Thread: Archive News - Iraqi Dinar Think Tank - 22/06/2010 - 04/10/2010

Paradise found: Water and life return to Iraq's 'Garden of Eden'
One of Saddam Hussein's greatest acts of ecological destruction – the draining of the Mesopotamian marshes – has been reversed as birds and rivers return to the region

Saddam Hussein's draining of the Mesopotamian marshes of Iraq – recorded as the Garden of Eden in the Bible - was one of the most infamous outrages of his regime, leaving a vast area of once-teeming river delta a dry, salt-encrusted desert, emptied of insects, birds and the people who lived on them.

But nearly two decades later the area is buzzing and twittering with life again after local people and a new breed of Iraqi conservationists have restored much of what was once the world's third largest wetland to some of its former glory.

The story of this once almost impossible restoration is told in an exhibition of photographs that has opened in the UK. They show the huge expanses of reeds and open water – now at least half the size of the Florida Everglades – where plants, insects and fish have returned, creating a vast feeding area for migrating and breeding birds, including the majestic Sacred Ibis, the endemic Basrah Reed Warbler and the Iraq Babbler, along with most of the world's population of Marbled Teal ducks, bee-eaters and many more.

"We call them stop-over sites, refuelling sites," said Richard Porter, Middle East advisor for the conservation group Birdlife International, who has helped train biologists and other experts for the local Birdlife partner Nature Iraq. "They are as important as the breeding and over-wintering grounds for species; if you have got to make a journey from central Africa to norther Europe and Asia, and you've got nothing to feed on, you're stuffed."

The Mesopotamian marshes originally made up an area more than three times the size of Norfolk, where the exhibition is showing, in Holt. It sprawled across thousands of square kilometres of floodplain where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers divided into a network of tributaries meandering and pulsating south to the Arabian sea. They were home to more than 80 bird species, otters and long-fingered bats, and hundreds of thousands of Marsh Arabs who grew rice and dates, raised water buffalo, fished and built boats and homes from reeds.

In the early 1990s, this way of life came to an abrupt end when Hussein ordered the marshes to be drained to punish the local population for an uprising after his failed invasion of Kuwait, a problem exacerbated by the continued construction of dams upstream.

He ordered the area to be hemmed in by constructing around 4,000km of earthen walls that towered up to 7m above the unbroken flat landscape. The wetlands retreated to as little as 5-10% of their original size, according to a 2001 United Nations Environment Agency report.

After Hussein was toppled by American forces in 2003, Azzam Alwash returned from his adopted home in the US to the area, where he had lived for part of his childhood, and learned to hunt ducks with his father while they inspected the irrigation ditches. Alwash found the local people who had stayed had already begun to break up the walls with shovels or earth diggers, and they have continued to do so. They have destroyed up to 98% of the embankments, he told the Guardian, "not because they are tree-huggers or bird-lovers, but because it's a source of economic income to them, because they can harvest reeds and sell them. They can fish and feed a family or sell them to earn extra income."

Alwash, a civil engineer, set up Nature Iraq and has organised training for graduates who help with monitoring work. "We take guards with us with Kalashnikovs, but the most difficult part is the road between [the capital] Baghdad to the marsh," said Alwash. "Once I'm inside the marshes it's relatively safe."

About half the original marshland has been restored - even more had been reinstated, but there was a setback last year because of a drought. Nature Iraq has now drawn up a plan to cope with the diminishing water flows from dams upstream in Turkey by channelling irrigation water back into the rivers and building a barrage to retain meltwater from the mountains and create a "mechanical flood" of water to replicate the important pulses of freshwater that wash through the marshlands every spring.

Alwash and his team are also trying to tackle the problem of local poaching, although he has great sympathy with those who have few alternative sources of income, and hopes the opening of a new oil industry will help create jobs.

"We have done some work in trying to educate the locals," he added. "We say: 'Go out and hunt but take less; make $10 today – you don't have to make $20, and make $10 tomorrow'. We just keep at it. You can't give up."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010...marshes-reborn

Kanna : UN sanctions against Iran will be reflected in one way or another on Iraq

A member of the House of Representatives Kanna that UN sanctions on Iran Steks effects on the countries of the region, including Iraq, which have commitments with neighboring countries, stretching its borders with Iran to 1200 km.

"We were in contact with the agency and the independent press (Iba) when the application of international sanctions on any country in the world Vanma negatively affected the states bordering Iraq, noting that with which Iraq's obligations and commitments may be adversely affected with neighboring countries.

Regarding the possibility that the effect of sanctions on Iraq's relationship with the United States in the long run we will be told to study the matter so as not to confuse the relationship between Iraq and international obligations.

