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

Iraqi politician raises eyebrows with Saudi trip

A visit to Saudi Arabia by one of Iraq's most prominent candidates in next month's parliamentary election has sparked controversy among Iraqis suspicious of foreign interference in their affairs.

Rumors and accusations have swirled in Iraq since the 2003 U.S. invasion about Iranian influence in Iraqi politics, Syrian harboring of Saddam Hussein loyalists and Saudi funding of Islamist insurgent groups.

The visit by Shi'ite Iyad Allawi, a former prime minister and head of the secular Iraqiya list, to Sunni Saudi Arabia on Saturday has reinforced some Iraqis' fears that foreign powers will use Iraq as an arena to settle sectarian scores. Some Saudi clerics have backed Iraq's Sunni insurgency, and wealthy Saudis are suspected of funding militants. Saudi King Abdullah has refused to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in recent years, and there is still no Saudi embassy in Baghdad. Allawi's well-publicized trip to the kingdom, where he met King Abdullah and the Saudi intelligence chief, so close to the March 7 ballot has raised eyebrows, especially as Saudi has had little publicized contact with Iraqi politicians since 2003.

"It did raise a lot of questions ... especially as the meeting was attended by the (Saudi) head of intelligence," said a senior Iraqi diplomat familiar with Saudi relations.

Saudi Arabia, which adheres to a strict b.rand of Sunni Islam and is arguably the region's most influential Sunni state, has clearly shown displeasure at the rise of a Shi'ite-led government in Iraq after the ousting of Sunni dictator Saddam.

Allawi said the trip had nothing to do with the poll next month, and that it was about improving Iraq's regional ties.

"The fuss was manufactured by some ruling parties," he said at a news conference, adding that "sick minds" were trying to divorce Iraq from its Arab neighbors.

Iran, another of Iraq's neighbors, is non-Arab and Shi'ite, and is close to Iraq's ruling Shi'ite parties.

Allawi's Iraqiya list, which includes Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, a Sunni, is expected to pose a strong challenge to Iraq's established Shi'ite Islamist parties next month. Many skeptical Iraqis expect some degree of foreign interference in the election.

"Iraq is a treasure and everyone is wrestling to get the largest share of this treasure. Iraqi politicians are puppets of regional states," said Baghdad merchant Salam al-Fukeki.

ALLAWI TRIP POSITIVE

Others, mostly Sunni Arabs, saw the visit as positive. For those that see Iran as far too close to Iraqi leaders, of whom many visit Tehran regularly, attempts to strike a balance through better ties with the rest of the Arab world are welcome.

"What's the problem if Allawi visits Saudi Arabia? It'll benefit us more than the prime minister visiting Iran again. At least Allawi is secular," said civil servant Ahmed Naji.

Hashemi, Iraqiya's other big election draw card, is due to visit Syria, Jordan and Egypt, all Sunni states, in the coming days to meet leaders and woo Iraqi voters abroad, of whom Sunnis consider themselves the majority. The trip, however, is not seen as controversial as Allawi's given Hashemi's Sunni background and senior government position, which often involves meeting regional leaders. Some Iraqis point out that other politicians are highly likely to also seek support from abroad, but do so secretly.

"I know the timing of (Allawi's) visit raises questions, but ... all other parties are looking for foreign support, and they're all working behind the curtains. So why criticize Allawi for doing this publicly?" said aid worker Esmaa Mahmoud.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUST...ternational%29

Will Iraq be an Obama achievement or nightmare?

During the years when Iraq was at the center of U.S. foreign policy, pundits and policymakers would regularly and prematurely proclaim that the following six months would be crucial to the war's outcome. Now, at last, that forecast is warranted: The next six months in Iraq could decide whether the country emerges as a democracy friendly to the United States, a cleric-dominated s.atellite of Iran or a cauldron of sectarian conflict -- and whether Barack Obama can pull off the "responsible withdrawal" he has promised.

How odd, then, that Iraq -- where the United States has invested $700 billion and the lives of more than 4,300 soldiers over the past seven years -- is no longer a top priority for the White House, the State Department or nearly anyone in Congress.

Two Americans who understand how big the stakes are -- U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill and top commander Gen. Raymond Odierno -- were in Washington last week to explain. Iraq's March 7 election and what follows it, Hill said, will "determine the future of Iraq . . . and also the future of the U.S. relationship with Iraq."

