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

Originally Posted by Caddieman

The only one it relates to is the Kuwaiti Dinar 1 KD = 3.47283 USD the others don't relate
1 Saudi Riyal = .26671 USD
1 Jordain Dinar = 1.42157 USD
1 Iranian Rial = .0001134 USD
1 Afghanistan Afghani = .02023 USD
1 Syrian pound = .02008 USD
1 Egyptian Pound = .17568

I expect it to start out at about half of the Jordanian Dinar to encourage an economic infusion into the country, then rise after about a year and continue up after that.

Originally Posted by wciappetta

I agree with you. Middle of the road is where Iraq wishes as well. middle of the road allows for up and down flucuation as well.

Can you imagine a scenario where the RV is too low and perhaps as people race to cash out the value drops? The "I hate Iraq" crowd in the Media will feast on this and spin it as a currency crash IMO. Middle of the road takes that plot out of the deck....

In the first sentence of your second paragraph, are you sure you didn't mean
to say "too high?"

Originally Posted by PAn8tv

[b]Economy, rights, education

.
"In order to develop the economic and investment sectors, the government has succeeded in enacting an investment law, which was approved by the Council of Representatives.

This is the first time I have seen the magic word ENACTED so that really opens up the door for wonderful things to finally start happening. GREAT FIND! thannks

Do you think it is possible that the scrivener didn't realize the term-of-art meaning of "enactment" when he/she used it here?

Originally Posted by One Oar

(snip)

Economy, rights, education

The first track is that of improving the Iraqi economy, easing the brunt of poverty inherited from the former regime, and providing public services after the destruction of the infrastructure. Praised be God, there is large improvement in the economy and per capita income and in the level of services that are rendered daily in the various governorates.Also there is improvement in the fields of investment and economy and a rise in the level of income. Hundreds of thousands of jobless people have been employed. This is something which must be taken into consideration. I confidently say, based on accurate figures, that hundreds of thousands of people were absorbed in state institutions in the various domains. These include the educational and industrial sectors. Tens of thousands of people who were dismissed for political reasons during the former regime have been reinstated.

"It also pleases me to talk about the strength of the state in entrenching principles of human rights and developing the educational sectors and higher education. It improved performance in these areas after having inherited ruined schools and universities. Praised be God, our universities have now started to recover and our schools have started to regain their status. Determination is still strong. The state will allocate a large explosive budget next year for all sectors. The budget will for the first time come close to 40bn dollars from 19bn dollars in the first year.

"In order to develop the economic and investment sectors, the government has succeeded in enacting an investment law, which was approved by the Council of Representatives. The Iraqi scene is now open for all national and foreign capital to invest and participate in improving the economic life, creating work opportunities and improving economic performance. There is room for investment in all industrial, agricultural, oil, housing and trade sectors. This gives the Iraqi economy strength and bases it on stronger foundations. It also gives us a chance to move forward towards investment in major projects that will be accomplished this year like the great port of Iraq, airports and large housing complexes. The government has made up its mind to do this and we have instructed the official quarters in the state to allocate a piece of land to every citizen who loses his land and needs to build a house. The real estate banks have also been instructed to provide the citizens with the necessary loans to build houses. The government will pay part of these loans in the form of grants and gifts. The government is also planning to build residential complexes in all governorates and districts to ease the crisis from which the inhabitants are suffering due to the dense population.



More good stuff!!

Is there a link.. :) thk u

Listen, this is how I view our situation. They need to reval high enough for the high cost of imports. That is the only thing that's causing inflation (imports) that's hurting the iraqi population. A high reval will not affect exports (oil) because oil is sold on the world markets in USD. True, some countries only sell in their curriences, but it still averages (let's say $60.00 a barrell) so the exchange means nothing. This would mean in my opinion that they need to get to the closest exchange rate of the country that they import from the most (I assume Jordan), because the G8 countries are giving aid (reduced prices). If my thinking is off base please tell me ( I'm a little slow,lol)

Originally Posted by pipshurricane

27 October 2006 (BBC Monitoring)

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad has said as far as he was aware there was no official US deadline for pulling out of Iraq. He criticized a "lack of coordination" between multinational and Iraqi forces over the raid in Al-Sadr City, Baghdad on 25 October. Al-Maliki was speaking live at a 33-minute news conference broadcast by Al-Iraqiyah TV on 25 October. He said that all armed groups and militias were damaging to the security of the state and said that their displays of arms should end as the national security forces were solely responsible for state security. The premier also expressed optimism about moves towards reconciliation and began his comments by emphasizing strengths and accomplishments of Iraq.

