Thread: Iraqi/Dinar News before 3-12-2007 7:45PM CentralTimeZone

Skinner : decisions of the neighboring countries was positive for Iraq قال على .Skinner said the official spokesman for the Iraqi government today, Sunday, that the decisions of the neighboring countries, which was held in Baghdad yesterday, Saturday, was positive and seeks to support the government.
."The Skinner News Agency (Voices of Iraq) Independent said, "The conference represents an essential support to the Iraqi government and was his positive and we expect this McKenna."
وقال .He said that "many objectives was agreed to be discussed in the next meeting of the foreign ministers of the neighboring countries," but he did not mention the nature of the fundamental cornerstones.
وحول ."Regarding the participation of Iranian and American delegations at the conference after a break that lasted three decades Skinner said, "Ntmi that the relations between them is good and positive, but we refuse to be at the expense of the Iraqi people."
الاقليمية."He said that "Iraq is not a party to any dispute between the United States and countries in the region."
وكانت ."The 17 state delegations and regional and international conferences had been organized an unprecedented day yesterday, Saturday, at the headquarters of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad to discuss the current situation in Iraq and supporting the Iraqi government and left the conference to form three technical committees at the expert level. "
ق."He said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari at a press conference following the end of the conference, "The First Committee will be competent security cooperation and coordination to follow up and activate the security agreements with these countries prior to assist the government in the fight against terrorism and to prevent and control the sequence and all matters relating to the security of Iraq."
."He explained that "the second task will be all the displaced and Iraqi immigrants to the neighboring countries."
وقال."He said that "the three deputy fuel and energy supply to Iraq to resolve the technical and bureaucratic problems facing Iraq in this area."
."Zebari said that "the participating countries had not agreed on the location and date of the next meeting and the participants agreed to authorize Iraq to follow up on this matter."

اصوات العراقVoices of Iraq
ãæÞÚ ÇáÑÇÝÏíä _ ÇáÏÈÇÛ :ãÞÑÑÇÊ ãÄÊãÑ Ïæá ÇáÌæÇÑ ßÇäÊ ÇíÌÇÈíÉ ÈÇáäÓÈÉ ááÚÑÇÞ

Baghdad-Parliament-Update 1
Posted by: nakr2004 on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 12:32 PM

Baghdad-Parliament-Update 1
Iraqi Parliament debates crude oil draft on Monday(Adds more details)
By Adel Fakher

Baghdad, March 12, (VOI) – The Iraqi Parliament will hold an ordinary session on Monday to debate a draft law on investment in crude oil and other drafts, said a media source from the office of Speaker Dr. Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
"The session falls within parliament's third legislative term," Muhannad Abdul-Jabbar told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by telephone.
Quorum for last Tuesday’s Parliamentary session was not reached, prompting members to turn it into a "consultative session," in which they debated a mechanism for the Iraqi legislative house during the coming period.
Iraq's parliament is composed of 275 members.
The quorum necessary to convene sessions is half the members plus one (139 members).
The parliament is also scheduled to debate second readings of draft legislation on the higher commission for human rights, amendments to the law on irrigation networks and the law on municipalities and the public works ministry, said Abdul-Jabbar.
AE/TP

العراقThe draft law allows foreign companies to exploit the oil in Iraq
منعليه.National economic newspaper "The Independent on Sunday" today that Iraq is preparing to license foreign companies to exploit the huge reserves of oil based on the draft bill dated in July 2006 able to see it.
عبر المقبلة.The British weekly said that the bill, which cooperated in the preparation of the United States through consulting companies will be submitted to the Iraqi Parliament in the coming days. .According to the newspaper, the Czech Republic through the introduction of production sharing agreements, companies such as British "BP (Bi. Me) "and the Anglo-Dutch Shell and Exxon, two Americans and Chevron signed contracts for a period of thirty years for the extraction of Iraqi oil.
ذلك.Production sharing agreements are contracts under which the country remains the owner of oil producer but foreign companies carrying out exploration and exploitation of oil in return receive a share of production.
ان.According to "The Independent on Sunday", the foreign companies may hold up to 60 or 70% of the oil revenue to cover the amounts are invested at the outset. اما 0%.The normal rate is 40%.
بعد.After that could retain 20%, against 10% in the normal situation. بان .This difference explains that the stabilization of the situation in Iraq, according to specialists, but I asked them to the newspaper acknowledged, however, that this figure remains high.
هذا .Combines specialists also agreed that the big companies do not rush to enter the Iraqi market because they prefer to wait until the country to restore some stability. .The intermediate risk some companies only in the short term.
.In the event that this will be the first time that the participation of foreign companies investing in the Iraqi oil since the nationalization of the industry in 1972.
.The production-sharing agreements will be a precedent in the Middle East, where controlled Saudi Arabia and Iran, the first and second major sources of oil in the world, the oil companies bereft of the State.
بي.Iraq owns the third confirmed oil reserves in the world estimated at 115 billion barrels, according to company ABB.
ومنذ .Since the outbreak of the war on Iraq in March 2003 retreat of Iraqi oil production significantly to the decline of 3.5 million barrels per day to about two million barrels per day now.
ـــــــــ