Abizaid and there are inevitably intersections of interest, and must be put in front of our eyes that Iraq is still under Chapter VII and Iraqi sovereignty is still incomplete and still do not have autonomy in decision-making.

He noted that the United States wants Iraq to be part of an American astronomer in full, but this is not possible because it is difficult to implement all what it wants Washington to the fact that Iraq has also interests which must be observed.

Observers said that UN sanctions on Iran may affect Iraq's relations with the United States, especially the Iraqi market mired in Iranian goods are imported refined petroleum products from Iran, in addition to the presence of various commercial agreements between the parties.

Iran is witnessing, which accuses the support of some armed groups in Iraq escalation as a result of its adherence to internationally over its nuclear program under the pretext that he could pose a threat to the region.

http://www.ipairaq.com/index.php?nam...onomy&id=27575

Expectations of the resumption of U.S. pressure on the Kurds

Contact Joe Biden U.S. vice-president last Thursday telephoned the President of the Kurdistan Region, and there are fears in the Kurdish street from the effects and consequences of this phone call to the existence of similar cases where the Kurds give up their rights because of American pressure.

A year ago, I spoke the Kurdistan Alliance list for a telephone call from Obama Balbarzani said it included pledges to the Kurds on the track and the Kurdistan Alliance voted in favor of election law, which was the biggest loser when the Kurds by the views of observers.

The members of the Kurdish delegation expressed concern about this phone call for fear of resumption of U.S. pressure on the Kurds as was the case in the electoral law.

He described Mohamed Ahmed member of the delegation Kurdish negotiating in an interview for Kordio this call of U.S. involvement and expressed his hope make it clear that this intervention, as happened in the period to pass the election law, having lost the Kurds of the law was passed at the expense of maintaining the relationship and friendship with the United States.

And Ahmed "forecast scenario repeated U.S. pressure on the Kurds." And expressed his hope that the Kurds have been taking lessons from past experiences.

"On the other hand," said Mahmoud Othman, MP for the Kurdistan Alliance bloc in an exclusive interview for Kordio : "America frequently exerts pressure on the Kurds, and Kurds welcome U.S. pressure, and always say : Yes, to American pressure."

Uthman said : I imagine that there will be pressures U.S. like it was before, and we will find that if we look at the topic in others, because our leaders do not tell us about something, so you should resort to other parties to understand the subject.

Uthman added : Do not announcing here for something, they say that Biden had telephoned Balbarzani, that's good, but tell us about the content of their conversation, what did he say?!, but they do not say anything, and these parties do not believe in transparency.

http://www.kurdiu.org/ar/hawal/index.php?pageid=35971

The Ministry of Oil: a third licensing round to invest three gas fields

A media source at the Oil Ministry, said his ministry would be announced in early September next a third round of investment licenses to gas fields that will be the receipt of offers companies wishing to invest in fields that announcements to the ministry.

He said (of the Agency's news reports): The gas fields that will be offered for investment will include field crutch in Anbar province and a field Mansuriyah in Diyala province and a field Sepah, located in the southern region showing "that the business of these fields will have a positive effect on Iraq's position in the forefront of countries invested in oil fields And gas to increase its infrastructure and improve its economy and raise the standard of living for its citizens."


http://alforattv.net/index.php?show=...ticle&id=46690

Tamimi : It is the biggest drawbacks to the Constitution has entrusted the Council of Representatives can dissolve itself

A legal expert told Iraq our house Ismail al-Tamimi attribution of the Constitution to the House 's jurisdiction to resolve itself as one of the biggest flaws that occurred with the 2005 Constitution the current because it is totally at variance with the principle of cooperation and balance between the authorities in democratic systems in general and parliamentary systems In particular.

The Al-Tamimi said that article 64 of the Constitution stipulates (The Council of Representatives, by an absolute majority of its members at the request of one third of its members or a request from the Prime Minister and approval of the President of the Republic, may not be dissolved during the period of questioning of the President of Council of Ministers).

This means that you can not dissolve the lower house without the consent of an absolute majority of its members and also means that realistically you can not resolve the Council to request the Prime Minister coupled with approval of the President to dissolve the Council was not enough to solve the Council only if accompanied by the consent of an absolute majority of the members of the Council and the approval of the Access to hard to imagine that someone who requests a person to decide his own free will punish itself if it is satisfied to do so.

Ruled out al-Tamimi to accept members of the House to resolve their council for any reason at any session of the Council , whether present or future, they have the terms of reference were too broad and privileges that are unparalleled in the world.

