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

SeaBees repair runway at logistics hub
Wednesday, 13 December 2006
By Lance Cpl. Ben Eberle
1st Marine Logistics Group


CAMP TAQADDUM — Camp Taqaddum is considered the logistics hub of Iraq due to its existing infrastructure and proximity to major supply routes, but the base's single runway has presented somewhat of a logistical challenge.

Navy construction workers, or "SeaBees," and Marine combat engineers have responded by repairing 10 miles of concrete on Camp Taqaddum's flight line. They plan to have both base runways operational by Feb. 1, 2007.

"It's the largest SeaBee project in Iraq," said Chief Petty Officer Anthony Chance, operations manager for Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74, 3rd Naval Construction Regiment, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Many factors have contributed to the runway damage, including American ordnance.

Allied forces initially attacked Al Taqaddum air base in January 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. They struck again at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, crippling Saddam Hussein's logistical and offensive capabilities through precision air strikes on the airfield.

Since the coalition takeover in 2003, indirect fire from insurgents and heavy air traffic going through the base has resulted in more damage, said Chance, a 41-year-old from Long Beach, Miss.

Inferior construction is also contributing to the airfield's gradual deterioration. Chance said European contractors used low-grade concrete when they built the runways in 1985.

Regardless of what caused the damage, pilots currently flying into Camp Taqaddum can use only one of its runways. Because they can't use any of the taxiways either, planes make a U-turn after landing and use the same runway to drive back to the terminal area.

This monopolizes the base's only functional landing strip and has delayed or cancelled incoming flights, said Chance.

Repairing the inoperative runway and the conjoining taxiways will help end the delays and increase airline traffic from places around the world, such as Kuwait, Germany, Turkey and the United States. This will increase the flow of supplies into the Iraqi theater and boost the war fighters' effectiveness, said Chance.

More than 60 SeaBees and Marines work in shifts – day and night, seven days a week – to repair the airfield.

Working with heavy equipment through inclement weather requires constant safety awareness, said Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey C. Littlefield, a quality control/safety supervisor for NMCB-74.

"If one man is injured the whole project would be delayed," said Littlefield, a 34-year-old from Portsmouth, R.I. "Safety is paramount, and we look out for each other."

Another consideration is maintaining the heavy equipment, and the SeaBees have plenty of it. The unit uses 96 pieces of "rolling stock," such as bulldozers and forklifts, and 11 concrete saws.

"Heavy equipment is made for running (nonstop), but our equipment is older," said Chief Petty Officer Tyler A. Watters, mechanics supervisor with NMCB-74.

Watters said that running simple maintenance checks, such as checking oil and other fluids, helps avoid breakdowns, but he added that the unit's mechanics can also make major repairs.

"Major or minor problems, we take care of them," said Watters, a 30-year-old from Destin, Fla. "I have a young crew, but they do a really good job."

The "young crew" benefits greatly from the joint-service environment, said Staff Sgt. Chris J. Haggerty, heavy-equipment operations supervisor with 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward).

"It's been a good experience for everyone," said Haggerty, from South Bend, Ind. "A lot of the junior sailors have never worked with Marines before."

The reason for this is simple: Navy and Marine Corps construction units usually have different missions while deployed.

"(The SeaBees) are trained in more deliberate, or permanent, construction. Ours is more expedient, whatever it takes to keep the front moving," said Haggerty. "A lot of my guys have picked up (skills) from the sailors."

The job can be messy, and trudging through wet concrete isn't very welcoming when wind chills approach 20 degrees, but the team welcomes the challenge and continues to work through increasingly harsh conditions.

"We have a job as SeaBees," said Chance. "We build, we fight – in that order. We owe it to the war fighters to get them every tool necessary to accomplish their mission out there, kicking down doors and getting the bad guys."

