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

Spokesman: the Oil Law of the priorities of the new Iraqi government

Ali al-Dabbagh Iraqi government spokesman on Monday said the new government will put a priority to work on new legislation for the oil to reassure the international oil companies and the integration of the oil contracts signed by the Kurdistan Regional Government.

He said al-Dabbagh told a conference in London, "among the priorities of the next government, parliamentary ratification of the long-awaited legislation for oil and gas."

And added, "This will provide the legal environment that reassures the international oil companies. This legislation will also include the oil contracts signed by the Kurdistan region in line with the measures the central government."

http://translate.googleusercontent.c...9d2lRqPC_Db2Ug

Iraqi conference in London to discuss the future of oil and gas

Began in the London Conference on Iraq for oil and gas with the participation of a large number of foreign companies.

The Vice-Chairman of the Commission on oil and gas, previously one of the participants Mohammed Hadi al-Hassani, that the conference aims to clarify the ways in which Iraq needs to make it a source of energy stability in the world.

The al-Hassani, said in an interview with "Radio Sawa" that regulate oil production and the granting of Basra province, the importance of their ability to produce larger quantities in the coming years will contribute to the stability of the future of oil and gas in the country.

This conference will continue until the beginning of the month of December.

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Iraqi Census Delayed Yet Again

Iraq has once again postponed its first census in more than 20 years because of Kurdish-Arab wrangling over disputed areas in the north, Deputy Planning Minister Mehdi al-Alak told AFP on Tuesday.

The delay to the census, which had been due to be held on December 5, is the latest in a string of deferrals which have put back a count originally due to have taken place in 2007.

“The census has been delayed to finish preparations in Nineveh province and to address some issues,” said the minister.

Alak said one of the outstanding issues was a land dispute between Arabs and Kurds in Kirkuk province which, like Nineveh, is ethnically mixed and in Iraq’s north.

“Iraq’s political leaders will decide the date to hold the census when they meet next week,” Alak added, without giving details.

Reuters reports that the Environment Minister, Nermeen Othman [Narmin Othman] (pictured), who attended a meeting where the cabinet decided on the postponement, said a new date would be set in coming days after a meeting between Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and officials from Nineveh and Kirkuk.

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...yed-yet-again/

By Lisa Knight, Creative Director & Founder of The Brand Foundation.

How to Brand Your Business in Iraq

Since 2007 Iraq has witnessed a number of multinationals setting up regional operations – GE, Daimler Benz, Shell, and global finance and banking institutions such as J. P Morgan Chase and Citibank publicly proclaiming an interest in the Iraqi financial sector, its only a matter of time before a cross-sector multinational influx occurs.

How does a multinational go about presenting itself to an Iraqi population of approximately 28 million people? Iraq, unlike the UAE or Saudi Arabia has a significant amount of historical baggage, local perceptions of large western organizations are unclear at such an early stage of re-development, and the idea of a multinational being welcomed with open arms is not guaranteed – neither is global brand recognition a given in a country that has largely been shut off from western media.

With the possibility of political baggage being directly associated with big, foreign businesses, especially those that are US or British owned, does entering Iraq mean a major brand positioning exercise is required?

In the case of Iraq, I believe it should. The Iraqi market is to be entered sensitively, with tact, diplomacy and an acute cultural awareness of the impact of a turbulent history. Imposing your tried-and-tested western brand on this market with disregard for its troubled past and cautious nationals could be an opportunity missed.

In the marketing and branding world, getting to know your customers has always been a vital research activity that helps you develop an appropriate brand dialogue, in Iraq the concept remains the same, however it isn’t a small market segment one is analyzing, it’s a population of tens of millions of people, the majority of which are potentially receptive to your proposition, provided you get the dialogue right – and dialogue, not just identity, is key.

Understanding their purchasing habits, lifestyle traits, beliefs and customs will lead you to appropriate solutions, including when and where to interact and what tone of voice to adopt. A bi-lingual logo isn’t enough to say “Hello/Salam, we’re here – we speak your language, so trust us,” – a far more considered, sophisticated approach is needed to achieve a deep-routed penetration whereby in time trust is established between your organization and your new customers.

