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

Originally Posted by AlwaysDreaming

It actually has changed. Remember, we're talking fraction of a cent changes with the dinar right now. When I first started buying from Chase, I paid 767.60 per mil then last week I paid 782.50 for a mil and today it's at 782.90 per mil. And I'm hopefull that the next time I go into Chase to discuss dinars, it will be to cash them in!!!!!

Your so correct. I have many DayJob freinds that had Invested awhile back. And with the News I tell them from the Forum on a Daily Bases Now, A lot more bought this Past week-end and some recieved today. Again They all got 25,000 nid's.

Some of my freinds now want some of the Smaller Notes. So I send them to Iraq dinars Dinar Trade and tell them they are a member of Rolclub. After of course they are. I have to be cool here now, they give me Hell at work from the night before on the forum.

Anyways you guys remember the same. In the Rolclub Support for DinarTrade Thread: http://www.rolclub.com/iraqi-dinar-d...inartrade.html there is #'s and Prices as well as the info for discounts for Rolclub Members. I will tell you now that if you make the call and just chat abit you can make your own deal.

Example: They charge $500 for a Half Million of 5k's, I pick them up for Christmas Gifts for $450 I know I could of gotten them from Chase for around $400 but, would of gotten all 25k's mostlikley. So dinartrades price is not that much difference. Plus They go the extra mile with a Cool Iraq money Envolope as well. So Just passing this on.

Originally Posted by AlwaysDreaming

It actually has changed. Remember, we're talking fraction of a cent changes with the dinar right now. When I first started buying from Chase, I paid 767.60 per mil then last week I paid 782.50 for a mil and today it's at 782.90 per mil. And I'm hopefull that the next time I go into Chase to discuss dinars, it will be to cash them in!!!!!

I got my order today from Chase. I ordered large denoms, was sent used 5,000 dinar notes. I have always gotten 25,000 notes from them until now.

Originally Posted by greatstuff

It looks like the domain "www.uruklink.net" is shut off for now (the registrar is not revealing the info). They could be moving it, or just keeping it offline for some reason.

For those of you who don't understand how it all works, think of the url as a name. Your browser goes and looks up the name on a name server (DNS) to get an address (those number urls like 123.33.442.2). Then it can actually connect to the server where the site is and display pages for you. It's kind of like looking somebody up in the phone book to get their number. Anyway, the entry for this url has been taken out of the name server, so your browser can't get the address.

DomainTools Exclusive
* NS History: 2 changes. Using 3 unique name servers in 4 years.
* IP History: 1 change. Using 1 unique IP address in 3 years.
*Whois History: 122 records have been archived since 2003-01-15
* Dedicated Hosting: Uruklink.net is hosted on dedicated server.
*Monitor Domain: Set Alerts on uruklink.net DNS FAILURE

Iraqi dinar builds head of steam amid nation's chaos
The currency nears its peak value since being reissued in 2004. With the state buying to curb inflation, the strength may be temporary.
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Times Staff Writer
December 11, 2006


BAGHDAD — An unexpected bright spot has appeared in this war-ravaged Iraqi capital: The national currency is strengthening against the U.S. dollar.

The dinar has appreciated to about 1,400 dinars to the dollar, near its two-year high, triggering a dinar buying frenzy among currency traders.



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"I had people call to sell $150,000, $100,000. I had to tell them I didn't have that many dinars," said Alaa al Shemry, deputy manager at the Beirut Exchange Co., where he sat last week, watching a man sell dollars for the blue 5,000-dinar notes adorned with waterfalls and desert fortresses.

Economists and investors say the dinar's rise is temporary and largely driven by the Iraqi Central Bank, which is buying the currency as it seeks to raise interest rates to combat rampant inflation.

But that hasn't stopped currency speculators from seeking to cash in.

A.F. Alhajji, an associate professor of economics at Ohio Northern University who has studied the Iraqi economy for 15 years, received e-mail from Mideast currency speculators urging him to buy Iraqi dinars, similar to messages he got after the dinar was issued in 2004.

Alhajji says he watched teenagers in Jordan and Saudi Arabia respond to the e-mail, buying up the currency.

