Thread: Archive - Latest News Think Tank - 15/01/09 - 04/05/09

Al-Bayati: tomorrow will see the birth of the new President of the Parliament

MP Abbas al-Bayati, said member of parliament for the Iraqi Alliance "will be elected president tomorrow Consensus of the House of Representatives conform to all blocs."

He pointed out that the consensus on the speaker part of the agreement between the parliamentary blocs that the president should be acceptable to all blocs.

Al-Bayati said in a statement to the reporter that the presence of a number of candidates and their insistence on the nomination of this constitutional right guaranteed by the rules of procedure of Parliament, but will any of them could have won 138 votes, unless waived for each other.

He pointed to the chart that the parliament has run a lot of time and effort responsible for this, which should have been resolved since the first week.

http://74.125.79.101/translate_c?hl=...42OrivJLggMnkg

Rasheed Bank in Hilla completed four thousand cards (so) smart for retirees

Completed the Rasheed Bank in the city solution - the status of Babil province - more than four thousand cards (in order) for the receipt of the salaries of smart retirees.

Ali said Addai smart card program officer at the bank statement for the reporter said the number included in the smart card is more than fifteen thousand, distributed among the districts of a retired city of Hilla. He Addai That the bank receives between (150-250) is a retired daily transactions with smart cards in preparation for receiving their salaries from the U.S., noting that the ATM on the salaries of retirees regardless wouldbe installed in front of the bank after completing a two-thirds the number of retirees.

He stressed that the bank will set up a committee after the completion of all transactions for retirees to get to the homes of the elderly and the disabled, including disabled for the purpose of giving them cards as their peers, adding that this plan is to provide banking services within a comprehensive plan aimed at the advancement of the banking sector and the expansion of services Bank in the province.

http://74.125.79.100/translate_c?hl=...57LxbpoboXsSmQ

Dabbagh: the Government is considering substantial changes to the law on investment promotion

spokesman said Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, on Wednesday, that the government was considering amendments to "substantial" about the law on the promotion and organization of domestic and foreign investment, particularly with respect to housing projects and commercial construction.

Dabbagh said in a statement singled out by the agency (Voices of Iraq) that "the current law falls short of meeting the required guarantees to foreign investors and that the Government is interested in re-consideration of the law and is studying the fundamental changes it, especially with respect to housing projects and commercial construction."

He added that the law "requires the ownership of land to be invested for the transfer of ownership of the final beneficiary owns the housing unit and commercial so that the non-Iraqi also possesses a certain number of units of the roof area of the law is determined to encourage investors to enter the construction industry."

Dabbagh said that "Iraq is a country of the next investment in the region because of the great need for services and infrastructure in all sectors and the significant shortage of housing units in some cities where the housing crisis in addition to substantial financial capacity of a country that qualify for the financing of these sectors and improve the income level of individuals which makes the investment in the housing sector investment secured. "

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Trade Bank of Iraq Stages First International Banking Conference in Iraq, to Encourage International Community to Invest in Iraqi Private Sector

The Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) fully sponsored a two-day conference, 28-29 January 2009, intended to encourage international banks to invest and to establish correspondent relationships with private sector banks.

The forum took place in Baghdad, under the patronage of the Minister of Finance, and was the first international banking congregation in Iraq, where international banks gathered with Iraqi public and private sector banks. Representatives from main government-owned banks such as Rashid and Rafidain, as well as over 30 private sector banks, mingled with delegates from other regional banks, as well as JP Morgan and Citigroup.

TBI staged the event to bring together public and private sector banks with the international banking community for dialogue. They discussed ways to build mutually beneficial relationships where their expertise can be shared, and there was open dialogue between private sector banks, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Iraq.

The strong international attendance of the banking forum is another vote of confidence for Iraq: one of the main things which used to hold back investors and the international banking community from enjoying the favourable economic climate in Iraq was the security situation. Now more than 85% of the country has an acceptable security level which has opened Iraq up for business.

"We consider it as a big achievement that we gathered together the international banking community with Iraq's local banking sector for constructive discussion. The open dialogue witnessed between the private and public sector banks with the Central Bank of Iraq and the Ministry of Finance was very encouraging," commented TBI's Chairman, Mr Hussein Al-Uzri.

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZA...ce%20in%20Iraq

Iraq votes for new speaker

Iraqi lawmakers were voting in a secret ballot on Wednesday to choose a new parliamentary speaker, with five Sunni Arab candidates in the race because of political rivalries.