Localization is just that. Local. Methods that work in other parts of the world, or other parts of the Middle East may or may not be appropriate for Iraq.

Lisa Knight is Creative Director & Founder of The Brand Foundation, a UAE-based branding agency that specialises in the property sector in emerging markets. Prior to that, Lisa led the creative team of the UK’s governing political party, firstly under Rt. Hon Tony Blair and latterly, Rt. Hon Gordon Brown. Lisa’s career spans 16 years and numerous industries: arts & entertainment, business & finance, fashion, travel, youth, sport, and international development.

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...iness-in-iraq/

Iraqi MP: delay the holding of the census will affect the overall planning for the 2011 budget

The deputy of the National Alliance, on Wednesday, that the delay in conducting the census will affect the overall planning of the budget in 2011 will be discussed by the House of Representatives soon.

Haidar al-Yasiri of Kurdistan News Agency (Rn) that "the postponement of the census for an indefinite period would disrupt the House of Representatives to discuss the budget in 2011 is missing the fact that the distribution of the recent data about the reality of Iraq needs of municipal institutions."

And that "he hoped the House of Representatives in the completion of the census so that he can discuss the budget in 2011 as part of population census statistics."

And postponed the Iraqi Council of Ministers on Tuesday, the date of the census which was scheduled for the fifth month of December next because there are some political differences on the conduct of the census of some provinces.

The Yasiri that "the budget in 2011 to be taught that are well distributed and rendering according to needs of thought for each ministry or government institution," noting that the "file the budget was not presented until now the members of the House of Representatives so that they can provide feedback and criticism for planning the economic structure of the budget in 2011 in both its Complementary and operational. "

It was scheduled to hold general population census in the country in the past year, but the process was delayed because of concerns that contribute to such a census in fueling sectarian tension and ethnic across Iraq, especially in the provinces of Kirkuk and Nineveh, and select the 24 of October last date for the census but it also changed to the fifth of December next.

The last census conducted by the government to all governorates of Iraq except Kurdistan region in 1997 and is currently unsupported by the Iraqi government being carried out in exceptional circumstances, if adopted by all ministries census conducted in 1957 in what would be the census, which the Ministry intends to be conducted during this year, a substitute for Census 1957 to be supported in all the provinces in addition to the Kurdistan region.

The number of members of the Iraqi List, representing the provinces of Diyala, Salahuddin, Nineveh, Anbar, Kirkuk, demanded the 21 of last September to postpone the census in Iraq, and called on all citizens not to cooperate with the teams that will conduct the census.

http://www.aknews.com/ar/aknews/2/199083/

Attacks on power installations continue in Iraq

There have been fresh Arson attacks targeting electricity installations in Iraq.

The Electricity Ministry’s Information Officer, Musaab al-Mudaris, said major power supply lines have been disrupted following the destruction of three pylons.

“The attack caused disruption of power lines feeding electricity to major plants in Akashat and al-Qaim,” Mudaris said.

He said three high-voltage pylons between Haditha and Anbar were also destroyed.

He said repairing the three pylons could take at least a week.

Arson and bombing by explosives, particularly of high-voltage pylons, have continued almost unabated since the 2003-U.S. invasion.

Major high-voltage lines are vulnerable to attacks as they pass through desert and terrain which is hard to guard and protect.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index...11-30\kurd.htm

Lafarge Continues to Increase Capacity in Iraq

Lafarge, the world’s biggest cement maker, plans to increase its annual capacity in Iraq by 2 million tons by 2013 as the country rebuilds homes and infrastructure destroyed by war, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Lafarge currently has capacity of 6 million tons a year across three plants and is producing 4 million tons, or 25 percent of Iraq’s cement, Marcel Cobuz, chief executive officer for Iraq, said in an interview in Amman.

“Now the demand in Iraq is constantly growing,” he said. The unit had more than 10 percent growth last year and “a little bit less this year”.

