Thread: Archive News - Iraqi Dinar Think Tank - 01/10/09 - 27/03/10

Biden meets Iraqi leaders over barred candidates row

US Vice President Joe Biden headed into talks with Iraqi leaders on Saturday aiming to defuse a simmering row over the barring of hundreds of election candidates linked to Saddam Hussein.

Biden arrived in Baghdad late on Friday for what is expected to be up to 24 hours of discussions to broker a compromise over a controversial blacklist that has seen both Sunni Arabs and Shiites excluded from the March 7 poll. He was due to meet Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani parliament speaker Iyad al-Samarrai, as well as senior government ministers and a cross section of other political leaders. His first scheduled meeting on Saturday, however, was with the UN secretary general's special representative for Iraq, Ad Melkert. A senior White House aide insisted Biden was not wading into the row but would listen and then give his advice if asked.

"We want to be as helpful as the Iraqis want us to be in helping them resolve these problems," Tony Blinken, Biden's national security adviser, told reporters.

"Because, ultimately, (those problems) are what stands between Iraq and a successful, stable future."

The 511-strong blacklist is filled with candidates accused of being members of Saddam's outlawed Baath party, the e.xecuted dictator's feared Fedayeen (Men of Sacrifice) militia or his Mukhabarat intelligence agency. The dispute has stoked tension between the Shiite majority now leading the government and the Sunni Arab former elite. It also threatens to create a campaign battleground where past quarrels will be exposed rather than healed under a much vaunted but stumbling national reconciliation process between the country's communities, analysts have said. Saleh al-Mutlak, a leading Sunni MP and persistent critic of the Shiite-dominated government, is among those who have been barred, although Maliki has denied that Sunnis have been targeted ahead of the election. Ahead of Biden's trip, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said some form of intervention was necessary. He told AFP the vice president was here "to salvage the electoral process".

"If there are delays in publishing the final candidates' list, it will affect the US (withdrawal) process also," he said.

Blinken, however, said the timeline for the US withdrawal -- all combat troops are scheduled to leave the country by August ahead of a complete military pullout in 2011 -- "remains on track".

The election row sparked a flurry of contacts by Biden in recent days aimed at brokering a compromise, notably through President Talabani, who is a Kurd. Biden "proposed that the disqualifications be deferred until after the election and that those candidates who have been barred condemn and disavow the Baath party and undertake to act through democratic means," Talabani said. Elections chief Faraj al-Haidari told AFP more candidates could yet be barred from the ballot, with the defence and interior ministries publishing lists naming individuals "who have criminal records or false diplomas".

Biden has repeatedly voiced concern about lingering feuds between Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities causing obstacles to political progress. On Friday, the Iraqi government said the disqualified candidates would have to denounce Saddam's regime and its crimes in order to reintegrate into society, without specifically offering reinstatement on ballot papers.

"The Baathists... must declare their innocence and condemn the crimes and failings of Saddam Hussein's regime and the Baath party," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidAN...ndidates%20row

BP's Iraq oil deal faces court battle
An Iraqi MP is attempting to derail BP's flagship deal to develop the giant Rumaila oil field in legal action against the country's prime minister and oil minister

The British oil major and its partner China National Petroleum Corporation won the right to develop the massive Rumaila field in a historic televised oil field auction last June. The contract was formally signed in November.
But amid rising public anger about the foreign "colonisation" of Iraq's oil fields, Shatha al Musawi, an independent MP, is contesting the prize contract in her country's federal court.

Iraq's efforts to boost its oil output could lift it from being the 11th biggest producer to the top three, after years of under-investment and neglect under its former leader Saddam Hussein.

If successful, Mrs al Musawi's case could set a legal precedent that would invalidate all the agreements that Iraq secured last year – with BP, CNPC, ExxonMobil, Petronas, Royal Dutch Shell, Eni, Gazprom and Lukoil.

The court is due to hear the case next week, on February 1, with Mrs al Musawi arguing that the BP contract violates the constitution on four counts. She claims that the deals with foreign oil companies need to be properly approved by parliament under Iraq's constitution. The government contests the allegations and it is trying to get the case thrown out, insisting that its actions were lawful.

Iraq has been preparing to open its oil fields to foreign investment since the end of the war, and plans to raise production from 2m barrels per day to 7m over the next six years. It wants to ensure that the contracts with BP, Exxon, Shell and others proceed as planned. However, Mrs al Musawi's audacious decision to take legal action against her prime minister is a measure of the public anger about the government's handling of the contracts.

In November, several MPs wrote to the British ambassador in Baghdad claiming that the deal struck directly between ministers and BP had undermined democracy. Ahmed Mousa Jiyad, a former senior economist for Iraq's Ministry of Oil and the Iraq National Oil Company, believes the ministers may have trouble proving that they "fulfilled proper, trustworthy and credible deal-making requirements".

The oil expert, who is now an associate of the Centre for Global Energy Studies working in Norway, has questioned why they agreed the contract without waiting for the opinion of the government legal adviser, who made 65 critical observations in a subsequent memo.

Despite the court case, the first meeting between BP, CNPC and Iraq took place last week.