The post has been vacant for nearly two months since Mahmud Mashhadani, an outspoken Sunni Arab in Iraq's Shiite-dominated political system, quit as speaker on December 23.

Iyad al-Samarrai, an opponent of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, was the front-runner, parliamentary sources said after early voting.

"We had hoped to reach an accord between the parliamentary factions on a single candidate but the National Concord Front (the main Sunni grouping) had difficulty choosing one," deputy speaker Khalid al-Attiya said. "So we decided to let those who wanted to stand to do so."

The winner must secure an absolute majority of 138 votes. If there is no outright winner, a run-off will be held on Thursday betweeen the two top candidates.

A total of 225 MPs were present in the 275-member chamber for the vote. Under Iraq's complex political rules, Sunnis have the right to nominate the speaker but bitter infighting within the National Concord Front has seen them unable to agree on the best candidate.

The impasse has been a blow to Iraq's fledgling democracy, which without a speaker can not debate or approve a new budget and oil laws seen as key to rebuilding the war-battered country.

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidAN...0new%20speaker

Central sales of the dollar rising to 137 million dollars

the U.S. dollar sales of the Central Bank in an auction for the sale and purchase of foreign currency, on Wednesday, up to 137 million and 950 thousand versus $ 129 million and 995 thousand dollars at the previous meeting.

The bulletin issued by the Central Bank and the Agency has received (Voices of Iraq) a copy of which was that "the total volume of demand for the dollar stood at 129 million and 995 thousand dollars, a stable exchange rate was 1170 dinars per dollar."

The figure is up from the previous meeting, which recorded a total volume of demand for the dollar stood at 129 million and 995 thousand dollars at the exchange rate was 1170 dinars per dollar.

The Bulletin that "the distribution of demand for the dollar by 22 million and 600 thousand dollars in cash, covered by the bank at the exchange rate was 1176 dinars per dollar, including the central bank and a commission of six dinars per dollar."

According to the bulletin, "the value of remittances outside the country reached 115 million and 350 thousand dollars, covered the central exchange rate was 1173 dinars, including the central bank and a commission of three dinars per dollar," did not make any of the 11 banks participating in the auction, offers to sell the dollar.

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Al Maliki: Iraqis ready to handle security

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki affirmed that Iraqis can handle their security on their own due to the improvement of Iraqi military capacities. In an interview with German Bild Newspaper on Tuesday, Al Maliki affirmed that nothing will happen after Foreign Forces withdrawal from Iraq since Iraq’s Army capacity has raised high.

He added that if international forces remain in the country and Iraq remains occupied, this would shatter the hopes of Iraqis.

Al Maliki asserted that his country feels no resentment towards Germany for not participating in the former regime topple in a hint to German Foreign Minister’s visit to Iraq. Al Maliki also invited German companies to invest in the new Iraq.

On the other hand, Al Maliki conveyed his concern over the world’s military programs including the Iranian program while he objected any military solution in this regard given that Iran is located in a highly sensitive region.

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

Iraq parliament speaker vote adjourned to Thursday

Iraqi parliament held a secret vote Wednesday in an attempt to choose a candidate for the vacant post of the Iraqi parliament speaker.

Iraqi lawmaker Ayad al-Sammaraie, a senior member from the Iraqi Islamic Party, has got 123 votes in the first round of the voting on Wednesday,” Bayazid Hassan told PUKmedia today Feb. the 18th, 2009.

None of the candidates received a majority, but the vote narrowed down the choices to Ayad al-Sammaraie.

A second round of voting will be held Thursday to choose between the two candidates, Iraqi lawmaker from the Iraqi Accordance Front Alae al-Sadun told PUKmedia.

http://pukmedia.com/english/index.ph...=9406&Itemid=1

President Talabani pays visit to Iraqi Premier Nuri al-Maliki

On today (Wednesday), February 18, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani visited Iraqi Premier Nuri al-Maliki. They discussed the latest political developments and removal of current challenges to resolve the suspended issues among the political factions during a meeting.