The times of constitutional violation is reason enough to dissolve the House of Representatives, disrespect for the Constitution but that the inventory of the Constitution this solution, however, the parliament itself makes it a form of dreams. It has become non-compliance with the constitutional norm Baltoukitat settled upon in the previous work and it seems he will continue in the current parliament.

Tamimi said that the solution to terminate the period of parliament before the end of its term parliamentary elections scheduled is the right decision origin of the executive branch (the government) in exchange for the right of Parliament to withdraw confidence from the government so as to enable the Government to refer to the voters in certain cases Kahtdam conflict between parliament and the government, especially if I think the President The government's position is gaining support from voters, but to give the Council the right to dissolve the parliament itself, however, it is a previous world record in the constitutions of the Iraqi Constitution.

http://iraq-beituna.net/show.php?sho=20119

Hill: U.S. troops will not leave any unfinished tasks before departure from Iraq

U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill, Saturday, Iraqi political parties to expedite the formation of the government, emphasizing that his government's support to any person in it.

Hill said during a news conference held by the U.S. embassy building in Baghdad that the United States wants to accelerate the formation of the government and as soon as possible.

And about support for U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden to take over Iraqi President Jalal Talabani for a second term, he said the United States did not support any person who did not give their opinion in this matter.

Hill said the United States wants long-term relationship with Iraq, regardless of the person who will form the government, noting, because signing of the Framework Convention with Iraq over the process of withdrawing combat troops from Iraq.

Hill said that Iraqi security forces grow well, noting that the soldiers who will remain in Iraq after the first of September next Spettmr are one of the best American forces, will be the mission is to provide advice.

He said that to withdraw last U.S. troops from Iraq would be the Iraqi army of the best armies of the region, pointing out that, regarding the disputed areas in Iraq, the United States is considering how to deal with them, that they would not leave any tasks not finished in Iraq before leaving.

http://radionawa.com/ar/NewsDetailN....292&LinkID=158

Iraqiya willing to cede government positions for Premiership

Al Iraqiya List had announced that it is willing to cede major positions in the upcoming government in return for Premiership.

The list is willing to cede major positions in the government to winning parties in return of acknowledging its right to Premiership.

In a statement to Alsumaria News, Al Iraqiya List spokesman Haidar Al Mulla affirmed that Iyad Allawi is the first candidate for Premiership.

http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News...emiership.html

Allawi says government talks in progress

In a visit to Beirut, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi expected to make progress in government formation talks in August and reach agreement over the three presidencies.

Allawi affirmed that talks are running in the right direction and have now reached a final stage.

http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News...-progress.html

Iraq Development Fund to stay in US Federal Reserve

Iraq Ambassador to the UN Hamed Al Bayati said on Wednesday night that Baghdad decided to keep Iraq Development Fund in the US Federal Reserve as UN provides immunity for the fund which protects Iraq from creditors. However the immunity ends by the end of this year he added.

The Ambassador uttered that Iraq intends to keep Iraq Development Fund in New York under another name and it will carry on paying 5% of Iraq revenue for the UN compensation fund without any change.

http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Economics...l-Reserve.html

Iraqi government is in the file "mismanagement" in the Ministry of Transport

The adviser in the Iraqi government on Saturday, the Prime Minister 's outgoing Nuri al-Maliki ordered the formation of a committee to open up some key files in the Transport Ministry.

The chancellor said he preferred not to be named, told the Kurdistan News (Akaniwz) The "al-Maliki instructed to form a specialized committee to follow some of the files in the Ministry of Transport, which is believed to not being managed correctly by the Minister metaphor Amer Abdel Orion".

He explained that "the Ministry of Transport did not succeed fully in its work, particularly since the Iraqi government had hoped to see the ministry developed substantial".

The Iraqi government ended its mandate had been granted and Transport Minister Amir Abdul-Jabbar compulsory leave, the appointment of Minister of National Security the current cult Minister of Transport, acting as the minister pointed out that the metaphor is accused of "mismanagement."

The source noted that "the move came too late but they are essential and important, especially after the decision to disband the Iraqi Airways and the failure of the dry canal project in Iraq despite the current budget, the relatively good when compared with the previous budgets."

The Ministry for the Iraqi transport setbacks several times during the recent period, was most important in solving the Iraqi Airways of the Ministry, which came against the backdrop of restricting the movement of Iraqi aircraft because of the insistence of Kuwait to claim their debts for damages caused to the sector centered during the war of Saddam against Kuwait.

Was appointed Minister of Transport, Amer Abdul-Jabbar, in office after the approval of the Iraqi Parliament on the nomination of the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on the nineteenth of the month of July 2008.

http://www.aknews.com/ar/aknews/2/162784/