Thread: Iraq/Dinar News. 09/05 to 01/14/07

10 October 2006 (Al-Sabaah)
Skamber explained that Iraqis will be able to know the balance of payments and what the Iraqi export of materials are and the amount involved in the state budget through the new system.

He said that the activation of work on the project will start with the beginning of next year. Preliminary preparations were set for the success of its application through unifying financial records of the ministries and the continuous documenting of financial records.

He added that such a system would raise the level of transparency and reduce the level of administrative corruption through adopting the mechanic method of payment by using open electronic communications of government purchases.

Skamber explained that this system will enable government employees to receive their salaries from banks, that have government accounts and this procedure is new in Iraq, according to him.

The establishment of new financial management system in Iraq | Iraq Updates

Massoud Barzani in a press conference with Condoleezza Rice
Erbil, Iraq, 10 October 2006 (US Department of State)

PRESIDENT BARZANI: (Via interpreter) First of all, I would like to welcome Madame Secretary and the accompanying delegation. We had a constructive meeting. We talked about the general situation in Iraq. We talked about the national reconciliation process, the political process. Fortunately, our views were very similar and we have pledged that we will continue in our efforts in our cooperation to implement the process that we have started until we establish a federal, democratic, pluralistic Iraq, an Iraq which will be free from terrorism and terrorists.

Following their meeting, Masoud Barzani and Secretary Rice held a joint press conference.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you very much. I appreciate very much that President Barzani of the Kurdish regional government has welcomed us here so warmly. It's wonderful to be in Erbil again. I said to the President that it is a beautiful region that is obviously growing very rapidly. We have had very good discussions about the national reconciliation process and the vision of a unified and democratic Iraq that is stable, that is at peace, and at peace with its neighbors.

I appreciate your leadership and I appreciate also your important participation in the process of national reconciliation. And thank you again for having me here.

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) A question from (inaudible) addressed to Madame Secretary. The Kurds have always been an ally and a friend to the United States, and since the beginning of the Iraqi liberation freedom operation we have been fighting together. We have shed blood together in this process. And we have always -- the Kurdish leadership has always been taking care of the American interests in this. What are your guarantees for the rights of the Kurdish people in the future?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, we have been friends with the Kurdish people for a very long time, and in fact prior to liberation, well prior to liberation, I think helped to provide stability and protection to the Kurdish people. We now are able to have a situation in which we will have a democratic Iraq, not just a democratic Kurdish region. There are guarantees in the constitution of that unified Iraq. People understand the importance of autonomy here in the Kurdish regions. They understand the special history of Kurdistan.

And I think that the process that is going on now in Baghdad is one that can, within the framework of a united Iraq, protect and defend the rights of all people. And of course the Kurdish people will be better served by neighbors in the neighborhood who are friendly and who are respecting the integrity and independence of Iraq and will most certainly be better served if Baghdad and surrounding areas are stable and democratic as well.

Paul Richter.

QUESTION: President Barzani, there is a lot of talk on the street in Kurdistan about secession from Iraq. I wonder what is your judgment about the level of interest in that idea. Do you share that sentiment perhaps yourself?

Also I wanted to know your views on the new oil exploration in Kurdistan. Should that revenue, do you think, remain in Kurdistan or should it go to the Iraqi treasury?

Also, Madame Secretary, I wonder if I could, did you reach any agreement with the President on how the PKK should be handled by Kurdish authorities or by the Iraqi army?

MODERATOR: That was three questions.

SECRETARY RICE: Yes, it was. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT BARZANI: Sir, Kurds, like any other nation, they have the right to self-determination. This is a natural right. But the parliament in Kurdistan has adopted within the framework of a federal democratic Iraq a federal system.

As for the revenues of oil, as it has been stipulated in the constitution with that, we are with a fair distribution of the oil revenues all over Iraq.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you. And as to the PKK, one of the points that I made to President Barzani is that we have made some progress on the PKK issue in the recent months. General Ralston, who is a special envoy on behalf of the United States, has been working on this issue. Everyone needs to play a role: the Kurds need to play a role, the Iraqis need to play a role and the Turks need to play a role.

And I am just very pleased that there has been a shutdown of PKK offices throughout the country and I am very pleased that General Ralston will return here soon to continue the process. Iraq's territory can not be used for terrorism against any country. That is an agreement of all Iraqis. And I think we now are getting very good cooperation between Iraq, Turkey and the United States on this issue.

PRESIDENT BARZANI: Thank you.