"Strength"

The news conference was broadcast in progress. Al-Maliki said: "Talk about the Iraqi state and its strength and effectiveness has been lost in the midst of talk about terrorism and scenes of blood and death. Today we have a government and an Iraqi state that is established on constitutional and democratic bases and on principles of freedom, justice and democracy. This state is based on these pillars, which give it strength and legitimacy because it truly expresses the Iraqi people's will and options, represented by their active participation in the elections and political process.

"I am talking about this state, which has achieved wide and great accomplishments on a long road. This government, which inherited much from the previous governments, is determined to take several tracks.

Economy, rights, education

The first track is that of improving the Iraqi economy, easing the brunt of poverty inherited from the former regime, and providing public services after the destruction of the infrastructure. Praised be God, there is large improvement in the economy and per capita income and in the level of services that are rendered daily in the various governorates. Also there is improvement in the fields of investment and economy and a rise in the level of income. Hundreds of thousands of jobless people have been employed. This is something which must be taken into consideration. I confidently say, based on accurate figures, that hundreds of thousands of people were absorbed in state institutions in the various domains. These include the educational and industrial sectors. Tens of thousands of people who were dismissed for political reasons during the former regime have been reinstated.

"It also pleases me to talk about the strength of the state in entrenching principles of human rights and developing the educational sectors and higher education. It improved performance in these areas after having inherited ruined schools and universities. Praised be God, our universities have now started to recover and our schools have started to regain their status. Determination is still strong. The state will allocate a large explosive budget next year for all sectors. The budget will for the first time come close to 40bn dollars from 19bn dollars in the first year.

"In order to develop the economic and investment sectors, the government has succeeded in enacting an investment law, which was approved by the Council of Representatives. The Iraqi scene is now open for all national and foreign capital to invest and participate in improving the economic life, creating work opportunities and improving economic performance. There is room for investment in all industrial, agricultural, oil, housing and trade sectors. This gives the Iraqi economy strength and bases it on stronger foundations. It also gives us a chance to move forward towards investment in major projects that will be accomplished this year like the great port of Iraq, airports and large housing complexes. The government has made up its mind to do this and we have instructed the official quarters in the state to allocate a piece of land to every citizen who loses his land and needs to build a house. The real estate banks have also been instructed to provide the citizens with the necessary loans to build houses. The government will pay part of these loans in the form of grants and gifts. The government is also planning to build residential complexes in all governorates and districts to ease the crisis from which the inhabitants are suffering due to the dense population.

Terrorism

"I will also talk about the agenda according to which the government is moving. In fact, we have a clear and multi-track agenda. No track dominates another track in this agenda. All move in accordance with a set plan and a scientific study based on an accurate understanding of the Iraqi situation. We move from the principle of reconciliation and national dialogue to the principle of building the armed forces, the principle of reconstruction and public services, and the principle of using force to stand up to the challenges and to confront the terrorism which seeks to spread and encroach on Iraq's political and democratic march. All these are well-calculated tracks. We do not give precedence to one track over another except as required by the national interests and the exceptional situation we inherited. Therefore, talk about dialogue, reconstruction and national reconciliation does not mean that we ignore the need to build our forces or to use force against the organizations of terrorism and violence which want to sow corruption in the country and kill the citizens. Using force does not mean that security can be attained only through force. This is one of the methods. What we are working on and what we are giving precedence to is reconciliation as well as dialogue, understanding, sense of responsibility, and enlightened awareness that the continuation of violence and killing does not lead to results and there will be no winner. The first loser will be the country and the unity of this dear country and the unity of these people, who have never known in their history other than brotherhood and amity.