Young talents at the 4th Kurdish Film Festival


Wednesday, December 13, 2006

KurdishMedia.com - By Rzgar Said


Rzgar Said
I am delighted to see so many young Kurdish film makers at the 4th Kurdish Film festival in London. Young Kurdish talents who were born in Europe write, produce and direct their own short films with great skills, simplicity in term of structure and important story elements told in a basic narrative which is clear to the audience.

At the end of each short movie I felt a powerful punch that shocked the audience in term of a dramatic development. For instance, “A Kurdish-Turkish Sunday” by Mehmet Aksoy, which is a tale of one Sunday, the lives of four teenagers reach crisis point when they were passing time by. In a courageous way drugs and sex were depicted, things that were taboos for previous generations of filmmakers.

In “The Boots” by Taban Yassen, a young Kurdish actress who livesg in Bristol (she is well known back home in Kurdistan for her brave acting in many Kurdish series on the national TV) tells the story of how black boots became a symbol of destruction during the Iraq’s Baathist regime which smashed art and tortured artists. An artist who was imprisoned and tortured explores his painful memories by making the statue of Saddam from boots and sets fire to it in his prison after he has been freed after the fall of Saddam’s regime. She got the story very fast in term of establishment, it is not over loaded and she said one simple stylish effective story in a basic limit.

In “Delalo” by Beri Shalmashi a young Iranian Kurdish girl who was born in France and currently lives in Holland, tells the story of a young Kurdish refugee, Azad, who has escaped the oppression of his homeland but is still haunted by memories of it. Can he finally move on? Maybe or maybe not. He is trying to jump into the river, will he jump or not? I think he will jump, but Beri Shalmashi leaves it for the audience to answer that as she tries to alienate the audience from that bit of the plot when it reaches the climax. Beri is a brilliant script writer. She doesn’t keep things in her head but shows them in the shots in a very particular style. Above all the End for her is a choice for the audience.

Fancy a holiday in Iraq?


Wednesday, December 13, 2006

BBC - By Yo Takatsuki

Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan - Spectacular mountain scenery, thousands of years of history and heritage, warm crisp weather for much of the year, cheap food and even alcohol in abundance.

If that sound like the ingredients for the ideal holiday then maybe you should consider a holiday in Northern Iraq.

It is little known to outsiders, but there is one region of Iraq that is enjoying peace and stability while the rest of the country is embroiled in violence.

Iraqi Kurdistan has been self-ruled by the Kurds since 1991 after the first Gulf War, and since the fall of Saddam Hussein and his regime in 2003 the region has prospered, having welcomed a large flow of foreign businesses interested in securing a foothold in Iraq while avoiding the dangers.

Now the Kurdish Regional Government is hoping to attract international tourists as well.

Historical sites

Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan's biggest city, is lively and hectic with new buildings springing up all over the place.

In the middle of the city, standing high on a large rock outcrop above the countless cranes, is the Citadel of Irbil.

Some archaeologists believe that this dusty red fort is the longest continually inhabited place on earth.

People have lived here for some 8,000 years.

Inside people still live and work, but there are plans to transform the Citadel into a major tourist attraction in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Many Iraqis are already flocking here for holidays.

"We are here to spend a few days," says Wasin from Baghdad, while enjoying a stroll through Sami Abdul Rahman Park, recently constructed over the site of a former headquarter for Saddam Hussein's army. Many Kurds were detained and tortured there.

"The city is really peaceful and beautiful. There are no terrorists and no bombs."

"Here we have lot more freedom to walk around," agrees Major Neil Kettering of the US Army, enjoying the privilege of a quiet walk in Irbil.

"In other parts of Iraq you can't do that," he says, referring to the area surrounding his military base in the Tigris Valley.

"People here don't look at us as occupiers. They understand why we are here. Kurdistan is what we perceived all of Iraq would be like after the fall of Saddam Hussein."

Natural beauty

However, it is outside of Irbil where many believe the key to Iraqi Kurdistan's success as a tourist destination lies.