Condoleezza Rice Remarks With Massoud Barzani | Iraq Updates

Investment-Exemptions
Investment law offers investors promising prospects in Iraq
By Dergham Mohammed Ali
Baghdad, Oct 10, (VOI) – The new investment law, passed by the Iraqi parliament on Tuesday, is expected to offer foreign investors promising investment opportunities in Iraq.
The 36 articles Act gives a foreign investor a right to enjoy a ten-year-exemption of taxes from the date the project was implemented.
“National Investment Commission” will be set up with jurisdiction to grant investment licenses within 45 days of an investment request submitted to the commission.
Regions sub-commissions can be set up to license projects with less than $ 150 dollars capital that should be licensed exclusively by the Iraqi council of ministers.
The investment law authorizes the National Investment Commission to set up secure free trade zones under an Iraqi cabinet approval.
A foreign investor has a right to register at stock exchange market, rent land necessary for the project or resort to an unpaid rental of land plot for an extendable period of 50 years.
The law also gives an investor a right to make insurance of the project, initiate bank account, in Iraqi dinar and U.S. dollar, and have residence in Iraq.
The investor may import free tax equipment to the project in a period that not exceeding three years after a license was granted.
Tourist projects, hospitals, and educational institutions are given a right to a free tax imports of furniture once per four years.
The investment law also stipulates for a mechanism to settle disputes on investment projects.
Investment-Exemptions :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq

Peg to the dollar confirmation??????

11 October 2006 (AP Worldstream)

Japan's ambassador for Iraqi reconstruction pledged continued assistance to the Middle East country during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Gotaro Ogawa, who met al-Maliki on Monday, told the prime minister that Japan would "continue to contribute to Iraqi reconstruction" and invited him to visit Japan, the ministry said in a statement.

Al-Maliki replied that while Iraq faced grave difficulties in security, providing public services and rebuilding its economy, its situation was moving ahead "one step at a time" with the help of the international community, according to the statement.

He said he would be happy to visit Japan, the statement said.

Japan backed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and from 2004 provided troops for non-combat, humanitarian mission in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.

Tokyo withdrew the troops in July, after Iraq's own government was installed. It has since expanded its Kuwait-based air operations to ferry U.N. and coalition personnel and supplies to Iraq.

Japan pledges continued assistance to Iraq | Iraq Updates

The Cabinet-source in the Ministry of Oil : extension of the use of

(Voice of Iraq) - 10 - 11-2006 | This issue was sent to a friend

The Republic of Iraq
Council of Ministers-the governmental communications
Media Relations-Press release / Press Release
Wednesday, 10 - 11-2006

To ensure that the citizen's share kerosene monthly
A source at the Oil Ministry : the extension of the use of coupons for the month of September in October and the adoption of footnote coupons for the months of November and December

An official source at the Oil Ministry said that the distribution of petroleum products continues in the distribution of the quantities of kerosene per month per family assessed according card system through fuel distribution outlets in the plazas of the sale of oil and hawking.
He explained : The company decided to extend the Pkopon month of September with a month off in October in order to ensure that all families and to share assessments of liters (200) during the four months, which started in August of last month, the company has also decided to adopt a footnote fuel card (coupons) for the processing of families to share oil White monthly (November and December) for the processing of non-citizens to rule through the ration card as announced by the Ministry earlier in the difficulty of the matter.
The source pointed to the possibility of distribution of liquid gas through the adoption of the ration card agreement with the agents ration for ease of delivery of the article agents and distributed to families, noting that the increase in the volume will be distributed with increasing quantities stored in the warehouses in case the quantities supplied to Iraq through Iran, the prize (2) million liters per day.
He continued that the ministry and branches across the Oil Products Distribution Company and managed by (50%) distribution of kerosene in the governorates and the quantity of one drum (200) per liter as the ministry's plan to provide citizens of stocks before winter.

Sotaliraq.com

11 October 2006 (BBC Monitoring)

[Ayyad] Our midday guest today is Salam al-Zawba'i, Iraqi deputy prime minister for security affairs. Let us begin with the assassination of Amir al-Hashimi, military adviser to the Iraqi president and brother of Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi. This is the third assassination in the family. Who do you think is behind it?