"They seriously think they can gain money by buying Iraqi dinars. This has become like a fever over there," he said.

And not just over there.

In Danbury, Conn., Jeff Pasquarella is buying billions of Iraqi dinars for customers through his currency trading website, Bet-OnIraq.com, which sells the Iraqi currency "because liberty breeds prosperity." EDinar Financial in Los Angeles and similar companies have popped up from Nevada to Wisconsin.

At Dinar Trade in Brentwood, Tenn. (formerly Bakersfield), sales dropped off during the last few months but picked up again in the last two weeks as many of its 54,000 customers took a renewed interest in the dinar, an employee said. The company expects the dinar to appreciate 10% to 20% in value.

"Picture Iraq as a company selling stock," the website says. "Each Dinar you purchase represents a share in Iraq's bright future."

On Thursday, the last day of business in this largely Muslim country, the dinar was trading at 1,424 against the dollar, according to the central bank. That was its strongest price since March 2004, when it was 1,420.

Some economists are surprised at the dinar's rise, considering that Iraq's economy is still a shambles, with trade and major industries such as agriculture and oil crippled by the ongoing conflict.

Electricity is so sporadic in the capital that the Iraq Stock Exchange — which is preparing to switch from erasable white to electronic boards on the trading floor — can still count on only two hours of power a day.

In late November, three car bombs exploded in markets near the central bank, killing at least 68 people, injuring 111 and destroying 22 businesses, police said.

The dinar's price is determined at streetside foreign exchanges and daily dollar auctions at the central bank. Each weekday except Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, traders from 30 state-run and private banks arrive at the central bank in downtown Baghdad, each bearing an envelope listing the amount of dollars they wish to buy and a bid price. Bank managers confer and set the price.

The central bank is widely believed to be trying to force the exchange rate down to 1,000 dinars per dollar, in line with the Saudi riyal and the Jordanian and Kuwaiti dinars.

Ahmed Salman Jabouri, the deputy central bank governor who oversees the foreign exchange market, said Iraqi banks were buying up dinars, reversing a recent trend.

Under a multiyear agreement with the International Monetary Fund, Iraq is required to increase its dollar reserves and bring inflation down to 15% as part of the nation's reconstruction effort. During the last two years, the bank's dollar reserves about doubled, records show, now totaling about $11 billion, while inflation has leaped this year, Jabouri said.



An IMF report in May showed inflation of 58% during the previous 12 months, compared to 31.7% the year before. Economists and investors put current inflation even higher, at up to 80%.

A Western official in Baghdad said the Iraqi government is doing all it can to fight inflation.

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"They're basically meeting their targets," said the official, who requested anonymity. "I think this is actually a good thing for Iraqi consumers."

Most Iraqis receive oil and food subsidies but struggle to pay for cars, computers and other items, said Laith al Abadi, 30, a computer engineer who was exchanging dollars for dinars at the Beirut Exchange Co. last week. Abadi said he imports PCs on the black market to avoid taxes and keep his prices low — $300 to $1,400 for a basic model.

"If something changes, if the market is OK, then I pay taxes," he said.

Investors were more upbeat last week at the stock exchange, where 93 stocks appeared on whiteboards. In a stucco building behind an armed checkpoint and concrete barriers, men fingered prayer beads as they waited for the exchange to open. Some said they are more confident that the central bank can curb inflation as the dinar's value rises.

"It's a sign of stability because you are going to have capital that has fled the country coming back," said Saad Lutfi, 64, a trader who mostly invests in the banking sector, which he said is picking up. "But it's a long-term thing."

Alhajji, the Ohio economist, said Iraqis were following the bank's lead, exchanging dollars for dinars.

"People historically, since the days of Saddam Hussein, saved their money in non-Iraqi currency. Since the U.S. came, it was the U.S. dollar, especially since the military was paying in dollars," he said. Now people believe the economy is improving and will keep buying dinars, he added.

Even with prices rising, U.S. soldiers in the streets and bombs in the markets?

"Sometimes high inflation is a sign that the economy is picking up," Alhajji said. "In Dubai, inflation is rampant, but it is one of the most prosperous places in the world."