The rugged mountains that make up much of the region have become a popular destination for Iraqis to escape the intense summer heat in decades gone by.

The road heading towards the town of Suleimaniya is a journey that passes through countless peaks and lakes.

The locals have a saying "Kurds have no friends but the mountains."

It is a poignant reflection of the long years the people spent fighting Saddam's regime.

More than 180,000 Kurds are estimated to have been killed in the 1980s during the notorious Anfal campaign.

The former Iraqi leader is currently facing trial in Baghdad for these atrocities on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

One foreigner who thinks the scenery could be a big draw for tourists is Peter Katzlberger of Austrian Airlines.

"In a couple of years I can imagine big tourist potential here," he says.

"This is a beautiful country. You can compare the mountains to ones in Europe and there are lots of opportunities for skiing in winter."

Austrian Airlines is the first international carrier to start flying scheduled services into Irbil, with two flights a week from Vienna commencing on 11 December.

"There's big business development in the region, I think the same will happen for tourism."

Major airport

The Kurdish authorities are betting on more international airlines to follow suit.

Next to the small airport in Irbil they are constructing a massive new terminal and runway - one rumoured to be long enough for even a space shuttle to land on.

When it opens in late 2007, the hope is that it will become an international hub like Dubai or Doha.

But, like many places in Kurdistan, the airport has a tragic history.

"This airport has been, until 1991, a big military base for the Iraqi air force," explains the airport's general director, Taher Horami.

"From here the Iraqi planes took off and destroyed Kurdish society - 4,500 villages were destroyed by the Iraqi army and it all started here.

"Thousands of Kurdish people have been arrested here, tortured and even executed. It has a dark history. We are trying to change that by leaving it behind us."

Image change

The last time there was a bomb in Irbil was in the summer of 2005. yet, the major challenge to get tourists in to Iraqi Kurdistan is convincing them that the region is safe and secure.

The man entrusted with that is Nimrud Baito, the tourism minister in the regional government.

"That is one of our main problems because all people thinking of Kurdistan from a security point of view thinks [it is] the same as the rest of Iraq," he says.

"It's very different here. Security is perfect."

Yet Mr Baito concedes that as far as he knows, not a single foreign tourist has come to Iraqi Kurdistan as yet.

He hopes this will change quickly.

"The big tourist companies are starting to see the (security) situation. Maybe in 2007, over the summer, we are expecting people to come here."

IRAQI CHILDREN 'MOST DEPRIVED' IN THE REGION
A report released by UNICEF on December 11 found that Iraqi children are the most deprived in the Middle East, the UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported the same day. The report, a global survey of 190 countries entitled "The State of the World's Children 2007," found that Iraq has the 33rd highest mortality rate in the world for children aged under five. According to the Iraqi Ministry of Health, in the years since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, children have become more vulnerable to diseases owing to a deterioration in the country's infrastructure, the collapse of the economy, and a shortage of supplies. "Thousands of children are displaced nowadays without medical support. Diarrhea and dehydration have become common diseases among them and, with a lack of medicine, what could be considered acute before is chronic today," said Ahmad Walid, a spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Health, in comments quoted by IRIN. SS

Raising an oil industry in Iraq (13/12/06)

Ministry of Oil prepared a plan to raise oil industry in Iraq and increase exports of crude oil and gas, an authorized source at the ministry said.




He added that among suggested recommendations to increase exports is reacting of Iraqi National Oil Company's law to achieve best administration of oil activities and acceleration issuing needed laws at field of oil wealth and investments to ensure participation of world companies to develop productivity abilities and increase exporting within a system balance between state's goals and achieve best conditions for investment and competition.

Source: Al-Sabah

The Iraq Development Program

The Iraq Development Program is an initiative organised to aid the development of Iraq as an economic force, improve the country socially and benefit its people as they establish themselves as part of the international community. Part of the Development Program network, it aims to promote the role of business in Iraq and enable the necessary transfer of technology from the international community into Iraq.

