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

Jordan, Iraq to form joint security committee
Last Updated(Beijing Time):2006-12-14 14:53

Jordan and Iraq will form a joint security committee to preserve security and stability of both countries, said a Jordanian-Iraqi statement issued on Wednesday.
According to the statement, Jordanian Interior Minister EidFayez and his Iraqi counterpart Jawad Al Bolanni agreed in Wednesday's talks to form a joint security committee to study and coordinate all security affairs and exchange security information related to fighting terrorism and organized crime.

The statement said that the Iraqi side presented a draft of security memorandum of understanding between the two ministries, and the Jordanian side promised to study it thoroughly.

Jordanian and Iraqi officials opened talks in Amman on Wednesday, during which the two sides are expected to discuss a wide range of topics including border issues, the status of Iraqis residing in Jordan, the Jordanian prisoners in Iraq and means of activating bilateral cooperation agreements.

Large numbers of Iraqi refugees, mainly the once-powered Sunni Arabs, have swarmed into the Sunni Jordan since the Iraq war began in March, 2003.

Iraqi government have always accused some Jordanians of funding Iraq's Sunni insurgency or infiltrating into the country to carryout terrorist attacks, citing the Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the slain former leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, as the biggest example.

Jordan itself has been the victim of terrorism. In November,2005, three powerful suicide bombings rocked Amman, killing over60 people, most of them Jordanians.


Source:Xinhuanet
Related articles

Published: 15/12/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)

Iraqi-American troops gear up for battle of Baghdad
By Basil Adas, Correspondent



Baghdad: A total of 250,000 Iraqi and American troops are expected to be deployed in Baghdad to ensure security.

Hadi Al Amiri, Chairman of the Security and Defence Committee at the Iraqi Parliament, said they would take up positions across Baghdad.

The move comes in line with the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group's report, also known as the Baker-Hamilton report, which was released recently. Al Amiri told Gulf News that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki is determined to win "Baghdad's battle", considering it a decisive one to improve the security situation.

"The battle is agreed upon within the Political Council for National Security, which comprises the leaders of political blocs, including the Sunni Accordance Front," Al Amiri said.

All political leaders have now agreed to activate the role of the Iraqi army and police to help achieve security and put an end to the uncontrolled presence of armed militias, he said.

Earlier, political groups were divided over sending Iraqi forces to attack gunmen inside residential areas because the move was viewed as a sectarian act, Al Amiri said.

Babakeer Zebari, the Iraqi army Chief of Staff, said: "Baghdad will be the centre of a comprehensive and firm plan to rid the city of all gunmen."

According to Major General Hussain Ali Kmal, Head of the Intelligence Department at the Interior Ministry, there are between 7,000 and 9,000 armed elements from Al Qaida and the former regime.

Due to the new security plan, Baghdad is likely to see long days of curfew and raid operations. Gunmen were seen putting up barricades in preparation for what seems to be battles with the troops.

Official cost to US of war in Iraq breaches $350b mark
By Tom Clifford, Assistant Editor, International



Dubai: The official cost of the Iraq war breached the $350 billion mark yesterday according to the US based National Priorities Project. By the time it takes you to read this sentence that cost will have gone up by approximately $23,000.

"We just want to give people some idea of the magnitude of the war's expense," the Project's Suzanne Smith told Gulf News. This is not the full cost of the war, just what can be accounted for.

Official figure

"This money is the official amount," Smith said. "There are other costs that are not in the public domain and not included in our figures."

Many economists attribute billions of dollars more in indirect costs, such as equipment replacement and treating wounded soldiers on their return.

The costs have easily outpaced official predictions made in early 2003, before the March invasion.

In January 2003, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld predicted that the war would cost "a number that's something under $50 billion".

At the time there was misplaced optimism that Iraq would be able to offset the cost of the war by oil sales.

In comparison, the Vietnam war between 1964-73, in today's equivalent, cost about $640 billion.

Total global military spending in 2005 was $1.12 trillion according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The US accounts for 48 per cent of this.

Spending

What the money could provide

107,796,841 People with Health Care or

6,435,412 Elementary School Teachers or

161,204,628 Children with Health Care or

2,940,426 Affordable Housing Units or

38,024 New Elementary Schools or

62,398,244 Scholarships for University Students or

6,562,500 Music and Arts Teachers or

391,327,406 Homes with Renewable Electricity

Unemployment at 50%, says minister



By Ikhlas Majeed



Azzaman, December 14, 2006



Nearly half of Iraqis able to work are idle, said Minister of Labor and Social Affairs.



Mohamed Radhi said the high jobless rate was devastating to a country torn by sectarian strife and violence.



He said combating unemployment was as important as the fight against ‘terror’. Joblessness plays into the hands of ‘terrorists’, he said.



