Thread: Iraq/Dinar News. before Febuary 2nd 2006

Rice Interview With Christian Malar of France-3 TV
Saturday, 27 January 2007, 10:49 pm
Press Release: US State Department

Interview With Christian Malar of France-3 TV

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Paris, France
January 25, 2007


QUESTION: Mrs. Secretary, thank you very much for talking to us.

SECRETARY RICE: Pleasure to be with you.

QUESTION: Trying to save Lebanon from bankruptcy is great, it's fine, but don't you fear that, through Hezbollah and Syria, Iran tries to ignite or coax civil war in the country, Shiites versus Sunnis, as they already do in Iraq?

SECRETARY RICE: It's very clear that both Syria and Iran, for different reasons perhaps, are playing a not very helpful role in Lebanon, Syria because I think it's unreconciled to the fact that its forces had to leave, Iran because it tries to extend its power through extremist forces. But the Lebanese people will resist that kind of external influence now. They got their chance when they elected a democratic government under Fuad Siniora and they are being supported very broadly here, very enthusiastically by the international community. And I know that the Lebanese people do not want violence between them and I think they will resist efforts to turn Lebanon into a civil war.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) fall apart with the destabilization? You don't fear for this country to be destabilized?

SECRETARY RICE: Of course, of course. It is always a danger that those from the outside can bring great destabilization. But that's why this international conference is so important because it sends a strong message that the international community is going to stand by Lebanon and that those who wish to destabilize it are, in fact, not just trying to hurt the Lebanese but they are, in fact, hurting international stability as well.

QUESTION: Coming back to Iraq, which faces civil war, is not there a risk of partition, as King Abdullah of Jordan just said it yesterday, with as a possible consequence the destabilization of the region fueled once more by Iran?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, again, it's -- but it's very interesting. The Iraqis also don't talk about civil war. They talk about national unity. There are some violent people who are clearly trying to drive the Iraqis apart, who don't want them to find a democratic future for all Iraqis. There's no doubt about that. And we've seen the hand of Iran, particularly in the south, in training of militias, in fact in doing things that are very dangerous to our forces. And that's why the United States has made very clear that it will go after those networks in Iraq that are causing the destabilization.

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But again, the Iraqi people are now very determined, the leadership is determined, and I think you will see from the Iraqi Government policies that are evenhanded, that protect both Sunni and Shia -- that's very important -- and national reconciliation efforts on oil law, provincial elections, constitutional reform. That will be very important.

QUESTION: But in a certain way, when I see development of the situation on the ground, is not Iraq becoming for United States a nightmare, as the President used recently, in the area? The U.S. troops have difficulties in stabilizing the situation on the ground, but at the same time if you leave it's going to get worse.

SECRETARY RICE: Yes.

QUESTION: So what are we -- what can we do?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, President Bush has just put forward a new strategy. We did not see the situation in Iraq as acceptable and indeed the Iraqis need help to stabilize Baghdad. They need help to get a handle on the civil disorder of violent people who are trying to turn Sunni against Shia and Shia against Sunni. The President has said that the United States will deploy additional forces, up to 21,500 forces, to Baghdad, a smaller number to Anbar Province, because we believe that the Iraqi Government, given a chance and given the capability, can still get control of Baghdad and protect its population. And that will lead to a stable Iraq.

QUESTION: Jacques Chirac wants to start a dialogue with Iran to speak about the stabilization of Middle East. The Saudi authorities welcomed yesterday in Riyadh an Iranian emissary, Ali Larijani. Does that mean we must discuss and negotiate with the Iranians in spite of the nuclear threat they represent?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, I don't see that there is anything to negotiate with the Iranians about the stabilization of the Middle East. The Iranians know what to do to stabilize the Middle East; they can stop supporting and arming Hezbollah, they can stop supporting Hamas that is trying to undermine Abu Mazen's efforts at a two-state solution. There are many -- they can stop supporting death squads in Iraq. There are many things that they could do and I think they know what they are. They don't need to be told.

And on the nuclear front, the Iranian ambitions have to be stopped. The good news is there's a Chapter 7 resolution which is signed on by all 15 members of the Security Council. There are not too many countries under Chapter 7 resolution, and so the Iranians are not in very good company. And I believe that you're starting to see that there are Iranians who understand the isolation that they country is facing.

QUESTION: Last question, Mrs. Secretary. Finally, as a lot of Arabic leaders seem to say, is not the solution to all Middle East problem -- the current Middle East problem right now -- the global settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? I heard President Mubarak, whom I met with, and he's saying that to solve Baghdad it goes through first Israel.

SECRETARY RICE: Well, there are many problems in the Middle East that need to be resolved and I don't think there's any one that will resolve all the problems. But there is no doubt that a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would make a very big difference in the Middle East. You can't imagine a different kind of Middle East, a more peaceful democratic Middle East without the resolution ultimately of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

That's why the United States has recommitted to that process. I was recently in the region. I will now go back in a few weeks, I hope, to meet with Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas because it's time for them to start talking about the political horizon, how to establish a Palestinian state within the context of the roadmap, recognizing that all the conditions of the roadmap need be met, but recognizing also that the Palestinian people need to be able to see that there is a state in their future, a state of -- a democratic state living side by side in peace with Israel. The Palestinians have waited a long time for their state. The Israeli people have waited a long time for the security that would come from having a democratic and stable neighbor. It's time to try to deal with the problem.

QUESTION: I want thank you very much and I wish you all the very best.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you very much.