But Iraq is no United Arab Emirates. The Dubai skyline is dotted with construction cranes, while Baghdad's high-rises are pocked by mortar rounds. Iraq emerged from Hussein's rule with $125 billion in international debt, pared down to $76 billion, and trade ties weighted heavily in favor of foreign countries, chiefly the U.S.

Add to that the complications of post-colonial currency shifts.

After World War I, when Iraq fell under British rule, the official currency was the Indian rupee, with rates set by the empire. Once Iraq gained independence in 1932, leaders created a national currency board to set exchange rates for the dinar but not shape monetary policy.

Under Hussein, the exchange rate fell from $3.30 per dinar to a low of 3,000 dinars per dollar in 1995 as the government, bedeviled by international embargoes, massively printed old dinar notes, including those emblazoned with the dictator's likeness.

The new central bank was created with U.S. and British oversight in part to help stabilize the dinar. Some say the currency's rise amid the sectarian war is the result of the bank's dysfunctional money management.

"Given their history with money in Iraq, they should never have had a central bank," said professor Steve H. Hanke, co-director of the Institute for Applied Economics and the Study of Business Enterprise at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

He said Iraq should replace the central bank with the currency board it had before or adopt a foreign currency. Ecuador, El Salvador and East Timor have adopted the dollar, he noted, while Montenegro and Kosovo use the euro.

Hanke called the dinar's rise "both very dangerous and the worst of all possible worlds" because it is not curbing inflation.

"This is a major train wreck waiting to happen," he said.

The head of the Iraq Stock Exchange, Taha A. Salam, said the dinar will inevitably decline in value. When it does, he said, "you will have more problems in the streets" as Iraqis' buying power wanes.

Shemry, the exchange dealer, advises clients like Mudhaffar Jenari, an employee at the Ministry of Oil, to keep their dollars as insurance against further unrest. Just a few months ago, a car bomb exploded up the street, wounding the owner of another foreign exchange shop and killing an employee. After the blast, thieves stole $40,000.

"Everything depends on the security situation," Shemry said.

This is true for the dinar as with everything else. "One thing goes badly, and we lose everything."[email protected]

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December 12, 2006
Inflation-fighting move attracts dinar speculators
Companies sprouting up to buy billions of Iraqi currency.
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske Special to The Morning Call | An unexpected bright spot has appeared in this war-ravaged Iraqi capital: The national currency is strengthening against the U.S. dollar.

The dinar appreciated last month to about 1,400 dinars to the dollar, near its two-year low, triggering a dinar-buying frenzy among currency traders.


Lehigh Valley Local Links


Mobile News | Subscribe Online | Order Reprints ''I had people call to sell $150,000, $100,000. I had to tell them I didn't have that many dinars,'' said Alaa al Shemry, deputy manager at the Beirut Exchange Co., where he sat last week, watching a man sell dollars for the blue 5,000-dinar notes adorned with waterfalls and desert fortresses.

Economists and investors say the dinar's rise is temporary and largely driven by the Iraqi Central Bank, which is buying the currency as it seeks to raise interest rates to combat rampant inflation. But that hasn't stopped currency speculators from seeking to cash in.

A.F. Alhajji, an associate professor of economics at Ohio Northern University who has studied the Iraqi economy for 15 years, received e-mail from Middle East currency speculators urging him to buy Iraqi dinars, similar to messages he got after the dinar was issued in 2004 at a rate of 4,000 per dollar.

Alhajji says he watched teenagers in Jordan and Saudi Arabia respond to the e-mail, buying up the currency.

''They seriously think they can gain money by buying Iraqi dinars. This has become like a fever over there,'' he said.

And not just over there.

In Danbury, Conn., Jeff Pasquarella is buying billions of Iraqi dinars for customers through his currency-trading Web site, Bet-OnIraq.com, which sells the Iraqi currency ''because liberty breeds prosperity.'' EDinar Financial in Los Angeles and other similar companies have popped up from Nevada to Wisconsin.

