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

Bush's rethink on Iraq By Peter Grier, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Wed Dec 13, 3:00 AM ET



WASHINGTON - Whatever options President Bush chooses for the future of US policy in Iraq, one thing appears clear: He is trying to convey to voters that he is not acting alone.

ADVERTISEMENT

Under intense pressure to come up with a new course of action following the publication of the Iraq Study Group report, Mr. Bush is holding three days of very public consultations this week, meeting with everyone from Iraqi politicians to retired generals to historians who have been critical of some of his actions.

It's possible this schedule is just for show, a way in essence to blunt the effect of the publicity of the ISG report's release.

It's also possible that it is genuine outreach at a time of national need.

"My own sense is that probably President Bush is in the same place as a lot of people on Iraq," says Jim Walsh, a research associate in the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. "He knows things aren't going well, but doesn't know what he needs to do."

It now appears that Bush will give a speech to the nation early next year outlining a new "way forward" for Iraq, according to an unnamed White House source. Originally, the speech had been tentatively scheduled for before Christmas.

On Monday morning, Bush met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In the afternoon, he heard from a group of military experts from outside government, including retired four-star Gen. Barry McCaffrey and Eliot Cohen of Johns Hopkins University.

Tuesday Bush, via videoconference, listened to military commanders in Iraq. He also met at the White House with Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, leader of the most powerful Sunni political party.

Wednesday he is to meet with outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and other Pentagon officials.

In one sense, there is a theatrical quality to at least some of these meetings. Presumably, Bush already knows well the attitudes of the officials of his own administration. Why call on them now?

In addition, despite the implication that US policy will soon change, Bush's tone in recent days has not hinted where he might go.

But there have been enough events in recent weeks - from the outcome of the November elections to the continued Iraqi violence and the Iraq Study Group's dire warnings - that they must at least have given the president pause, says Mr. Walsh.

"All of this presumably would have shaken anyone of the sense that they should keep going in the course they're on," he says.

In addition, the strategic risk facing the US in Iraq has only grown, says another expert. It involves not just Iraq itself, but the stability of the whole region, and by extension the stability of world oil markets.

The Iraq Study Group warned that a collapse in Iraq could suck in neighboring nations and lead to widespread conflict. At the same time, the US can't be seen to be abandoning Iraq.

"This is way beyond partisanship at this point," says William Martel, an associate professor of security studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. "It involves the fundamental stability of the Middle East, and the fundamental credibility of US foreign policy."

The administration may need to begin a gradual of withdrawal of troops at this point, says Mr. Martel. But he adds that the administration also should make clear that some level of US commitment to Iraq will be necessary for years to come.

The fundamental policy point that the administration appears to be debating is how to put pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to get him to act to reduce militia violence and try to speed sectarian reconciliation.

While some of the experts who met with Bush on Monday bluntly told him that the US was failing in Iraq, a number of them also questioned the Iraq Study Group's main recommendations of a gradual troop withdrawal and a push to include Iran and Syria in region-wide diplomacy.

And Bush himself continues to talk about the need to establish Iraq as a functioning democracy - a goal that study group participants did not mention.

"Iraq is a central component of defeating the extremists who want to establish safe haven in the Middle East, extremists who would use their safe haven from which to attack the United States," said Bush on Monday.

If nothing else, the Iraq Study Group report may have acted as a shock on the White House, forcing it into an unplanned rethinking of its course of action, said experts at a Brookings Institution seminar on the report last week.

But despite all the publicity given the report, its members, even co-chairman and ex-Secretary of State James Baker, remain commentators on events. Real power is elsewhere.

"This in the end is all about what happens on Pennsylvania Avenue and in the Oval Office," said Bruce Reidel, a Brookings senior fellow for Middle East policy.

* Material from wire services was used in this report.

Bush: I won't be rushed on Iraq By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
17 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - President Bush said Wednesday he would "not be rushed" into a decision on a strategy change for Iraq, saying that in a round of consultations he heard both some interesting ideas and some "ideas that would lead to defeat."

ADVERTISEMENT


"And I reject those ideas," Bush said after meeting with top generals and Defense Department officials at the Pentagon. He said those ideas included "leaving before the job is done, ideas such as not helping this (Iraqi) government take the necessary and hard steps to be able to do its job."

Bush spoke with reporters after wrapping up a round of high-level talks on revising his Iraq war policy. Earlier he spoke by telephone with two Kurdish leaders in Iraq as part of what the White House called efforts to forge a "moderate bloc" behind the shaky central government in Baghdad.

Standing with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Bush said he and the nation's top military commanders had "a very candid and fruitful discussion about how to secure this country and about how to win a war that we now find ourselves in."

Bush made it clear that "there has been a lot of violence in Iraq. The violence has been horrific."