2007/T2-6

Released on January 25, 2007

ENDS
Scoop: Rice Interview With Christian Malar of France-3 TV

Cracks widen in `surge' debate
Iraqi concerns join growing clamor from Congress

By Aamer Madhani
Washington Bureau
Published January 27, 2007


WASHINGTON -- Qubad Talabani, the Iraqi Kurds' de facto ambassador in Washington, spoke diplomatically of White House plans to flood Baghdad with more U.S. and Iraqi troops, but he also voiced some doubt.

The plan calls for two Iraqi army battalions from the Kurdish region to work side-by-side with U.S. troops to pacify violence-plagued Baghdad. But like their U.S. counterparts, a vast majority of the Kurdish troops don't speak Arabic and aren't familiar with the sprawling capital city.



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"They are well-trained fighters and will be committed to the effort," Talabani, the Kurdistan Regional Government's Washington representative, said Thursday. "But is a Kurdish fighter as out of place in Baghdad as a U.S. soldier? That is probably true."

Talabani's concerns underscore the growing skepticism in the rancorous debate playing out in Washington and Baghdad as President Bush attempts to implement his plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq.

The dialogue is likely to become even more heated as Senate Democrats plan to open debate next week on a non-binding resolution saying the troop increase is not in the national interest. And anti-war sentiment will be stoked this weekend with protest marches in Washington.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a speech Friday that the House would soon "explore appropriate ways to affect the policy and strategy being pursued in Iraq," perhaps with a new vote on the use of U.S. military force there.

In his State of the Union address, Bush called on opponents of the so-called troop surge to give his plan a chance to work. Vice President Dick Cheney followed with an aggressive defense of the strategy during a CNN interview, saying that congressional critics and the media have failed to accept that the administration has achieved "enormous successes" in Iraq.

On Friday, Bush reiterated that he would move forward with his plan despite congressional opposition.

"I'm the decision-maker, I had to come up with a way forward that precluded disaster," Bush said after a meeting with senior military advisers. "I know there is skepticism and pessimism and that some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work."



Iraqi parliament erupts

In Iraq, as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki attempted to sketch out the new Baghdad strategy to Iraqi members of the Council of Representatives on Thursday, a usually dull parliamentary session erupted into a sectarian shouting match. Shiite and Sunni lawmakers jeered at each other, and one Sunni lawmaker declared that the prime minister could not be trusted to disarm the Shiite militias. Al-Maliki retorted that the parliament member oversaw a sectarian death squad and threatened to arrest him.

Iraqi exiles and Middle East experts also have been dismissive of the new Bush plan. Toby Dodge, a consulting senior fellow for the Middle East at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the political component of the strategy amounts to little more than a "rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic."

The Democratic resolution critical of the new Bush plan is scheduled for debate in the Senate. A second, less strongly worded resolution spearheaded by Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) has gained some GOP support. Sponsors of both measures have discussed combining them.

On Friday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke against the resolutions, saying that "any indication of flagging will in the United States gives encouragement" to the enemy. Several supporters of the president in the Senate have also spoken against the non-binding measures for the same reason.

Talabani said that in theory, an increase in troops coupled with a renewed focus on reconstruction and resolve by the various ethnic and religious groups to make difficult political concessions could have a positive effect. But the reality on the ground is that the various factions remain distrustful of one another, he said.

"Where we are still at is that a Kurd will never trust an Arab in power, an Arab will never trust a Kurd, a Sunni will not trust a Shiite and a Shiite will not trust a Sunni," said Talabani, whose father, Jalal Talabani, is Iraq's president.



Opponents distrust al-Maliki

A key part of the new strategy is that al-Maliki's government will crack down on the Shiite and Sunni militias that are responsible for much of the violence in Baghdad. But Sunnis and many opponents of increasing troop levels in the U.S. Senate say that al-Maliki can't be trusted because he owes much of his political influence to firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr, who heads the powerful Mahdi Army and controls a 30-member bloc in parliament.

Laith Kubba, the former spokesman for the Iraqi government and a senior program officer at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, said that al-Maliki is ready to make crucial changes, including taking on the militias, but the structure of the Iraqi government leaves him too weak to take such action.

Kubba said that the answer to stemming the violence and cutting off support to the militias might lie in engaging Iraq's neighbors.

He suggested to U.S. policymakers that they nudge Iraq to hold a roundtable discussion with all six neighboring countries, as well as U.S. and British officials. Such talks could prove to be more fruitful than a military solution, Kubba said.

The White House, however, has thus far been unwilling to hold talks with Iran and Syria, two countries which the Bush administration says have contributed to the unrest in Iraq.

"It is better to talk to them now," Kubba said, "than to have to engage them later when circumstances are even less favorable."

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الاقتصاديةEconomic : موازنة عام 2007 من وجهة نظر المختصينBudget 2007 : from the point of view of specialists





بغداد ـ حيدر الربيعيBaghdad Haider spring
أجمع أقطاب القرار الاقتصادي ان موازنة عام 2007 وهي الاكبر في تاريخ العراق قادرة على النهوض بالواقع الخدمي والعمراني المطلوب اذا ما وجهت تخصيصاتها وفقاً لما مخطط له بدقة ومتابعة آليات التنفيذ باشراف عال ومسؤول.The whole poles economic decision that the 2007 budget, which was the largest in the history of Iraq is able to promote our service and physical required if directed allocations, according to a planned carefully and follow-up mechanisms for implementation and supervision of a high official.