Said Odierno: "We have an opportunity in Iraq today that we might never get again in our lifetimes . . . to develop a democratic Iraq that has a long-term partnership with the United States."

Compare that with Obama's account of Iraq in his State of the Union address: "We are responsibly leaving Iraq to its people. . . . We will have all of our combat troops out of Iraq by the end of this August." That pledge means that even while Iraq passes through this crucial turning point, U.S. forces will be reduced from 98,000 now to 50,000 on Sept. 1.


Obama went on to say that the United States would support the elections and would "continue to partner with the Iraqi people." But it's hard to escape the impression that a president who built his campaign on opposition to the war still undervalues Iraq's enormous strategic importance and the dangers embedded in its political transition.

Hill, in a news briefing, and Odierno, in an appearance at the Institute for the Study of War, pointed out some of them. According to Hill, if the contracts Iraq recently signed with international oil companies go well, Iraq will become an oil producer on a par with Saudi Arabia. The survival of Iraq's democratic system, Odierno said, could have a far-reaching impact on regimes across the Middle East. "Some of them," he added, "don't really want the democratic process to succeed because of the pressure it might put on their own government."

First among these is Iran, which has a simple strategy for the coming months: Turn the elections into a bitter sectarian battle -- and thereby ensure that the next government will be led by its hard-line Shiite allies.

To an alarming extent, the campaign is succeeding. Tehran's leading agent, as both Hill and Odierno noted, is Ahmed Chalabi, a Shiite who in 2002 played a major role in persuading the Bush administration to go to war. Now he has managed to have hundreds of candidates eliminated from the election on the mostly bogus grounds that they were or are loyalists of Saddam Hussein's Baath party. His targets are not just Sunni leaders but secular nationalists -- the two most important banned candidates are leading members of cross-sectarian alliances. The success of those tickets would be a triumph for Iraqi democracy -- and a huge setback for Iran.

Chalabi aims to become prime minister of the next government, which would be a disaster for Iraq and for Washington. And worse outcomes are possible. Also angling for power are Bayan Jabr, a Shiite who oversaw the interior ministry when it was infamous for torture and death squads; and Ibrahim Jaafari, who as prime minister oversaw the eruption of the sectarian war of 2006-07.

The Obama administration can hope one of the nationalists ends up on top; it can hope that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki survives, since he has been willing to stand up to Iran. The government-formation process, which may last months, will be the most critical period for the use of remaining U.S. leverage. Once a coalition is in place, the challenge, as Odierno described it, will be lining up that administration as a U.S. ally, which in turn will require that "we are very aggressive in the beginning of showing what the advantages are." Iran will be pushing hard in the other direction.

There is at least one person in Washington who seems invested in all this: Joe Biden, to whom Obama last summer gave the job of managing Iraq. Biden recently drew some ridicule from the right when he said that Iraq "could be one of the great achievements of this administration." Yet the vice president is right: If the administration can see Iraq through the next six months successfully, it will record an achievement whose long-term importance is unlikely to be matched by anything else it does abroad. If it does not -- then Washington will awaken to an Iraq that once again has become an endless nightmare.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...d=opinionsbox1

Dabbagh: the installment amount due on the company Zain Iraq, Asia Cell for a period of five years

Council of Ministers decided to approve the installment amount due on the company Zain Iraq, Asia Cell and amounting to $ (625) million in each company for a period of five years and that meets the first installment in the case of a resolution.

He said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the decision is subject to a trial period of one year during which evaluation of the work of the two companies by the Communication according to the conditions contained in the record of the Commission and in the case of fulfilling the conditions set forth is to continue in installments over five years and an interest rate of 6% Otherwise worth the balance payment One after the end of the year referred to.

Dabbagh said that the approval of the installment amount due on the two m.obile phone networks and the placement decision for a trial comes from the Iraqi government in order to improve the performance of companies operating in Iraq and specialized communications, including attention to this vital sector, as it represents the importance to the daily needs of citizens.

He said he also came in response to repeated demands from service users communication via the two companies from the lack of service in the characteristics of the service provided for the purpose of making improvements in the quality of service and price tariff for calls in the national currency, where the government is on top of regulatory institutions that assess and monitor the performance of the telecommunications industry.