Although the White House had initially suggested that Bush would deliver his speech on Iraq strategy before Christmas, he has decided to delay it until early next year.

Defending that decision, Bush said, "I will not be rushed into making a difficult decision ... a necessary decision."

Joined by Vice President Dick Cheney and outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Bush met with the military leaders and other members of his national security team at the Pentagon, where war commanders are calling for more U.S. trainers and equipment for beleaguered Iraqi forces.

He addressed some of his remarks to members of the nation's military, including some 140,000 now stationed in Iraq. "I appreciate their sacrifices, and I want them to know I'm focused on developing a strategy that will help them achieve their mission," the president said.

"I know there is a lot of debate at home, and our troops pay attention to that debate," Bush said. Directing his remarks to the troops, he said: "It means I'm listening to a lot of advice to develop a strategy to help you succeed."

Bush's meeting at the Pentagon lasted more than 90 minutes

Saudis may back Iraq Sunnis if U.S. exits Wed Dec 13, 9:01 AM ET



NEW YORK - Saudi Arabia has warned Washington it might provide financial aid to Iraqi Sunnis in any fighting against Shiites if the U.S. pulls its troops out of Iraq, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

ADVERTISEMENT



Yes No
Yes No

Yes No



Saudi Arabia, a majority Sunni country, has promised U.S. officials that it would not intervene to assist Iraq's Sunni insurgency, according to the report, which cited anonymous American and Arab diplomatic sources.

But that promise might not hold if U.S. troops leave Iraq, the newspaper said. The Bush administration has repeatedly said there are no plans for the immediate pullout of U.S. troops.

The Times reported that Saudi King Abdullah sent the warning to Vice President Dick Cheney two weeks ago during the vice president's visit to Riyadh. The message also emphasized the kingdom's displeasure with proposed talks between the U.S. government and Iran.

In Saudi Arabia, an official flatly denied the report. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media.

The AP reported last week that private citizens in Saudi Arabia are funneling money to Sunni insurgents in Iraq, often through either charitable donations or carried by trucks carrying pilgrims and their luggage between the two countries.

Iran — a majority Shiite country — is believed to be providing military and financial support to Shiite elements. The recently released Iraq Study Group report suggested the Bush administration engage Iran and neighboring Syria in talks aimed at applying pressure on Iraqi Shiites to keep what some analysts are calling a civil war from spiraling into a regional conflict.

Saudi Arabia has expressed concern that once U.S. troops leave Iraq that the controlling Shiite majority could massacre the Sunni minority, believed to comprise a large faction of the deadly insurgency that has claimed thousands of Iraqi civilian and U.S. military lives.

Saudi Arabia's fears seemed to have been exacerbated by growing discussions in Washington aimed at accelerating the timeframe for bringing troops home.

(Source : in the 12 - 13-2006)
Head of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Iraqi National Council, Sheikh Humam Hammoudi, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Kurdistan Alliance and the Islamic party will «national projects to save Iraq», and that it aims to collect «moderates and the government are keen to». He said in an interview with Al «» Middle East to other groups, such as the Accord Front «», «» Iraqi List headed by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, have elements «» supports these trends on the project and may join him.
As for the goal of the new alliance between those trends, Hammoudi said : «There is a common assessment among these bodies, which give access to the results of treatment of many of the issues, and activate the law away from sectarianism and establishing a government and not parties». He emphasized that this «orientation program and remedial work to activate some important aspects of the government's program and not a new political». In response to a question about a cabinet reshuffle expected, he said : «We are keen on the performance of ministries and ministers on the grounds of national and not sectarian, but can not exceed quotas blocs, and the Islamic party and compatibility of the first students to the classes». He added : «overstepping give reassuring messages to all the parties». He pointed out that the cabinet reshuffle «internal demand, but the internal situation and assess the security file has been ongoing for 10 days, and there will be gradual changes in the ministries» close instead of restructuring the government in full. She met with the Middle East »« Sheikh Hammam, one of the most prominent leaders of the Supreme Council, on the second day of the visit of an Iraqi delegation led by the head of the United Iraqi Alliance «» leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, to Britain, after informal consultations of the delegation in Amman and Washington. Hammoudi explained that the delegation's visit to Amman «Arab part of the file must be for the Arabs to attend, Especially in the presence of many of the suspicions and accusations and the lack of information and activate their role in a positive way to support democratic constitutional government based on the law and away from the sectarian ». He confirmed that there are efforts by «» coalition and the government to involve the Arab countries in the search for solutions to the Iraqi crisis «to raise fears and the opening of security and economic cooperation between Iraq and neighboring states». As for the proposals to involve Iran and Syria in efforts to stabilize Iraq, he said that the Foreign Relations Committee in the Parliament summoned Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari recently to discuss this issue, and «the Minister's opinion that Iraq is open to all and there is interference from everyone, and that there are different positions of the democratic project in Iraq from the neighboring countries». He added : «Iran and find points of understanding, in addition to strengthening the role inside Iraq are keen on this government and this project democratic». Replying to a question on the fate of «audit» Iraqi constitution, which was the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, said : «A Committee and we are ready to listen to the views on the Constitution and take into consideration the observations and legal drafting». He added : «in order to make the Arab nation, which is close, we asked the Arab League to run us experts in the drafting, and not in the article, Sudan, Egypt and Lebanon to their own experience, to make use of them and promised me Amr Moussa good». He continued : «United Nations made some observations and we await the remarks of the Accord Front and the other to address legal, and is expected to end the process on May 15 (May) 2007.
Translated version of http://www.al-hodaonline.com/newsarticle.php?choosesec=iraq&id=3415