No one will ever benefit from this atmosphere, which is fed by the will and interests of countries and local organizations and leaderships, some of which are political. They want Iraq to return to the atmosphere which prevailed during the dictatorial regime. They want to sow the seeds of sectarianism in this country, whose people have never known sectarianism. They loved each other and were reconciled and partners in public life.

"Move towards reconciliation"

"The agenda we are working on seeks first to end the current deterioration and find a decisive limit to one of the stations which we believe we have passed. I would like to emphasize that this agenda and the policy we adopted have largely succeeded because the general atmosphere in the country is prompting the zealous and faithful sons of Iraq to move towards reconciliation and rejection of violence and bloody killings. This is a positive phenomenon which has started to expand. Anyone watching the Iraqi scene has started to witness progress in the effective, strong and positive stands towards encircling violence and rejecting bloody methods. We have succeeded in this and this success gives us a strong background to work on the other issues. One of these issues is that in accordance with the law we will strongly react and use force against those who rebel against the national will of the Iraqi people. If we had employed this logic in the past, it might have been rejected. But all have now come to realize that bloodshed only breeds bloodshed. The mentality which sidelines or cancels others does not provide any with stability. All are in a predicament now. Based on this predicament, we began to think of a way out. This is the beginning of victory. The issue must be decisively resolved by taking other stands.

Terrorist organizations

"Here, too, I would like to indicate that the battle we are waging in Iraq and the bloody process taking place are due to the presence of terrorist organizations. These entered the country for different reasons. Some of them belong to [former President] Saddam's Ba'th Party and others belong to corrupt ideology and takfiri [those who hold that others are infidels] organizations. These are the ones who triggered sectarian feelings in the country on political grounds. The detonation of the two Al-Askari imams' shrine was the first serious station in the escalation of sectarian violence. This was followed by other stations. Consequently, terrorism and the terrorist and Saddamist organizations are primarily responsible for all that is taking place in this country and the reactions to it. Therefore, we must first absorb the reactions and direct all efforts towards confronting the terrorist organizations and their programmes and policies.

"We will continue the policy we announced. We believe that the side which should embrace all the Iraqis is the state or government in which all participate. All sectors of the Iraqi people are represented in it. From the legal, legitimate and practical point of view, the state is responsible for security and for the country. None outside the circle of government has the right to talk about responsibility except through the official channels which can absorb all popular efforts and civil society institutions. Only the state has the right to carry arms and punish those who break the law. Therefore, we clearly announced that we will hit strongly and call to account anyone who breaks the law or carries arms and encroaches on the state. All should know - and I understand this well and I am optimistic - that the policy of having armed forces and militias by the side of the government harms the stability and unity of the country. Therefore, we will continue to confront the terrorism launched against us. We must put an end to it by absorbing all reactions. All displays of arms should end in favour of the sole armed presence, as represented by the state.

"Foreign interference"

"I regret that I speak bitterly here, and almost at the final stage of this talk, about the phenomenon of foreign interference in Iraqi affairs and the bloody scenes we see daily. When we examine them we find that they are linked to this or that country. We have spoken to friendly and neighbouring countries and said: What you want to happen in Iraq will not be at the expense of the Iraqi people alone. It effects will be destructive even to those who extended fire at Iraqi society. Perhaps time has started to run out and we can no longer accept this interference. I hope we will not reach the point at which we will be forced to announce things and take stands towards those who kill our people every day and those who export death to us every day. I wish they would reconsider their calculations and adopt responsible stands and excuse us if we take clear and franks stands.

"Iraq under the new government - the government of national unity - has repeatedly announced its foreign policy, which extends a hand of cooperation, peace and friendship on the basis of good positive relations and non-interference in others' affairs. This is a general policy we will implement towards all countries, particularly the neighbouring countries with which we have strong historical ties. But this should not be interpreted as weakness on the part of Iraq and thus be exploited to meddle in its affairs and trigger sedition for political reasons that have nothing to do with the Iraqi people's interests. We hope they will help us pursue the policy of good neighbourliness, non-interference and the resolution of problems through dialogue. I also hope that all the political forces which participated in this government will shoulder their responsibility. It is neither reasonable nor acceptable for any political entity participating in this government or Council of Representatives to avoid making the difficult decision of standing by the side of the government and supporting its policy. Otherwise, it will be considered a partner that does not shoulder its responsibility. This will conflict with the logic of responsibility which must prevail in anything we do.