[Al-Zawba'i] In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate. A blessed month of Ramadan for you all, God willing. We express our sadness and offer our condolences to our brother Tariq al-Hashimi on the martyrdom of his brother Lt-Gen Amir al-Hashimi. He was a man known for his honesty, sincerity and loyalty to the homeland. The series of assassinations in Iraq has still not ended and the Iraqis have become used to these assassinations. The government faces big challenges and responsibilities. There is lawlessness in carrying arms and there are sides and vehicles that are acting strangely. There might be planes that come and go here and there in an unknown manner. Yesterday we held a meeting and discussed with the prime minister these big and serious challenges. I regret to say that we need to do much to reform our security services. The flaw is in our security services. There is determination to reform these services and the reform process is now at a decisive stage. The results of yesterday's meeting were good. Actually, we still do not have clear security control over the various domains of life. Vehicles continue to operate strangely. Ten vehicles, using all sorts of developed weapons, attacked [Amir al-Hashimi's house] at 0600 today. We have always said that the terrorists and lawless militias carry more sophisticated weapons than the ones carried by the Iraqi Army or Iraqi Police.

[Al-Ghuraybi] US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice frankly said a few days ago that the security situation in Iraq is intolerable. [US Ambassador] Zalmay Khalidzad earlier said that the Iraqi government had only two months to solve the problem of the militias you are talking about. Can this problem be solved?

[Al-Zawba'i] What you say is true and we support this, because as you and as the whole world know, the Iraqi government is a national unity government. True, there are some reservations about certain things. Not all things are accomplished 100 per cent, but this government is the Iraqi people's only option. The Iraqi people have only this option, and this government cannot but succeed. If this government does not succeed, shall we import another government or get one from Mars, or look for a military coup, as was reported a few days ago? Therefore, we have only one option. I told Mr Zalmay that his statement was not against logic or the rules of the profession. True, the government is duty-bound. We are facing big challenges and the world knows that Al-Maliki's government was built on ruins. It came when there was nothing really worth mentioning. We have paralysis in all sectors of life. We have paralysis in the public and security services. There is also failure on the part of the coalition forces in terms of equipping the army and the Interior Ministry. Some contracts were delayed and put aside. Therefore, the mistakes made in Iraq are not Al-Maliki's mistakes but the mistakes of all concerned parties in Iraq and every party that is concerned about what is happening to the Iraqi people, even if this party is outside the borders of Iraq. I tell those who are outside the borders of Iraq that God will not absolve them of responsibility if they do not play their role.

[Ayyad] By way of mentioning all these concerned parties, an Iraqi reconciliation conference will be held in Mecca within days. It will be held under the patronage of the Organization of Islamic Conference. Sunni and Shi'i men of religion will attend it. What do you expect from this conference? Will the Iraqi government be represented in it?

[Al-Zawba'i] I met with the brother in the Islamic Conference. I pray to God that this conference will be effective and not like the other humanitarian organizations, which beg for benefits and aid. We respect this conference and its bright name. We also respect the aims in which it believes, but we have not sensed anything practical or any accomplishment on the ground. We said right from the beginning that we will support all conferences and meetings held anywhere in the world in support of the Iraqi people.

[Ayyad] Do you have any information about this conference and what it might decide? Will the Iraqi government participate in it?

[Al-Zawba'i] We hope that this conference will play its role. From my position of responsibility in the government I can say that we are not pleased with the performance of this conference or the side which wanted to participate in it because they did not inform us correctly and the Iraqi government was not represented in this conference. [Sentence as heard] We will not allow anyone to bargain over us or over our patriotism and our belonging to our religion and values. We hoped that this conference would involve the Iraqi government and the parties concerned with the Iraqi question. We must admit that all conferences and meetings held on Iraqi affairs concern the government and the Iraqi government must be present in them.

[Al-Ghuraybi] Are you afraid that this might be an alternative to the national reconciliation initiative proposed by the Iraqi government? It seems that you personally have reservations about this initiative, as there are differences between you and Al-Maliki over the philosophy and spirit of this initiative.

[Al-Zawba'i] It is wrong to begin our activities by forgetting the past. When one resumes one's work without noting the efforts made in the past, one will be starting from scratch. This may give others a feeling of frustration. We do not really want this conference to be an alternative to the reconciliation plan adopted by the prime minister. The reconciliation plan is clear in its concepts. True, there are some people who oppose this reconciliation and try to obstruct it, but the prime minister was clear in saying that we as a government open the doors for reconciliation with all the parties that seek the good of Iraq. It is not a sacred or heavenly document that accepts no change, omission or addition. We in the government welcome any addition that may boost the process of reconciliation and open the door more widely to all parties. We welcome all the parties which seek peace in Iraq. At the same time, we do not object to any effort made inside or outside Iraq to bolster the concept of reconciliation, but we do not want anyone to work in isolation from the Iraqi government before hearing the opinion of the government, because we have not come to become officials but to restore the Iraqi people's rights in full, to open the door for dialogue with all parties and to preserve our firmly established principles, regardless of the sacrifices, even if our lives are involved.