للطباعة Printing ارسل الى صديق Sent to a friend

1/7/2007July 1, 2007

LOL not really sure why they have the date of July here
Translated version of http://www.e-ahli.net/Fron_P/MainP_List_F.asp

Originally Posted by CharmedPiper

Baghdad-Parliament-Update 1
Posted by: nakr2004 on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 12:32 PM

Baghdad-Parliament-Update 1
Iraqi Parliament debates crude oil draft on Monday(Adds more details)
By Adel Fakher

Baghdad, March 12, (VOI) – The Iraqi Parliament will hold an ordinary session on Monday to debate a draft law on investment in crude oil and other drafts, said a media source from the office of Speaker Dr. Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
"The session falls within parliament's third legislative term," Muhannad Abdul-Jabbar told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by telephone.
Quorum for last Tuesday’s Parliamentary session was not reached, prompting members to turn it into a "consultative session," in which they debated a mechanism for the Iraqi legislative house during the coming period.
Iraq's parliament is composed of 275 members.
The quorum necessary to convene sessions is half the members plus one (139 members).
The parliament is also scheduled to debate second readings of draft legislation on the higher commission for human rights, amendments to the law on irrigation networks and the law on municipalities and the public works ministry, said Abdul-Jabbar.
AE/TP

Since nobody has wooted or wow'd on this yet....must still be sleeping......I will do it myself......WOOOOOT..........WOW WOW WOW...ABOUT TIME!

Originally Posted by CharmedPiper

Since nobody has wooted or wow'd on this yet....must still be sleeping......I will do it myself......WOOOOOT..........WOW WOW WOW...ABOUT TIME!

LOL.....my coffee had to kick in first....hahaha WOOTEETWOOTWOOT!

Originally Posted by rvalreadydang

العراقThe draft law allows foreign companies to exploit the oil in Iraq
منعليه.National economic newspaper "The Independent on Sunday" today that Iraq is preparing to license foreign companies to exploit the huge reserves of oil based on the draft bill dated in July 2006 able to see it.
عبر المقبلة.The British weekly said that the bill, which cooperated in the preparation of the United States through consulting companies will be submitted to the Iraqi Parliament in the coming days. .According to the newspaper, the Czech Republic through the introduction of production sharing agreements, companies such as British "BP (Bi. Me) "and the Anglo-Dutch Shell and Exxon, two Americans and Chevron signed contracts for a period of thirty years for the extraction of Iraqi oil.
ذلك.Production sharing agreements are contracts under which the country remains the owner of oil producer but foreign companies carrying out exploration and exploitation of oil in return receive a share of production.
ان.According to "The Independent on Sunday", the foreign companies may hold up to 60 or 70% of the oil revenue to cover the amounts are invested at the outset. اما 0%.The normal rate is 40%.
بعد.After that could retain 20%, against 10% in the normal situation. بان .This difference explains that the stabilization of the situation in Iraq, according to specialists, but I asked them to the newspaper acknowledged, however, that this figure remains high.
هذا .Combines specialists also agreed that the big companies do not rush to enter the Iraqi market because they prefer to wait until the country to restore some stability. .The intermediate risk some companies only in the short term.
.In the event that this will be the first time that the participation of foreign companies investing in the Iraqi oil since the nationalization of the industry in 1972.
.The production-sharing agreements will be a precedent in the Middle East, where controlled Saudi Arabia and Iran, the first and second major sources of oil in the world, the oil companies bereft of the State.
بي.Iraq owns the third confirmed oil reserves in the world estimated at 115 billion barrels, according to company ABB.
ومنذ .Since the outbreak of the war on Iraq in March 2003 retreat of Iraqi oil production significantly to the decline of 3.5 million barrels per day to about two million barrels per day now.
ـــــــــ

للطباعة Printing ارسل الى صديق Sent to a friend

1/7/2007July 1, 2007

LOL not really sure why they have the date of July here
Translated version of http://www.e-ahli.net/Fron_P/MainP_List_F.asp

If the PSA's are really that high - 60 or 70% profit for the corporations - then i understand the resistance at getting this done. The oil companies will get rich and Iraq will "own" it but not get rich. At least that's how i'm reading this stuff lately. Am i off base here?

