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

Al-Bayati: the delay in ratification of the oil and gas breakdown of law related

MP Abbas al-Bayati, said on Iraqi Alliance bloc, said the delay in ratification of the oil and gas laws of failure associated with the task of relocating the formation of the national oil company and the organization of investment contracts and the laws of the order of the Ministry of Oil and restructured in line with the changes experienced by developed countries of the world oil producers.

He said al-Bayati told the independent press (EYBENS) said Friday that the law came as the first to the House of Representatives more than once, were returned after the interception of a number of political blocs to some of the items have been agreed upon, but he was then back and amend some of the points of investment, and the circumstances prevent the former that accompanied the work of parliamentarians passed quickly.
Al-Bayati said that the priorities for action during the session of the House of Representatives is to vote next spring on the oil and gas law and the passage of laws associated with it, after the claims of many government and seized economists. The Act is unlikely to vote during the current legislative session.

Mentioned that although the law was adopted by the Council of Ministers two years ago, but he still hung in the corridors of the State Consultative Council, pending a political consensus, and politicians exchanged accusations of delaying the approval, the other parliamentary parties to warn that delays hampering investment efforts.

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Iraq plans to build a new pipeline to pump natural gas to Syria

Research and Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, the Syrian ambassador in Baghdad, Al-Faris cooperation in the field of oil and gas between the two countries as part of efforts to develop new routes for oil and gas exports.

The Syrian news agency reported that it came after a meeting between Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, the Syrian ambassador in Baghdad, Al-Faris.

The agency quoted the ministry as saying that al-Shahristani, the requirements for preparing a project to transfer gas from a crutch to Syria, he said, adding that the ministry has already reached an agreement with a company specialized in the establishment of gas pipelines to work on the project.

http://translate.google.com/translat...adiodijla.com/

ATMs Are Signs of Progress in Iraq

The first ATMs have opened in Iraq since the invasion five years ago -- an encouraging factoid contained in a new by-the-numbers Defense Department report about progress in the country.

In fact, there are now 20 ATMs in Baghdad, where the banking system was so devastated a few years ago that the United States had to fly in pallets stacked with dollars to pay government employees. Some restaurants even accept credit cards these days.

The details about the ATMs and what is hailed as Iraq's move "into the electronic banking age" is tucked into a 58-page quarterly report the Defense Department submitted to Congress this week.

The document, Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, is an accountant's version of Iraq. Nearly every paragraph has a number in it and the numbers that caught the media's immediate attention are those concerning war and death: Civilian deaths are down 63 percent and the number of roadside bombs are down 44 percent -- though assassinations are up.

But other figures in the report give an inkling about life in the shattered country. Many of those indicate that pieces are slowly being put back together.

One notable piece of data: There hasn't been a blackout of the national grid since May.

"The Iraqi government continues to manage the electricity sector with increased effectiveness," the report states.

Even more remarkable is the indication that the insurgency has pretty much stopped blowing up the towers that carry power lines.

"Improved security has nearly eliminated interdictions," the report says. "In September 2008, sand storms knocked down several towers and the Ministry of Electricity had crews on-site within 24 hours to begin repairs." No blackouts doesn't mean power 24-7, but the report is pleased to note that on average, the grid is providing power 14 hours a day, a big step for a country that has been largely running on private generators in recent years.

That 14-hour figure is an average, however. The allocation of power comes and goes depending on the political or ethnic composition of each area or, often, who pays the biggest bribe.

Daily power can be as little as four hours and the roar of private generators remains the constant background noise of Baghdad.

Most observers don't see a significant improvement in the country's energy situation until 2014.

The country's first new hospital in 22 years opened in Basra. And the number of Iraqi doctors coming home is on the rise. Only 200 returned to Iraq in 2007, but in 2008 the pace picked up to about 80 a month -- so that more than 800 badly needed doctors returned to Iraq last year.

Much of the country was a no-fly zone for years. Even President Bush had to fly into Baghdad in a twisting corkscrew pattern two years ago to avoid being a target for insurgents.

But Iraqi air travel is enjoying a boomlet. There are now twice-weekly flights between Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul, and Najaf Airport was opened to commercial flights last November.

Not all of the numbers are encouraging and some are disheartening.

While violence may be down overall, techniques for attacks continue to evolve.

The Iraqi government "faces increased demand for female security personnel because of the large increase in female suicide bombings -- 41 women have carried out suicide attacks this year," it says.

As a consequence, 1,000 women have been recruited into the Daughters of Iraq, a security force. The report notes in an aside, however, "Female police and volunteers face substantial hurdles to gain societal acceptance."

Perhaps most welcome to Iraqis is the plunge in non-war related deaths -- a figure that any police commissioner in the U.S. would welcome: "Murders have decreased 98 percent," the report says.

Water and sewage services actually are deteriorating, despite the billions spent on new water treatment facilities.

"National polling indicates that 64 percent of Iraqis can get safe clean drinking water at least some of the time," the report says. "This is down seven percentage points from November 2007."

And in a blow to quality of life, it found that "only 39 percent of Iraqis state that they have a working sewage disposal system at least some of the time, down nine percentage points from November 2007."

With the decline of violence, there is a rise in expectations, putting additional pressure on the Iraqi government to improve sanitation, electricity, sewage, water, street cleaning and other staples of a functioning government.

While the world, and most Iraqis, see the country as a dangerous war zone, one statistic found that the closer to home, the better the situation looked.

"Research conducted in October 2008 reveals that 76 percent of Iraqis described the security situation in their neighborhoods as calm," the report says.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/...6653883&page=1

Direct the establishment of the intersection of Jordan Bridge, Anbar Province

Initiated a local company, on Thursday, creating a bridge intersection of Jordan the center of Fallujah, Anbar province, the cost of nine billion dinars.

