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

Originally Posted by Pippyman

Conclusions? No. There are too many unknowns. Like do these figures take into account the recent dinar taken out of circulation? Also do these figures take into account the countries that own what amount of dinar AND how they have an agreement with Iraq to HOLD ONTO THEIR DINAR FOR 5 YEARS? I doubt these figures take this into account. So therefore we cannot come to a conclusion.... yet.

I agree. There have always been too many unknowns. We have been playing a kind of "conect the dots" type of logic and this has serious limitations. For instance:

What under the table agreements have been made with the IMF, World Bank, and the 27 countries that have supported Iraq? And will support that currency and economy?

How much gold does Iraq really have? 40 Billion, 100 Billion?

The 500 leases they have that have been surveyed, how big are the fields and what is their estimated production, so whats the true market value?

How many wells are refurbished and ready to produce, that are not now producing due to security, transportation and storage issues.

How much more currency will the CBI remove and what will be the impact over the near term of having removed the currency they have already removed?

What will be the market reaction once this currency is traded. For those with experience in a fast moving market, markets have a way defying logic and taking on a life of their own. Of obtainng levels (both low and high) that can not be justified by numbers or logic.

So we remain "along for the ride". But as I have said earlier, we HAVE gone from an "if" it will RV, to a "it is Rving and how high will it go and how fast".

Thank You.

Iraqi Ambassabor Accuses Iranian Minister of Hipocrisy Over U.S. Criticisms

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BAGHDAD, Iraq, 08 December 2006 (Associated Press)
Iraq's ambassador to the Netherlands confronted Iran's foreign minister during a speech Wednesday, accusing his country of hypocrisy in its rhetoric against the United States.

It was a rare exchange between officials of the neighboring states, which fought an eight-year war against one another in the 1980s.

The incident occurred after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki complained during an address to scholars and diplomats at the Clingendael Institute, an international relations think-tank, that it would be a double standard if the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program.

Click here to go to FOXNews.com's Iraq Center.

Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium for what it says is a peaceful energy program.

"The U.S. administration so often refers to Iran's nuclear capability as a threat against regional and international peace," Mottaki said. But "it is the U.S. that ... invaded without any endorsement of the U.N. Security Council, another member of the United Nations, namely Iraq, and so has set off the most dangerous security challenge in the Middle East."

Mottaki said the endless cycle of violence in Iraq is being fueled by the continued U.S. troop presence in the country.

"The terrorist group in Iraq says, 'Because of the continuation of the occupation of this country, we are fighting,"' he said. "The American says, 'Because of terrorist groups, we continue our staying in Iraq."'

Iraqi Ambassador Siamand Banaa then rose to contradict him, saying that Iran had benefited from the war in Iraq.

"It would strengthen your case and give it much more depth if you tried to avoid cynicism and hypocrisy," Banaa said. "The removal of the worst enemy of the Iraqi people and the Iranian people, Saddam Hussein, who caused the death and destruction of hundreds of thousands and almost the bankruptcy of your country, has been, I think, a great advance for you."

Banaa said Mottaki's analysis was wrong, and that without American troops in his country, "it would be a free-for-all, and in fact real civil war."

He urged Mottaki to get off "the 'America always wrong' brigade."

Mottaki responded by assuring that Iran supports the territorial integrity of Iraq and wants it to return to peace. "Stability in Iraq is stability for Iran, and all its neighboring countries and all the region," he said.

Don't take Kurds collaboration for granted
By Dr Amir Matin

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

08 December 2006 (KurdishMedia)
Iraq Study Group report should be taken as a strong wake up call by Kurds in Northern Iraq. The report is clearly rewarding Sunni and Shia troublemakers and malicious neighbours at the expense of law abiding and peaceful Kurds. The report is rewarding Iran, Syria and Turkey for creating obstacles for peace and stability in Iraq. With this logic, it is extremely costly for Kurds to remain quiet. Some of the most alarming suggestions in this report are delaying the implementation of article 140 in Kirkuk and management of all oil reserves by central government, which are in sharp contrast to the democratically adopted Iraqi constitution.

This report is not only neglecting Kurds and their plight, but it is not respecting Iraqi sovereignty and Iraq’s only democratically adopted constitution.

This report is taking Kurds for granted. It counts on the facts that Kurds support for US policies in Iraq is unconditional. It is critical for Kurds to prove the contrary. Kurds should send a very strong signal to US and the rest of Iraq that delaying the implementation of article 140 will lead to unrest in Kirkuk and not implementing it. It should become very clear that Kurds have been demonstrating restraints with respect to dealing with the Kirkuk issue to abide by the Iraqi constitution. If the Iraq Study Group report is not showing any sign of respect for Iraqi constitution and democratic behaviour, why Kurds should deprive themselves from claiming their legitimate rights.

