Thread: Archive Latest News - Dinar Think Tank - 27/08/08 - 15/01/09

Shahristani: You must Adoption of oil and gas law in parliament

"Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani to be the need to establish oil and gas law in parliament.

Shahristani said in a press release today, Wednesday, it would help to develop oil infrastructure and increase production and create jobs for the unemployed and to lift revenue from the financial reach of the government budget to meet the needs of service projects in the country.

For his part, said the dissident Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad said the oil law will be approved in the House of Representatives at the development of the infrastructure of oil refineries and oil wells, export pipelines and production.

He said the law will raise the financial proceeds of Iraq and therefore access to the government budget to meet the needs of service projects in the country.

Jihad promised that the law would open the door wider for joint cooperation with international companies sober able to increase production.

Translated version of http://www.radiodijla.com/cgi-bin/news/news_item.pl?id=2008-11-19%2008:18:01

Maliki attend a parliamentary session to clarify the terms of security

Likely to attend Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and a number of ministers to the House of Representatives to clarify the terms of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

The head of the United Iraqi Alliance bloc in the House of Representatives Ali al-Adeeb, was likely to attend Maliki and a number of ministers to the House of Representatives to clarify the terms of the agreement and answer questions from MPs on them.

He added that Maliki will attend to the House if asked to do so, he was ready to participate in any meeting to discuss the agreement.

Meanwhile, parliamentary sources revealed that the Iraq issue in the official U.S. State David Satterfield met individually or blocs objecting unresolved position on the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

The sources said that the purpose of these meetings was to clarify the situation and push for the passage of the agreement, because the U.S. side stressed the importance of approval before the end of the mandate of a UN force, indicating that Satterfield told the powers, including "the Accordance Front and the Fadhila party and the Iraqi List," The United States is going to withdraw And its refusal to agree to extend the UN mandate in the event discussed in the Security Council, if not announced its approval of the Convention on the withdrawal.

Translated version of http://www.radiodijla.com/cgi-bin/news/news_item.pl?id=2008-11-19%2005:56:08

Commerce Department stopped & transport part of the ration card until further notice

Trade Ministry has decided to halt operations and transport part of the ration card beginning next Monday, 24/11/2008 approved until further notice.

The ministry said in a statement received in the press service of the National Center for Information Service copy of the Planning Ministry of Supply and Trade is preparing to create data for families and individuals covered by the ration card system, in preparation for the printing of ration cards for 2009, and distributed to citizens.

The statement quoted Director General of the Service as saying that his action was taken in order to reach the real numbers covered by the ration card system, stressing that the card will include the new specifications were developed by the Service, to prevent tampering and counterfeiting them.

The Director General of the Department of Supply and planning the important role of the citizen and government departments and relevant non-governmental organizations need to report cases of deaths and travel through the supply branches spread across Baghdad and other governorates, for the purpose of removing from the new ration card. He warned the vulnerability of the offender accountable in accordance with legal procedures and controls of the Ministry of Commerce on this matter.

http://66.102.9.104/translate_c?hl=e...Dpz9diUTORpOIQ

Iraq’s ‘Mulla Omars’

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan wants to bring peace to his war-torn country. For the peace to become a reality he will need to come to terms with the fugitive Talaban leader Mulla Omar. Karzai is reported to be holding serious negotiation with Mulla Omar to persuade him to lay down arms in return for safety and other so far undeclared privileges. But in the case of Iraq, any government or authority trying to bring peace to the war-devastated country will need to talk to several Mulla Omars.

Iraq is a ‘warehouse’ of problems and crises and no agreement or pact whether with the U.S. or any other power in the world will put an end to its problems.

The 2003 regime change in Iraq was merely a showcase because it has replaced a dictator with several despots and each one of them with an agenda that is more complicated, more demanding than that of Karzai’s Mulla Omar. And there seems no light at the end of Iraq’s tunnel despite the devastation it suffered in the aftermath of the 2003-U.S. invasion. Iraq’s file of crises is long. It starts with the haggle over oil revenues which may eventually turn into an all-out war between its disparate ethnic and sectarian regions.

The law that was to regulate the flow of oil royalties has been shelved and only God knows when the parliament will have it ratified. The constitution which was to be amended to meet aspirations of aggrieved groups remains as it is – a ticking time bomb. Roadside bombs and car bombings have made a comeback, this time spreading to the city of Amara in the south and Sulaimaniya in the north. There are factional militias, tribal militias and each of their leaders will need a separate package of negotiations if they ever agree to talk and work under the national flag.

