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

It is a long article ....

Asia Times Online :: Middle East News - US staying the course for Big Oil in Iraq

US staying the course for Big Oil in Iraq
By Pepe Escobar

Washington at large and President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in particular may apply every contortionist trick in the geopolitical book to save their skins in Iraq - and the reasons are not entirely political.

In addition to the recently released report by the Iraq Study Group, any other Washington establishment report - Pentagon, State Department, think-tanks - considered by the White House



cannot deviate from much of the ISG. There can be no firm timeline for a complete US withdrawal because it all depends on Iraq's new oil law being passed and US troops being able to defend Big Oil's investment.

Once again, it's the oil. The Bush-Cheney system by all accounts went to Iraq to grab those fabulous reserves. The only way for an overall solution to the Iraqi tragedy would be for the Bush administration to give up the oil - with no preconditions, turning the US into an honest broker. Realpolitik practitioners know this is not going to happen.

Instead, the ISG is explicitly in favor of privatizing Iraq's oil industry - to the benefit of Anglo-American Big Oil - after the impending passage of a new oil law that was initially scheduled to be passed this month by the Iraqi Parliament.

For Big Oil, the new oil law is the holiest of holies: once the exploitation of Iraq's fabulous resources is in the bag, "security" is just a minor detail. Enter the ISG's much-hyped provision of US troops remaining in Iraq until an unclear date to protect not the Iraqi population, but Big Oil's supreme interests. This is really what ISG co-head James Baker means by "responsible transition".

According to reports, the draft law, Iraq's first postwar draft hydrocarbon law, proposes allowing - for the first time - local and international companies to carry out oil exploration in Iraq.

Dow Jones Newswires reports that the draft law stipulates that the Iraqi Oil Ministry "should set up a committee consisting of highly qualified experts to speed up the process of issuing tenders and signing contracts with international oil companies to develop Iraq's untapped oilfields".

The law as drafted by a government committee also says that all matters concerning oil and gas exploration, production and transportation should be handled by the federal government - something Kurdish officials in northern Iraq resist.

Nechirvan Barzani, the Kurdish region's prime minister, has been quoted as saying that talks he held with the Baghdad government had failed to produce an agreement on his demands for control of oil resources in the region. "We demand that the signing of contracts to develop oilfields in Kurdistan should be handled by the Kurdistan region," he said.

Iraq needs international companies to investment as much as US$20 billion to increase crude-oil production to 3 million barrels a day from below the 2 million at present.

Meanwhile, back in the zone
When the ISG stressed that "the ability of the United States to influence events within Iraq is diminishing", it was a sterling understatement at best. The US does not control much in Iraq apart from the Green Zone. The gruesome, daily accumulation of death proves the US Army provides no security and is distrusted by all parties. The troops don't even know whom they are supposed to be fighting (apart from Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army). At the same time, the Pentagon's aerial bombings - with scores of "collateral damage" victims - remain as relentless as counter-insurgency run amok.

The Proactive, Preemptive Operations Group implemented by the Pentagon is regarded by Sunnis and quite a few Shi'ites as being the mastermind of some of the car bombings, assassinations, sabotage, kidnappings and attacks on mosques fueling the civil war. The "Salvador option" has developed into the "Iraqification option". US-trained death squads in Iraq are not much different from the death squads in El Salvador during the 1980s - subordinated to the same "divide and rule" tactics. This is the "civil war" dirty secret: let the Arabs kill one another with the US posing as "victims".

Although the House of Saud's Interior Ministry will deny it, the ISG had to admit that Sunni Arab guerrillas are being financed - to the tune of tens of millions of dollars - by wealthy, private Saudi and, to a lesser extent, Gulf state donors, following instructions of powerful Wahhabi clerics. Thirty-eight of these have just released a statement on Saudi websites calling on Sunnis worldwide to "mobilize" against Iraqi Shi'ites. This has stopped short of being a formal declaration of jihad not only against Shi'ites in Iraq but also Shi'ites in Iran, as well as US troops. The guerrillas' Russian Strela anti-aircraft missiles in Iraq have been paid for by Saudi money (according to Khudair al-Murshidi, a Ba'athist spokesman based in Damascus, "We have stockpiles of Strelas.") There's no US pressure capable of reverting the situation: this is a matter of Arab tribal solidarity - not a state affair.

There can be no direct negotiation with the Sunni Arab muqawama (resistance) because in essence what they want is.....more here

A press release on the determination of the supreme body for dialogue and reconciliation

(Voice of Iraq) - 12 - 13-2006
This issue was sent to a friend

The Republic of Iraq
Council of Ministers-the governmental communications
Media Relations
Press Release Press release /
Wednesday, 12 - 13-2006

The supreme body for dialogue and national reconciliation set a date next Saturday for the first conference of Iraqi political forces


A source at the supreme body for dialogue and national reconciliation to the first Conference of the Iraqi political forces will be held on Saturday, the 16th of the current month, and will continue for two days.