Vast potential
Enjoying enormous trade and investment potential, Iraq has the resources to become the highest revenue generating country in the Middle East region. The efforts to aid Iraq’s development have resulted in heavy international donations, including a donation of $18.4 billion by the US Congress and $13 billion by other global organisations.

The need to develop Iraq is apparent in a number of industry sectors, including electricity, water, oil, health, transportation, agriculture and telecommunications among others. Within Iraq, it is imperative that power supplies and electrical grids are restored, oil and gas supplies are maximised and that a rebuilding program is fully implemented for the country's airports, roads and schools.

Reform needed

Other areas where reform is needed include the overhauling of Iraq's water system, improving opportunities for education and reforming the healthcare sector. It is also imperative that productivity levels increase within the agricultural sector.

Iraq has a need for a full range of products, services and systems, including hospital and security equipment, medicines, road and rail machinery, oil production tools, finance and telecommunication systems. It is thought that demand for materials and technology within the key sectors of the Iraqi economy may exceed $150 billion, with $60-$70 billion already needed to fully implement the projects already underway.

Opportunities for companies and business people

The Iraq Development Program provides the opportunity for Iraqi companies and businesspeople to meet and form relationships with senior figures from the international business community. These are the individuals that will prove key in aiding Iraq's development and bringing the country into the 21st Century.

Much more than just a series of summits, the Iraq Development Program is a comprehensive initiative established to ensure maximum success for Iraqi companies looking to establish themselves within the international marketplace. Combining face-to-face meetings, informative expert content and the latest communication technology, the Iraq Development Program is essential for any forward-thinking Iraqi business looking to establish trade partnerships with global corporations.

Conducting business in Iraq Contracts in Iraq are only awarded to responsible contractors and sub-contractors. To be considered as responsible, you must demonstrate that you have:


Adequate financial resources
The ability to meet delivery schedules
A satisfactory performance record
A satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics
Appropriate controls and technical skills
The required equipment and facilities or the means by which to obtain them


Labour laws
Equal Employment Opportunity (EE)) applies to prime contractors and sub-contractors outside the US if those employees were recruited within the US.
Age discrimination prohibitions apply in all cases.
Acquiring products produced by child labour is prohibited.
Overseas workers compensation and war hazard insurance applies to contracts in Iraq.


Support office roles
Pentagon Office
Provides assistance to the Project & Contracting Office (PCO) in definining the requirements of contract packages
Provides tracking and validation for contract actions
Maintains a central list of contracts
Provides contract expertise to PCO staff
Provides responses to congressional inquiries
Assigns contracts to DoD purchasing activities
Responsible for the recruitment and deployment of contracting personnel to Iraq


Baghdad Office
Provides assistance to the PCO in defining contract requirement packages
Tracks and validates contract actions
Maintains a central list of contracts
Provides contract expertise to PCO staff
Provides responses to congressional inquiries
Awards and administers contracts
Advises ministers on contracting/acquisition issues


Contracting process
The process begins with the determination of requirements, a joint effort between those parties with the requirements and contracting officers
Statement of work/objectives
This is followed by an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE)
A funding document is released by way of commitment, along with any other procurement-specific documents
The solicitation is issued with request for proposal (RFP)


Source selection process:
Contractor proposal received
Proposal is evaluated
Discussions/negotiations are conducted
Source selection is made


Administering contracts
The contract is awarded
The contract is carried out
Administration handled by Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)
Payment is handled by the Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS)
The contract is completed


Performance validation during contract performance is handled by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), the Central Office of Record (COR), the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative, the customer and the Contracting Officer.
Cost assessments are conducted during source selection, definitisation of unpriced orders and throughout performance. These assessments look at how affordable an agreement is and what scope there is for change.