He said he had drawn a plan to provide short-term loans to families willing to start up their own businesses particularly those who depend on social benefits for a living.



“This project will contribute to defeating terror and terrorists who target sources of energy and labor. As a result unemployment has reached more than 50 per cent in some provinces,” he said.



He said he had 100,000 small-sized projects in mind and has urged the government set aside enough allocations to have the scheme in place in 2007.



Each family will be given a loan of 10,000 dinars (approx. $6,600) to start the project, he said.

Kurdish university faced with low academic standards

12/14/2006 MENAFN
(MENAFN) With more than half of the students accepted without the required grades, the University of Koya in the Iraqi president's hometown is facing a struggle to maintain academic standards, ME Online reported.

When the Kurdish government introduced a new academic system in the region between the late Nineties and early 2000, it granted ex-peshmerga what's known as "Special Acceptance", meaning they could go to university without meeting the official entrance requirements.

The Kurdish fighters had lost out on an education during their struggle with the Ba'ath regime, but after the autonomous Kurdish region was established in 1991 they settled back into civilian life.

Most of the special acceptances were put forward by affiliates of the PUK. University officials say around 2,600 of the 3,500 students received such preferential treatment.

Although university officials at Koya say they've ceased the special acceptance provision, they admit they are currently facing academic challenges because many of the students that came through the scheme cannot keep up with the workload.

Originally Posted by Mike5200

Unemployment at 50%, says minister



By Ikhlas Majeed



Azzaman, December 14, 2006



Nearly half of Iraqis able to work are idle, said Minister of Labor and Social Affairs.



Mohamed Radhi said the high jobless rate was devastating to a country torn by sectarian strife and violence.



He said combating unemployment was as important as the fight against ‘terror’. Joblessness plays into the hands of ‘terrorists’, he said.



He said he had drawn a plan to provide short-term loans to families willing to start up their own businesses particularly those who depend on social benefits for a living.



“This project will contribute to defeating terror and terrorists who target sources of energy and labor. As a result unemployment has reached more than 50 per cent in some provinces,” he said.



He said he had 100,000 small-sized projects in mind and has urged the government set aside enough allocations to have the scheme in place in 2007.



Each family will be given a loan of 10,000 dinars (approx. $6,600) to start the project, he said.

Is the correct and do you have a link Mike??

Iraq football team reaches finals in Asian Games

12/14/2006 Reuters - By Mussab al-Khairalla
Baghdad - When the referee blows the opening whistle, Iraqis divided by sectarian violence put their differences aside to cheer on their team for 90 minutes.

Soccer-mad Iraqis, Shias, Sunni Arabs and ethnic Kurds alike, are enjoying rare moments of joy as their team charges through to the final of the Asian Games.

Moments after the final whistle saw Iraq knock out favourites South Korea on Tuesday to enter the final, jubilant crowds across Iraq took to the streets dancing to patriotic songs, waving their national flag, firing celebratory shots into the air and honking horns. State TV played music for hours.

Iraqis struggling in their daily lives to survive bombs and sectarian death squads have been glued to television sets watching their team defying the difficulties crippling a country many fear is slipping into civil war or partition.

"I’m extremely happy at this win. These victories give us a deep sense of pride and unity," said Ayad al-Saadi, a die-hard fan in Baghdad who followed the match on the edge of his seat.

"I hope we will win the tournament because we deserve as many happy moments as we can get. The team is a thorn in the eye of the terrorists who want to ruin our country." The team’s performance has captured the hearts of Iraqis, much as the soccer team of the 2004 Olympic Games did, which upset the odds to finish in fourth.

Sunni and Shia media unite in praise of a team straddling, in apparent harmony, the sectarian divides.

"Iraq’s heroes close to gold after great victory over Korea," read a headline in Al Sabah newspaper, controlled by the Shia-led goverment. The Sunni-owned Al Mashriq daily proclaimed: "Our heroes in competition for gold medal."

Ibrahim al-Jumaili and others in the restive western city of Ramadi, in the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, said they couldn’t celebrate as they had wished by firing shots into the air, as fans did in other cities such as Baghdad and in the safer south, where celebratory gunfire lit the night sky.

"We are very proud of this win and we hope it will cement national unity but we couldn’t celebrate by firing our weapons into the air because we feared the Americans would attack us."

I just pulled this from one of my past posts...

Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 0.3109 was the fixed official rate since 1982 and the 2nd set of books still reflect this rate.

In 1989 the money changers were selling at 1.86 USD or .537 IQD so the people were paying MORE instead of the .31 NID.

Cheers!
DayDream

Originally Posted by texaslonghorns

Is the correct and do you have a link Mike??

www.azzaman.com/english

Originally Posted by Mike5200

Each family will be given a loan of 10,000 dinars (approx. $6,600) to start the project, he said.

mis-print or slip?????