At Dinar Trade in Brentwood, Tenn., sales dropped off during the past few months but picked up again during the last two weeks as many of the 54,000 customers took a renewed interest in the dinar, an employee said. The company expects the dinar to appreciate 10 percent to 20 percent in value, he said.

''Picture Iraq as a company selling stock,'' the Web site says, ''Each dinar you purchase represents a share in Iraq's bright future.''

Some economists say they are surprised at the dinar's rise, given Iraq's economy is still in shambles, with trade and major industries such as agriculture and oil crippled by the ongoing conflict.

Electricity in the capital is so sporadic that the Iraq Stock Exchange — which is preparing to switch from white erasable to electronic boards on the trading floor — can still only count on two hours of power a day. Two weeks ago, three car bombs exploded in markets near the Central Bank of Iraq, killing at least 68 people, injuring 111 and destroying 22 businesses, police said.

The dinar's price is determined at street-side foreign exchanges and daily dollar auctions at the Central Bank. Each weekday except Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, traders from 30 state-run and private banks arrive at the Central Bank in downtown Baghdad, each bearing an envelope listing the amount of dollars they wish to buy and a bid price. Bank managers confer and set the price.

The central bank is widely believed to be forcing the exchange rate down to 1,000 dinars per dollar, in line with the Saudi riyad, and the Jordanian and Kuwaiti dinars.

Ahmed Salman Jabouri, the deputy Central Bank governor who oversees the foreign exchange market, said Iraqi banks were buying up dinars, reversing a recent trend.

Under a multiyear agreement with the International Monetary Fund, part of the nation's reconstruction effort, Iraq is required to increase its dollar reserves and bring inflation down to 15 percent. During the past two years, the bank's dollar reserves about doubled, record show, and now total about $11 billion, while inflation is up 50 percent this year, Jabouri said, citing Iraqi government statistics.

An IMF report last May showed inflation of 58 percent during the previous 12 months, compared with 32 percent the year before.

Economists and investors put inflation even higher, at 70 percent to 80 percent, and the Central Bank has predicted inflation will increase 15 percent this year.

A Western official in Baghdad said the Iraqi government is doing all it can to fight inflation.

''They're basically meeting their targets,'' he said. ''I think this is actually a good thing for Iraqi consumers.''

Others say the currency's rise amid the sectarian civil war is the result of the bank's dysfunctional money management.

''Given their history with money in Iraq, they should never have had a central bank,'' said Steve H. Hanke, a professor of applied economics and co-director of the Institute for Applied Economics and the Study of Business Enterprise at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

He said Iraq should replace the central bank with the currency board it had before, or adopt a foreign currency.

Hanke called the dinar's rise ''both very dangerous and the worst of all possible worlds,'' because it is not curbing inflation.

''This is a major train wreck waiting to happen,'' he said.

Molly Hennessy-Fiske is a reporter for Los Angeles Times, a Tribune Publishing newspaper.

Originally Posted by railroad

On theory #1... At what level or at what time could we see this on Forex. Or for better understanding, what drives this currency to forex???? Does a currency just show up on Forex or is there a process it has to go through.

I believe one of the rules for joining the WTO is an internationally traded currency, Anyone please correct if wrong Thanks

International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq (IAMB) -- An audit oversight body for the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) -- Press Release, December 18, 2006

International Advisory and Monitoring Board on the Development Fund for Iraq
Press Release
December 18, 2006
Statement by the International Advisory and Monitoring Board on the Development Fund for IraqThe International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) on the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) met in New York on December 11, 2006 and issued the following statement:

"The International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) has been in operation since May 2003 to oversee the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI). The IAMB released its first summary report in December 2004 covering its operations for the period from the establishment of the DFI on May 22, 2003 until the dissolution of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) on June 28, 2004. We now present our second interim report with the IAMB’s comments and conclusions on our work until December 2006.

"The primary responsibility of the IAMB is to promote the objectives set forth in UNSCR 1483 of ensuring that the DFI is used in a transparent manner for the benefit of the Iraqi people and that export sales of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas are made consistent with prevailing international best practices. In the period from inception in 2003 to end-June 2006 the DFI received $68.8 billion from the proceeds of Iraqi oil export sales, balances from the UN oil-for-food program and frozen Iraqi funds, and disbursed $59.6 billion for the Ministry of Finance, letters of credit for Iraqi ministries, and contracts administered by US Agencies.

