Thread: Iraq/Dinar News Until 5/31/2007 7:15 PM CST..

Bush Sees South Korea Model for Iraq Thursday May 31, 2007 3:31 AM


AP Photo WHMC101

By TERENCE HUNT

AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush envisions a long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq similar to the one in South Korea where American forces have helped keep an uneasy peace for more than 50 years, the White House said Wednesday.

The comparison was offered as the Pentagon announced the completion of the troop buildup ordered by Bush in January. The last of about 21,500 combat troops to arrive were an Army brigade in Baghdad and a Marine unit heading into the Anbar province in western Iraq.

Brig. Gen. Perry Wiggins, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there are now 20 combat brigades in Iraq, up from 15 when the buildup began. A brigade is roughly 3,500 troops. Overall, the Pentagon said there are 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. That number may still climb as more support troops move in.

The administration warns that the buildup will result in more U.S. casualties as more American soldiers come into contact with enemy forces. May already is the third bloodiest month since the war began in March 2003. As of late Tuesday, there were 116 U.S. deaths in Iraq so far in May - trailing only the 137 in November 2004 and the 135 in April 2004. Overall, more than 3,460 U.S. service members have died.

Presidential spokesman Tony Snow said Bush has cited the long-term Korea analogy in looking at the U.S. role in Iraq, where American forces are in the fifth year of an unpopular war. Bush's goal is for Iraqi forces to take over the chief security responsibilities, relieving U.S. forces of frontline combat duty, Snow said.

``I think the point he's trying to make is that the situation in Iraq, and indeed, the larger war on terror, are things that are going to take a long time,'' Snow said. ``But it is not always going to require an up-front combat presence.''

Instead, he said, U.S. troops would provide ``the so-called over-the-horizon support that is necessary from time to time to come to the assistance of the Iraqis. But you do not want the United States forever in the front.''

The comparison with South Korea paints a picture of a lengthy U.S. commitment at a time when Americans have grown weary of the Iraq war and want U.S. troops to start coming home. Bush vetoed legislation that would set timetables for U.S. troop withdrawals, and forced Congress to approve a new bill stripped of troop pullout language.

Asked if U.S. forces would be permanently stationed in Iraq, Snow said, ``No, not necessarily.'' He said that the prospect of permanent U.S. bases in Iraq were ``not necessarily the case, either.''

Later, Snow said it was impossible to say if U.S. troops would remain in Iraq for some 50 years, as they have in South Korea. ``I don't know,'' he said. ``It is an unanswerable question. But I'm not making that suggestion. ... The war on terror is a long war.''

South Korea is just one example of U.S. troops stationed more than a half-century after war. Germany and Japan are two other examples. American forces are deployed in roughly 130 countries around the world, performing a variety of duties from combat to peacekeeping to training foreign militaries, according to GlobalSecurity.org, a defense-oriented think tank.

In South Korea, about 29,500 U.S. troops are stationed as a deterrent against the communist North, but that number is to decline to 24,500 by 2008 as part of the Pentagon's worldwide realignment of its forces. The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.

Adm. William Fallon, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, seemed a surprising choice when he got the job earlier this year, yet his experience as U.S. commander in the Pacific overseeing the Korean peninsula would serve him well if the U.S. military adopts a Korea model in Iraq.

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AP writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report from the Pentagon.

Iraq electoral officials to learn from India`s experience

New Delhi, May 30: With Iraq taking initial steps to restore democracy, a team of officials from the Independent High Electoral Commission of the strife torn country is here to take lessons from the Election Commission.

The nine-member delegation is here at the initiative of United Nations to study how elections are conducted in the world's largest democracy.

The delegation members today met chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy and other Election Commissioners Navin Chawla and S Y Quraishi.

During their week-long training programme, they would attend lectures by former Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill and other senior officials from the Commission.

The EC has already entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Commonwealth secretariat, Bhutan and Ivory Coast on cooperation in the election management.