Originally Posted by webinvestor

If the PSA's are really that high - 60 or 70% profit for the corporations - then i understand the resistance at getting this done. The oil companies will get rich and Iraq will "own" it but not get rich. At least that's how i'm reading this stuff lately. Am i off base here?

Here is an explanation of PSAs.

TCS Daily - Misunderstanding Production Sharing Agreements

Misunderstanding Production Sharing Agreements



Much outrage has been howled and many teeth have been gnashed in the last few days as a new law regarding Iraq's oil and gas reserves has been passed by the fledgling Iraqi government. The law grants Iraq's Federal Oil and Gas Council the power to enter into Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) with foreign oil companies. For many of those who opposed the American-led invasion of Iraq in the first place, this serves as evidence that the war was all about placing Iraq's immense oil and gas reserves under the control of American oil companies.

The new law "represents no less than institutionalized raping and pillaging of Iraq's oil wealth," screamed one columnist in the Asia Times, and according to the Guardian newspaper in backing the new law the US is pursuing an "agenda of privatising and selling off Iraq's oil resources" to major oil corporations. The reasoning goes that in passing this new law, Iraq's Federal Oil and Gas Council is a puppet organisation doing the bidding of its *******, who are the usual band of unnamed "Big Oil" executives of the major US oil companies Exxon-Mobil, Chevron-Texaco, Conoco-Philips, and - if the journalist in question really wishes to reveal his or her ignorance - Shell and BP, who aren't American but fit nicely into the roll-call of evil corporations stripping ordinary Iraqis of their oil wealth.

These articles denouncing the new law are numerous and can be found in any left-leaning newspaper or website you care to consult, but where they are long on passion and outrage they are short on basic understanding of Production Sharing Agreements.

PSAs are essentially a vehicle to enable a country with proven hydrocarbon reserves but not the means to extract them to entice foreign capital investment into the country when the risks to ordinary investors are higher than normal. They were first set up in the 1960s but grew to prominence in Russia during the Yeltsin years when several major western oil companies signed PSAs to extract oil and gas in Siberia and the Russian Far East.

At the time they were signed in the mid-1990s, Russia's currency was highly unstable, its businessmen were being gunned down on the street, the mafia ran both the police and the law courts, and it was not the place where a western company would invest enormous sums of money in the normal manner.

However, Russia desperately needed foreign money and expertise to kick-start its creaking oil and gas industry by building several large, new facilities for the development of new fields. It looked to do so, and did so successfully, using PSAs with western oil companies.

The similarities with Iraq are obvious: Iraq has proven oil reserves but decades of war and crippling sanctions has left the country with decrepit infrastructure and without the means to extract its oil safely, efficiently, and to the maximum potential. The Iraqi government desperately needs the revenues that oil production and exportation would bring, but does not have the capital to rebuild the infrastructure itself. Furthermore, the sectarian violence and threat of civil war dissuade foreign money and expertise from being invested in Iraq in the normal manner. Therefore, like Russia a decade before it, Iraq is turning to PSAs as a solution to their predicament.

Under the terms of a PSA, a foreign oil company is granted access to a country's oilfield and allowed to build the necessary infrastructure to allow it to extract, process, and export the hydrocarbon product. The foreign company pays for the construction of the facilities, which often runs to the tune of several billion dollars, although usually the construction activities are exempt from normal taxes and customs duties for the import of material and equipment. Once built, the foreign company then owns, operates and maintains the facility for an agreed period of time.

Crucially, and this is what most of the outraged commentators don't understand, under the terms of a PSA the country - not the oil company - retains ownership of all production and the entire oilfield throughout the agreement. In return for building and operating the facility essentially for free, the country in question then grants the oil company a share of the production and keeps the rest for itself: hence the name Production Sharing Agreement.

The size of the share is agreed in advance, and is calculated depending on the size and cost of the facilities being built and the longevity of the agreement. But whatever the size of the respective shares, one thing is guaranteed: if the oil company can make enormous profits by selling its share of the production, the country can do exactly the same with its own share - and indeed make even more, because it has not paid a penny for its extraction. Once the agreement has expired the facility is handed over to the country lock, stock, and barrel and they assume responsibility for its continued operation and maintenance. The oil company, under the terms of the agreement, simply walks away.