This report is naive and simplistic and does not comprehend the realties and facts in Iraq. It cannot stop the current pseudo civil war between Sunni and Shia, unless if it awards unreasonable concessions to Iran, Syria, Turkey and insurgents. Clearly, offering such indulgences to parties that are part of the problem will derail factions that are part of the solution. It will bring the peaceful Kurdish region into the center of the conflict and create a bigger problem that most probably overflows to Iran and Turkey.

The chances for success with the recommendations outlined in this report are quite remote even if Kurds agree to go along with it. But, if hypothetically the report is successfully implemented, Kurds will be sidelined and gradually replaced by Sunnis in central government. Power will be shared between Sunni and Shia and Kurds will only have a symbolic presence in Baghdad and probably a very weak regional government in northern Iraq.

The ball is in Kurds court now. Kurdish leaders must demonstrate their uncompromising position with respect to their lawful demands. Kurdish leaders have to prove once again that they can not be taken for granted.

They must be ready for taking whatever action it takes to implement their legitimate demands of implementing the article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, managing regional oil reserves and controlling of security in Kurdistan. These reactions may results in short term losses, but the long term gains are enormous. Lack of resolute actions may prove disastrous and melt down most of recent Kurdish gains.

[QUOTE=kiko;146605]Just saw this on the Presidency website.

Article about Talabani & Barzani.

I think they the Government and the Kurds agreed on the most important issues about the HCL. This means it has green light.

We also have the story that the HCL is at the parliament right now.

If these two are true, the there will be a go for the HCL and is the key issue solved and I think we all know what that means!!

WWWWWWEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Ok, here is the article:


December 8, 2006
Temple denied Kamran led the official spokesman for the President of the Republic, as quoted by the Arab satellite channel, that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the report finds Baker-Hamilton conform to the interests of Iraq.

, Said temple led to the Arab satellite Ajtzat statements were made by the spacecraft, in which he stressed that it is not possible to give a comprehensive assessment of the report, which includes more than seventy recommendation, but he pointed to the presence of specific points in the report, such as the recommendation to transfer the security dossier to Iraqi control, and dialogue with the neighboring states, which correspond to the policy of the Iraqi government, exceed demand this always.
Drew, the official spokesman for the President of the Republic, to the Arab satellite channel ignored the statement in his statement in which he referred to the existence of many points and the themes contained in the report, and that does not correspond to the national interests of Iraq, and contrary to the Constitution, which is keen to protect President Talabani and commitment by.
And in this context led the temple, that the President of the Republic, Jalal Talabani, supported the position of President of Kurdistan Mr. Masoud Barzani of the report, which was published in a statement issued by yesterday.

And press office published the full text of the statement by the Presidency of the territory Cordstan on the report of the "Commission to Study Iraq"