Bureau Report

20 March 2007
Oil Companies to meet Iraqi government in May
The International Tax and Investment Centre is an industry lobbying body that arranged an initial meeting between oil companies and the Iraqi government in Beirut in January 2005. It has now scheduled a second meeting on 9-11 May 2007. Oil companies and the IMF will meet with representatives from the Ministries of Finance and Oil and the Central Bank. Oil companies present are likely to be: BP, Chevron, Eni, ExxonMobil, Shell, Total, ConocoPhillips and Lukoil

21 March 2007
EDM in British Parliament
Katy Clark has tabled Early Day Motion 1180 with cross-party co-sponsorship, please encourage your MPs to sign it: "That this House notes that Iraq's economy is heavily dependent on oil and that decisions about the future of Iraq's oil industry will have a major bearing on that country; further notes that the constitution of Iraq states that oil and gas are owned by all the people of Iraq; expresses concern that the British Government, in its involvement in the drafting of Iraq's new oil laws, has sought the views of international oil companies regarding the possible types of contracts that the Iraqi Government should offer; believes that decisions on the Iraqi oil industry should be made by the Iraqi people without outside interference; and calls on the Government to disclose to the House all representations it has made in relation to the oil law

03 May 2007
Oil law sent to Iraqi parliament
The Iraqi government has sent a draft oil law to parliament, a major step towards meeting one of the political benchmarks Washington has set for Baghdad. The announcement by Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani on Wednesday came on the eve of a major conference in Egypt where industrialised powers and Iraq's neighbours will discuss how to stabilise Iraq and seek reforms in return for reconstruction. Speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia, Shahristani said he hoped the oil bill would pass by the end of May. "It has been sent to parliament now. There has been agreement among the political parties to work together to enact it by the end of the month," Shahristani said.

Originally Posted by snottynose

03 May 2007
Oil law sent to Iraqi parliament
The Iraqi government has sent a draft oil law to parliament, a major step towards meeting one of the political benchmarks Washington has set for Baghdad. The announcement by Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani on Wednesday came on the eve of a major conference in Egypt where industrialised powers and Iraq's neighbours will discuss how to stabilise Iraq and seek reforms in return for reconstruction. Speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia, Shahristani said he hoped the oil bill would pass by the end of May. "It has been sent to parliament now. There has been agreement among the political parties to work together to enact it by the end of the month," Shahristani said.

Hello!!! Thanks Snottynose!

Originally Posted by TEXASGIRL

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Hello!!! Thanks Snottynose!

Thanks...been searching for anything on the Hcl....nothing up to date so far...but things are looking good...i've been on fox and nothing..i don't believe they have updated for today yet..everything is from yesterday so far..so i will keep checking!!!!
Sarah!!

Originally Posted by snottynose

03 May 2007
Oil law sent to Iraqi parliament
The Iraqi government has sent a draft oil law to parliament, a major step towards meeting one of the political benchmarks Washington has set for Baghdad. The announcement by Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani on Wednesday came on the eve of a major conference in Egypt where industrialised powers and Iraq's neighbours will discuss how to stabilise Iraq and seek reforms in return for reconstruction. Speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia, Shahristani said he hoped the oil bill would pass by the end of May. "It has been sent to parliament now. There has been agreement among the political parties to work together to enact it by the end of the month," Shahristani said.

Iraq's negotiations with WTO a success says Trade Minister
Baghdad, 30 May 2007 (Voices of Iraq)
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Iraqi Trade Minister Abdul Falah Hassan al-Sudani described on Tuesday as a success the Iraqi delegation's negotiations with the World Trade Organization (WTO) that could end with Iraq’s joining to the international organization.

“The minister met in Geneva with the WTO experts and explained procedures and laws passed by Iraqi authorities to organize the economic and commercial process in the country,” the minister said in a statement released by the ministry and received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

“The negotiations ended with complete understanding by the WTO team to the recent economic procedures taken by the government to organize the economic and commercial work which could lead Iraq to be a member of the international organization,” the minister explained.

“The Iraqi delegation answered every question and inquiry regarding investment issues in Iraq, oil projects, taxes and explained the procedures taken nowadays to facilitate the trade exchange with all countries,” al-Sudani noted.

“The delegation also explained the mechanism to register companies in Iraq. A total of 200,000 companies have been registered since 2003 till last year,” he also said, noting that this shows great flexibility in registering companies.

“There are other procedures that could be taken regarding protecting copyright or trademarks,” the trade minister highlighted.

“The government has a draft law for copyright and patent on an invention but it is not suit the WTO regulations nowadays,” he stated.


TNT

President G.W. Bush attended the celebrations through closed circuit TV and spoke to the Iraqi leadership.

Pres. Bush will meet with Pres. Talabani at the White House, Thursday, May 31, 2007

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