Both sides exchanged views on the need for implementing the recent agreement signed among participated sides and the importance of carrying out the political reform agreement endorsed by the Iraqi Council of Representatives.

http://pukmedia.com/english/index.ph...=9401&Itemid=1

The well-being lost in Iraq and the mirage of the Ministry of Oil

Observers noted all of the data and the oil ministry official more than three years ago that the ministry has promised repeatedly that they have developed well-thought-out plans to increase oil production in Iraq To meet the requirements of reconstruction and the reconstruction and the provision of services to millions of Iraqis suffer from degradation or insufficient for more than six years. However, as a result of these promises has been a tragic by any objective criteria, not because they have not been achieved on the ground, but because it led to a clear deterioration in the levels of production than it was in the past, which Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for the formation of a joint economic commission oil to study the causes of this deterioration and the resulting consequences directly affect the basic needs of the Iraqi people, especially in light of current low oil prices. It is defined that the ministry had earlier justified its failure to increase production to security conditions that prevailed then.

The Committee was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, and members include the ministers of oil ex-Thamir Ghadhban and Ibrahim Bahr al-Ulum, the oil installations in southern Iraq to find out the real reasons for this decline in production, and to develop plans to stop first, and then attempt to boost production with the levels of the Iraqi state must at least maintain its current level of living for the Iraqis, which is already very low in accordance with international standards.

According to figures from the Ministry of Oil, according to the Bulletin (Platts) specializing in the oil of this February 12 and was compiled from agency specialized economic Dow Jones, the production of oil from southern fields, which constitutes 70% of the total production of Iraq, has seen significant reductions in the the second half of last year with the level of production to 1.8 million barrels a day in the month of May 2008 after the rate of 1.93 million barrels per day in the beginning of the year.

And production rates have declined more during the second half of 2008 to reach the level of 1.70 to 1.75 million barrels / day. Even more serious, according to the same magazine, the series will drop the most in the current year if the rates of production in this manner, a decrease of 114,000 barrels per day, at least on the rate of production last year (1.86 million barrels). The figures indicate the ministry that the production would be reduced again at 100,000 to 150,000 bpd in the coming years unless it takes decisive action to reverse this serious decline in the levels of production will be significant impacts to the budget of the Iraqi state, especially in light of declining world oil prices, which certainly will increase the current complexity of the problem.

The oil minister said himself five times in the beginning of the year and mid 2008 and once by a media official in the ministry that the ministry of oil will increase in the production of crude oil in 2008 the limits of 400 to 500 thousand barrels a day to live up to the goal of a topic for the end of the year is 2.7 million barrels day and the end of the year 2008, we find that the ministry is unable to achieve even the maintenance of 2,3 million barrels per day, the same rate at which the start of the year 2008.

The Ministry of Oil to be transparent in its decisions and strategic plans that have not seen any of them anything but promises and delays in some of the actions and prosthetic much to the detriment of the reputation of the oil sector and led to the horrible deterioration in the levels of production, rather than kept in accordance with Iraq and the benefits in line with proven reserves, which requires that daily production is rising to the level of ten million barrels within a specified number of years.

Indeed, the ministry has missed a golden opportunity in Iraq may not be repeated soon, when it was not Iraq could increase its exports during the rise of oil prices to record levels unprecedented in the past year. It is an opportunity, during which he managed from other oil producers to reap hundreds of billions of dollars that could be focusing in the financial crisis currently affecting the world.

Not only that, but that the Ministry of Oil and deception practiced by the minister when he announced last week that his ministry had investigated the 2008 Iraqi budget resources are estimated at only $ 61.8 billion, while the plan is to only $ 46.5 billion, without any reference or recognition that this has been achieved thanks to the large increase in world oil prices and not the result of the efforts of the Ministry of Oil, which failed even to maintain the previous levels of production, and if they claim to be true to the ministry, we will be happy if this year was able to achieve 50% of what it claimed to have achieved Muadrd in 2008, and without doubt this is a mockery of the Declaration in this format minds of Iraqis, even including non-specialists. Then realized the value of these resources compared to the resources of some of Iraq's neighboring countries which were able to access one of at least $ 500 billion, Iraq should have no less ability to achieve in such resources, if the oil ministry, which had been developed and implemented strategic plans to achieve this goal, rather than daily consumption of speech that does not obviate the need to comfort and fear of hunger.

Summary, it must be said that courtesy at the failure of the current oil ministry in the Iraqi people to maximize the resources must come to an end immediately. It does not even need to submit the Ministry of Legal and Parliamentary accountability and to hold full responsibility for negligence in the outcome of things.

The conference will be held soon in Baghdad, the patronage of the Prime Minister will be the first step in this direction, it is hoped that the elite meet good Iraqis from the energy experts at home and abroad to discuss the causes of the current crisis in the oil and gas sector and ways to address them in accordance with a plan of action and the court restricted the implementation of specific dates away slogans and harassment, which led us to have access to this dangerous impasse.

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