فيما دعا عدد من المختصين في المجال الاقتصادي الى ضرورة الاسراع باقرار موازنة العام الحالي، والعمل على ما جاء فيها من تخصيصات تعمل على النهوض بواقع البلد عمرانياً وخدمياً وفي شتى المجالات..With the number of specialists in the economic field for the need to speed up the adoption of the current year budget, and work on what came from allocations for the advancement of the country by residential and service in various fields.
وحذروا من الاخفاقات التي قد تتعرض لها بسبب الفساد الاداري مشددين على اهمية ان تعمل الحكومة على متابعة آليات تنفيذ ما جاء في تلك الموازنة من خطط عمرانية وصحية وتعليمية وخدمية بدقة كونها ستسهم في الارتقاء بالواقع العراقي بصورة شاملة.They warned of the failures that may be due to administrative corruption stressing the importance that the government is working on the follow-up mechanisms to implement what was stated in that budget plans and urban health, education and service will be strictly to the upgrading of the Iraqi reality in a comprehensive manner.
في غضون ذلك كانت مناقشات مستفيضة قد دارت بين اعضاء مجلس النواب وعدد من المختصين اقرارها والوقوف على اهم الايجابيات ومعالجة ما تضمنته من سلبيات، وقد اوصى عدد من الحاضرين الى بالاسراع في اقرار الموازنة لما تتضمنه من اموال استثمارية كبيرة تفيد العراق في اقامة العديد من المشاريع الحيوية التي هو بأمس الحاجة لها.In the meantime, the extensive discussions have taken place between members of the House and a number of specialists approval and stand on the key strengths and address the contents of the negative aspects, and had recommended a number of attendees to speed up the adoption of the budget because it contained a large investment funds benefit of Iraq to set up many vital projects which is dire need them.
دعوة للإسراع في المصادقةCall to speed up the ratification
فقد طالب وزير التخطيط والتعاون الانمائي علي بابان مجلس النواب بالاسراع في المصادقة على ميزانية العام الحالي.He called on the Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation on Papan the House of Representatives to speed up the ratification of the budget for the current year.
وقال خلال مناقشة الموازنة المالية للعام الحالي في مجلس النواب: ان المصادقة على هذه الميزانية ستنعكس ايجابا على انجاز الكثير من المشاريع. والتأخر في المصادقة سيؤخر انجاز تلك المشاريع. مؤكدا ان الحكومة استطاعت في هذا الظرف الصعب ان تضع ميزانية لم تضعها اية حكومة سابقة، وهي ميزانية مشجعة على انجاز جميع خطط الوزارات خلال العام الحالي اذا ما نفذت بدقة.. مبينا ان وزارة التخطيط الان تعمل في ضوء شعار يدعو الى اقامة المزيد من مشاريع الاستثمار والدولة لها استحقاقات وأولوية في تلك المشاريع.. وذكر بابان ان بعض نسب الانجاز في العام الماضي في بعض الوزارات كانت متدنية بسبب الظرف الامني الذي يمر به العراق.He said during a discussion of the financial budget for the current year in the House of Representatives : that the ratification of the budget will reflect positively on the completion of many projects. The delay in ratification would delay the completion of those projects. Stressing that the government could, in this circumstance is difficult to develop a budget not by any previous government, which is encouraging the completion of the budget plans of all ministries during the current year if implemented carefully. Noting that the Ministry of Planning is now in the light of the slogan calling for the establishment of more investment projects and state benefits, and the priority in these projects. The Papan that some rates of achievement in the past year in some ministries were low because of the security situation facing Iraq.
عام لتنفيذ المشاريع الاستثماريةFor the implementation of investment projects
من جانبه شدد نائب رئيس الوزراء د. برهم صالح خلال المناقشات على ضرورة ان يشهد العراق خلال العام الحالي تنفيذ اكبر عدد ممكن من المشاريع التي تخدم المواطن والاقتصاد العراقي.. موضحا ان المرحلة الماضية اخذت من الموازنة القسم الاكبر لتمويل الجانب الامني، لأنه كان يمثل الاولوية الاولى في حياة المواطن، اضافة الى تمويل مفردات البطاقة التموينية، مشيرا الى ان العام الماضي لم يكن بالمستوى الذي تطمح اليه الحكومة او مجلس النواب من حيث تنفيذ المشاريع..For his part, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Barham Salih during discussions on the need to see Iraq through this year, the implementation of the largest possible number of projects that serve the citizens and the Iraqi economy. He pointed out that the last phase of the budget took up most of the financing aspect of security, because it represents the first priority in the lives of citizens, in addition to the financing items ration card, he said, pointing out that last year, not at the level desired by the government or the House of Representatives in terms of the implementation of projects.
وبين صالح ان الموازنة الحالية هي الاكبر في تاريخ العراق، لذا يجب ان يكون هذا العام عاما لتنفيذ المشاريع الاستثمارية التي ستكون عاملاً في رفع الاقتصاد والقضاء على البطالة..And the benefit that the current budget is the largest in the history of Iraq, therefore, it must be this year overview of the implementation of investment projects that will be a factor in lifting the economy and the elimination of unemployment.
صالح اشار ايضا الى ضرورة ان يشعر المواطن بتحسن الوضع الامني والخدمي والعمل على ايجاد السبل الكفيلة بافهامه بأن الحكومة تعمل من اجل رفع المستوى المعاشي له..Saleh also pointed to the need to feel the improvement in the security situation citizen and service and working to find ways to Pavhamh that the government was working towards raising the standard of living for him.
وعن آلية تنفيذ البرامج والخطط بيّن صالح ان التلكؤ في تنفيذ المشاريع ليس في عدم تخصيص الاموال المناسبة بل الخلل في الفساد الاداري والآليات الخاطئة التي هي من اهم اسباب اضاعة المال العام وعدم وضعه في مكانه المناسب..Regarding the implementation of the programs and plans of the lag in the implementation of projects not in the lack of appropriate funds, but the imbalance in the administrative corruption and mechanisms wrong is the most important reasons for wasting public money and not put in its proper place.
ميزانية استثماريةBudget investment
محافظ البنك المركزي سنان الشبيبي من جانبه قال: ان الميزانية الجديدة هي ميزانية استثمارية وفيها حجم استثمار كبير من الناحية الاقتصادية.. وأضاف خلال مناقشة ميزانية العام الحالي في مجلس النواب ان دور البنك المركزي يتمثل في معالجة الاختلال الذي سينجم عن عملية التنمية التي ستتمخض عن تغييرات في البنية الاقتصادية الارتكازية.Central Bank Governor Sinan Shabibi said, in turn : that the new budget is an investment budget and the size of a large investment in economic terms. He added during the budget debate this year in the House of Representatives said that the Central Bank's role is to address the imbalance resulting from the development process that will produce changes in the economic structure are basic.