melting of ice between the government and Al-Maliki

(Source : in the 12 - 13-2006)
Had not been pending points between Baghdad and Erbil and represented the file of article (140) of the Iraqi Constitution System on the Question of the city of Kirkuk the disputed, and the draft investment of oil production, in the Territory, and the proportion of the budget of the government of the Territory from the central budget of the country, beginning with the outbreak of political crisis between the government of the Center and the territorial government, as expected them some quarters; has denied official sources Iraqi the existence of such a crisis or the possibility of it breaks out in the near future, but confirmed the possibility of the collapse of conditions in Iraq if prejudice to the items of the Constitution or raise the ceiling of demands and exit the powers established by the Constitution.
A Kurdish MP Saad Alborznji on the positive, which are characterized talks between the Iraqi government and the government of Kurdistan region, saying «There is a case of understanding between the two sides as well as the status of the significant progress that took place during the talks on outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil, as claimed claimed by the Kurdistan region devoted to the application of the Constitution and the existing agreements in this regard and is nothing new or novel».
He told Alborznji «Middle East» that the previous talks and the current between the two governments are in the atmosphere of friendly and fraternal, and the interruption of the talks over the past days was not a result of the failure of the talks, but the existence of a situation that requires the presence of the head of the territorial government, Najirfan Barzani in Irbil, which is now in Baghdad in order to complete the talks and move forward for a final agreement on all outstanding issues between the two parties. The Iraqi member of the House that it had been agreed to earlier payment to the province's budget, and to keep 17% of the assessed budget of the Center for the territory as it is, in addition to the progress at the level of a law that regulates the investment of oil and gas through the application of paragraphs relating to the constitutional
Subject formula flexible reservation and believes the state of cooperation and coordination between the federal government and the government of the Territory without prejudice to what is contained in the Constitution. But the Kurdish leader warned of the consequences of breach of any item of the Constitution, saying «We are committed to the unity of Iraq's land and people, government and sovereignty as long as respect the constitution voted on by the majority of the Iraqi people». He said that the Kurds would not have agreed to abide by the terms of the Constitution in case of breach of the Constitution and rising «This will be Iraq's unity will be threatened and cracked the end of this unit is not expected nor hoped for and we do not want». For his part, the Sami military member of the House on the mass of the United Iraqi Alliance, said that the talks between Baghdad and Erbil is a fraternal environment and an atmosphere of mutual understanding, pointing out that the disputed issues were related to the share of the Kurdistan from the central budget has been resolved. As for the oil and investment, the military said that the problem between the two sides are about to end this matter by agreement between the parties on a specific mechanism to ensure a role for the center, also included the role of the territory within the framework of the Constitution without violating any of the items of the Iraqi constitution. The military is close to the Attorney-Maliki that «any demand presented by the Kurds within the ceiling of the constitution is a draft, and any demand outside the powers of the Constitution is a requirement that is rejected, and the Iraqi government happy to meet demands
The constitutional, but they can not meet or agree to the demands unconstitutional ». He ruled out military crisis between the two parties, or the possibility of such a crisis might occur between the Baghdad government and the government of Arbil in the event if rejected demands of the Kurds, saying «no crisis at all and could not occur if the Kurdish demands unconstitutional, and that what had occurred was a disagreement over the size of the proceeds and share the territory of the budget, has settled in a positive way and the cause of the oil is about to expire, depending on the wishes of the parties». The Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had agreed with the Prime Minister of the government of the Kurdistan region, Najirfan Barzani in the talks that took place late February (February), in Baghdad, the formation of a joint ministerial commission between the government center and the government of the province, on research on the points of disagreement between the two sides, after they discussed ways to strengthen the economic situation and coordination between the bodies concerned in the central government and the territorial government in the areas of finance, economic and reconstruction projects.
Translated version of http://www.al-hodaonline.com/newsarticle.php?choosesec=iraq&id=3415

[QUOTE=smcquiller1;148807]

Originally Posted by Inscrutable

Not being negative friend just asking if the opinion works both ways. I have nothing to frown about except when I start to read the post of those who have over-extended themselves because of the sure thing next week that's hyped. My post are intended to help keep those who can't avoid the hype grounded. I'll certainly continue enjoying a prosperous life and my holidays will only get better each year, no frowns.