"The statement I issued to our armed and security forces said that in the wake of all these accomplishments by the government in the field of reconciliation and the field of containing crises, these forces should be alert and ready to take deterrent measures against anyone who breaks the law, attacks citizens or is involved in murder, abduction, explosions or attacks. Thank you." The prime minister then opened the floor for questions.

Ali al-Yasiri from Al-Hurrah television began the question-answer session by asking the prime minister whether the government's "weak performance" was due to the adoption of the principle of accord in the government formation. He also asked whether it was true the Americans set a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq within 18 months. Responding, Al-Maliki said: "It is regrettable that we understand accord to mean quota system. Accord is not a quota system." He added that accord means providing all political forces and entities with the best chance to participate in the government.

18-month pullout deadline

He then responded to the second question on the 18-month deadline by saying: "The US government has the right to reconsider its policy as deemed fit for its interests although I am confident that what is said is not said by the official state quarters. Yesterday you all heard the State Department spokesman or the US president's statement in which he denied such logic, the logic of a deadline or a period of time. I also stress that all know that this government is based on the people's national will. None has the right to set timetables for it. But the others have the right to make decisions that are in harmony with their interests." He then said: "I am confident that this logic is not the official logic of the US government but one of the results of the current electoral competition and this does not concern us much. Second, I am confident that this issue is subject to the will of the government and the people who elected it."

Al-Sadr City raid

Ahmad Abd-al-Husayn from Al-Iraqiyah Television then asked: "You said a short while ago that there is deterioration in security and that there will be a firm response. Is this an announcement that there will be new security measures by the government? This is the first question. The second question is: Al-Sadr City is currently encircled by the US forces. What is you comment on this issue?" Responding, the prime minister said: "The security measures I talked about provide the necessary ground for the adoption of the method of confronting rebellion and encroachment on state prestige by force. Therefore, I clearly said we instructed our security and military services to act against any illegal or illegitimate display of arms.

What is happening in Al-Sadr City and other areas is mainly due to a lack of coordination between our security services and those of the multinational forces. This is one of the issues under continuous discussion between us in order to attain the best possible coordination so that things will be under control."

At this point in the news conference, Al-Iraqiyah Television interrupts its live relay of the news conference for seven minutes to relay the noon prayers.

Qasim al-Sa'di from the Associated Press asked the prime minister whether the Iraqi government had "a new plan to extend" the mandate of the multinational forces in Iraq for another year. He also asked whether the Iraqi government was informed in advance of the multinational forces' activities in Al-Sadr City. Responding, Al-Maliki said UN Security Council Resolution 1637 on the multinational forces' mandate in Iraq should be reconsidered by the end of the year to either extend or modify these forces' mandate. He added: "The government sent a plan to the Political Council for National Security, including the modification of paragraphs in the resolution on the basis of what was accomplished in building the Iraqi forces and the progress made in these forces' ability to maintain security. A number of ideas were submitted to the Political Council for National Security for discussion. These ideas will also be discussed by the government. Later they will be sent to parliament, which will have the final say about extending the mandate and deciding the basis on which this will take place."

Responding to the second question, Al-Maliki says: "One of the issues which should be reconsidered is the issue of powers and coordination between the multinational forces and the Iraqi forces. If the Iraqi forces and the government are wanted to take over responsibility for security from the multinational forces, there should be clarity in powers, limits of ability and clear powers to build the forces so that coordination with these forces can take place on a clear basis. This will be a transitional issue in the process of assuming responsibility for security in the governorates or the process of control and command for the divisions. This is the progress made in taking over governorates. Half of the Iraqi governorates will be turned over by the end of the year. Control and command over a number of military divisions require a revision of the resolution and a new agreement that grants the government the power to move these forces and draw up security plans to maintain security in the governorates, including Baghdad, Al-Sadr City, and other regions suffering from tension should be reached."