"After examining the report," Commission to Study Iraq, "we need to put forward the following points :
1 - The non-arrival of the members of the Baker-Hamilton Cordstan to, and for whatever reason, is a big shortage in the evaluation process and report loses credibility.
2-Recommendation (26) to the audit of the Iraqi Constitution, the participation of experts from the United Nations.
In our view, any review of the Iraqi Constitution requires to be done within the mechanisms established by the Constitution itself. Therefore, we reject any change outside these mechanisms work, and everyone knows that the territorial integrity of Iraq is a commitment to this Constitution.
3-Recommendation (28) to put oil revenues under the control of the central government, and the distribution of proceeds on the basis of population in the areas in Iraq, considering that the control of the regions oil wells run with the new process of national reconciliation.
In relation to this recommendation, we renew our commitment to the full Constitution, which defines the right solution to this issue, and will reject any change in this area.
4-in (30) on the Kirkuk report calls for the postponement of the application of Article (140) of the Constitution and to mandate "the international community to support Iraq," which the Commission proposed to set up to address this issue.
In our view, the Constitution defined mechanisms application of Article 140 and the ceiling of the time, and this is the minimum acceptable Alkord. Therefore, any delay in the process of the application of this article is a great fears, which can not be tolerated in any form by the people Cordstan.
5-entire report stresses the strengthening of the central government and weaken the powers of provinces, and this in itself incompatible with the principles of federalism, Aldstoralthi form the basis of the new Iraq.
Here, I reiterate that federalism is the only way to preserve the unity of Iraq.
Six-take report clearly in a number of sections in the account of the interests and concerns of neighboring Iraq and calls for a greater role for these countries. In our view, this proposal is not consistent with the interests and sovereignty of Iraq in general and with the benefit of the people Cordstan in particular, which constitutes interference in the affairs of Iraq.
7-report calls in a number of paragraphs, for example, in recommendations (27) and (35), to persuade the parties that oppose the political process and resort to violence and to be included in the Authority and the government. This, in our view, contrary to the interests of the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people and the democratic process.
8- مع شكرنا وامتناننا لرئيس الولايات المتحدة الاميركية جورج دبليو بوش والادارة الاميركية لدورهم في اطاحة النظام السابق وجهودهم في دعم العراق الجديد، نرى ان لجنة بيكر – هاملتون طرحت العديد من التوصيات غير الواقعية وغير القابلة للتطبيق معتبرة ان هذه التوصيات تساعد أميركا في التغلب على الصعوبات. فاذا كان الهدف هو ان تفرض اللجنة علينا هذه التوصيات غير القابلة للتطبيق، فاننا نعلن باسم شعب كوردستان رفضنا لكل ما يتناقض مع الدستور ومصالح العراق وكوردستان.
9- إن هذا التقرير لا ينسجم مع ما أكده لنا السيد جيمس بيكر في الاتصال الهاتفي الذي أشار فيه الى ان اللجنة راعت في تقريرها خصوصية اقليم كوردستان. علما اننا قد اوضحنا مسبقا رأي الطرف الكردي في رسالتنا الى اللجنة. ويبدو ان اللجنة لم تأخذ مضامين هذه الرسالة رسالتنا في الاعتبار ولم تشر اليها.
Finally, make it clear that :
- We are committed and any form of the Committee's report.
- May not ignore the democratic process and gains the Iraqi people and the people of Cordstan especially after the elections and the adoption of the constitution voted on by more than 80% of the Iraqi people and supported by the international community and by the United States of America.
- We believe that before the others to resolve the issues of Iraq, Nodal that is needed is for the Iraqis themselves to solve this problem, including the serious treatment of the issue of national reconciliation. Therefore Ndauajjamia Iraqi forces to secure the political process and the Constitution, federal, democratic and an Iraq to take the steps necessary to address those solutions contract to avoid the regional and international forces based on the recommendations and suggestions wrong.

Masoud Barzani
رئيس اقليم كوردستان
7/12/2006"


You know, it seems to me that irregardless of whether the Kurds get along with the others, (and we all know the kurds would have gotten this done a long time ago) it seems that the realization now is that time is no longer on their side and this has got to get done. Looks like their Constitution demands it as well, so that's a good thing! WWWOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTT

IRAQ TENDER - REHABILITATION OF THE CENTRAL STORES

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07 December 2006 (Asia Pulse)
IRAQ - REHABILITATION OF THE CENTRAL STORES

TIRef.No 1136459

Bidding Type International Competitive Bidding

Financier Self-Funded

Country Iraq

Description Original Document

Invitation to Tenders are for The rehabilitation of the central stores in Baghdad Closing date : 13/12/2006

Organisation GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF COMMERCIAL AFFAIRS/ MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURSES

Client Address Street: Baghdad - Palestine St. , Iraq,

:: Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources::

Nothing on this?

December 8, 2006
Title: World Economic and Market Developments/Financial Markets Update (Restricted Session)

Peg to the Euro?
December 15, 2006

Title: Informal Session--Euro Area

IMF Executive Board Calendar -- Sorted by Date

(Voice of Iraq) - 08-12-2006
قThis issue was sent to a friend

Barham Salih : Iraq has turned into an arena for combating international terrorism
Irbil (December 8) and the agency (Lucky) Italian News-Dr Barham Salih Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister that "there is a need to create an atmosphere appropriate regional support for the security and stability in Iraq and the possibility of neighboring countries, the formation of support groups to help them to overcome the current security crisis, because Iraq is already turning into an arena for confronting terrorism and terrorists in the world." This came in a meeting with newspaper (Lasso), which is published in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdish language on the preliminary reading of the report submitted by James Baker, head of a study group on Iraq to the American President. Salih added, "the report stresses in the aspects of the pivotal role of Iraq in the Middle East is in line with the aspirations of the Iraqi demands to hand over the security dossier to Iraqis and strengthening the armed forces so that they could achieve security and stability in the country." He added : "I stated in the report on the collapse of the security situation because Iraq has become a theater of the actual face of global terrorism." The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister that "any solutions put up the Iraqi situation must support the institutions of democratic governance, federal and consistent with the principles of the Iraqi constitution approved by the majority of the Iraqi people." The presidency of the province of Kurdistan has issued a statement yesterday in which it rejected the Kurdish leadership is committed to most of the recommendations contained in the report of Baker especially regarding strengthening the powers at the expense of the regions.

