Electricity Ministry requested $500 billion dollar to buy fuel.

Aswat Aliraq

Finance: release the amount of five billion dollars for investment supplementary budget

The Ministry of Finance, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Central Bank of Iraq launching $ 5 billion dollars from the account of the Development Fund for Iraq to the U.S. Federal Reserve to add to the investment budget as called for financial universities for the acceleration of its budget for next year which will see significant support for institutions Educational.

statement issued by the Ministry of Finance yesterday that the Finance Minister and the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers request from the Iraqi Central Bank release $ 5 billion dollars from the account of the Development Fund for Iraq to the U.S. Federal Reserve for the purpose added to the investment budget for the current year and cover the largest number of projects in the governorates. The Finance Minister Baqer Al-Zubaidi, told the Conservative conference held in Najaf on March 19 last, that he will be fired on the amount of five billion dollars to balance investment, which amounted to 19 billion dollars to achieve the highest rates of completion of projects which contribute to Iraq reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure So as to contribute to provide welfare for the citizens. In the second statement called on Finance, the Iraqi universities for the acceleration of its budget for next year 2009 in line with the government's plan to support scientific institutions, educational and instructive to all requirements of upgrading and scientific research and upgrading the efficiency and educators. According to the statement that Zubaidi met with university president Dr. Mustansiriya University.
Translated version of http://www.aljeeran.net/economic.html

Conversion of natural gas pipelines across Iraq to Europe

working for the Foreign Relations Committee in the House of Representatives to develop recommendations of the task to urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to move on two tracks, open international investment with Iraq through the conclusion of agreements and accession to international gatherings and the diversion of natural gas pipelines across Iraqi territory to Europe.

The deputy said Abdul Bari, who is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee in the House of Representatives: that the committee was a proposal on the natural gas transmission line which passes from Central Asia to Europe, turned over to Iraqi territory, as a crucial error and Strutejia, coincides with Iraq has sought to export large quantities of Natural gas.

He told Zebari "morning", "We are working to make recommendations to the government to move the line that passes through Iraq because it achieve economic and political feasibility, Indicating the existence of two proposals for this first line "that passes from Russia to Europe, the second proposal that" passes through Iran, Turkey and Bulgaria to Europe ", calling on the government to take actions that the pipeline passes from Iran to Iraq and from there to Turkey and Europe.

He continued:" The French president Nicolas Sarkozy called for the European consortium for the medium and who will have a promising future because it includes many European countries economically and politically influential at the global level and a number of Arab States mission, noting that Iraq's interest to move by the Ministry of Foreign attempt towards Iraq's accession to the European .

Translated version of http://www.aljeeran.net/economic.html