Federalism

Ahmad Abd-al-Qadir from Biladi television station asked about the way the government will deal with the regional governments if a federal system is implemented in Iraq. Responding, the prime minister said the federal law was approved by parliament but "federalism should not expose the unity of Iraq or the strength of the Iraqi state to danger". He added: "This means the Iraqi state must remain strong and united." He then said "federalism should be established in an atmosphere of awareness of the interests that can be served by the formation of regions under the unity and strength of the Iraqi state". He concluded by saying the federal system should not lead to "a state of sectarianism and competition or internal strife within the federal region".

Layth Ahmad from Radio Free Iraq asked whether the anti-terror law will be activated. Responding, the prime minister said the law was currently valid but "I tend to postpone activating and implementing it pending the exhaustion of all opportunities and political avenues. We do not want to resort to force and violence before exhausting all efforts to find a solution through national dialogue and agreement."

After a 45-second break in audio transmission, the prime minister was heard saying, in progress "one of the things I count on when talking about the phenomenon of cohesion among the political forces forming the government is the stance adopted by His Eminence Al-Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr in support of the government and against those who act in the name of Al-Sadr's movement and attack others. These are good stands. As for what happened in Al-Sadr City, we will ask for a clarification of what happened. We will review this issue with the multinational forces so that it will not be repeated." He added: "The government should be aware of and part of any military operation. Coordination is a demand on which the joint political process between us and the multinational forces should be based."

Fatimah al-Hasani from Al-Furat Television asked what should be done to avoid human losses in Iraq if "coordination between the US and Iraqi forces is bad". Responding, the prime minister said: "We have coordination. To some extent there is coordination between us and the coalition forces. We have almost daily contacts on security issues. But as I said, there is weakness in the coordination process and this has to be fixed." He added that confronting the acts of violence taking place in Iraq requires a mechanism and "we believe that the government should have the right to move its forces to help the citizens in areas like Sab al-Bur [a Baghdad neighbourhood]".

Source: Al-Iraqiyah TV, Baghdad

Iraqi PM says no deadline for US pullout, rejects militias at news conference | Iraq Updates

Here the news of the day in case you have miss it with a link etc.... :)

Originally Posted by boomcreek

Awesome! Praise God, and thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much for that post. Gives us some idea of at least where some of our money is going and that there really is process in a country worth saving. I really appreciate your post.

Iraq deadlines? "Just back off," Rumsfeld says
By Pauline Jelinek

The Associated Press







During a Pentagon news conference, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said, "No one can predict the future with absolute certainty."


WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday that anyone demanding deadlines for progress in Iraq should "just back off," because it is too difficult to predict when Iraqis will resume control of their country.

During an often-combative Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld said that while benchmarks for security, political and economic progress are valuable, "it's difficult. We're looking out into the future. No one can predict the future with absolute certainty."

He said the goals have no specific deadlines or consequences if they are not met by specific dates.

"You're looking for some sort of a guillotine to come falling down if some date isn't met," Rumsfeld said. "That is not what this is about."

His comments came less than two weeks before an election for control of Congress in which the Bush administration's conduct of the war has become a defining issue. They also came two days after a timeline was first announced by U.S. officials in Baghdad and underscored strains that have emerged between the two countries.

Bush administration officials said Tuesday that they and Iraqi leaders had agreed to craft guidelines toward progress in the country. The next day, Iraq's prime minister disavowed them, saying the benchmarks merely reflected campaign-season pressures in the U.S.

Noting that this is the political season, Rumsfeld also complained that critics and the media are trying to "make a little mischief" by trying to "find a little daylight between what the Iraqis say or someone in the United States says."

Rumsfeld's comments on the benchmarks further muddied the waters on whether there is agreement between the Iraqis and the U.S. on how quickly progress must be made there.

"They're still in discussions," he said.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad announced on Tuesday in Baghdad that Iraqi leaders had agreed that by the end of the year, they will have a plan that roughly lays out the times by which they want certain things accomplished.

The next day, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rejected Khalilzad's announcement and said his government had not agreed to anything. President Bush responded that al-Maliki was correct in saying mandates could not be imposed on Iraq, but said the United States would not have unlimited patience.

"You ought to just back off, take a look at it, relax, understand that it's complicated, it's difficult," Rumsfeld said regarding deadlines. "Honorable people are working on these things together. There isn't any daylight between them."

