Thread: Archive News - Iraqi Dinar Think Tank - 06/10/2010 - 24/01/2011

What Business Leaders are Saying About Iraq

Speaking at the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit this week, business leaders expressed their opinions about Iraq. They were keen to invest in the Iraqi market in sectors including energy, telecoms, finance and infrastructure:

“Iraq is a country emerging from a difficult period, it’s getting back on track and it’s a country that cannot be allowed not to succeed.” – Mohammed al-Hashemi, head of the asset management division of Abu Dhabi government-owned investment vehicle Invest AD, which recently launched an Iraq equities fund.

“[Iraq is] a market that everyone should look at because it’s a big country, badly damaged by many years of war, it has its resources and potential, its educated people and labor force … We have looked at the Iraqi market, we believe it’s a good market for us. ” – Ziad Makhzoumi, Chief Financial Officer of the United Arab Emirates’ largest builder, Arabtec.

“If you look at that resource base and the population, those two factors would suggest there’s a big market to be serviced … It’s a market we’ll continue to pay attention to … and we’re looking to do more.” – Declan Hegarty, managing director and head of Abu Dhabi at HSBC.

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...-about-iraq/2/

Federal Court: During the two weeks should be the resumption of parliamentary sessions

Forced the Federal Court after the request of a number of civil society organizations by requiring the President of the House of Representatives the older leadership of the Kurdish bloc Fuad Masum, the first resumption of the meeting during the next two weeks. The head of the Federal Court of Medhat al-Mahmoud, said the court issued a binding decision to resume the meetings of the parliament during the next two weeks.

Mahmood said at a news conference on Sunday: "The court's decision came after a meeting of its members to decide on the case is submitted to cancel the open sessions of the parliament.

This led Fuad Masum, the first session as the eldest of among the members of the House of Representatives after the apology MP Hassan Al-Alawi on, being older, and decided infallible after the performance of Representatives the right to keep the session open on 14 of July when an agreement of the political blocs to nominate candidates for the positions of the three presidential (President of the Republic , and the Presidency of the Government, Presidency of the Council of Representatives).

I also made one of the ten civil society organizations filed a lawsuit in federal court against the President of the Council Fuad Masum.

http://www.ikhnews.com/news.php?action=view&id=3654

Iraq passing from occupation to another

Many Americans are embarrassed on hearing analysts, politicians and even states saying that Washington, as it withdraws its occupation troops from Iraq, has given the country back to Iran on a golden plate.

The feeling of embarrassment might be mingled with feelings of disgrace, defeat and the drastic failure of former U.S. President George W. Bush’s project for Iraq, which resulted in nothing but widespread destruction and reinstatement of values of division, tendencies for separation under the banners of freedom, justice and democracy; or the banner of liberation as a senior Iraqi government official is fond of saying whenever he is in the business of thanking and lauding the Americans.

Of course, no one can suggest that there has been a tacit agreement under which Washington finds itself obliged to hand over the Iraqi file and subsequently Iraq’s wealth, riches and capabilities to Tehran.

But the consequence of the American war and occupation of Iraq makes this deduction the only realistic outcome, which is also embarrassing for Iran’s traditional allies who are doing their best to appear as if they were independent and real decision makers.

And because the Americans fail to act properly in all aspects related to the Iraqi file, they fail too in defending themselves regarding accusations that they have handed Iraq over to Iran.

In the years since their 2003 invasion and occupation, the U.S. failed to turn Iraq into an entity with which it could trade and bargain. No one believes that America has Iraq for itself to have the capacity to hand it over to others.

U.S.’s Iraq adventure backfired. It cost the U.S. dearly in blood and money. The cost has probably been the main reason for their withdrawal without banners declaring some form of victory. And how much the U.S. needed some form of a victory banner which it has been missing since the Vietnam war.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index...10-22\kurd.htm

Economist: the investment climate needs to be supportive government policy

The economic expert Majid Souiri that the security situation and lack of direction of the state in shaping the public about infrastructure may impact on the investment climate in Iraq. "Said Majid Souiri in a statement singled out by the Agency (news) today: that Iraq suffers from the lack of a clear policy for the development of infrastructure infrastructure and the development of the economic process.

He Souiri: that all industrial and agricultural sectors are all you need to local and foreign investment, stressing that the main problem is the lack of investment climate in the country and so far did not see domestic investment level required. He Souiri: Despite the presence of five-year plan for the development of the economy, but there are no any effort or a clear policy so that the plan includes all areas of administrative, economic and financial.

And Souiri: Iraq needs to develop its infrastructure around (400) billion dollars to complete all its projects, especially electricity.

http://www.ikhnews.com/news.php?action=view&id=3653

SOC signs contract with Australian firm to set up 2 oil ventures

The Director-General of Iraq’s South Oil Company, Di’a Jaafar, announced on Saturday that SOC signed a contract with an Australian consortium to implement two oil projects in southern Iraq.

“SOC signed contracts with the Australia’s Leighton Holdings Limited to implement two projects: the first to stretch two maritime pipelines from southern Iraq’s Faw reservoir to Basra terminal, and the second to erect three floating units, each with an export capacity of 900,000 barrels per day,” he told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, adding that work would start within one month and continue till the implementation of the project in one year.

He said the “target behind the contract is part of the Oil Ministry’s efforts to increase oil production in Iraq”.

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=138248

IMF Cuts Estimates of Iraq’s Oil Output

Oil prices in the first half of 2010 were higher than estimated by the IMF, but the volume of Iraq’s oil exports remained well below projections.

Export prices of Iraqi oil averaged $75 per barrel in the first half of 2010, compared to a budgeted price of $62.50 per barrel.