Many of the critics of PSAs point to Russia's insistence on their own PSAs being renegotiated mid-way through the contract period as proof that they serve the interests of big oil companies at the expense of the country in question. However, when such cases are examined in detail it becomes apparent that the lesson learned from the Russian PSAs are not that they unfairly reward the oil company at the expense of the country, but that oil companies must be extremely careful about which countries they enter into such agreements.

As has been said, at the time the Russian PSAs were signed, ordinary investors were giving Russia a wide berth and the government was becoming increasingly desperate to attract the necessary foreign capital and expertise to get its oil and gas industry up and running. Ten years on, Russia is a very different place: the currency is stable, government institutions have matured, law and order has been restored (to a point), and in addition the oil price has risen considerably from the prevailing price on which the PSAs were originally made. The Russian government has noticed that the bulk of foreign investment has already been made with the enormous production and processing facilities nearing completion, and decided that in light of current conditions it is getting a raw deal out of the agreements it signed some ten years ago. Certainly, Russia would have no need to enter into a PSA with a foreign oil company at the present time, but at the time the agreements were made they were the only available option to an ailing Russian state. In any normal country it would be expected that the government would honour its prior agreements regardless of how they are viewed with hindsight. But this being Russia the government has tried, successfully, to strong-arm its way into renegotiating the agreements on terms more favourable to itself. It is understandable why this may be construed as an effort to right previous wrongs carried out in the Yeltsin years, but this view would be mistaken. Russia did not do badly out of the PSAs, it has simply realised that now the foreign investment has been made it can do a whole lot better if it does not have to uphold its end of the bargain and hand over the agreed share of the production.

By their very nature PSAs are complex affairs and much of the finer details are based on speculation as to what may happen in the country and with the oil price, leaving ample room for disgruntled parties in the future. It is therefore very important that they are handled correctly and competently, and their form and purpose are fully understood before judgement is passed as to their suitability in a given situation, such as Iraq. The notion that a PSA represents a foreign oil company being handed complete control and ownership of a country's oilfields is spurious nonsense; it is an agreement from which both parties benefit and serves as a useful method of bringing in essential foreign investment and expertise in a relatively short period of time.

Tim Newman is a writer living in Russia. Find more of his writing here.
-------
I posted it a while ago, but here you go again...

Books : nakr2004 on Monday, March 12, 2007 1:01 PM-BT

The House of Representatives will discuss a draft bill of oil and gas ارDargham of Muhammad Ali Abdel Amir, Kawther
Baghdad - (Voices of Iraq)

The House discussed at its meeting held today, Monday, the draft resolution on oil and gas, with the Council postponed the second reading of the law regulating broadcasting frequencies and because of its relationship to the law of the provinces.
He said Dr Khalid al-Attiyah, first deputy chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, who chaired today's meeting that "the competent authorities demanded postponement of the second reading of the law regulating broadcasting frequencies, due to the completion of the governorates."
The law regulating broadcasting frequencies and the organization of the work of the mobile phone networks and broadcasting via radio to the media on television and radio and the development of the law of the Communications and Information is responsible for granting special leave mobile phones and transmission via the Iraqi ether.
The net objected purity and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs on the postponement that the government needs to enact the law. In addition to the fact that the Ministry of full implications of their work it. "
And in relation to, said Judge Wael Abdel Latif, the Iraqi from the list at today's meeting that "agriculture in Basra collapsed completely collapsed."
Abdel Latif added, "The reason for the deterioration is due to the lack of agricultural supplies and higher wages instead Landiaali four times from what it was under the decision of the Ministry of Agriculture."
The parliament today had a first reading of the draft law of the irrigation and drainage networks, which provided for the doubling of wages instead of land for those who default on the payment for the first half of the year.
The judge said Abdel-Latif, "agriculture in Iraq need material support, and not to increase the tax burden, especially as farmers in Iraq are represented (60 - 65%) and the strange topic that citrus fruits and intervention of the eyesight of Egypt and Kuwait, and other such that I knew of during my meeting Balmlakat and farming associations in Basra."
وHe added : "Therefore, the need to support agriculture, seeds, fertilizers and water."
The director of Information Office of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Muhannad Abdul Jabbar had said earlier today told (Voices of Iraq) said that the parliament "will be held today during its first regular legislative chapter III, to be chaired by Dr. Mahmoud Almshahadani President of the Council."
He explained that the Parliament will be discussed in today's meeting, "the second reading of the draft private investment liquidation of crude oil."
No legal quorum for a session held by the House of Representatives last Tuesday, and around the audience members to "consultative meeting" ... .Discussed during the parliament's work over the coming period.
The number of members of the House of Representatives (275) Iraqi Vice, and the required quorum of meetings is half the number of members plus one ... .Any (139) deputies.
Abduljabbar added, "As the House of Representatives today will discuss the second reading of the draft law on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the second reading of the amendment of the law on irrigation and drainage networks (No. 12 of 1995), and the second reading of the draft law to the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works."
He continued, "as well as reading data for a number of Council members on various issues."