Even the security agreement with the U.S. is set to turn into a time bomb because there are so many loopholes. The pact regulates the presence of U.S. troops in the country before their final withdrawal but says nothing of what will happen next.

What will be the fate of militias and their leaders? What will be the fate of tens of thousands of prisoners languishing in U.S. jails without trial? What will happen to the constitution? What about the thorny issue of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and the rising tensions between Arabs and Kurds and so on and so forth?

Iraqis must brace themselves for swift and dramatic transformations in the months ahead. But it is sad to say that signs point to even harder times. The rate of violence is not receding as government and U.S. officials would like us to believe. There might be fewer incidents but the scale of violence is almost the same.

Our politicians might say they want to learn from the experience of other nations like Afghanistan and its President’s overtures of Mulla Omar.

But our problem is much bigger than Afghanistan’s because no one knows how man ‘Mulla Omars’ we have.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index...-19%5Ckurd.htm

Al Maliki: Pact guarantees Iraq Sovereignty

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki announced that Iraq which has overcome the risk of sectarian war is now facing a major challenge; that is to recuperate its sovereignty, rebuking the former regime which has left a deprived people and an isolated nation.

Al Maliki noted that the country has entered into hard negotiations that have sometimes reached a dead-end due to Iraqi negotiators’ unbending stand towards national sovereignty. He added that negotiators know they are held accountable by the people, stressing his keenness since the start of talks to engage constitutional institutions and political parties in negotiations.

Iraqi Prime Minister evoked intricate options that were ahead of Iraq namely extending UN mandate, remaining under UN Charter Chapter VII, settling for an incomplete sovereignty saying it was hard to enter into negotiations which main target is to regain full sovereignty.
Al Maliki regretted untrue statements by parties opposed to the agreement and others supportive thereof before reviewing the pact’s articles as well as accusations by some parties of negotiating behind the scenes which confuses the public.

Despite remarks on the agreement’s articles, Al Maliki noted that it constitutes a solid introduction to regain sovereignty within three years stressing that withdrawal will start end of June 2009 while troop reduction will pursue until all forces are withdrawn fully in 2011 affirming that Iraq will not be an arena to launch military operations on neighboring countries.

He noted as well that some parties want Foreign Forces to remain in Iraq for it serves their political maneuvers in completion to non-national targets adding that the time when dictators sign security agreement and launch wars without the people’s knowledge has ended.

http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News...vereignty.html

Obama stresses the need for a Security Agreement before the end of this year
Transition Office announced by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama welcomed the termination of negotiations with the Iraqi side on the Security Agreement between the two countries.

In spite of the statement issued by the Bureau, did not refer specifically to the terms of the agreement, but expressed welcome to extend the legal cover for U.S. forces in Iraq, according to the mandate, which expires in 31 of the UN next month

Brwok Anderson said a spokeswoman for the Transition Office on Barack Obama and competent national security matters which, if elected president believed that it was essential to reach an agreement with Iraq before the end of this year, to provide the necessary protection for U.S. military forces deployed there, adding they are looking forward to the consideration of the version The final of the Convention.

For his part, Admiral Michael Mullen, Chief of Staff of the U.S. military that he discussed with Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Central Command, General Ray Odierno, the top commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, details of the agreement on security and work on ways to implement on the ground.

Admiral Mullen said at a news conference that he is very satisfied with what has been reached because the American side got what is needed.
http://66.102.9.104/translate_c?hl=e...Wzci9NldYZsQoA

Central Bank of Iraq calls upon the international community to provide protection for Odaiah
Central Bank of Iraq called on the international community to provide protection for Odaiah near the expiry of the Security Council resolution to provide security deposits Iraq.

The appearance of Muhammad Salih, adviser to the Central Bank of Iraq in a statement reported by Qatar News Agency that the UN Security Council resolution on the provision of guarantees for deposits of Iraq will end this year after it had been extended last year to one year.

He told reporters today the hope that the Security Agreement with the help the United States to continue to "support the external stability of the national economy and provide minimum acceptable to Iraq in moves to create an environment for integration into the global market."