A spokesman for BP said the company was "aware of the case" and monitoring its progress, but considered it a matter of internal Iraqi politics. He would not comment further, but sources said the oil group is not expecting any attempts to invalidate the contract to be successful. BP was the first oil major to secure a long-term contract in Iraq, when it agreed to cut its fee per barrel from $3.99 to $2. Many oil majors were shocked by the fact that Iraq insisted on much lower returns than they are used to being paid. The Rumaila field, which contains 17bn barrels, is considered one of the world's prime oil fields.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...rt-battle.html

Foreign E.xecutives on tour of giant oil field in southern Iraq

A delegation representing three major foreign oil firms is touring southern Iraq to inspect the giant Halfaya field with proven reserves estimated at 12 billion barrels.

The high-level delegation includes E.xecutives from the French Total, Malaysian Petronas and Chinese CNPC.

The three majors have together won the right to develop Halfaya and the visit is part of a fact finding mission before starting work in earnest.

The E.xecutives will hold discussions with the provincial authorities of Missan where the field is situated to prepare for development, Ali Maaraj, the director-general of the southern oil company said.

The consortium is expected to invest billions of dollars in the field. The field’s development is certain to improve living conditions in Missan, one of the most impoverished Iraqi provinces.

The consortium is reported to be ready to start the development and is waiting the go-ahead from the Iraqi side, Maaraj said.

“Work will start once they (the companies) get the final approval from the cabinet,” Maaraj added.

Currently the field produces 15,000 barrels a day only.

The field’s development plan calls for the digging of 300 oil wells, boosting daily production to 535,000 barrels a day, Maaraj said.

Through foreign investment, Iraq hopes to become the world’s top oil producers in a few years with up to 12 million barrels a day.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index...01-24\kurd.htm

Final contract for Qurna oilfield with Exxon, Shell to be signed tomorrow

The Iraqi Ministry of Oil on Monday will sign the final contract with a consortium led by Exxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell, under which the firms will be allowed to develop the West Qurna-1 field in southern Iraq.

“The contract aims to increase the field’s production to 2.325 million barrels per day (bpd),” a ministry source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Under the contract, the companies accepted the ministry’s $1.9-per-barrel-payment for additional oil extracted above current production levels.

Iraq hopes the contracts signed during the first two oil licensing rounds will help bring the country’s oil production to 12 million bpd in six years, compared to the current production level of about 2.5 million bpd.

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=125762

CBI sells $89m on Sunday

The Central Bank of Iraq’s (CBI) dollar sales reached $89.339 million in its daily auction on Sunday.

“The demand hit $3.09 million in cash, covered at an exchange rate of 1,170 Iraqi dinars per dollar, and $86.249 million in foreign transfers outside the country, covered at an exchange rate of 1,173 Iraqi dinars per dollar,” according to a CBI news bulletin received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

None of the 12 banks that participated in today’s session offered to sell dollars.

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=125759

Asiacell scores an outstanding victory that constitutes a source of national pride, and adds a new achievement to its range of successes in 2009

Adding 1,490 Base Transceiver Stations, Constructing950 Communication Towers, and Expanding and Enhancing 450 Other Sites

As a result of its extensive expertise and the admirable efforts of its team towards providing advanced m.obile telecom services to the Iraqi people, 2009 was a prolific year for Asiacell- the largest private Iraqi company and the first and only m.obile telecommunications company to provide coverage for all of Iraq - which was able to prove its worthiness in the Iraqi telecom market by launching innovative offers and services that are characterized by both quality and price competitiveness.

2009 encompassed a number of unprecedented accomplishments that positively impacted the telecom sector in Iraq and contributed to its continued development. One of these achievements is Asiacell's addition of 1,490 new base transceiver stations (BTS) to its network by constructing 950 communication towers, in addition to expanding and strengthening the capabilities of 450 other sites.

With regards to this accomplishment, Dr. Diar Ahmed, Asiacell's CEO, said: "We were able in 2009 to face the biggest economic and security challenges that the company had ever encountered, and we succeeded in tackling all obstacles. Our accomplishments to date are but a small part of the overall plans and projects that we intend to implement in order to serve Iraqi citizens and provide them with a wide range of m.obile telecom services that correspond to their needs."

He added: "We take great pride in telecom experts' proclamation that Asiacell's accomplishment is the first of its kind in Iraq and constitutes a new record in implementation mechanism in the region."

While commenting on Asiacell's plans for the upcoming year, Dr. Ahmed stated: "We strove during the past year to maintain our position as the leading company in the Iraqi telecom sector, and we succeeded in winning the confidence of Iraqi consumers and providing distinctive and comprehensive telecom services. We were also able to offer complete coverage to all Iraqi governorates; this places upon us a considerable responsibility next year, which - God willing - will involve the technical development and expansion of our network in order to maintain Asiacell's positive image and good reputation as an Iraqi investment that follows national policies aimed at serving the country, bolstering its economy, and contributing to building the new Iraq."