Acquisition support process
The PCO identifies needs and develops requirement packages
The PCO verifies compliance with 2207 report
The PMO requests apportionment
The Head of Contracting Activity (HCO) determines contracting acticity (Pentagon or Baghdad Contracting Office)
The contract is awarded and administered


Non-construction business opportunities in Iraq
Security/Law enforcement
Anti-ballistic equipment (helmets/vests)
Road signs
Furniture/office equipment
Non-tactical vehicles
Boats (coast guard)


Transportation/Telecommunications
Crash/fire/rescue vehicles
Cargo handling equipment
Ganger trolleys
Air navigation equipment
Flashbutt welders


Healthcare
Tuberculosis program
Maternity program
Blood program
Hospital equipment


Electricity/Water
60 megawatt generator
Inventory of medium voltage conductors
Water treatment facilities/materials
Tub grinders


Justice/Public safety
Firefighting equipment
Witness protection program
Evidence handling facility
Radios


Funding for non-construction projects

Subset of $87 billion supplemental requested by the US administration

Funds allocated by sector approved by Congress for Iraq reconstruction
Office of Management & Budget (OMB) apportions funds on a quarterly basis to agencies tasked by the PCO to execute projects

$200,000.00 US converts to about 283,730,000 Dinar.

Six Suspected Terrorists Detained; Weapons Cache Found



Six Suspected Terrorists Detained; Weapons Cache Found

Coalition Forces detained six suspected terrorists and seized a weapons cache Wednesday morning near Tikrit while seeking a terrorist associated with the al-Qaida in Iraq network.

Intelligence reports also indicated the production of improvised explosive devices was also taking place in the targeted area.

When ground forces searched the targeted building, they discovered a weapons cache consisting of machine guns, pistols, rocket-propelled grenade boosters and a sniper rifle scope. Ground forces also found the equivalent of more than $200,000 in Iraqi Dinar along with more than $160,000 in U.S. currency.

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq

Originally Posted by Mike5200

Fancy a holiday in Iraq?


Wednesday, December 13, 2006

BBC - By Yo Takatsuki
{{{{SNIP}}}} One foreigner who thinks the scenery could be a big draw for tourists is Peter Katzlberger of Austrian Airlines.

"In a couple of years I can imagine big tourist potential here," he says.

"This is a beautiful country. You can compare the mountains to ones in Europe and there are lots of opportunities for skiing in winter."

Austrian Airlines is the first international carrier to start flying scheduled services into Irbil, with two flights a week from Vienna commencing on 11 December.

"There's big business development in the region, I think the same will happen for tourism."

Major airport

The Kurdish authorities are betting on more international airlines to follow suit.

Next to the small airport in Irbil they are constructing a massive new terminal and runway - one rumoured to be long enough for even a space shuttle to land on.

When it opens in late 2007, the hope is that it will become an international hub like Dubai or Doha.

{{{{SNIP}}}}

Image change

The last time there was a bomb in Irbil was in the summer of 2005. yet, the major challenge to get tourists in to Iraqi Kurdistan is convincing them that the region is safe and secure.

The man entrusted with that is Nimrud Baito, the tourism minister in the regional government.

"That is one of our main problems because all people thinking of Kurdistan from a security point of view thinks [it is] the same as the rest of Iraq," he says.

"It's very different here. Security is perfect."

Yet Mr Baito concedes that as far as he knows, not a single foreign tourist has come to Iraqi Kurdistan as yet.

He hopes this will change quickly.

"The big tourist companies are starting to see the (security) situation. Maybe in 2007, over the summer, we are expecting people to come here."

GO KURDS GO!!!!

Economic Trustees of the Stock Exchange : Iraqi President : The time has come for the implementation of the Law on Investment


An economic report
Baghdad-Haider spring
The President called Tabatabai Trustees Stock Exchange that the Iraqi security situation more work Mayaaik Stock Exchange, as well as the investor who faces considerable challenges resulting from this security deterioration, ... However, he pointed out that the status quo

Is temporary and exceptional and therefore must be maintained consistently on the bourse performance, as illustrated by general indicators, which confirms that the development in performance continues to be a salient feature in the march of the market.