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

Weapon of mass satire: How Iraqis have a laugh
By Michael Luo The New York Times

Published: October 24, 2006


BAGHDAD Nearly every night here for the past month, Iraqis weary of the strife around them have been turning on the television to watch a wacky- looking man with a giant Afro wig and star-shaped glasses deliver the grim news of the day.

In a recent episode, the host, Saaed Khalifa, reported that the Ministry of Water and Sewage had decided to change its name to simply the Ministry of Sewage - because it had given up on the water part.

In another episode, he jubilantly declared that "Rums bin Feld" had announced American troops were leaving the country on 1/1, in other words, Jan. 1. His face crumpled when he realized he had made a mistake. The troops were not actually departing on any specific date, he clarified, but instead leaving one by one. At that rate, it would take more than 600 years for them to be gone.

The newscast is a parody, of course, that fires barbs at everyone from the U.S. military to the Iraqi government, an Iraqi version of "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." Even the militias wreaking havoc on the country are lampooned.

Debuting last month during Ramadan, while families gathered to break their fast after sundown, the show, "Hurry Up, He's Dead," became the talk of Baghdad, delighting and shocking audiences with its needling of anyone with a hand in Iraqis' gloomy predicament.

The acerbic newscasts, each lasting about 20 minutes, are broadcast on Al Sharqiya, an Iraqi satellite station that has at times run afoul of the government for its regular news coverage. They are continuing through Id al-Fitr, the Muslim celebration signaling the end of Ramadan this week. Officials at the station are in discussions about turning the show into a weekly program.

The show's success is a testament to the gallows humor with which many Iraqis now view their lives - still lacking basic services and plagued by unrelenting violence more than three years after the American-led invasion.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, comedies have proliferated on Iraqi television. Al Sharqiya has another popular show, "Caricatures," also known for its dark humor toward the country's problems.

Given the response by Iraqis, the channel's fake newscast seems to have eclipsed others in its genre in popularity.

"We need fun in our lives because of our tragic circumstances," said Silvana, 21, a Baghdad resident who has been tuning in every night with her family, when the electricity has been working.

"Most of the channels focus on the violence, the bodies," she said. "But this program depicts our tragedies in a funny light."

Khalifa, the show's star, is a short, heavyset comedian who was a well- known theater actor in Iraq during the time that Saddam Hussein's government was in power.

The initial episodes were taped in Dubai because the producers decided it would be too dangerous and logistically difficult to film in Baghdad. Despite its madcap humor, he said, the show has a serious message.

"The purpose of the show is to fix Iraq," he said. "We want to fix the civil services. We want to fix the government officials. We want to fix the relationships between people. We want to fix the government and stop the corruption."

The newscast opens with an explanation of the show's underlying premise: it is the year 2017 and the main character, Saaed, is the last Iraqi alive. He is shown lying face down on the beach with a red suitcase next to him. When he comes to, he is quickly encircled by beautiful women. Cut to a scene of Khalifa clad in a black T-shirt imprinted with "2PAC," showboating in front of a white stretch Humvee limousine with dancers cavorting all around.

The show's raucous theme song, which has become a popular cellphone ring tone here and can be heard being sung by children in schoolyards, laments that it would be better to be a lowly cat on the street than an Iraqi: "No one asks the cat where you are from, which party you're from, whether you are an Arab, a Kurd, a Sunni or a Shiite."

He sings on, "I am the last Iraqi alive, but I still do not own a house," a reference to the country's acute housing shortage.

The show's title appears initially as "The Government," but the Arabic words split in half to reveal the actual name, another crack at the country's plight.

When the broadcast begins, it takes place in the present. The show is meant to be a narration of how Khalifa's country fell apart and he ended up as the last survivor, said Talib al-Sudani, the show's writer, who sold the rights to the show to Al Sharqiya several months ago for just $3,700.

Sudani said he had lost hope for his country. Iraqi leaders are incompetent, he said. He fears that services will never be restored. The American experiment in democracy, he said, was born dead.

All anyone can do, he said, is laugh.

Khalid al-Ansary, Ali Adeeb and Qais Mizher contributed reporting.