Version traduite de la page http://www.aswataliraq.info/?newlang=ara

Find the Israeli ambassador in El Salvador naked and drunk in the street and chained

Jerusalem : The Israeli media that Israel summoned its ambassador in El Salvador after it was found naked and drunk, handcuffed and Mcmom mouth in one of the streets of San Salvador. واكد مصدر في وزارة الخارجية الاسرائيلية ان "المعلومات التي نشرتها وسائل الاعلام الاسرائيلية صحيحة للوهلة الاولى".A source in the Israeli Foreign Ministry that "the information published by the Israeli media correctly at first glance." واضاف المصدر الذي طلب عدم كشف اسمه "تم استدعاء سفيرنا في سلفادور على الفور وسيتم تبديله في اقرب وقت ممكن".The source, who asked to remain anonymous, "was summoned Ambassador to El Salvador immediately and will be replaced as soon as possible."

وكانت صحيفة معاريف بادرت الى نشر تفاصيل عن القضية تفيد ان شرطة سان سلفادور عثرت على السفير الاسرائيلي تسوريال رافاييل قبل اسبوعين في الشارع وبحوزته ادوات جنسية سادية.The Maariv newspaper initiated to publish details of the case show that the police found the San Salvador Israeli Ambassador Rafael Tsurial two weeks ago in the street in possession of tools sexual sadism. وبالرغم من ان رافاييل كان ثملا فقد تمكن من كشف هويته للشرطيين موضحا انه سفير اسرائيل في سلفادور.Despite the fact that Rafael was drunk was able to detect identity of the two officers, pointing out that the Israeli ambassador in El Salvador.

وقال المصدر في وزارة الخارجية "لقد ابدى بعض دبلوماسيينا خلال ستين سنة من وجود دولة اسرائيل سلوكا احرجنا وهو امر يحصل في جميع البلدان، لكن ضبط سفير في سلوك معيب على الطريق العام، هذا امر لم يحصل من قبل. انه اسوأ الامور".The source said the Foreign Ministry "has shown some diplomats during the 60th year of the existence of the State of Israel went conduct which is the case in all countries, but in control Ambassador misconduct on the public road, this has not happened before. That is the worst. "

وتابع المصدر ان رافاييل الذي كان يدير قسما تقنيا "غير بارز" قبل تعيينه في سلفادور كان "موظفا باهتا قلما لفت انتباه الوزارة".The source continued, Rafael, who was running a technically "non-prominent" before his appointment to El Salvador was "lackluster staff rarely brought to the attention of the ministry." واشار الى انه "لم يتميز في الماضي لا بسلوك مشين ولا بميزات مهنية".He pointed out that "no one is in the past, not dishonorable conduct and professional advantages."


WOOOOT!!

Originally Posted by CharmedPiper

Baghdad-Parliament-Update 1
Posted by: nakr2004 on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 12:32 PM

Baghdad-Parliament-Update 1
Iraqi Parliament debates crude oil draft on Monday(Adds more details)
By Adel Fakher

Baghdad, March 12, (VOI) – The Iraqi Parliament will hold an ordinary session on Monday to debate a draft law on investment in crude oil and other drafts, said a media source from the office of Speaker Dr. Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
"The session falls within parliament's third legislative term," Muhannad Abdul-Jabbar told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by telephone.
Quorum for last Tuesday’s Parliamentary session was not reached, prompting members to turn it into a "consultative session," in which they debated a mechanism for the Iraqi legislative house during the coming period.
Iraq's parliament is composed of 275 members.
The quorum necessary to convene sessions is half the members plus one (139 members).
The parliament is also scheduled to debate second readings of draft legislation on the higher commission for human rights, amendments to the law on irrigation networks and the law on municipalities and the public works ministry, said Abdul-Jabbar.
AE/TP

WOOT. Let's hope for a quorum. Here we go CP & gert.