He added Tabatabai in a press statement : that the lack of real investment and the appointment of its members and direct the work of a great disappointment among investors in the Stock Exchange of Iraq, particularly the efforts made by workers in the bourse, specifically with regard to updating the performance, since being installed equipment and supplies electronic trading in terms of organizing rooms Stock Exchange for this purpose, he said, adding that such electronic paintings used for the first time in Iraq ...

Tabatabai and expressed the hope that help many factors, the investments by shareholders better than it is now in the forefront of these factors the security situation.

Tabatabai pointed out that the number of shares that have been circulated in the month of September amounted to 4,212 billion shares, an average of 527 million shares of one process, registering an increase of 54,9% on last August. And the volume of transactions in the month of September Tabatabai said that the amount of 8,422 billion dinars, or the rate of 1,052 billion dinars for one meeting. And the number of contracts executed in the same month, it increased to reach a contract in 2928 for the month of August.

Tabatabai also stated that the banking sector is the main engine of the market, as this sector has achieved greater relative importance.

Translated version of http://www.alsabaah.com/

Sotaliraq.com

The first Iraqi delegation opens the file disclosure security in Damascus

(صوت العراق) - 14-12-2006 |(Voice of Iraq) - 12 - 14-2006 | Bluehost.com

Jordanian Interior Minister denies the presence of refugees and Iraqi politicians pledge to continue measures for controlling the border

Damascus Munther Stables
Amman Saad Abbas

Jordan and Iraq agreed yesterday to strengthen security cooperation between them, particularly in the area of counter-terrorism and border control, and that during the talks held in Amman, Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad who is with his Jordanian counterpart Eid Minster, but denied the existence of political refugees Iraqis in the country. He said that subject to the conditions of asylum in Jordan since long periods. Who is up and his accompanying delegation to Damascus tomorrow to hold talks with Syrian Interior Minister Major General Bassam Abdul Majid, carrying a file full disclosure to Damascus for the first time.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, head of the Dawa Party and Ahmed Chalabi, head of National Congress had scoop who is the Syrian capital, who spoke to the press attempts to open channels.

For his part, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Rudolf Bot told (time), confirmed to him during his talks with them in Damascus that Syria will play an important role in resolving the crisis in Lebanon and the application of UN Security Council resolution No. 1071 at the time revealed and Syrian sources informed that the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad would pay a visit to Moscow next week after talks between Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in the Russian capital, which arrive today. The Minster said in a statement following the meeting, expressed his country's keenness on Iraq's security and stability, he said that an agreement had been reached with the Iraqi side on the "continued strengthening of security cooperation between the two sides in all fields through joint security committees, in particular with regard to the fight against terrorism and controlling the borders to prevent infiltration of terrorists", as well as combating organized crime and smuggling operations and other security files. For his part, described his talks in Amman who is with you "important and constructive", saying that Jordan was "all the keenness of cooperation in various issues, specifically with regard to the fight against terrorism and controlling the borders."

Iraq complains of not controlling the neighboring States, which makes it easy for borders against the infiltration of militants who organized armed groups active there. Jordan applies strict security measures on its borders with Iraq to prevent the infiltration of terrorists in and out using sophisticated devices in border control. With expected to meet Syrian President Bashar Alast delegation, the sources in Damascus said that the meeting certainly programmed so far is the discussions with Bassam Abdul Majid, in his capacity as security pledges in addition to other security personalities, unidentified sources. This is the first time, more than a year ago, a visit to Damascus Iraqi delegation to this high level. This visit comes after Damascus and Baghdad resumed diplomatic relations severed since the year 2891 after the visit of Walid Muallim Foreign Minister to Iraq last month.
Newspaper (time)