You have no idea what another person's situation is. You assume that some people are over extended because of investing in the dinar. Did anyone give you a cyrstal ball to look into someone else's life. You pompous *****. This is life and it happens; and some times, circumstances beyond our control causes people hardships. I know that this is a good investment for everyone that decided to invest in it. They planted a seed and it will grow and make a return for them. In the meantime, we keep living and dealing with life's situations because we don't have a choice. It is easy to say that we have compassion for the iraqi people that are suffering and for our soldiers that are caught in this war zone for our freedom and for the iraqi people and others in the world, but is it so hard to show some compassion for those that are right here at home that may be having a hard time today? Remember, the wind won't blow up the same dog's as*** everyday. The wind will shift directions and when it does, you just may be the one fanning flies off your as** no matter now carefully you planned your finances. I hope you stay in good health and of a sound mind, I got a feeling a few people will remember what an assumptive butt you have been when others were in need and "pay back" is a beatch. This is the season that we express our love to one another, which we should always, love our neighbors as our selves, if you want a reference to that one, pick up the bible, its there in print. The bible says that we should look on that of another man and not of our own, not to be envious, but sometimes, Mr. "I have it all together", see if there is someone that you can be a blessing to instead of looking down your nose at people. You can respond to this if you wish but I won't answer you any more, I have wasted enough time responding to your ignorance; and besides, no matter what I say or anyone else for that matter, you are who you are and your opinion is what it is; I am just hoping that the wind shifts real soon and blows that smirk right off your face.

Now Gang, How Bout an RV!!!!

NICE HIT!

[QUOTE=smcquiller1;148807]

Originally Posted by Inscrutable

Not being negative friend just asking if the opinion works both ways. I have nothing to frown about except when I start to read the post of those who have over-extended themselves because of the sure thing next week that's hyped. My post are intended to help keep those who can't avoid the hype grounded. I'll certainly continue enjoying a prosperous life and my holidays will only get better each year, no frowns.

You have no idea what another person's situation is. You assume that some people are over extended because of investing in the dinar. Did anyone give you a cyrstal ball to look into someone else's life. You pompous *****. This is life and it happens; and some times, circumstances beyond our control causes people hardships. I know that this is a good investment for everyone that decided to invest in it. They planted a seed and it will grow and make a return for them. In the meantime, we keep living and dealing with life's situations because we don't have a choice. It is easy to say that we have compassion for the iraqi people that are suffering and for our soldiers that are caught in this war zone for our freedom and for the iraqi people and others in the world, but is it so hard to show some compassion for those that are right here at home that may be having a hard time today? Remember, the wind won't blow up the same dog's as*** everyday. The wind will shift directions and when it does, you just may be the one fanning flies off your as** no matter now carefully you planned your finances. I hope you stay in good health and of a sound mind, I got a feeling a few people will remember what an assumptive butt you have been when others were in need and "pay back" is a beatch. This is the season that we express our love to one another, which we should always, love our neighbors as our selves, if you want a reference to that one, pick up the bible, its there in print. The bible says that we should look on that of another man and not of our own, not to be envious, but sometimes, Mr. "I have it all together", see if there is someone that you can be a blessing to instead of looking down your nose at people. You can respond to this if you wish but I won't answer you any more, I have wasted enough time responding to your ignorance; and besides, no matter what I say or anyone else for that matter, you are who you are and your opinion is what it is; I am just hoping that the wind shifts real soon and blows that smirk right off your face.

Now Gang, How Bout an RV!!!!

NOW THAT GETS A HUGE - FARM JIG!!!!
AND THANK YOU SMC FOR SEND OUT THIS
"""ROLCLUB SLAP""""

MERRY DINAR CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS!!

Well, it seems like a very slow day for news today; and if arguing is going to be today's flavor-of-the-day I guess I'll take a break from the forum till tomarrow.

My best to all.

U.S. spokesman in Iraq dismisses report on Saudis helping Sunnis


BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. military official in Iraq isn't putting much stock in a report that Saudi Arabia might give financial help to Iraq's Sunnis if America pulls out.

According to The New York Times, the Saudi king sent the warning to Vice President Cheney while Cheney was visiting there two weeks ago.

Major General William Caldwell, the U.S. military's top spokesman in Iraq, dismisses it. Caldwell says he doesn't think it "came from the government of Saudi Arabia." He says leaders there made it clear it's not their "official position" and that the person who spoke did so out of place.

The Saudis flatly deny the report.

thanks,
Sarah!

Please explain how all this jousting is news about the dinar. You know the subject of this thread.