He explained that the subject had already been submitted to the Cabinet in one of its meetings and adopted the resolution No. (19) for the year 2010 for formation of a committee headed by chief advisers in the Office of the Prime Minister and the office of the Chairman of the Legal Department of the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and the E.xecutive Director-General for Communications and Media Commission and a representative of the Ministry of Finance Director level in charge of negotiating with the two m.obile Zain Iraq, Asia Cell on improving the performance and efficiency of service calls and provide necessary services and facilities to the citizens and the abolition of non-registered telephone lines to provide its recommendations to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers concerning the application of the two companies installment amounts due Bzmthma In the light of reached by the Committee.

He reached the Committee to the results on the ground is the presence of degradation in the m.obile services provided by the two Asian Sale and Zain - of Iraq is primarily a non-attainment of the call in the first attempt and there are frequent and the poor audio quality and limited coverage, this is not installed denies answers the two companies during the meetings held by the Commission does not reduce the impact of factors beyond the control of the two companies, where the two companies are struggling to deal with this matter and reduce the impact.

Companies also indicated they are committed to and will carry out work in Iraqi dinars and settling accounts on the basis of the Second Committee also recommends that the computation result on the basis of the second to the lowest cost compared to the user account on the basis of accurate and also the seriousness and expand their services to address the factors affecting the provision of better services to the implementation plan of the treatments during 2010 and technical ascertain the success of companies in achieving this will require tighter control and periodic follow-up and sustained by the media and communications.

Dabbagh said the installment of Merit for the two companies will provide the financial flexibility necessary to monitor allocations and may increase during the current year to improve their services  the provision of services where the optical cable from the Ministry of Communications will increase the efficiency performance of a local and international levels and will contribute in reducing the cost of services provided in the medium term and long-term and recommends  Committee by the Ministry of Communications to take the measures necessary, including the investment to develop and deploy services Alkablo photosynthesis in Iraq.

He stressed that the two companies deal with complaints from citizens does not rise to the level required and that both companies, especially Zain Iraq suffer from major determinants in the deployment of their services in the Kurdistan region is essential that the Ministry of Environment to review environmental determinants in the light of developments in communications technology, including contributing to facilitate the deployment requirements improving communications services without compromising human health  It was agreed that hiring a consultant to assess the impact of foreign interference on the performance of telecommunications services provided by the two companies.

http://www.ipairaq.com/index.php?nam...onomy&id=21715

Economic conference kicks off in Kurdistan

An economic conference kicked off in Kurdistan on Wednesday with the participation of 200 traders and businessmen, chairman of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the region said.

“The one-day conference, held at the hall of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, will tackle the necessary measures to deal with the problems facing the chambers of commerce in Kurdistan,” Dara Jalil al-Khayat told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The conference was organized in accordance to recommendations made by Kurdistan region Prime Minister Barham Saleh to identify problems facing the development of industry and commerce in the region,” he explained.

“The conference will present recommendations to the council of ministers in the region,” he added.

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=127558

Etisalat gets its claws into Korek

UAE-based telco Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) is close to buying a majority stake in Iraqi operator Korek Telecom as it continues to look for expansion opportunities abroad, news agency Reuters reports, citing Etisalat’s chairman Mohammad Omran.

“Etisalat is almost near to finalising a deal with Korek,” Omran revealed at a press conference, adding that the telco was in talks to buy a majority stake in the northern Iraq-based firm.

Etisalat last week revealed it was looking to expand into six markets in the Middle East and North Africa, with Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Oman, Syria and Morocco revealed as targets due to their low penetration levels.

Etisalat first expressed an interest in securing a 51% stake in Korek Telecom in October 2008, in a deal worth up to USD1 billion.

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=127552

CBI’s dollar sales go down to $149m on Wednesday

The Central Bank of Iraq’s (CBI) dollar sales went down to $149.520 million in its daily auction on Wednesday, compared to $159.747 million in the previous session.

“The demand hit $5.340 million in cash, covered at an exchange rate of 1,183 Iraqi dinars per dollar, and $144.180 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 16 banks that participated in today’s session offered to sell dollars.

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=127568

Foes Maliki and Allawi top contenders in Iraq poll: survey

Coalitions led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and arch-rival ex-premier Iyad Allawi have emerged as favourites among voters as Iraq heads towards March 7 elections, a survey has shown. Maliki's State of Law Coalition leads with 29.9 percent while Allawi's Al-Iraqiya secular alliance trails with 21.8 percent, according to details of the poll by the National Media Centre, a government agency, received Wednesday by AFP. Allawi last month unveiled a broad secular alliance with fellow Shiites and Sunni politicians including MP Saleh al-Multaq, who has been banned from competing in the poll for alleged links to Saddam Hussein's former regime. Maliki, who formed his multi-confessional alliance along with Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties in October 2009, also heads the Shiite religious Dawa party.