[Ayyad] Talk about reconciliation leads to talk about the armed militias. As my colleague said a short while ago, Zalmay Khalilzad spoke about a deadline for Al-Maliki's government to dismantle the militias. Can the Iraqi government do this? What will happen after two months?

[Al-Zawba'i] Yesterday we held a meeting that was devoted to this issue. From my position of responsibility, I can say that the meeting was a step in the right direction. It was a qualitative meeting. We concentrated on a scientific fact over which no two persons differ. It is the fact that we cannot get new results in Iraq if we implement things with the same old tools. We defended and will continue to defend this fact. If we want to get new results, we have to change the tools that were used in the past. We have significant breaches in our security services and there is coordination between terrorism and some major elements in the security services. We have documented this. Therefore, we say it is wrong for the government to ask the so-called militias to lay down their arms. It must order them to do so. This is so because the government does not usually ask the side rebelling against the law to lay down his arms; it orders him to obey the law. Therefore, if the government wants its order to be obeyed, it must have the real tools with which to implement these orders. Therefore, we began as of yesterday and upon the instructions of the prime minister and in the presence of all concerned parties to do what we should have done some time ago: we began changing the leaderships. Regrettably, corruption spread in many of these leaderships.

[Al-Ghuraybi] In the light of what you say, how true is it that a coup attempt was recently foiled in the Green Zone? People affiliated with the Sunni forces were reportedly involved in the attempt.

[Al-Zawba'i] This is worthless talk. We must rise above such things. Who is ready to carry out a coup in the midst of these tanks, planes and sophisticated weapons? Only the coalition [not further identified] can carry out a coup. Who dares to carry out such a coup? What new theatrical will this coup come up with? I say that the Arab peoples in general have woken up and we thank all the satellite TV stations which contributed to the awakening of these peoples. The time of coups and political programmes that are prepared in dark rooms has gone and the peoples have woken up because they cannot be deceived. We say that we cannot but deal objectively with such things and confront the lawless groups which carry arms, wear masks and harvest the people's lives. The world and the Iraqis have to know that these groups coordinate with others, whom we are ashamed to name, in order to spill blood and stir sedition. The government is determined to confront them and establish peace, God willing.

[Ayyad] By way of talking about the Sunni forces, many Sunnis not involved in the Iraqi political process accuse the Sunni personalities and forces participating in the government of not really expressing the issues, problems and interests of the Sunni Arabs in Iraq. They say that this group betrayed their interests. How would you respond to such accusations?

[Al-Zawba'i] We have reservations about all those who sit in luxury villas, breathe sweet air and eat the fruits they desire. We respect all those who joined us and stood by our side. I can say that betrayal does not befit even the people who do not read or write. These peoples have woken up, thanks to God. We once again thank all means of communication and this huge development in the field of Internet and information for exposing the political plots concocted against these peoples. These peoples have woken up. We ask those who make statements to come to the arena and wage the battle with us. We are honoured to be waging the battle. We make a pledge before God that we will not abandon our principles or values.

[Ayyad] Thank you, Dr Salam al-Zawba'i, Iraqi deputy prime minister for security affairs, in Baghdad.

Source: Al-Jazeera TV, Doha

Iraqi deputy premier interviewed on security situation | Iraq Updates

11 October 2006 (AP Worldstream)

A bomb blew up outside a bakery in a Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad, killing 11 people who had been waiting in line for food in the deadliest of attacks Tuesday that left at least 22 dead across Iraq.

The violence came as the government moved ahead with a plan to combat the sectarian militias blamed in the killings of thousands of people this year. As part of the plan, political leaders decided that security checkpoints in the capital will have an equal balance of Shiite and Sunni troops _ to ensure that neither side allows militias to carry out attacks.

U.S. forces continued to pay a heavy toll amid stepped-up operations aimed at stemming the bloodshed, with the U.S. command announcing the death of two more soldiers. One was killed Monday on patrol in Baghdad and the other near Tikrit on Sunday when a roadside bomb blew up next to his vehicle, bringing to 34 the number of American troops who have died in Iraq in October.

The six-month-old wave of Sunni-Shiite killings has fueled the flight of Iraqis from their homes as they try to escape the killings.

