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

Originally Posted by Par77

Describing the main Shi'ite militia, he wrote: "If we are to avoid a descent into civil war and anarchy then preventing the (Mehdi Army) from developing into a state within a state, as Hizbollah has done in Lebanon, will be a priority."


This the the biggest and strongest opposition they face. If they can knock out or weaken the Mehdi Army I think things will change for the better. Better to do it now, with all our troops over there, then wait until they get stronger.

Be nice if they could clean out the rats and cockroaches that keep the upheaval going and seal the borders. (look who's talking about borders! dear old U.S.)

i was wondering the same thing also

Originally Posted by jsfletcher

Generals Raise Fears of Iraq Civil War
By ANNE PLUMMER FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer

37 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Two of the Pentagon's most senior generals conceded to Congress on Thursday that the surge in sectarian violence in Baghdad in recent weeks means Iraq may descend into civil war.

"Iraq could move toward civil war" if the violence is not contained, Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.


NEWS - Comcast.net

What I notice is the two different terms used....MAY...and COULD. The reporter/writer changed the quoted word "could" to MAY...ANYTHING really COULD happen! The word MAY is just "scarier" and makes for a better "story".

Civil War? Maliki firmly stated that would not happen on his watch.

The funny (not really) thing is...these types of bombings and attacks have been going on for YEARS...but it was really only brought out to the attention of the media when this war began...then people began hearing about the suicide bombers and car bombs and said "Oh! How terrible!" NOT FULLY REALIZING that it is pretty much normal there.

"Shiite and Sunni are going to have to love their children more than they hate each other," Pace said, before the tensions can be overcome. "The weight of that must be on the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government."



AOL News - U.S. Generals See Possibility of Civil War in Iraq

Don't know if this will hyperlink to the article. Interesting read.

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

Iraq's Shia in 'million man march'
by
Thursday 03 August 2006 12:18 PM GMT


Al-Sadr's call is being heeded

Shias from southern and central Iraq have begun travelling to Baghdad in answer to Muqtada al-Sadr's call for a "million man march" in support of Lebanon's Hezbollah.


Waving Iraqi flags and chanting "Death to America! Death to Israel", the demonstrators mounted convoys of buses and headed for the capital on Thursday, some of them wearing white shrouds symbolising their readiness to accept martyrdom.

The demonstration is to be held following Friday prayers in the teeming Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, home to some two million people, and comes at a tense time for the capital.

Sahib al-Ameri, general director of the Foundation for God's Martyrs, part of Sadr's movement said: "Thousands of Najaf people have set off for Baghdad as a response to Moqtada al-Sadr's invitation to take part."

Anger over Israeli attacks on Lebanon - which target Hezbollah but have caused widespread civilian casualties - has raised passions in Iraq, where Shia militias have an uneasy relationship with the US-backed government.

US forces have visibly tightened security around Sadr City, a working class Shia district where Sadr's supporters are openly armed.

"Fifteen-hundred of Sadr's followers from Basra have arrived to take part in the demonstration that had been called in Baghdad," said Sadr spokesman Akil al-Bahadli.

Blast kills 9

Meanwhile, a roadside blast has killed at least nine people in al-Amin, an eastern district of Baghdad, a police source says.


Violence in Baghdad is claiming
100 lives a day

The powerful blast, which also left 14 wounded, hit Shorjah market in an area selling electrical appliances, sending a dirty plume of yellow dust up over the city skyline.

The attack near Rusafi Square in the shopping area of Rashid Street apparently targeted vendors and commercial stalls, said police Lt Ahmed Mohammed Ali.

He said the bomb was hidden in a parked motorcycle.

Another police source said casualties appeared to be civilians, rather than members of the security forces.

The attack occurred as Taro Aso, the Japanese foreign minister, was visiting Baghdad.

Violence in Iraq's capital and other restive areas is claiming around 100 lives every day.

Thursday's attack followed a bomb blast in Baghdad on Wednesday evening next to a soccer pitch which killed 12 and wounded 13, most of whom were players and spectators.