The poll was conducted in the first two weeks of February among a cross-section of 5,000 Iraqis in the country's 18 provinces, with 53 percent of those interviewed men and 47 percent women. Of those surveyed, 17.2 percent said they would cast their ballots in the legislative vote for the Iraqi National Alliance which groups the country's main Shiite parties -- the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and the movement loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Ten percent of voters said they would choose the Kurdish Alliance over all others while the United Iraqi Alliance of Interior Minister Jawad Bolani, an independent Shiite, is due to get five percent of votes. The Sunni Muslim National Concord Front is at the bottom of the list with only 2.7 percent of Iraqis expected to vote for it, the survey showed.

Allawi and Bolani are both trying to unseat Maliki, who is also a Shiite. Around 4.9 percent of Iraqi voters had no opinion while 2.2 did not respond to the survey, which has a two percent margin of error, the report said.

The National Media Centre is linked to Prime Minister Maliki and the survey was carried out from February 1-15. It was published on Tuesday but the full details only emerged Wednesday. According to the survey, only two thirds of Iraqi voters -- or 63 percent -- will head to the polls compared to a 79.63 percent turnout in the last election five years ago. A total of 63 percent of Shiites said they will vote in March compared to 58 percent of Sunnis, who had boycotted the 2005 election, the first held after the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein's regime.

But a further breakdown of voter turnout showed that Kurds will be largest ethnic group to vote, with 67 percent saying they will cast their ballots followed by 57 percent of Arabs. Meanwhile 47 percent of all those surveyed said they backed a decision by a Justice and Accountability Committee to ban candidates with alleged links to Saddam's outlawed Baath party from running in the elections. Thirty-eight percent said they opposed the ban while 15 percent had no opinion.

The electoral commission said on Monday that 27 candidates were reinstated while 456 were disqualified, according to its final figures.

The election is seen as a test of reconciliation between the population's Sunni minority and the Shiite majority now represented by Maliki's government. Around 19 million people have the right to vote, including 1.4 million citizens living in 16 countries abroad, according to election organisers. A total of 6,500 candidates will contest the ballot in an election that will feature 10,000 polling stations and 54,000 ballot boxes, according to Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission.

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidAN...ll%3A%20survey

Zebari: Sweden opened its embassy in Baghdad and a consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan

Foreign Minister Zebari said Huchar Sweden will open its embassy in Baghdad and a consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan at a critical time when Iraq is witnessing the parliamentary elections.

Zebari said in a joint news conference with his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt at the headquarters of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry was attended by reporter ( News Agency, Iraqi Information / conscious ) Minister of Commerce and the Swedish trade delegation Alemravqq will make a visit to Iraq to discuss the employment and investment.

And Zebari said that Sweden has responded to the request of Iraq to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections as international observers and we appreciate that and we agreed on the joint coordination between the two countries.

In response to questions from journalists between the Minister of Foreign Affairs said the ministry held a conference of ambassadors of Iraq in 16 countries, the elections will be held abroad And from Sweden to discuss providing the atmosphere and supplies required to conduct the elections as the commission has completed its part of all the preparations for the elections abroad.

The foreign minister stressed that Iraq did not accuse any country of involvement with the violence in Iraq but accused armed groups of the former regime to the implementation of terrorist operations.

In response to a reporter's question about the ministry's measures to rescue Iraq from Chapter VII, Zebari said: "There is good and good developments on the Iraq emerges from the huge Section VII and we expect to issue shortly a decision by the UN Security Council declaring that Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction and a big step in our quest to break the complete and final penalty in Chapter VII."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs that the Iraqi government accused of failing to effective foreign policy, and that is fair and far from reality, as the Iraqi people who chose the government and the comments we heard from the parliament and the politicians We say that Iraq was not in default and continues for years and call for international support did not stop for a moment will never compromise on the interests of the Iraqi people.

For his part, said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, "The Swedish-Iraqi relations have witnessed great development, especially the visit of Iraqi Foreign Minister to Sweden and the opening of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and the Swedish consulate in Iraq's Kurdistan region is just an indication of the depth of friendship and the relationship between the two countries."