He said the world oil market would not affect Iraq for the coming years, he was optimistic despite the market fluctuations of oil prices

Translated version of http://www.baghdadtimes.net/Arabic/index.php?sid=37235

SOURCES: Washington has asked Kuwait 40 billion U.S. dollars in aid and write off debts of Iraq

Learned "politics" from the very sources found that the United States has asked Kuwait to provide financial assistance by 40 billion dollars out of the crisis, the collapse of the financial system and face the specter of "Great Depression", which hangs on their economies. The sources noted that Washington had made similar requests to each of the Saudi Arabia called on to provide 120 billion dollars

The United Arab Emirates, which demanded that the amount of 70 billion dollars and the State of Qatar recently to demand 60 billion dollars to support the U.S. economy, saying that the money would direct the U.S. administration to revive the three leading oil companies in the auto****** industry is "General Motors" and "Ford" and "DaimlerChrysler" , As well as a number of banks and U.S. companies and other global suffering badly strained in its finances.

The same sources told the "politics" that the U.S. administration called on Kuwait to work for toppling the Iraqi debt owed to them since before the Iraqi invasion in 1990, noting that the Kuwait and other GCC direct interest in supporting the U.S. economy and the global capitalist system in general which will benefit Gulf economies adversely affected by the crisis and a large global notoriety as the continued decline in financial markets.

Translated version of http://www.hewarat.dk/hewarat_data.php?sid=13750

Maliki on Iraq TV calls for passage of troop pact with U.S.

Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki on Tuesday urged the Iraqi public to support the new pact that calls for withdrawing American forces as his most determined opponent, radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr, once again urged the parliament to vote down the agreement.

Maliki's nationally televised address marked his first clear, public endorsement of the treaty after nine months of what he called "difficult and complicated" negotiations with U.S. officials.

In May, Maliki declared that the negotiations were at an impasse, and he'd remained lukewarm this fall, neither endorsing nor rejecting a draft of the agreement.

His position changed late last week. Supporters said the prime minister would back the arrangement because of new U.S. concessions.

The main sticking points were Iraq's demands to fix a firm U.S. withdrawal date and for more authority to prosecute U.S. soldiers and contractors who commit crimes in Iraq. Iraqis contend that the Americans gave ground on both points.

The security agreement cleared a vote in the Iraqi Cabinet by a resounding majority Sunday, but it could be derailed in parliament.
Maliki criticized the agreement's opponents, contending that they were misleading the public.

"What they tell the media contradicts completely what they say in official meetings," he said.

"I confirm that there are no secret articles and no permanent military bases on the land of Iraq which will be a path to launch any attack against any state," he said.

Opposition to the pact comes primarily from two sides: an alliance of Sunni Muslim political parties that wants the treaty modified and from Sadr's followers.

The Sunni parties seek changes that would free detainees held in American custody rather than hand them over to Iraqi authorities and would provide compensation for victims of U.S. attacks during the war. Some Sunni leaders also want the agreement to be put to voters as a national referendum.

Those shifts won't be possible. Under Iraqi law, a treaty approved by the Cabinet is a final agreement between two states. The parliament can approve or reject it, but it can't change the content.

Sadr's supporters oppose the agreement because they want the 150,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq to withdraw immediately, a toughened stance from Sadr's position in August. In a statement Tuesday, he declared: "I call on the parliament again to refuse this agreement without any hesitation. . . . It is the sale of Iraq and its people."

Iraq's top Shiite Muslim spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, issued a statement Tuesday that didn't clearly support or condemn the treaty. It read, "His eminence confirmed that any agreement that . . . diminishes Iraqi sovereignty, security or its economy, or that doesn't gain national accordance, cannot be accepted and will be a cause of increasing the suffering of Iraqis, their separations and the disagreement between them."

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 11/18/2008 | Maliki on Iraq TV calls for passage of troop pact with U.S.

Iraqi Presidential council to submit memorandum to Iraqi Premier

The Iraqi Presidential council will submit a memorandum to the Iraqi premier Nouri al-Maliki about forming supporting councils (Isnad), PUK official spokesman mala Bakhtiyar told the reporters today.

“On November the 15th, The Iraqi Presidential council discussed the issue of forming supporting councils and warned the Iraqi premier about such a step through a memorandum,” he said.

“ The memorandum stipulates that forming the supporting councils are contrary to the Iraqi constitution. It indicates that it is neither the authority of the Iraqi premier nor any other minister to form such councils, unless they are being authorized by the Iraqi parliament.” He concluded.

PUKmedia :: English - Home