The source explained that the conference will be held under the slogan of (Iraqi political forces will remain the mainstay of national unity and to ensure the success of the political process and reconciliation and accord) and the presence of more than 200 Iraqi political personalities from inside and outside Iraq.

A press release about the meeting with the Minister of Municipalities Governor and the President

(Voice of Iraq) - 12 - 13-2006
This issue was sent to a friend

The Republic of Iraq
Council of Ministers-the governmental communications
Media Relations
Press Release Press release /
Wednesday, 12 - 13-2006

Minister of municipalities meet Governor and the President of the Baghdad governorate to discuss
Activation projects services offered to citizens
The Minister of Municipalities and Public Works kindergarten strange that the ministry is striving to achieve breakthroughs in the quality of services offered to citizens and increase the projects in all governorates in order to achieve strategic long-term aim to improve municipal services and the delivery of drinking water to every Iraqi citizen D extensive networks of runoff and sewage, without losing sight of thinking seriously to restore the basic designs of most of the cities and governorates of Iraq.

He Ghraib during his meeting with Mr. Governor, the President of the Baghdad governorate and the heads of departments in the districts and respects the need to complete projects that are under implementation in the schedule said the ministry is ready to extend municipal services and expertise to go to the direct implementation, particularly as the ministry has expertise and competence required for the implementation of these projects, the minister need to complete residential land distribution to citizens as soon as possible.
He called attention to the innovation of particular importance and special and embrace creative energies and to open space for their creativity and to honor the artists and enable them to provide classes to be an example for the rest of workers.

During the meeting agreed to develop a detailed action plans for each field of work and to discuss preparedness for the implementation of projects in 2007 and move towards the prospects for the field work ambitious.

Is the marked text just wishful thinking?

Originally Posted by Offshore-Wealth.com

Interesting,

We have certainly seen an interesting news day, or should I say old news day. (g) As we have seen over and over, Iraq recycles articles as news when in fact it is jumbled up pieces of old articles, so don't worry about what has been going around today.

The HCL is done deal, it is not a dead issue, you will see this on Sunday enacted, the only last hold up last week was the same issue Kurd's had debated earlier, and that was about the oil yet to be pumped. This was resolved already, so don't worry about it.

The 10K has still not been mentioned at all, so we still see that this is tied to revalue for what other reason could there be for such a long delay after annoncement by gov. There are many odd things about this gov, but as we have seen, it is full of illiterates and this has to be solved so those in parliament make the proper decisions, not just the usual party line BS just like in U.S. gov. (g)

Happy Holiday Season to all, Mike

Originally Posted by Dinar Cha Ching

What were you paying previously?

Last week it was $681...a month ago $687 and when I purchsed two years ago, I paid $624.

V/R

Al

Originally Posted by opps50

Is the marked text just wishful thinking?

These are just my opinions..... I am a yeysayer and would love a high rv more then anything but I am just basing my opinions on the latest news and activity with the dinar....

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

1 Iraqi Dinar = 0.0007362 US Dollar
1 US Dollar (USD) = 1358.30 Iraqi Dinar (IQD)

Learn about the new Iraqi Dinar
Median price = 0.0006760 / 0.0007362 (bid/ask)
Minimum price = 0.0006760 / 0.0007362
Maximum price = 0.0006760 / 0.0007362

FXTrade: Online Currency Trading with OANDA FXTrade.


FXConverter - Currency Converter for 164 Currencies164 Currency Converter © 1997-2006 by OANDA.com.

I was asking offshore-wealth about this and more people than I have done that to. If he could answer why he wrote this way.

HCL ENACTED ON SUNDAY!!! PROOF??

I see he is online now so maybe he can answer

Originally Posted by PaulieThaGreat

These are just my opinions..... I am a yeysayer and would love a high rv more then anything but I am just basing my opinions on the latest news and activity with the dinar....

Originally Posted by opps50

Is the marked text just wishful thinking?

I guess we'll find out Sunday.

Things to watch:

11-14: Professor rumor, RV $1.47.
Dec. 15th Quad confirmation rumor.
Sunday OSW's HCL "Done Deal" enactment.

I hope one of them is true, especially the Professors.

Originally Posted by mike brown

i heard he was all about the DONG !!

..... just can't get over the name of the currency

...and, when the time comes, are we going to get Tshirts saying, "GOT DONG?"?