Iraq's Immigration Minister Abdul-Samad Sultan said more than 300,000 Iraqis have fled their homes to other parts of Iraq since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein. Half of them, he said, did so since the February bombing of a Shiite shrine in the city of Samarra that sparked the violence.

Those displaced mostly moved in with their own sectarian communities _ Shiites fleeing mainly Sunni or mixed areas to Shiite-dominated ones, and vice versa _ exacerbating the segregation of the country of some 30 million.

Another 890,000 Iraqis have moved to Jordan, Iran and Syria since Saddam's fall, Sultan said.

Authorities discovered the mutilated bodies of 60 men in different parts of Baghdad ove rthe 24-hour period ending Tuesday morning, police said. The bullet-riddled bodies, of men ranging in age between 20 and 50, all had their hands and feet bound and showed signs of torture _ hallmarks of death-squad killings.

The new effort to balance the checkpoints that dot the streets of the capital reflected the deep mistrust between Shiites and Sunnis even within the security forces _ effectively putting them together to keep watch on each other.

Baghdad has been the scene of much of the escalating sectarian violence, and the Shiite-controlled Interior Ministry and its police forces have been accused of complicity in allowing militias to roam freely.

Under intense pressure to end the violence, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki a week ago announced a security plan aimed at uniting the divided Shiite and Sunni parties in his government behind security efforts to stop the killings.

In a first step, the parties agreed that all security checkpoints in Baghdad would soon be manned by an equal number of Shiite and Sunni-Arab troops _ whether police or military _ "so no violations can take place," said Hassan al-Shimmari, a spokesman and lawmaker from the Shiite Fadila party, which was involved in the talks.

For example, the troops at a checkpoint can keep an eye on each other to ensure neither side lets by a Shiite or a Sunni armed group to carry out an attack or covers up for a militia after an attack takes place, he said.

Al-Maliki's overall plan called for the creation of local Shiite-Sunni committees that will oversee policing in each district of Baghdad, reporting back to a Central Committee for Peace and Security to coordinate with the security forces and the prime minister.

In talks on Saturday, the parties agreed on the makeup of the Central Committee, said a member of the new committee, Bassem Sherif, who will represent the Shiite Fadila party on the body.

The Central Committee includes four representatives each from the Shiite coalition that dominates parliament and the main Sunni coalition, along with one representative each from the Kurds and the Iraqi List, a mixed, secular party, Sherif said.

The committee will meet in the coming days to work with the Interior and Defense ministries on arranging the balanced checkpoints, Sherif said. A Sunni participant in Saturday's talks, Khalaf al-Alayan, head of the National Dialogue Council party, confirmed the details of the checkpoint plan.

Many Shiites argue that the militias are necessary to protect them from attacks by Sunni insurgents.

Around noon on Tuesday, a bomb hidden under a car leveled a bakery in the mixed Baghdad neighborhood of Dora. Most bakeries in Baghdad are owned by Shiites and have been targeted by insurgents in the past. Eleven people were killed and four wounded in the blast, police said.

"Even the bakeries aren't safe from the terrorists," yelled a distraught young man at the scene, saying even more victims were buried under the rubble. "These were innocent people."

Among other deadly violence in the capital and around Iraq, an evening car bomb in the primarily Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah in north Baghdad killed another four people and wounded nine others, police 1st Sgt. Mahmud Hussein said.

The body of the brother of a Baghdad police brigadier was also found shot dead, tied to a lamppost in Buhriz, 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of the capital, police in the nearby city of Baqouba said. Later authorities found the body of another of the brigadier's brothers, also shot, lying in the street.

The bodies of two other shooting victims were found in Khalis, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad, and another was found in Baqouba, police said.

The U.S. military said Iraqi and U.S. troops killed at least nine fighters in clashes with the Mahdi Army _ Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia _ in the southern city of Diwaniya on Monday, while two U.S. soldiers were wounded.

On Sunday, U.S.-Iraqi forces in Diwaniya battled for hours with members of the Mahdi Army, loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The military said 30 militiamen were killed in those clashes and a U.S. tank was severely damaged.

The U.S. command also announced that DNA tests have confirmed that a man shot and killed by British forces in Iraq was the leading al-Qaida terrorist who embarrassed the U.S. military by making an unprecedented escape from the Bagram maximum security military prison in Afghanistan.

Omar al-Farouq was shot and killed Sept. 25 after he opened fire on British forces during a raid on his home in Basra, 340 miles (547 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad.

