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

Iraq and Iran agree to set up an oil pipeline from Basra to Abadan

Agreed and Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, Deputy Iranian Oil Minister Noureddine Shahnazi Zadeh, to set up a crude oil pipeline from the southern Iraqi city of Basra to the city of Abadan in southern Iran.

Shahnazi Zadeh said in a statement to reporters Thursday on the sidelines of the Fourth International Exhibition of Oil, Gas and Tehran, that 7 of the tube (diameter of 32 inches) will be established in the territories, the establishment of the Iranian part of the pipeline route through the Arvand Rud river to get to the custody of Iraqi territory Iran.

He referred to the studies relating to the preparation of the operational map of the pipeline will begin soon and said: "The crude oil imported from Iraq 50 percent of crude oil for the refinery of Abadan.

The Iran in the establishment of the refinery and 4 other refineries in different parts of Iraq, other agreements have been reached with the Iraqi Minister of Oil.

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Shahristani: the arrival of the oil price to 70 dollars a barrel is acceptable

Said Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, in Tehran that the arrival of the oil price to 70 dollars a barrel at least "acceptable," he said, according to news agency "IRNA," the official reported on Thursday.

On the sidelines of a special exhibition of oil and gas, was quoted oil minister as saying that "to reach agreement on a specific price per barrel of oil will serve the interests of producing countries and oil-consuming nations alike." Shahristani said: "I think it is necessary to access the price of oil to 70 dollars or insurmountable to stimulate this level of investment."

Shahristani said that "Member States of the Organization," OPEC "meeting in May plans to re-consider the development of oil supplies and demands in the world, and will determine the price fair and appropriate to encourage investors to access to this sector.

The price of oil peaked in July when it reached $ 147, but returned to range between $ 40 and $ 55 this year and recorded a slight rise in oil prices to nearly $ 50 on Thursday.

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ABOLHASSANI: oil contracts for Kurdistan region with foreign companies is incorrect

Deputy Chairman of the Commission on oil and gas in the Parliament Abdul Hadi al-Hassani, the oil contracts concluded by the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq with the foreign companies are not true.

Hassani said in a press statement that the contracts signed by the Kurdistan region emanating from the law of oil and gas contracts in the region is incorrect, indicating that it gave the right of the Kurdistan region has not been given the right of the Federal Government according to Article 112 of the Constitution.

The head of the Kurdistan regional government Nechirvan Barzani said earlier on Wednesday during a press conference that the oil contracts concluded by the territorial Government with foreign companies illegal, saying that the provincial government will waive their constitutional right.

The Barzani in a press conference that the willingness of the Government of the Territory for the use of foreign experts to consider the legality of these contracts.

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Central Bank sells vouchers worth 68 million dollars

the U.S. dollar decreased sales of the Central Bank in an auction for the sale and purchase of foreign currency, on Thursday, to 68 million dollars in the form of remittances outside the country without any record that the sale of cash, compared with 96 million and 835 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 68 million and 78 thousand dollars."

The figure is a decrease from the previous meeting, which recorded total volume of demand for the dollar stood at 96 million and 835 thousand dollars at the exchange rate of 1170 dinars per dollar.

The bulletin said that "no demand for the dollar in cash during the day, while the value of remittances outside Iraq, 68 million and covered 78 thousand dollars at the exchange rate at the central 1173 dinars, including the central bank and a commission of three dinars per dollar," did not make any of the 10 banks participate in the auction, offers to sell the dollar.

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Iraq to settle US lawsuits against Government

Undoubtedly, Iraq has proved more than once its readiness to promote the State of Law and institutions and affirm that the former regime is gone though it is still bearing with the consequences within the Law and Constitution.

In this regard, Cabinet spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said the ministerial council has decided to form an Iraqi delegation for detailed talks with the US in order to settle claims against the current Iraqi government.

The US Supreme Court has been filing lawsuits against the current Iraqi government for abuses committed under the former Saddam Hussein regime.

The cases include CBS correspondent Bob Simon who is suing Iraqi Government for a month-long imprisonment during the first Gulf War in 1991 and the families of oil rig engineer Kenneth Beaty and aircraft maintenance worker William Barloon, held in 1993 and 1995, who are also suing Baghdad for abuses committed after their imprisonment.

Some plaintiffs are claiming compensations from a 20-billion-dollar fund, established in 2003, which is protected by the United Nations and an ****utive order of former US President George W. Bush. However, the UN protection expired at the end of 2008.

“We do not know if President Barack Obama will renew the agreement,” Dabbagh said.

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

Iraq to rent out Saddam's French villa

Iraq announced on Thursday it will rent out the e.excuted dictator Saddam Hussein's mansion in the French Riviera because of the global economic crisis and the fall in housing values.

"The Council of Ministers on Tuesday decided to cancel the decision from a previous council of ministers, which was to sell the house in Cannes, and to give the authority to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to rent the house and to use the rent for maintenance," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

In a statement Dabbagh specified that the decision was a consequence of the economic situation and collapse in real estate prices.

Saddam, who ruled Iraq from 1979 until his brutal regime was toppled in the 2003 US-led invasion, was hanged in December 2006.