Exports, however, averaged 1.88 million barrels per day (mbpd) in the first half of 2010, significantly lower than the target of 2.10 mbpd for the year.

Bad weather delayed tanker loadings at the main export terminals near Basra, while a bomb attack in April temporarily interrupted exports through the northern pipeline to Turkey.

Also, internal political difficulties caused delays in the expected increase in exports from the northern fields.

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...qs-oil-output/

Bilateral Economic Agreement signed between Iraq and Sri-Lanka

Iraq and Sri-Lanka have signed a bilateral economic agreement for cooperation in economic, trade, scientific and cultural fields, Director of Iraqi Trade Ministry’s Media said on Sunday.

“The bilateral agreement was signed in Colombo by visiting Iraqi Trade Minister, Safa Ul-Din Al-Safi, with his Sri-Lankan Counterpart, covering agricultural, industrial, electricity, higher-education & scientific research, oil and investment,” the official told Aswat al-Iraq by telephone from Colombo.

Minister Safi, on this occasion, called on the Sri-Lankan businessmen to share in investment, according to the Iraqi Investment Law No.13 for 2006, pointing out to the “presence of outstanding facilities to enable foreign companies to work in Iraq.”

“The Sri-Lankan companies have been invited to share in tenders, announced by the General Company for Central Markets in Iraq for the supply of tea for Iraq,” he said, adding that 13 Sri-Lankan companies would attend the 37th session of Baghdad International Fair, scheduled to open on November 1st next.

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=138268

Mahouelle's (citizen): our economy (the economy floating)

The economic expert, Dr. Essam Mahouelle that the Iraqi economy, name unknown parameters.

He's Mahouelle (Citizen) yesterday that the floating currency and the economy at the present time because of lack of clarity in government policy in the economic situation, as our economy can not label any of the capitalist or socialist economy. He added that the label is right now to Iraq's economy is the economy floating. "If I was a socialist economy, the government intervention in all affairs, and if the capitalist government should take charge of supervision and follow-up it only, without any intervention.

He Mahouelle that neglect of the state of the currency and Nrkha under the principle of supply and demand and the policy of a market economy without rehabilitation or possession of the private sector to exercise any activity alone, without government censorship of the Iraqi economy will remain restricted to the emancipation. He Mahouelle that the Iraqi economy is now unknown parameters and the label that the Government did not make the reforms required by the stage of restructuring the fact that the country has gone through change and economic openness after 2003, stressing the need for trading wider currency locally at least to give them some power that derives through the large deal traders by . He pointed out that the officials and their economic sector, not the economy but Infawa statements without applying to the work.

http://www.almowatennews.com/news_view_10645.html

American Company Discusses Corn Oil Factory

A U.S. company held talks on Thursday with Wassit Council on investment opportunities in the province, according to the council’s chairman.

“The council discussed on Thursday morning (Oct. 21) investment opportunities with Mike Divhan, director of the U.S. company, the investment opportunities in Wassit,” Mahmoud Abdulreda told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The council highlighted the province’s geographical position as it has long borders with Iran as well as its agricultural areas (around 6.2 million donums),” he added.

“Talks focused on the establishment of a corn oil factory and residential compounds.”

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...n-oil-factory/

Iraqi government form a committee to follow up and monitor and document site Wikileaks

The Iraqi government announced the outgoing, Sunday, the formation of a ministerial committee to follow up and monitoring of confidential documents related to the war in Iraq, published by the Wikileaks site and mail.

He said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh in a newsflash Oorth Iraqi Satellite semi-official "The Iraqi government decided to set up a committee headed by the Minister of Justice Dara Nur al-Din to follow up and monitoring of documents published by Wikileaks site and email."

The site Wikileaks-mail has charged directly to the Prime Minister's outgoing Nuri al-Maliki to "get involved" in the management of death squads, torture, showing the "face hidden him as he leads the military teams carry out his orders and carries out the assassination and the arrest," also revealed the site for a major role played by Iran in arming Shiite militias as part of the war, "hidden" with the United States on Iraqi soil.

The Chairman of the outgoing government, Nouri al-Maliki, yesterday, on the process of publishing documents and described them as "selective," noting that the uproar that led some media entities under the cover of the documents mentioned against the Iraqi government raised the style and timing of more than a question mark.

As I mentioned the Minister of Human Rights and the heart of Michael in an interview earlier "Alsumaria News" today, that her ministry has started to deal with the documents published by the website Wikileaks mail directly through the introduction of the originals and be subject to scrutiny, adding that in the event proved the validity of these documents, the government will deal them seriously, according to the Iraqi judiciary.

The site, Wikileaks published today, about 400 A and a secret document to the U.S. military on the Iraq war, speaking for the registration of more than 300 cases of torture and acts of violence committed by coalition forces against the prisoners, and more than one thousand were killed by Iraqi forces, during the period between the first of December January 2004 and 13 December 2009, in the largest leak of secret military documents, published mostly without mentioning names because they pose a threat to some people, according to the site.

And denounced the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly leaking secret information that might threaten the lives of American workers and their partners and civilians, as warned a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense that the documents may constitute a threat to U.S. forces and Iraqis who cooperate with them, and unfortunately, the Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Berlin to this leaks, saying it would lead to very negative consequences in regard to the safety concerned.

The site owner and Wikileaks, founded in 2006, named Julian Osanj, 39, and aims to shed light on the scandals hidden in the world, is a specialist of leaking confidential documents and collecting information from Iraq, Kenya, Iceland, and Afghanistan.

http://www.alsumarianews.com/ar/2/12...-details-.html