"The Board has consistently raised concerns about inadequate controls over Iraqi oil and other aspects of the DFI’s operations, originally with the US Government and more recently with the Government of Iraq. The IAMB was one of the first to raise these issues and alert others about these practices:

The absence of oil metering. The IAMB recommended in March 2004 the expeditious installation of a comprehensive oil metering system in Iraq in accordance with standard oil industry practices. Oil metering is a key factor to achieve financial transparency and accountability over oil resources in Iraq. Oil production and the related oil export sales have dropped since early 2003, but are gradually rising again in 2006. As an interim step, the IAMB welcomed steps taken by the CPA to curtail smuggling. Some metering has since been installed at oil terminals, but there continues to be no metering in the oil fields. While the Iraqi Government supports oil metering, progress has been slow.

The use of barter transactions for certain oil sales. The IAMB continues to be concerned that barter transactions are not accounted for in the DFI as required by UNSCR 1483. The State Oil Marketing Organization recorded barter transactions of $689 million between May 2003 and June 2006. Some bartering of oil for electricity with a neighboring country continues. The use of barter transactions makes it difficult to determine whether fair value has been received for Iraq’s oil export revenues.

Persistent weak controls in the spending ministries. Recent audits note that the DFI overall control systems need to be strengthened and continue to be critical of the financial and accounting control systems in place in the spending ministries, the US agencies in respect of outstanding commitments using DFI resources and the Iraqi administration of DFI resources. The overall control system needs to be further improved to be sufficiently effective.
The use of non-competitive bidding procedures by the CPA for some contracts funded from the DFI. The IAMB recommended that competitive bidding procedures be used and welcomed steps taken by the CPA to limit future single-sourced contracts to exceptional circumstances. The IAMB continues to question the reasonableness of some of the costs charged and the adequacy of the administration of contracts. While only relatively small exceptions were noted in the recent follow‑up special audits, including of KBR contracts, the IAMB noted exceptionally high transportation costs charged in providing humanitarian fuel supplies to Iraq, in some cases as much as 86 percent of the total contract costs and resulting in a final cost of nearly $7 per gallon. The IAMB observed that the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) has also noted high levels of overhead costs in other contracts. In view of the findings of the special audits, the IAMB recommended that the Iraqi Government seek resolution with the US Government concerning the use of resources of the DFI which might be in contradiction with UNSCR 1483.

"Under its mandate the IAMB has overseen six audits of the DFI conduced by international accounting firms, KPMG and Ernst & Young. These audits were undertaken on the ground in Iraq and under increasingly adverse security conditions. The audits cover (i) oil export sales to ensure that such sales are consistent with prevailing international market best practices, (ii) the accounting for the proceeds from oil export sales, (iii) the DFI financial statements, and (iv) the disbursements procedures for DFI resources to ensure that funds are used for the purposes intended.

"The IAMB welcomes the progress being made in strengthening the financial and administration controls over the use of DFI resources in the spending ministries, but further measures are necessary. The Iraqi representative, the President of the Board of Supreme Audit, and SIGIR have all briefed IAMB on progress in implementing earlier IAMB recommendations and in strengthening the overall framework for public financial management in Iraq. The IAMB took note of SIGIR findings regarding oversight of DFI funds provided to Iraqi ministries and US reconstruction projects that were similar to those identified by the DFI auditors. The Iraqi financial management law contains provisions on accountability and audit oversight, including publication of financial reports of oil revenues. Other steps reported to the IAMB include the establishment of an inspector general directorate within each ministry; steps to strengthen control at the Ministry of Oil and the spending ministries; the adoption of rules and regulations regarding disbursements of allocated funds; and the training of finance personnel. However, progress is slow and rebuilding the financial infrastructure will take some time. The IAMB continues to urge the Government of Iraq to take concrete steps to address the audit findings and recommendations to ensure that oil resources are better protected.