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZA...es%20in%202009

Mohamed Amin: There is no link to bin Budget Law and the Electoral Code of Conduct

MP Mohammed Amin Othman, the Iraqi Accordance Front that there were disagreements about the electoral code of conduct came after the first reading of the law on the admissibility of this reading or not, in addition to the absence of objection from some of the blocks on the law, the board will vote on the admission of law in principle.

Amin said in press statements that there is disagreement also about the second reading, which led to the postponement of consideration of law and the House of Representatives now Botzar a quorum for the vote on the first reading is considered the first reading or not, after resolving the issue will read the second reading of the law and legislative law in a way goes.

He does not have a link bin Budget Law and the law of voting behavior, but there are some blocks attempts to link the budget law in order to pass.

He explained that once the House of Representatives approving a budget bill will go to the legislative recess, and it is legally will continue to be meetings to vote on the Federal budget.

The secretary said the bill itself it has a lot of disagreements Every block you want to put the options that they consider so we can say there is a link but not the level of what is promoted in the media.

http://www.ipairaq.com/index.php?nam...itics&id=20374

Al-Dabbagh: Iraq contributes $ 5 million within the League of Arab States

Said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the Cabinet decided to approve the contribution to Iraq in the Kuwaiti capital initiative to support small and medium enterprises within the League of Arab States in the amount (5) million U.S. dollars.

Dabbagh said in a statement issued by his office that the approval of Iraq's contribution to support the League of Arab States come to help finance private sector projects, particularly small and medium-sized countries to contribute to the account in order to promote joint Arab economic action as the League of Arab States looks forward to Iraq's contribution as soon as possible to achieve their objectives.

Al-Dabbagh explained that this initiative aims to provide the necessary financial resources to support the small and medium enterprises in the Arab world and the amount of capital (billion dollars), with aspiration of the Secretary General of the League of Arab States to contribute to Iraq in the initiative mentioned in his letter expressed clarification of the initiative announced by the Emir of Kuwait during the Arab Summit economic, developmental and social development.

He responded to the President of the Council of Ministers note by the Secretariat of the League of Arab States / Office of the Secretary-General with a letter from Amr Moussa on the support of the initiative of the decisions of the Kuwaiti Arab Economic Summit and Social Development, held in Kuwait on 19-20/1/2009.

Ali al-Dabbagh said Arab governments have announced their contribution to this initiative, varying in amount and announced other Arab countries where the desire to contribute to the Fund is working to complete preparation of the Rules of Procedure for the calculation of the initiative.

http://www.ipairaq.com/index.php?nam...onomy&id=20346

Biden did not come to Iraq to discuss debaathification – Ambassador

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Iraq, concluded on Saturday, did not aim to discuss the issue of debaathification, according to U.S. ambassador in Baghdad Christopher Hill on Sunday.

“The visit was planned in November 2009 but Biden’s busy schedule brought it to be paid now; and so it had nothing to do with the issue of the debaathification that is raised at present,” Hill said during a press conference he held at the U.S. embassy headquarters in Baghdad.

Biden had arrived in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Friday (Jan. 22) to meet Iraqi officials and discuss recent developments in the war-torn country as well as preparations for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held next March.

Some observers had said that the visit was paid in an attempt on the part of the United States to interfere in the issue of the exclusion of 511 candidates from the elections for their affiliation to the dissolved Baath party.

Asked by Aswat al-Iraq on the possibility of bringing the country out of Chapter VII of the UN Charter and why it was late, Hill replied that the United States would prove its commitment to bring Iraq out of Chapter VII.

“That was why U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Geoffrey Feldman, who was with the visiting delegation, remained in Iraq so as to have discussions and consultations with the Iraqi foreign ministry officials and to probe ways to accelerate brining Iraqi out of Chapter VII,” said Hill.

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=125796

Maliki: No military coups after today

Dashed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for the concerns of a military coup to restore "Baath" banned to the political forefront again by emphasizing that "no military coups after today."

At a time when the unconstitutionality of the electoral code of conduct, announced near for economic revival and urban development in the country.

The Prime Minister said the commander of the armed forces during a meeting with Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, agents, general managers and senior officers and commanders in the Interior Ministry said: "There is no Baath Baath and is not able to carry out a post today," calling at the same time to "exercise the highest degree of awareness and control those who want to fuel the discord and the closure of all ports that want to infiltrate through the political process. " Maliki called politicians and officials to "circumvent all the security work to support," adding that "the failures occur in multiple countries like Britain, because there is terrorism, but we do not accept infiltration in security and in return we must tighten our minds, we face challenges."

And the prime minister announced that the next few days will see an economic renaissance and urban and improvement in agriculture, industry, health and other fields by making use of the oil wealth.

In the meantime, al-Maliki said during a meeting with a number of lecturers from the University of Karbala, the need to raise the level of higher education in the country and the development of universities and dormitories and provide all the needs of teachers and students, to be Iraqi universities at the level befitting the historical reputation. In another file, the Prime Minister a letter to the Speaker Dr. Iyad al-Samarrai on the position on the draft electoral law rules of conduct which had been read in parliament recently.

The head of the government, according to a letter and paragraphs in the law are inconsistent with the Constitution.

http://www.alsabaah.com/paper.php?so...page&sid=97012