واوضح الشبيبي ان البنك المركزي يعمل على تحقيق التنمية في بيئة نقدية مستقرة، اضافة الى ان البنك يهتم بكل الوسائل والسياقات التي تحقق الاستقرار الاقتصادي ومعالجة التضخم.Shabibi explained that the Central Bank is working on the development of a stable monetary, in addition to the bank concerned by all means and contexts that achieve economic stability and dealing with inflation.
وتابع الشبيبي ان علاقتنا بالميزانية تتعلق بالحفاظ على مواردها، ويتم ذلك عن طريق مكافحة التضخم، وقد قمنا بالعديد من الاجراءات ومنها رفع سعر صرف الدينار.. مشيرا الى ان هذا الاجراء اثر في الميزانية من خلال التأثير في القدرة الشرائية للحكومة..He continued Shabibi that our budget for the preservation of resources, and this will be done by the fight against inflation, and we have a number of measures including raising the exchange rate of the dinar. He pointed out that the impact of this measure in the budget through influence in the purchasing power of the government.
وأفاد ان هذه السياسة ستعمل على زيادة الثقة بالدينار ما سيسحب نوعا من الاموال للقطاع المصرفي وترشيد الانفاق الحكومي الامر الذي سيحد من التضخم..He said that this policy will increase confidence in the dinar will pull some of the money to the banking sector and the rationalization of government expenditure which will limit inflation.
وبيّن ان هذا الامر يؤدي الى خفض اسعار الاستيراد، مثل استيرادات القطاع الخاص واستيرادات الحكومة للتنمية التي تأتي من خلال تحويل الدينار العراقي الى دولار.And that this will lead to the reduction of import prices, such as imports, the private sector and the import of the government's development comes through the transformation of the Iraqi dinar to the dollar.
ورغم كثرة المؤيدين لما جاء في تفاصيل الموازنة والارقام المطروحة فيها، والدعوة الى الاسراع بالمصادقة عليها، الا انها لاقت اعتراضات ايضا حول بعض النقاط التي اعتبرها البعض غامضة وتحتاج الى تعديل، حزب الفضيلة وعلى لسان رئيس كتلته في البرلمان المح الى انه من المحتمل جدا ان لا يصوت حزبه على موازنة العام الحالي لغموض وعدم وضوح بعض ما جاء فيه من فقرات..While many supporters as stated in the details of the budget and the figures put forward, and call for early ratification, but it was met with objections also on some of the points that some considered vague and needed to be amended, the Virtue Party, in the words of President bloc in the parliament hinted that it is very likely that no vote his party on the current year budget of the ambiguity and lack of clarity in some of what was reported in the paragraphs.
وأضاف حسن الشمري في تصريح صحفي: هناك عدة ملاحظات حول الموازنة تتضمن عناوين غير واضحة وغامضة منها عنوان (المنافع الاجتماعية) الوارد في موازنة (رئاسة الجمهورية ورئاسة الوزراء ووزارة المالية) اذ بلغت التخصيصات لهذا العنوان الغامض (على حد قول الشمري) خمسة ترليونات و125 ملياراً و50 مليون دينار عراقي.And Hassan al-Shamri added in a press statement : There are several observations on the budget include the titles are unclear and ambiguous title of which (social benefits) contained in the budget (the presidency of the republic and the prime minister and the Ministry of Finance), as the allocations for this confusing title (in the words of al-Shamri) 5 trillion and 125 billion and 50 million Iraqi dinars.
وأشار الى ان هذه الضبابية وعدم الوضوح تتيح فرصة للاختلاسات والسرقات، بالاضافة الى عنوان (النشاط العام للدولة) الذي خصص له مبلغ كبير ايضا.He pointed out that this ambiguity and lack of clarity provide an opportunity for embezzlement, theft, in addition to the title (the activity of the State), which has been allocated is also significant.
واوضح الشمري ان الموازنة اشارت الى تخصيص منح لاقليم كردستان وعدم تخصيص وحدة انفاق مماثلة لباقي المحافظات ولا توجد بين الارقام المخصصة للمواقع السيادية ارقام مخصصة لجهات الانفاق التي هي على مساس بحياة الناس وحقوقهم.The Shamari said that the budget pointed to the allocation of grants to the Kurdistan region and the failure to allocate a similar spending for the rest of the governorates and there between the figures for the numbers of sovereign sites earmarked for spending points which are prejudicing the lives of the people and their rights.
وشدد على انه من الضروري لأعضاء مجلس النواب المطالبة بمبررات وجهات الانفاق التي قدمتها الوزارات لوزارة المالية والاطلاع عليها من حيث دقة الارقام واولوية جهات الانفاق.He stressed that it is necessary for members of the House of Representatives claim the reasoning behind the views of expenditure by ministries to the Ministry of Finance found in terms of the accuracy of the figures, and the priority points expenditure.
هناك عدة ملاحظات حول الموازنة تتضمن عناوين غير واضحة وغامضة منها عنوان (المنافع الاجتماعية) الوارد في موازنة (رئاسة الجمهورية ورئاسة الوزراء ووزارة المالية) اذ بلغت التخصيصات لهذا العنوان الغامض (على حد قول الشمري) خمسة ترليونات و125 ملياراً و50 مليون دينار عراقي.There are several observations on the budget include the titles are unclear and ambiguous title of which (social benefits) contained in the budget (the presidency of the republic and the prime minister and the Ministry of Finance), as the allocations for this confusing title (in the words of al-Shamri) 5 trillion and 125 billion and 50 million Iraqi dinars.
وأشار الى ان هذه الضبابية وعدم الوضوح تتيح فرصة للاختلاسات والسرقات، بالاضافة الى عنوان (النشاط العام للدولة) الذي خصص له مبلغ كبير ايضا.He pointed out that this ambiguity and lack of clarity provide an opportunity for embezzlement, theft, in addition to the title (the activity of the State), which has been allocated is also significant.
واوضح الشمري ان الموازنة اشارت الى تخصيص منح لاقليم كردستان وعدم تخصيص وحدة انفاق مماثلة لباقي المحافظات ولا توجد بين الارقام المخصصة للمواقع السيادية ارقام مخصصة لجهات الانفاق التي هي على مساس بحياة الناس وحقوقهم.The Shamari said that the budget pointed to the allocation of grants to the Kurdistan region and the failure to allocate a similar spending for the rest of the governorates and there between the figures for the numbers of sovereign sites earmarked for spending points which are prejudicing the lives of the people and their rights.
وشدد على انه من الضروري لأعضاء مجلس النواب المطالبة بمبررات وجهات الانفاق التي قدمتها الوزارات لوزارة المالية والاطلاع عليها من حيث دقة الارقام واولوية جهات الانفاق.He stressed that it is necessary for members of the House of Representatives claim the reasoning behind the views of expenditure by ministries to the Ministry of Finance found in terms of the accuracy of the figures, and the priority points expenditure.