"The IAMB has also overseen special audits of sole sourced contracts. Earlier Defense Contract Audit Agency audit reports indicated overcharges and questioned costs in excess of $200 million on these contracts. The US Government commissioned these audits with long delays. The audits have now been completed and all sole‑sourced contracts in excess of $5 million awarded by the CPA have been the subject of a special audit. The IAMB concluded that contracts using DFI resources for an amount of $1.5 billion were in line with US Government procurement practices and were mostly supported by proper documentation, with a few exceptions. The auditors reported that in their opinion the settlements between KBR and the US Army Corps of Engineers were reasonable.

"The IAMB welcomes the establishment of an Iraqi oversight body—the Committee of Financial Experts (COFE)—by the Council of Ministers in October 2006 to exercise ongoing oversight over petroleum revenues. The COFE will be chaired by the President of the Board of Supreme Audit and include two independent experts to be chosen by and reporting to the Council of Ministers with required public disclosure of their reports. The IAMB has made recommendations on the modalities of the oversight body to the Government of Iraq. Building on the financial management law, the successor oversight body will be independent, competent and professional, to ensure the continued oversight of external audits and to succeed the IAMB at the conclusion of its work. The IAMB is already taking steps to ensure a smooth hand-over of responsibilities and we expect that the COFE members will attend the remaining IAMB meetings and work alongside the IAMB in the oversight of Iraq’s oil export revenues.

"Looking forward to 2007, the IAMB will continue to monitor controls over Iraqi oil export revenues, the use of those revenues in the spending ministries, and the installation of oil metering. Ernst & Young has already been appointed to complete the 2006 audit of the DFI and will report its final findings to the IAMB. The IAMB will determine how the Board and its member organizations can advise the Government of Iraq on further strengthening the capacity over financial management in Iraq.

Conclusions

"After three years of overseeing Iraq’s oil export sales and the DFI, the IAMB can conclude that:

The IAMB continues to fulfill its mandate of promoting the objectives set forth in the UNSCR 1483 of ensuring that the DFI is used in a transparent manner for the benefit of the Iraqi people and that export sales of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas are made consistent with prevailing international best practices.

The Iraqi Government must exercise strong financial and budgetary controls over oil export sales in a transparent way. Transparency in the collection, recording, investing and spending of oil revenues is of paramount importance in providing ongoing assurance that Iraqi oil resources are properly managed and spent, including publishing such information.
The effectiveness and control over the DFI expenditures is questioned and controls need to be improved. This is in part due to the security situation and the largely ineffective contracting procedures. The IAMB continues to question the reasonableness of the costs incurred under sole-sourced contracts and the adequacy of the administration of contracts and has recommended that the Iraqi Government seek resolution with the US Government on the use of resources that might be in contradiction with UNSCR 1483.

The IAMB looks forward to continuing to work closely with the successor Iraqi oversight body and arrangements are in place to ensure a smooth transition when the mandate of the IAMB expires. The IAMB will continue its oversight role in 2007 and will advise the Iraqi Government on the further strengthening of financial management. The Iraqi oversight body should continue to follow up on the IAMB’s findings and recommendations to ensure that oil resources are better protected.
Background on IAMB

"The IAMB, whose mandate was recently extended by the United Nations Security Council, is now scheduled to conclude its oversight role of the financial position of the DFI, the principal repository for Iraq’s oil-export receipts, no later than end-December 2007. The mandate of the IAMB was initially extended until December 31, 2006 under UNSCR 1637 and further extended until December 31, 2007 under UNSCR 1723. This resolution recognized the significant role of the IAMB in helping the Government of Iraq to ensure that Iraq’s resources are being used transparently and equitably for the benefit of the people of Iraq.

"The IAMB’s terms of reference, approved in October 2003, provide the IAMB mandate to oversee the completeness of deposits into the DFI, the management of the funds in the DFI and the use of DFI resources in the spending ministries, together with the power to complete special audits, which has proven useful. The IAMB is structured along the lines of international best practice models for audit oversight committees.

"The IAMB initially comprised four members representing the Executive Heads of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, and the World Bank. A fifth member was designated by the Government of Iraq in June 2004. Until June 28, 2004 disbursements from the DFI were directed by the CPA in consultation with the Iraqi interim administration. The mandate and membership of the IAMB was initially extended by UNSCR 1546 and resources of the DFI were controlled by the Government of Iraq from June 2004.