Bildt and hoped that forthcoming elections were successful and unsuccessful and that the election will include Iraqi citizens in Sweden, hoping to witness the next stage a lot of events, stressing that Iraq would be completely different after years, stressing that the energy production in Iraq would make it a developed country and we believe that there is a future good Irqa between the two countries.

Bildt stressed, "We support the right of Iraq to live in peace and respect for its sovereignty

http://al-iraqnews.net/new/siaysiah/56241.html

Finance: we have launched the Iraqi budget for 2010 before approval by the House of Representatives

Ministry of Finance announced on Wednesday, it launched the Iraqi federal budget for 2010 before approving the by the House of Representatives, is regarded as a member of the Governing Council in Baghdad that the Investment Commission of Iraq's budget investment for the current year has been delayed disbursement.

The Iraqi Finance Minister Bayan Jabr, in an interview for "Alsumaria News", "The Ministry of Finance issued instructions, since last January, the launch of the Iraqi federal budget, for the first time in Iraq, even before the approval by the Iraqi parliament", indicating that "was launched 20% of the investment budget to the provinces and the Iraqi ministries."

It was made clear that al-Zubaidi "instructions of the Ministry of Finance, requires that the release is 10% of the investment budget to the provinces and the Iraqi ministries month, but it was launched 20% of the investment budget for these provinces," stressing "the need for optimal use of the investment budget for 2010, and activate the sector investment for the implementation of conservation projects. "

"Now that the" 2010 budget will see the re-payments, which did not place in 2009 within the investment budget, and 50% released at the beginning of the year and 50% release when it approved the supplementary budget, as well as the release of 20% of the investment budget for 2010, for the continuation of project work continuing to maintain. "

The Iraqi Council of Representatives voted in the 26 last month, on the state budget for the current year 2010, after long discussions and objections from some political parties for fear that use of the election campaign by the governmental parties, and in the paragraphs that have been approved within the budget, the Article 21, which provided 115 thousand to link the degree of functional Council was established by the Federal Service.

For his part, member of the Governing Council in Baghdad, Thaer Investment Authority Feeli that "the Iraqi budget for the current year 2010, may also be delayed disbursement, due to delayed approval by the House of Representatives, which has negatively impacted heavily on the projects will be completed and projects that are under way.

Feili said in an interview with "Alsumaria News", that "many of the investment projects which will hopefully start during this year's schedule will be delayed", stating that "delay budget led to the suspension of many projects in the governorates of Iraq due to stop by the exchange."

Feili added that "failure to pay the balance in timing appropriate reason Tlkua in the work of state institutions, investment, because most investment projects associated with successive time frames for funding and achievement," noting that "a cessation of funding would lead to the suspension of the entire project."

Feeli stressed that "there are some foreign companies that filed complaints because of the delayed payment of dues, especially in Baghdad, Basra and Mosul."

Often delayed and the Ministry of Finance in the launch of the investment budget until March or April, because of the delay in ratifying it, by the Iraqi Council of Representatives, and the Iraqi budget depends on oil imports by more than 90%, where the finance ministry put the price of a barrel of oil in 2010, by $ 60.

The cabinet approved in its session of the thirteenth month of October, the federal budget for 2010 of $ 83 trillion Iraqi dinars, which contains the supplementary budget for the year 2009, amounting to five trillion and 300 billion, was approved by the House of Representatives in January last, As called for provinces to increase their share of the budget.

http://www.alsumarianews.com/ar/3/33...5;ب.html

General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers constitute a working group to activate the investment law

Formed a circle on the committees of the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers working group contributes to the activation of the investment and develop the role of the private sector.

An official source in the Chamber of the Press Department at the National Center for Information said the team will review the legislation in force and submission, and to propose amendments in order to achieve the economic information, including consistent with the directions of government regarding the development of the private sector role in economic transition.

He said the team led by Adviser at the National Investment Abdullah Mohammed al-Bandar, explaining that the hiring of his powers in this regard. He noted that the Committee members include the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Ghazi al-Aboudi, who is Vice Chairman of the recipe, and the representative of the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and other representatives from the Ministries of Finance and Industry and Minerals, National Commission for Investment and Securities Commission, the Investment Commission of Baghdad, and National Insurance Company and Omthel the private sector.

http://www.nmc.gov.iq/pnews/2010/2/24_5.htm