Agencies
By

You can find this article at:
Aljazeera.Net - Iraq's Shia in 'million man march'

Close

Iraq seeks deal on debt to Gulf states
by
Tuesday 01 August 2006 4:11 PM GMT


Bayan Jabor is optimistic that an agreement will be reached

Iraq has not managed to get billions of dollars of Saddam-era debt owed to its Gulf state neighbours forgiven, its finance minister says.


But Bayan Jabor said on Tuesday that he remained optimistic that an agreement would be reached.

Iraq won an 80% cancellation of its $38.9 billion debt to Paris Club creditors in 2004. But it still owes Gulf states about $40 billion, mostly to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Much of the money was borrowed during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

"As for the debts outside the Paris Club, the negotiations are still going on. There is the debts with the Gulf states. We are having talks with the Saudi finance minister. We have agreed to send an Iraqi delegation to Riyadh," Jabor said.

Jabor said discussions were focused on whether the original debt was subject to interest. Baghdad thinks not, while Saudi Arabia claims $15 billion in interest on top on an original $9 billion loan.

"I think the Gulf states will co-operate with us and will help Iraq after we specify the nature of the debt," he said.

Jabor, who took up his post in Iraq's new government two months ago, told Reuters he had worked out a plan to restructure state-owned banks and was considering higher import tariffs and taxes to boost revenue.

He also said that the country's economy was still functioning despite violence that is claiming 100 lives every day.

Debt forgiveness key

Debt forgiveness is a key obstacle to the country's integration into the international financial community and would also help to boost regional trade and commerce.

At the moment, an Iraqi company with a foreign bank account risks having it seized by creditors.

Iraq closed a $14 billion debt swap with private lenders in December but Jabor says he has no plans to seek more funds from international capital markets.

"The free market economy is the best solution. But in Iraq we cannot implement it in a year or two. Maybe after five years or more, Iraq will be similar to the United States"

Bayan Jabor,
Iraq finance minister

However, the country is facing a projected shortfall of $5 billion in its 2006 budget and the finance minister has presented plans to the government to double import tariffs to 10% and create new taxes on some industries and get private firms to pay their share.

"The Iraqi finance depends fully on oil and this is not right. So we have began studying increasing the base of taxes to include sectors which were not covered before, for example the mobile [telephone] companies," Jabor said.

Part of Iraq's problem in collecting taxes is that almost the entire economy is cash-based and restructuring the banking system has been a key priority, starting with the reorganisation and recapitalisation of the two state-owned lenders Rasheed Bank and Rafidian Bank. Jabor said this was close to completion.

But Jabor ruled out a large-scale reorganisation of the state banks that would result in job losses.

High unemployment is bolstering the ranks of anti-US and anti-government fighters and Jabor said that this meant it would take years for the country to adopt the reforms urged by Washington.

"The free market economy is the best solution. But in Iraq we cannot implement it in a year or two. Maybe after five years or more, Iraq will be similar to the United States," he said.

He also acknowledged corruption, seen as a serious obstacle to economic revival, was widespread within the finance ministry, but said action to stamp this out was already being taken.


Reuters
By

You can find this article at:
Aljazeera.Net - Iraq seeks deal on debt to Gulf states

Originally Posted by tiffany

but the Kurds are moving forward with Baghdad or without it. (g)

Don't the "Kurds" use the NID too? WHAT am I missing Mike?

Yes, security issues, fighting, kidnappings, and bombings...BUT---How can the Kurdistan region be doing everything that they are doing WITHOUT revaluing their currency?

me

I believe in Mike's post it said something about Kurd's having swiss dinar?

It all comes down to this, security is holding up announcements, but the Kurds are moving forward with Baghdad or without it. (g)


Hmmmm? Wonder what announcements?

Originally Posted by readytogo

I believe in Mike's post it said something about Kurd's having swiss dinar?

Funny,

No, not now, before Saddam was thrown out, the Kurds used their own dinar, which when exchange for new dinar was done, it brought 150 times more than Baghdad dinar, again, old dinar. The point was the the Kurds have a far more advanced economic strength and they are pushing for revalue harder than Baghdad, especially since they have ratified investment law in advance of Baghdad, so it cannot be far behind to see universal revalue, but security is the issue. Hope that is more clearn now, don't want to confuse the issues.

Good luck to all, MIke