"The security situation continues to prevent the establishment of the IAMB secretariat in Baghdad as provided in the terms of reference. As an alternative, a virtual secretariat was established, with the operational work of the IAMB being undertaken by staffs of the Board members. In line with the principle of full transparency, the IAMB established a website (International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq (IAMB) -- An audit oversight body for the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI)) to disseminate documentation and information related to its operations. The IAMB has published all audit reports and related documents on its website and has issued press releases after each meeting.

"The next meeting of the IAMB is tentatively scheduled for May 2007."

In my post on November 26, 2006 (#27242), I suggested that the New York Times would make no mention of American military deaths for November, because at that time it looked as if they would be approximately 30% fewer
than in October. In fact there were 34.9% fewer than in October. Did you
see that improvement reported the New York Times? You know the answer. Of course not, because that news didn't fit the Times' agenda.

Similarly, have you read in the media that there were fewer American deaths in Iraq in 2005 than in 2004 and fewer in 2006 than in 2005? Did you know
that in the last thirteen (13) months - October, 2005 through November 2006 - there were fewer month-over-month American deaths in Iraq in nine (9) of those months, versus only four (4) months in which American deaths increased over the previous month?

Contrariwise, the media's word formulas over that period would lead the casual reader to believe that there has been nothing but constant deterioration. That reporting by omission is misleading and false. The media should be ashamed of itself, but it obviously is not.

Consequently, though, we dinar holders will be permitted to cash in at will - thanks in no small part to the media's gross malpractice.

Originally Posted by Ranger III

In my post on November 26, 2006 (#27242), I suggested that the New York Times would make no mention of American military deaths for November, because at that time it looked as if they would be approximately 30% fewer
than in October. In fact there were 34.9% fewer than in October. Did you
see that improvement reported the New York Times? You know the answer. Of course not, because that news didn't fit the Times' agenda.

Similarly, have you read in the media that there were fewer American deaths in Iraq in 2005 than in 2004 and fewer in 2006 than in 2005? Did you know
that in the last thirteen (13) months - October, 2005 through November 2006 - there were fewer month-over-month American deaths in Iraq in nine (9) of those months, versus only four (4) months in which American deaths increased over the previous month?

Contrariwise, the media's word formulas over that period would lead the casual reader to believe that there has been nothing but constant deterioration. That reporting by omission is misleading and false. The media should be ashamed of itself, but it obviously is not.

Consequently, though, we dinar holders will be permitted to cash in at will - thanks in no small part to the media's gross malpractice.

It is because of posts like this that I gladly come here everyday. Thanks for revealing the truth Ranger.

Iraqi delegation to visit Kuwait and the Gulf to discuss the strengthening of security.
12-19-2006

This issue was sent to a friend

Iraqi delegation to visit Kuwait and the Gulf to discuss the strengthening of security and stability
BAGHDAD (KUNA) : A member of the Committee on Defense and Security in the Iraqi Parliament MP Hassan Al-Sunaid yesterday that the Iraqi delegation and the MPs and the parliamentarians will next week tour to a number of Gulf countries to visit Kuwait initiated extradition leaders letters from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
He said Al-Sunaid, a Aidhaoualovd The Iraqi delegation during his tour, which will include Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman discuss contribute to strengthening security and stability in Iraq and the important regional role for these countries to support the security and political situation in Iraq and contribute effectively to the country's reconstruction and investment.
He continued that the delegation will discuss issues of common interest between Iraq and the three countries in addition to reaffirm the commitment of the Iraqi government Bmoathikha with these countries and the continued cooperation with them.
He also noted that the delegation will discuss all the aspects of Balmahitin Iraqi, Arab and focus on the development of the relations between Iraq and these countries.
The Iraqi delegation, headed by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Safa net and includes the Minister of State and MP Mohamed Aribi Nawzad of Kurdistan and a member of the Committee on Defense and Security in the Iraqi parliament Hassan Al-Sunaid.

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