His family, which had all of their assets frozen by the United Nations, owned two properties on the Riviera, one on the hills above Cannes which was bought for ten million euros (13 million dollars) in 1982.

Saddam also owned an 82-metre (270-feet) yacht outfitted with swimming pools, a mosque and a missile launcher, which was brought back to the southern Iraqi port of Basra in January after the government failed to sell it.

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidAN...French%20villa

the Security Council is to lift the international sanctions on Iraq

We hope to meet the UN Security Council during the June to discuss progress in Iraq in preparation for taking the country out of money after the seventh item of all obligations imposed on it, especially those related to Kuwait.

The announcement of the "morning," a Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that the Security Council acknowledged the achievements made by the government in most areas, particularly the security of them.

The Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, asked in a letter sent to the presidency of the Security Council on the tenth of last month, to drive Iraq from Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, stressing the application of the Government of Iraq with all Security Council resolutions.

The Western diplomat said: There are efforts by Baghdad and Washington and London to raise all the resolutions imposed on Iraq because of the policies of the regime Alambad, noting the presence of positive signals from most members of the Security Council of 15 of the country out of this item, which was imposed on Baghdad after Saddam's invasion of Kuwait.

It should be noted that the UN Security Council issued in December 22 a resolution No. 1859, and provides for ending the mandate of the multinational forces in Iraq and protect money and assets from legal claims with an emphasis on "a review of decisions related to Iraq, specifically, from resolution 661 in the 1990, and requests in this regard from the Secretary-General, after consultation with Iraq, a report on the facts relevant to Council's consideration of the actions required for Iraq to regain its international standing, which was Itboowha."

The Western diplomat: Contacts are underway to ensure a positive attitude by all members of the Council or to achieve an absolute majority for a resolution calling or pave the way for the lifting of all UN sanctions on Iraq, saying that bilateral or trilateral meetings will be held for that purpose.

The U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated during his visit Baghdad this month, following a meeting with President Jalal Talabani and Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Washington's continued support for efforts to stabilize security in Iraq, and help the country get rid of the consequences of international resolutions issued against him.

It is scheduled to discuss the joint committees between Baghdad and Washington within the Framework Conventions on the withdrawal and during the next twenty-fifth article on the procedure for ending the application of Chapter VII in Iraq.

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Issam Chalabi: rejection of the Kurdistan region of four supplements to the law of oil and gas field development task failure

Said former oil minister Issam Al-Chalabi, Kurdistan province, he refused four annexes attached to the law of oil and gas during the talks in April 2007 and the issuance of a special law of the province led to the disruption of oil development projects important fields.

He said Chalabi told the independent press (Iba) said Saturday that a special law for the province to ensure the wrong interpretation of the articles of the Constitution of the relationship and outside the framework of the powers of the central government and the oil ministry, including the monopoly of the work of the authority in the areas of the province launched by the designation of "disputed areas" and to prevent the ministry of labor.

The gold has been the victim of a project to develop the field Khormalp which the ministry has completed the bulk of it waiting for the construction phase and prevented Iraq from the production of 100 thousand barrels a day, then Kurmur gas field, which was hired by the Ministry to develop, but the authority of the province entrusted to me by the company to provide gas for the governorates of the north-electric stations.

Chalabi said that both projects had the potential to be developed further and take advantage of them if there was a genuine desire for cooperation between the parties.

Chalabi has said that the most serious is that the authorities of the province soon after the legislation Maakedmt law to sign more than 15 contracts to develop oil fields and structures in the provinces of the region is not overtaken, but to include the provinces of Tamim, Salahuddin and Nineveh. Alluding to the adoption of production-sharing contracts giving high proportions of foreign companies reached 40 percent of production.

Chalabi also said the continuing dispute between the government and the province led to the laws in force as a single. Indicating that the absence of the draft adopted by the Council of Ministers for submission to the House of Representatives in this regard to Atsb in favor of the oil sector.

It should be noted that the differences between the central government and the province is still going on at the insistence of the Turkish officials to sign contracts with foreign companies.

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Papin: Failure to resolve the oil & gas law blocked a lot of investment projects in Iraq

The Planning Minister Ali Baban, the failure to resolve the oil and gas law by the parliament because of disagreements between the Kurdistan region and the central government, hampered by a lot of investment projects in the country, calling to find solutions to the law with a view to improving the economic reality.

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No Sh_te Sherlock!!

Planning: Plans of medium-and long-term development of national economy

The Department of the Government's investment of the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation continue to work in completing the plans of medium-and long-term five-year future of the Iraqi economy to achieve development in all sectors of economic, social and service.

An official source at the ministry, according to (and the Iraqi News Agency Information / INA) that «a delegation from the government investment of the Ministry paid a visit to the province of Kurdistan, led by the technical agent for the Ministry of For the experience of the region in the work of census development plans and the achievements of the region in recent years, and benefit programs of development of the region towards the development and service projects that serve the development of the reality of the region ».

The source added that »the ministry will hold a conference in the coming period, and calling for the provincial councils for information on the five-year plan that the Ministry is prepared for the next five years in order to accelerate the development and the development of regions and provinces to promote the reality of the Iraqi economy».

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