Demand for building materials in Iraq is set to increase as the country rebuilds infrastructure and homes after years of war and economic sanctions. As we reported yesterday, Iraq’s housing minister has said they will need to build 2.5 million homes by 2015.

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...acity-in-iraq/

Over $100m New Arms Sales to Iraq

The United States Department of Defense has issued notification of proposed sales of arms from the US to Iraq.

General Dynamics is to be the prime contractor on a $36m deal for the supply of ammunition for Iraq’s Abrams M1A1 tanks (pictured).
The sale consists of:

• 14,010 TP-T M831A1 120mm Cartridges;
• 16,110 TPCSDS-T M865 120mm Cartridges; and
• 3,510 HEAT-MP-T M830A1 120mm Cartridges.

Raytheon is proposed as the prime contractor for a $68m package of “Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Systems”.

According to the Department, “The proposed sale of the C4ISR system will ensure that the Iraqi Naval Force (INF) is better able to efficiently use its vessels and manpower to police Iraqi territorial waters and protect its strategic maritime assets. The C4ISR system will enable the Iraqi Government to assume more responsibility for its security and rely less on U.S. and coalition forces to establish stability.”

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...sales-to-iraq/

Iraqi oil production may reach more than 8 million b / d in 2017

Said a senior adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister said on Monday that Iraq's oil output could rise to more than triple by 2017, a level much lower than previous estimates, but he gave a number that will make Iraq even though one of the largest producers in the world.

And Iraq put a tender last year occurred on the track agreements with international oil companies would theoretically raise the production capacity to 12 million barrels per day by 2017, a figure most analysts see it is not realistic.

Said Thamer Ghadban former Iraqi oil minister told a news conference on Monday he expected to reach production capacity of Iraq to eight million barrels of oil per day within six to seven years.

Analysts point to the collapse of infrastructure and security concerns Kaaqptin basic TURN countries achieve the level of Iraq's 12 million barrels per day, which would make it the largest producer in the world or put him in the ranks of Saudi Arabia.

And Iraq, which has fought some of the largest oil reserves in the world during the past years to enhance its production to even come close to three million barrels per day production level achieved in the late eighties before the invasion of Kuwait.

A survey conducted by Reuters last month that Iraq's production of crude oil will rise to 2.8 million barrels per day by 2011 from about 2.5 million barrels per day currently and up to 4.6 million barrels a day by 2015.

Hussain al-Shahristani, Iraqi Oil Minister, has said he is expected to reach Iraq's oil production to four million barrels per day within three years and there was no need to determine the share of production in OPEC Iraq until then. Iraq is currently the only member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which is not subject to the quota system of production.

Ali al-Dabbagh told Iraqi government spokesman told reporters that Iraq's production will be enhanced production of the Kurdistan region in the north of the country's crude.

Officials say oil companies that the companies operating in Kurdistan, including the DVD. That. Or Norwegian is ready to export more than 100 thousand barrels per day within a short period but a dispute between Baghdad and the provincial government still prevents export, after a brief period in 2009.

He described al-Shahristani, the contracts signed by the Kurdistan Regional Government with foreign oil companies as illegal but Dabbagh told reporters he is currently under discussion agreement.

Dabbagh said that part of the cool relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government requires the legalization of those contracts and that Baghdad wants to find a formula to make that possible under the law, including without prejudice to the sovereignty of the federal government to cooperation with the provincial government in the management of new oil fields.

He added that he did not believe that it will face any difficulty.

Dabbagh said that the level of production target of 2.3 million barrels per day in 2011, including 150 thousand barrels per day from the province of Kurdistan.

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New Private Banks in Iraq

Iraq’s Central Bank has reportedly granted new banking licences to four new private banks, each with capital of 250 billion Iraqi dinars [$212 million].

This reportedly brings the number of private banks operating in Iraq to 35.

Meanwhile, an economic advisor to the Prime Minister is quoted as saying that a package of incentives is being prepared to encourage small private banks to merge and form larger, stronger entities.

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...banks-in-iraq/