Translated version of http://www.alsabaah.com/

Saturday 27th January, 2007

Iraq gets panel for quelling sectarianism
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IANS Saturday 27th January, 2007

About 500 Iraqi clerics, academics and intellectuals have set up a group called the Iraq Scholars Association, assigned with the task of fighting sectarianism that currently plays havoc with Iraqi society.

'The association, which groups Muslim clerics, university professors and intellectuals belonging to various sects, has the aim of reinvigorating dialogue among Iraqis in the run-up for halting bloodshed there,' ISA chairman Abdullatif al-Hamim told a press conference Friday.

'The ISA is an independent body that has no sectarian, religious or political affiliations with any of the components of the Iraqi society and seeks social peace and an end to foreign occupation,' he said.

Iraq is currently the scene of sectarian strife mainly between Shias, who enjoy a majority at the National Assembly, and the Sunni community to which former president Saddam Hussein belonged.

Sunni political leaders say that most of the attacks launched against their community have been carried out by Shia militias supported by the Iraqi government and Iran.

'The new grouping has the primary objective of enhancing awareness of Iraqi citizens through shifting them from the culture of anarchy to the culture of discipline,' al-Hamim said.

Responding to a question about how the group viewed the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, he said: 'We urge the government to behave rationally because we believe the solution in Iraq is not a military one but rather a political one.'

Iraq gets panel for quelling sectarianism

Chevron holds talks with Iraq to build facility
Iraq is in negotiations with San Ramon-based Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. to build a new $3 billion petrochemical facility, and is in talks with several other Western companies over industrial projects.

In an interview Thursday, Fowzi Hariri, Iraq's minister for industry and minerals, said the discussions with Chevron and Exxon began this week in Washington and are at an early stage.

"It will be one or the other company for this new facility, not both," he said. "We're hoping to have a (Memorandum of Understanding) in place by about July."

The minister, who has been in his post since June, said the issue of security was a prominent feature of the discussions, given the sectarian conflict that has come to characterize Iraq over the past year. He said he emphasized to the companies that much of the violence has been in Baghdad.

The discussions with the companies have been greatly aided by an Iraq foreign investment law that won final approval last October, he said.

Chevron also reported Friday that a deepwater test well off the coast of Angola, Africa's fastest-growing oil producer, showed a "significant" discovery.

More than 85 meters of oil was found in the Lucapa-1 well drilled in waters of 3,940 feet to a depth of 10,955 feet, and the output tested at commercial rates, Chevron said Friday in a statement. Further drilling will be conducted to appraise the well and determine potential reserves, the company said.

Communications

Pleasanton-based Polycom Inc., a communications solutions provider, reported fourth-quarter 2006 revenues of $186.5 million, up nearly 20 percent from $156.1 million for the same period in 2005.

Net income was $32 million, or 35 cents per share, up by more than 50 percent from $21 million, or 23 cents a share, for the corresponding quarter in 2005.

For the entire year, revenues rose 18 percent to $682.4 million from $580.7 million in 2005. Net income was $98.1 million ($1.09 a share) in 2006, up 30 percent from $75.5 million (78 cents a share) in 2005.

In the fourth quarter of 2006, more than half of revenues came from video communications, about a third from voice communications and a fifth from network systems.