Iraq moves ahead with plan to combat sectarian violence, even as attacks persist | Iraq Updates

Originally Posted by clintstella

Investment-Exemptions
Investment law offers investors promising prospects in Iraq
By Dergham Mohammed Ali
Baghdad, Oct 10, (VOI) – The new investment law, passed by the Iraqi parliament on Tuesday, is expected to offer foreign investors promising investment opportunities in Iraq.
The 36 articles Act gives a foreign investor a right to enjoy a ten-year-exemption of taxes from the date the project was implemented.
“National Investment Commission” will be set up with jurisdiction to grant investment licenses within 45 days of an investment request submitted to the commission.
Regions sub-commissions can be set up to license projects with less than $ 150 dollars capital that should be licensed exclusively by the Iraqi council of ministers.
The investment law authorizes the National Investment Commission to set up secure free trade zones under an Iraqi cabinet approval.
A foreign investor has a right to register at stock exchange market, rent land necessary for the project or resort to an unpaid rental of land plot for an extendable period of 50 years.
The law also gives an investor a right to make insurance of the project, initiate bank account, in Iraqi dinar and U.S. dollar, and have residence in Iraq.
The investor may import free tax equipment to the project in a period that not exceeding three years after a license was granted.
Tourist projects, hospitals, and educational institutions are given a right to a free tax imports of furniture once per four years.
The investment law also stipulates for a mechanism to settle disputes on investment projects.
Investment-Exemptions :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq

Peg to the dollar confirmation??????

au contrare!! seeing the rate on the cbi and watching it i would say it is reflecting the sdr with the decimal place moved three spaces.

11 October 2006 (Al-Bayan)

The bulletin issued by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Researches confirmed, according to Salih, that this law will allow all Iraqis to share in the incomings of oil wealth through a special fund in Baghdad to be distributed equally to the different governorates, according to the number of population, taking into account the injustice inflicted upon some governorates by the regime of Saddam Hussein.

The editorial stated that what it is more important is that these statements of the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister came at a time in which the President of the Kurdistan Massoud Barzani said, during a press conference with American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit to Iraq, that he supported the equitable distribution of oil revenues to Iraqis.

It added that the controversy over the distribution of oil revenues forms a major part of many serious and ongoing disputes on the Iraqi arena since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, like the relationship between Shiites and Sunnis or between Kurds and other Iraqis as well as other disputes that prevail over the political attitudes of some Iraqi forces.

It went on to say that oil is particularly concentrated in the northern provinces of the Kurdish and the southern of the majority Shiite, which led to the concern of the Sunnis who have been stationed in the middle of being deprived of the oil revenues through the draft or federal territories and that is why they strongly oppose federalism. The way oil and its resources are exploited is one of the main causes of tension between the Kurds and the Iraqi government that refuses some aspects of the Kurdish independence in dealing with this issue.

It considered that one of the most important principles and foundations of the unified State, where all Iraqis agreed to live together, is that its different resources are the property of all Iraqis and their shares in it are determined according to objective considerations mandated by a central administration and not according to geographical, ethnic or sectarian considerations.

It believed that to make oil a factor for unification and not divisive or conflict, a blessing and not a curse, each Iraqi citizen must feel as a partner in its resources which are distributed fairly and objectively in various governorates, regardless of the fact that it is an oil province or not.

The editorial concluded that oil is at the core of people's lives. If disputes over it are not settled, it could evolve seriously because it concerns a fundamental wealth that everyone finds it his right to participate in and enjoy its returns, especially after decades of squandering this wealth in a losing adventures during the time of the ex-regime.

To Make Iraqi oil a blessing and not a curse | Iraq Updates

The Minister of Youth and Sports, announced the formation of a committee to reconstruction

(Voice of Iraq) - 10 - 11-2006 | This issue was sent to a friend

The Republic of Iraq
Council of Ministers-the governmental communications
Media Relations-Press release / Press Release
Wednesday, 10 - 11-2006

Minister of Youth and Sports to announce the formation of a committee for the reconstruction of sports facilities in the south

An authorized in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Minister instructed the formation of a commission for the reconstruction of sports facilities in the south. after the deliberate negligence of three decades and have become unfit to practice sports activities, thus affecting the performance of teams and the results of the Iraqi forums in the Arab, continental and international levels.

He added : The Committee, which is chaired by one expert athletes specialists will be studied over a short period, He stressed that early next year will see the implementation stages of reconstruction, after inclusion in the general budget of the Ministry for 2007.

Sotaliraq.com