Translated version of http://www.sotaliraq.com/iraqi-elections/

BAGHDAD, 08 December 2006 (International Herald Tribune)

Iraq's dinar currency has risen to a nearly two-year high against the U.S. dollar, thanks to trading by the central bank at its daily auction, the bank said Thursday.

Most of all the money the Iraqi government earns it gets in U.S. dollars because oil exports are the main source of its income, and the bank has about US$14 billion in foreign assets, said Mudher Qassim, the Central Bank of Iraq's director of statistics.

It sold 35 million U.S. dollars at Thursday's auction, state-run Iraqiyah television reported.

"Our goal is to reduce inflation, which is now running at about 50 percent, by improving the dinar and thereby making imported goods cheaper," Qassim said in a telephone interview.

More than 80 percent of all Iraq's tradable goods are imported, he said.

In a report in August, the International Monetary Fund also said inflation was escalating in Iraq. The 12-month rate of inflation ended 2005 at 31.7 percent, but inflation then accelerated, with 12-month inflation reaching 58 percent in May 2006, the report said.

On Wednesday, the dinar was trading at an auction price of 1,424 against the U.S. dollar, according to the central bank's Web site, its strongest price since March 23, 2004, when it was at 1,420.

Between Nov. 29 and Thursday, the Iraqi currency traded widely at a market price between 1,410 to 1,442 to the dollar, the best the dinar had seen Jan. 26, 2005, when it was at 1,405, the Web site indicated.

"The dinar has steadily increased against the dollar because of the Central Bank's efforts to stabilize the currency and control inflation," said Hussein al-Uzri, president of the state-owned Trade Bank of Iraq.

"Iraqi consumers get oil and food that is government subsidized, so the rise in the dinar won't have an immediate effect on them and the economy. It will take some time. But as Iraqis realize the value of the dinar is rising, they will stop immediately exchanging their currency into dollars," he told The Associated Press.

Wednesday's bipartisan U.S. Iraq Study Group said that by the end of 2006, "The Central Bank of Iraqi will raise interest rates to 20 percent and appreciate the Iraqi dinar by 10 percent to combat accelerating inflation."

Two money changers in Baghdad said Thursday said their businesses haven't been affected by the central bank's intervention yet, but some consumers were watching to see what will happen to the dinar next.

Government employees who are paid in dinars already are benefiting by getting a better deal at the many Iraqi stores that import products such as electronic goods and sell them in dollars only, said one money changer.

The other one said the many poor and unemployed Iraqis who survive by receiving U.S. dollars from relatives overseas — and Iraqis who work for foreign companies and are paid in greenbacks — are worse off.

Both money changers spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their security in Baghdad, where many people are killed in sectarian violence between Sunni Arab insurgent and Shiite militias. Businessmen and store owners often are kidnapped by common criminals seeking ransoms from their relatives.

Mustafa Alani, a senior adviser at the Gulf Research Center in the United Arab Emirates, said he believes the Iraqi government's concerns about inflation will not be addressed by its manipulation of the currency market because the main reasons that the prices of goods are expensive is that companies importing them have to spend so much money providing security to their truck convoys. Many avoid using warehouses in Iraq because they are easily attacked, Alani said in a telephone interview from Abu Dhabi.

Qassim agreed, saying he believes that the cost of security alone increases the cost of importing goods to Iraq from neighboring countries by 15 percent to 30 percent.

Iraq central bank boosts the country's currency in a battle against inflation | Iraq Updates

Originally Posted by MrsCK

it's those countries: 2006 Article IV Consultation Discussions

no big deal all countries get one each year - these don't have anything to do with Iraq.

I was talking about this.

December 8, 2006
Title: World Economic and Market Developments/Financial Markets Update (Restricted Session)


This is aside from the reviews of the countries listed.

Originally Posted by opps50

I guess this is the email they are talking about. If you just read it swiftly you "maybe" can interpret it the way he did

I'll bet that you are right, it was from yesterday, someone probably doesn't check their e-mail daily. I got one from them yesterday and promply deleted it as I don't read their garbage either. I guess I shouldn't have deleted it without reading it first. LOL