Banks

Shirley Nelson, chairman and chief executive officer of Oakland-based Summit Bank and Summit Bancshares Inc., announced that Nancy Dal Bello has been named as Summit Bank's vice president, real estate loan officer. Dal Bello previously worked in positions at NSBC Bank USA, Bank of the West, Sanwa Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank.
ContraCostaTimes.com | 01/27/2007 | Chevron holds talks with Iraq to build facility

snip Saleh emphasized that the (95%) of the revenues of public budget depend on the proceeds of oil being essential resource of the country, pointing out that the days ahead will be encouraging to lift the dinar's value against the dollar but not can be identified cashed only after the launching, the real in the public budget.

Originally Posted by shotgunsusie

ÌÑíÏÉ ÇáÕÈÇÍ - ãæÇÒäÜÜÜÉ ÚÜÜÜÇã 2007 ßãÇ íÑÇåÇ ÇáãÓÄæáæä æÇáÈÑáãÇäíæä

Anyone care to decipher this? Looks like WOOT material to me.

The House of Representatives held its usual after quorum

(صوت العراق) - 27-01-2007(Voice of Iraq) - 27-01-2007
ارسل هذا الموضوع لصديقThis issue was sent to a friend

مجلس النواب يعقد جلسته الإعتيادية بعد إكتمال النصاب القانونىThe House of Representatives held its usual after quorum
من سانتا ميخائيلFrom Santa Mikhail
(لإضافة عقد الجلسة واكتمال النصاب)(In addition to the meeting and quorum)
بغداد- (أصوات العراق)Baghdad - (Voices of Iraq)
عقد مجلس النواب العراقى جلسته الإعتيادية اليوم السبت بعد إكتمال النصاب القانونى للجلسة وبحضور أكثر من 200 عضو .The Iraqi parliament held its usual today, Saturday, after a quorum of the meeting and the presence of more than 200 members.
ونوه رئيس المجلس محمود المشهداني فى بداية الجلسة الى أن إقرار موازنة عام 2007 المقرر اليوم يعد عملا عظيما ينتظره الشعب العراقي.He commended the President of the Council, Mahmoud Almshahadani at the beginning of the meeting that the adoption of the budget 2007 decision today is a great job waiting for the Iraqi people.
كان عضو بمجلس النواب عن قائمة التحالف الكردستانينوزاد صالح قال فى وقت سابق اليوم السبت لوكالة أنباء (أصوات العراق) المستقلة إنه "في حال إكتمال النصاب القانوني لجلسة النواب اليوم فسيتم قراءة مشروع الموازنة للتصويت عليها من قبل اعضاء المجلس."Was a member of the House of Representatives from the Alliance list Kardstaninozad Saleh said earlier today, Saturday, the News Agency (Voices of Iraq) Independent that "in the event of a quorum for the House of Representatives today will be reading of the draft budget of the vote by members of the Council."
وأضاف صالح "في حال عدم إكتمال النصاب القانوني لجلسة اليوم سيتم تأجيها الى بعد العاشر من محرم ."Saleh added, "in the absence of a quorum for today's meeting will be to Tajiha after the 10th of Muharram."
ومن جانبه , قال عباس البياتي عضو مجلس النواب عن الائتلاف العراقي الموحد لـ(أصوات العراق) "ان مشروع الموازنة قطع أشواطا من الاتفاق السياسي بين الكتل , حيث ساهم لقاء قادة الكتل يوم الخميس الماضي في التقريب من نقاط الخلاف ولم يبق غير فقرة واحدة أو إثنين تم وضع آراء لها."On his part, Abbas Al-Bayati, Member of the House of Representatives of the United Iraqi Alliance told (Voices of Iraq) that "the draft budget cutting ahead of the political agreement between blocs, which contributed to meeting the leaders of the bloc last Thursday in bringing the points of contention, leaving nothing but a single paragraph or two views have been developed."
وتابع البياتي "اغلقت جلسة يوم الخميس الماضي ولم تعد مفتوحة، أي أننا اليوم نحتاج الى أكتمال النصاب القانوني (138 عضوا من مجموع 275 ) لعقد الجلسة , وإذا إكتمل النصاب سيم التصويت على الموازنة."He continued Bayati "closed meeting last Thursday and no longer open, any day, we need a quorum (138 of the total 275) for the meeting, and if a quorum was Sim vote on the budget."
وكانت جلسات البرلمان قد تم تأجيلها أكثر من مرة في الشهر الماضي بسبب عدم إكتمال النصاب القانوني (اكثر من نصف عدد الاعضاء البالغ 275 عضوا) ، مما اضطر المجلس الى عقد جلسات تشاورية.The parliament sessions have been postponed more than once in the last month due to lack of quorum (more than half the members of 275 members), forcing the Council to hold consultative meetings.
كما كانت الجلسات قد توقفت في الفترة السابقة بسبب عطلة عيد الاضحى المبارك وسفر العديد من الاعضاء لأداء فريضة الحج.As the meetings had stopped in the previous period due to holiday Eid Al-Adha holiday and travel many members to perform the Hajj.
ح مH M


He commended the President of the Council, Mahmoud Almshahadani at the beginning of the meeting that the adoption of the budget 2007 decision today is a great job waiting for the Iraqi people.


Folks is it saying that the House passed 2007 Budget today?