BAGHDAD Nearly every night here for the past month, Iraqis weary of the strife around them have been turning on the television to watch a wacky- looking man with a giant Afro wig and star-shaped glasses deliver the grim news of the day.

In a recent episode, the host, Saaed Khalifa, reported that the Ministry of Water and Sewage had decided to change its name to simply the Ministry of Sewage - because it had given up on the water part.

In another episode, he jubilantly declared that "Rums bin Feld" had announced American troops were leaving the country on 1/1, in other words, Jan. 1. His face crumpled when he realized he had made a mistake. The troops were not actually departing on any specific date, he clarified, but instead leaving one by one. At that rate, it would take more than 600 years for them to be gone.

The newscast is a parody, of course, that fires barbs at everyone from the U.S. military to the Iraqi government, an Iraqi version of "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." Even the militias wreaking havoc on the country are lampooned.

Debuting last month during Ramadan, while families gathered to break their fast after sundown, the show, "Hurry Up, He's Dead," became the talk of Baghdad, delighting and shocking audiences with its needling of anyone with a hand in Iraqis' gloomy predicament.

The acerbic newscasts, each lasting about 20 minutes, are broadcast on Al Sharqiya, an Iraqi satellite station that has at times run afoul of the government for its regular news coverage. They are continuing through Id al-Fitr, the Muslim celebration signaling the end of Ramadan this week. Officials at the station are in discussions about turning the show into a weekly program.

The show's success is a testament to the gallows humor with which many Iraqis now view their lives - still lacking basic services and plagued by unrelenting violence more than three years after the American-led invasion.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, comedies have proliferated on Iraqi television. Al Sharqiya has another popular show, "Caricatures," also known for its dark humor toward the country's problems.

Given the response by Iraqis, the channel's fake newscast seems to have eclipsed others in its genre in popularity.

"We need fun in our lives because of our tragic circumstances," said Silvana, 21, a Baghdad resident who has been tuning in every night with her family, when the electricity has been working.

"Most of the channels focus on the violence, the bodies," she said. "But this program depicts our tragedies in a funny light."

Khalifa, the show's star, is a short, heavyset comedian who was a well- known theater actor in Iraq during the time that Saddam Hussein's government was in power.

The initial episodes were taped in Dubai because the producers decided it would be too dangerous and logistically difficult to film in Baghdad. Despite its madcap humor, he said, the show has a serious message.

"The purpose of the show is to fix Iraq," he said. "We want to fix the civil services. We want to fix the government officials. We want to fix the relationships between people. We want to fix the government and stop the corruption."

The newscast opens with an explanation of the show's underlying premise: it is the year 2017 and the main character, Saaed, is the last Iraqi alive. He is shown lying face down on the beach with a red suitcase next to him. When he comes to, he is quickly encircled by beautiful women. Cut to a scene of Khalifa clad in a black T-shirt imprinted with "2PAC," showboating in front of a white stretch Humvee limousine with dancers cavorting all around.

The show's raucous theme song, which has become a popular cellphone ring tone here and can be heard being sung by children in schoolyards, laments that it would be better to be a lowly cat on the street than an Iraqi: "No one asks the cat where you are from, which party you're from, whether you are an Arab, a Kurd, a Sunni or a Shiite."

He sings on, "I am the last Iraqi alive, but I still do not own a house," a reference to the country's acute housing shortage.

The show's title appears initially as "The Government," but the Arabic words split in half to reveal the actual name, another crack at the country's plight.

When the broadcast begins, it takes place in the present. The show is meant to be a narration of how Khalifa's country fell apart and he ended up as the last survivor, said Talib al-Sudani, the show's writer, who sold the rights to the show to Al Sharqiya several months ago for just $3,700.

Sudani said he had lost hope for his country. Iraqi leaders are incompetent, he said. He fears that services will never be restored. The American experiment in democracy, he said, was born dead.

All anyone can do, he said, is laugh.

Khalid al-Ansary, Ali Adeeb and Qais Mizher contributed reporting.

Originally Posted by ezcash

Is there a link.. :) thk u

Posted originally by Pipshurricane "27 October 2006 (BBC Monitoring)" I think on page 29 this thread