He said the chief engineer on the project, told Omar Chertouh (Voices of Iraq) that a local company has started to build a bridge Thursday, the implementation of the intersection of Jordan, the center of Fallujah, indicating that the projects forwarded by the Ministry of Industry and Minerals.

He Chertouh the duration of the completion of the project amounts to 23 months in two phases and the first is to pour concrete columns and of the 36-meter radius of one, while the second phase will see the development of concrete between the shoulders of all the columns except for the space, which will be the average of the steel material is imported from Turkey.

He said the length of the bridge will be 450 meters and 14 meters of supply, and construction materials will be used in the construction of the laboratory tests prior to full use.

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De Mistura meets with heads of Parliamentary blocs

U.N Special Envoy in Iraq Staffan De Mistura, on Thursday met with heads of the parliamentary blocs in the Iraqi parliament to discuss the technical preparations of the province council elections and the special measures to prevent any forgery that may occur.

De Mistura emphasized that the technical preparations to carry out the elections on January 31 are ongoing. He called on the heads of the Parliamentary blocs to inform their parties’ members on the voting steps.

http://pukmedia.com/english/index.ph...=8777&Itemid=1

Contacts with Japex, Petronas and Repsol on oil service contracts

Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein Al-Shahrastani is said to have begun contacts with Japex, Petronas and Repsol on some oil service contracts after failing to agree with other companies on the same contracts. These contracts were involving ExxonMobil for Zubair field, BP for Rumailah, Chevron and Total for West Qurna -1, Anadarko Petroleum for Subba and Luhais, and Royal Dutch Shell for two fields, one in northern Iraq while the other in Maysan along with BHP Billiton. The following 356-word report focuses on the issue.

http://www.tacticalreport.com/articl...d=3&art_id=469

Committee to study oil derivatives price reductions

The Iraqi Ministry of Transport on Thursday said that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has ordered the formation of a committee to study a proposal to reduce the prices of oil derivatives.

The proposal was presented by the minister of transport, Amer Abdeljabbar, following the drop in international oil prices.

"The committee will include representatives of the ministries of finance, oil, planning and transport," according to a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

If approved, the proposal will help reduce transport costs, which have dramatically risen in light of the observed increase in the price of oil derivatives, the statement added.

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZA...e%20reductions

Zubeidi propose to the two ministries of oil & electricity to go to the Investment instead of relying on budget

Suggested that the Iraqi Finance Minister Baqir Jabr Solagh Zubeidi to the Ministry of oil and electricity to go to the Investment instead of relying on the budget, which will help in the reduction of approximately (5) billion Alabye dollars from the Maronite General for Iraq and added. A source in the ministry to the reporter (news agency, Iraqi Information / INA) "The al-Zubeidi as Chairman of the Economic Committee and signed as a financial pointed out the importance of the private sector and to support industry, agriculture, petrochemicals and the housing sector and revitalize the tourism sector in Iraq."

http://74.125.79.101/translate_c?hl=...fou0QKzITaRfGA

Bank Credits in 2009

Feet after the Iraqi Central Bank to cut interest rates to 14% from 15% come to mind is the first of many questions the performance of private banks. Private banks have continued to suffer, according to the administrators of private banks, high interest rate problem, which prevents them to work with the Central Bank of Iraq, which made most of the banks away from the provision of bank credit to support the wheel of reconstruction projects in Iraq until that provided credit through 2008, according to observers, not exceeding 10% of the volume of active projects in Iraq. But it notes that the security situation there are indicators and moved to the launch of a major strategic projects need to be the role of private banks in financing to support the wheel of reconstruction in Iraq.

Is private banks are able to advance the reconstruction projects and the financing of the Iraqi private sector, or it remains to suffer the indicative list for the applications in one of its provisions to raise the capital to private banks and give the latest date in June 2009.

The private banks are now required to open a credit to the private sector and the financing of medium and large projects to develop infrastructure projects and industry, agriculture, and even business Kalaswaq large.

Strangely enough, I read in a magazine interested in the Lebanese in all directions of thought that the banks in Lebanon and to the extent of the granting of bank credits for fertility and soft loan to support life ...The view of private Iraqi banks, where is it?

2009 indicates that the fine and the promise of action, but in turn will determine the performance of private banks, especially in the area of bank credit and financial ability and how to attract new Zain.

This will enable us to finish the statements indicate that the Central Bank of Iraq is making the private banks to reduce the size of bank credit for.

Will there be a new role for private banks and its mission pilot work have been trying to reach them?

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Maliki: electoral vote & the responsibility of Iraq's future caused by the election results

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, on Friday, the attack on the political entities resort to using money to buy votes, he fatwas reference in this regard that have been forbidden to bribe voters.

Maliki called, during his presence in Baghdad today, the founding conference for the second Yasser Al-clans, the voters to take responsibility for their voices to the purely eligible.

He cautioned that "the responsibility of the sound," and said that "every vote is important, a candidate has to win with less efficiency and integrity of another, more efficient and fair by one vote."

He called on voters to scrutiny and reflection before voting, they were returned Madhurin in previous elections because they had not experienced candidates and Egerbohem "Now, the Iraqis know the candidates and they have information about them."

Maliki took on political parties, did not name, said it was engaged in election propaganda to talk about the negatives.

"We all know the negatives, and they are many, and we know the causes, but needed to think about how to overcome them, and to find treatments."

Maliki stressed the importance of provincial elections scheduled for the thirty-atheist of the month in January (Jan) said.

He said that the results of the election will draw the image of Iraq's future, it will be local governments broad powers under the hands and a lot of money, and would depend reconstruction and development of the provinces and to improve services and raise the standard of living of citizens on the efficiency and integrity of the provincial assemblies.

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