Originally Posted by adm

The House of Representatives held its usual after quorum

(صوت العراق) - 27-01-2007(Voice of Iraq) - 27-01-2007
ارسل هذا الموضوع لصديقThis issue was sent to a friend

مجلس النواب يعقد جلسته الإعتيادية بعد إكتمال النصاب القانونىThe House of Representatives held its usual after quorum
من سانتا ميخائيلFrom Santa Mikhail
(لإضافة عقد الجلسة واكتمال النصاب)(In addition to the meeting and quorum)
بغداد- (أصوات العراق)Baghdad - (Voices of Iraq)
عقد مجلس النواب العراقى جلسته الإعتيادية اليوم السبت بعد إكتمال النصاب القانونى للجلسة وبحضور أكثر من 200 عضو .The Iraqi parliament held its usual today, Saturday, after a quorum of the meeting and the presence of more than 200 members.
ونوه رئيس المجلس محمود المشهداني فى بداية الجلسة الى أن إقرار موازنة عام 2007 المقرر اليوم يعد عملا عظيما ينتظره الشعب العراقي.He commended the President of the Council, Mahmoud Almshahadani at the beginning of the meeting that the adoption of the budget 2007 decision today is a great job waiting for the Iraqi people.
كان عضو بمجلس النواب عن قائمة التحالف الكردستانينوزاد صالح قال فى وقت سابق اليوم السبت لوكالة أنباء (أصوات العراق) المستقلة إنه "في حال إكتمال النصاب القانوني لجلسة النواب اليوم فسيتم قراءة مشروع الموازنة للتصويت عليها من قبل اعضاء المجلس."Was a member of the House of Representatives from the Alliance list Kardstaninozad Saleh said earlier today, Saturday, the News Agency (Voices of Iraq) Independent that "in the event of a quorum for the House of Representatives today will be reading of the draft budget of the vote by members of the Council."
وأضاف صالح "في حال عدم إكتمال النصاب القانوني لجلسة اليوم سيتم تأجيها الى بعد العاشر من محرم ."Saleh added, "in the absence of a quorum for today's meeting will be to Tajiha after the 10th of Muharram."
ومن جانبه , قال عباس البياتي عضو مجلس النواب عن الائتلاف العراقي الموحد لـ(أصوات العراق) "ان مشروع الموازنة قطع أشواطا من الاتفاق السياسي بين الكتل , حيث ساهم لقاء قادة الكتل يوم الخميس الماضي في التقريب من نقاط الخلاف ولم يبق غير فقرة واحدة أو إثنين تم وضع آراء لها."On his part, Abbas Al-Bayati, Member of the House of Representatives of the United Iraqi Alliance told (Voices of Iraq) that "the draft budget cutting ahead of the political agreement between blocs, which contributed to meeting the leaders of the bloc last Thursday in bringing the points of contention, leaving nothing but a single paragraph or two views have been developed."
وتابع البياتي "اغلقت جلسة يوم الخميس الماضي ولم تعد مفتوحة، أي أننا اليوم نحتاج الى أكتمال النصاب القانوني (138 عضوا من مجموع 275 ) لعقد الجلسة , وإذا إكتمل النصاب سيم التصويت على الموازنة."He continued Bayati "closed meeting last Thursday and no longer open, any day, we need a quorum (138 of the total 275) for the meeting, and if a quorum was Sim vote on the budget."
وكانت جلسات البرلمان قد تم تأجيلها أكثر من مرة في الشهر الماضي بسبب عدم إكتمال النصاب القانوني (اكثر من نصف عدد الاعضاء البالغ 275 عضوا) ، مما اضطر المجلس الى عقد جلسات تشاورية.The parliament sessions have been postponed more than once in the last month due to lack of quorum (more than half the members of 275 members), forcing the Council to hold consultative meetings.
كما كانت الجلسات قد توقفت في الفترة السابقة بسبب عطلة عيد الاضحى المبارك وسفر العديد من الاعضاء لأداء فريضة الحج.As the meetings had stopped in the previous period due to holiday Eid Al-Adha holiday and travel many members to perform the Hajj.
ح مH M


He commended the President of the Council, Mahmoud Almshahadani at the beginning of the meeting that the adoption of the budget 2007 decision today is a great job waiting for the Iraqi people.


Folks is it saying that the House passed 2007 Budget today?

That's the way I'm reading it. Had a quorum of more than 200 and adopted the budget. Progress is good.

The House of Representatives held its usual after quorum

(صوت العراق) - 27-01-2007(Voice of Iraq) - 27-01-2007
ارسل هذا الموضوع لصديقThis issue was sent to a friend

مجلس النواب يعقد جلسته الإعتيادية بعد إكتمال النصاب القانونىThe House of Representatives held its usual after quorum
من سانتا ميخائيلFrom Santa Mikhail
(لإضافة عقد الجلسة واكتمال النصاب)(In addition to the meeting and quorum)
بغداد- (أصوات العراق)Baghdad - (Voices of Iraq)
عقد مجلس النواب العراقى جلسته الإعتيادية اليوم السبت بعد إكتمال النصاب القانونى للجلسة وبحضور أكثر من 200 عضو .The Iraqi parliament held its usual today, Saturday, after a quorum of the meeting and the presence of more than 200 members.
ونوه رئيس المجلس محمود المشهداني فى بداية الجلسة الى أن إقرار موازنة عام 2007 المقرر اليوم يعد عملا عظيما ينتظره الشعب العراقي.He commended the President of the Council, Mahmoud Almshahadani at the beginning of the meeting that the adoption of the budget 2007 decision today is a great job waiting for the Iraqi people.
كان عضو بمجلس النواب عن قائمة التحالف الكردستانينوزاد صالح قال فى وقت سابق اليوم السبت لوكالة أنباء (أصوات العراق) المستقلة إنه "في حال إكتمال النصاب القانوني لجلسة النواب اليوم فسيتم قراءة مشروع الموازنة للتصويت عليها من قبل اعضاء المجلس."Was a member of the House of Representatives from the Alliance list Kardstaninozad Saleh said earlier today, Saturday, the News Agency (Voices of Iraq) Independent that "in the event of a quorum for the House of Representatives today will be reading of the draft budget of the vote by members of the Council."
وأضاف صالح "في حال عدم إكتمال النصاب القانوني لجلسة اليوم سيتم تأجيها الى بعد العاشر من محرم ."Saleh added, "in the absence of a quorum for today's meeting will be to Tajiha after the 10th of Muharram."
ومن جانبه , قال عباس البياتي عضو مجلس النواب عن الائتلاف العراقي الموحد لـ(أصوات العراق) "ان مشروع الموازنة قطع أشواطا من الاتفاق السياسي بين الكتل , حيث ساهم لقاء قادة الكتل يوم الخميس الماضي في التقريب من نقاط الخلاف ولم يبق غير فقرة واحدة أو إثنين تم وضع آراء لها."On his part, Abbas Al-Bayati, Member of the House of Representatives of the United Iraqi Alliance told (Voices of Iraq) that "the draft budget cutting ahead of the political agreement between blocs, which contributed to meeting the leaders of the bloc last Thursday in bringing the points of contention, leaving nothing but a single paragraph or two views have been developed."
وتابع البياتي "اغلقت جلسة يوم الخميس الماضي ولم تعد مفتوحة، أي أننا اليوم نحتاج الى أكتمال النصاب القانوني (138 عضوا من مجموع 275 ) لعقد الجلسة , وإذا إكتمل النصاب سيم التصويت على الموازنة."He continued Bayati "closed meeting last Thursday and no longer open, any day, we need a quorum (138 of the total 275) for the meeting, and if a quorum was Sim vote on the budget."
وكانت جلسات البرلمان قد تم تأجيلها أكثر من مرة في الشهر الماضي بسبب عدم إكتمال النصاب القانوني (اكثر من نصف عدد الاعضاء البالغ 275 عضوا) ، مما اضطر المجلس الى عقد جلسات تشاورية.The parliament sessions have been postponed more than once in the last month due to lack of quorum (more than half the members of 275 members), forcing the Council to hold consultative meetings.
كما كانت الجلسات قد توقفت في الفترة السابقة بسبب عطلة عيد الاضحى المبارك وسفر العديد من الاعضاء لأداء فريضة الحج.As the meetings had stopped in the previous period due to holiday Eid Al-Adha holiday and travel many members to perform the Hajj.

Sotaliraq.com

The plight of the Kurds

Friday, January 26, 2007
The Economist
Too many promises have been broken by the politicians

HAKKARI --On an icy road snaking through the mountains that separate Turkey from Iran and Iraq, a military convoy rumbles along. Ragged children stand barefoot in the snow, waving at the conscripts as they peer through misted windows. They are headed towards Hakkari, the poorest corner of Turkey's predominantly Kurdish south-east and a launching pad for military operations against separatist PKK rebels in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. Decades of neglect and brutal repression have made the province synonymous with all that ails Turkey's 14m Kurds.

Four years ago, when he chose Hakkari to launch the election campaign that swept his AK party to power, Turkey's mildly-Islamist prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, joined a train of politicians pledging change for Hakkari.

“Not a thing has changed,” however, according to Metin Tekce, the youthful mayor of the province's eponymous capital. Jobless youths fill coffee-houses. The stench of uncollected rubbish wafts through the air. Barely a fifth of homes have running water. Tens of thousands of refugees, expelled from surrounding villages by the security forces at the peak of the PKK insurgency in the 1990s, are surviving thanks to Hakkari's deeply rooted tribal culture—but their presence is straining the town's flimsy infrastructure to the point of collapse.

Mr Tekce says he might have had a shot at fixing things. But the mayor's debt-laden budget is eaten up by his bloated workforce and his time is spent running from one court hearing to the other. Mr Tekce has been slapped with at least 20 cases since being elected in 2004 on the ticket of Turkey's largest pro-Kurdish party, the DTP. Charges against him range from “membership of a terrorist organization” for saying “the PKK are not terrorists”, to violating constitutional laws decreeing that “everyone who lives in Turkey is a Turk.” Mr Tekce said he was a Kurd.

Fourteen months ago, Mr Erdogan returned to Hakkari with fresh promises. It was after the bombing of a bookshop frequented by pro-PKK activists in the township of Semdinli. Two intelligence officers and a PKK informant who planted the bomb were caught as they fled the scene. Speaking in Semdinli, Mr Erdogan vowed to get to the bottom of the affair “no matter how high the trail leads.”

Emboldened by such words, in his indictment of the Semdinli bombers the chief prosecutor of nearby Van also implicated Turkey's hawkish chief of general staff, Yasar Buyukanit, who had called one of the bombers “a fine chap”. An unscheduled “working visit” to the prime minister from the general prompted Mr Erdogan to back down; the prosecutor was sacked and the bookshop owner jailed. “The biggest chance to solve the Kurdish problem was squandered,” says one prominent human-rights lawyer.

Adnan Demirkan, a local AK party official, disagrees. The government is expanding roads and has built 700 units of low-income housing. It has also launched a scheme throughout the south-east which gives poor families 30 lira ($21) a month for each child to help with their education. The money is deposited in the mother's account to ensure it is properly spent.

In the nearby town of Yuksekova, Necip Capraz, who runs an online news service that broke the Semdinli scandal, has a different worry. He detects a link between the steady stream of anonymous threats that he has been receiving and the deteriorating relationship between Turkey and the EU. “The EU talks were our only shield,” Mr Capraz commented.

Meanwhile, the climate of repression is pushing a growing number of Kurds to cross into northern Iraq in search of jobs and freedom—or, worse still, to join the PKK. Should Mr Erdogan keep breaking his promises for Hakkari, many more are poised to follow.

The plight of the Kurds (KurdishMedia.com)