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

Iraq's PM arrives in Kurdistan, Arbil Arbil - Voices of Iraq

Thursday , 31 /05 /2007 Time 7:59:25 </B>

By Abdul Hamid Zibari Arbil, May 31, (VOI) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived on Thursday afternoon in Arbil on several days visit to the Kurdistan region, a source from the Kurdistan government said.


"Maliki came for consultation with Kurdish officials on many issues, including the Iraqi constitution’s revision, the political situation and relations between the central government and the Kurdistan region’s administration," Dr. Fuad Hussein, head of the Kurdistan presidency office, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Prime Minister al-Maliki, who was received at Arbil airport by Iraqi Kurdistan’s President Massoud al-Barazani, is expected to discuss the Kirkuk issue with Kurdish leadership, Hussein added.
On Tuesday, Kurdistan Premier Negervan Barazani ended several days' visit to Baghdad to discuss with the central government issues to do with oil-rich Kirkuk city’s status according to Article 140 of the constitution, relations between Baghdad's government and the Kurdistan administration, the status of the Peshmerga (Kurdish local fighters) and the draft oil and gas law.
Kurds want to accelerate the implementation of constitutional article 140, concerning normalizing the situation in Kirkuk city, as it was before the 1970s, when the former regime, Kurds claim, lured Arabs to settle in Kirkuk and drove Kurdish families out of the city.
The step should be followed by a referendum in the city to decide whether or not to join the three other Kurdish provinces in the Kurdistan region by the end of 2007. Non-Kurdish Iraqi political forces are inclined to put off the issue until better security prevails in the country.
Also, the draft oil and gas law, now under debate by lawmakers in Baghdad, represents another deadlock between Arbil and Baghdad. Kurdish leaders are pressing for more power in relation to oil investment inside the region, while Baghdad has opted to control all investment contracts in the country. Aswat Aliraq

80% of production controlled by National oil company
Translated by IRAQdirecotry.com - [30/05/2007]

Oil minister Hussein Shahrastani said on Friday that the Iraqi oil law is not expected to provide production-sharing contracts and will ensure that the National Oil Company controls 80% of the oil reserves.

Shahrastani said this means that 80% of the discovered reserves will be dedicated to the national company, which invalidates the claim that the law will pave the way for foreign companies to monopolize Iraqi oil.

He added that agreements to exploit other oil fields are left to the Federal Council of Oil.

http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3851

Talabani will be in the US for 3 weeks and I don't expect there will be any monetary adjustment while he is away from home.

News::Talabani to Meet with Bush at White House

Originally Posted by Inscrutable

Talabani will be in the US for 3 weeks and I don't expect there will be any monetary adjustment while he is away from home.

News::Talabani to Meet with Bush at White House

Does this trip count towards his 2 months vaction?

The Ministry of Housing and Construction to conclude contracts at 86 billion dinars.
(Voice of Iraq) - 31-05-2007 | Sotaliraq.com - ÕæÊ ÇáÚÑÇÞ

Republic of Iraq
The Cabinet-National Information Center
Media Relations
Press statement / Press Release

The Ministry of Construction and Housing conclude contracts cost 86 billion dinars to implement projects Gaza public buildings

The Assembly concluded one of the buildings of the Ministry of Construction and Housing contracts amounted to a total cost (86) Dentreetraki billion for the implementation of a number of projects public buildings in Baghdad and other governorates within the investment plan for 2007 until the middle of this May.

This came during a statement undersecretary of the ministry of brocade thorns, which showed that the implementation of these projects include the building of the Housing Fund in Baghdad and the building of the Construction Engineering and the establishment of the headquarters of the ministry in the governorates (Wasit, Najaf, Diyala, Nineveh, Kirkuk, Maysan) and the development of the Safwan border in Basra and develop complex Trebil border in Maysan as well as the implementation of complementary work to the headquarters of Al-Mansour and the two companies staying in the ministry and the establishment of many of the border posts and buildings Alcetarat central provinces (Muthanna, Dhi Qar, Basrah, Salah al-Din, Babil, Karbala), in addition to many buildings, including spe******t Entraltederibe Traffic in Baghdad and the development and rehabilitation of a building major crimes and the establishment of a building for the passage of the Directorate of Baghdad.

It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Construction and Housing Authority and through the building's implementation and supervision of public buildings projects in all governorates, which are within the ministry's plan and has annual Cadres engineering and technical efficient in the application of the best technical specifications approved and the management of construction projects.

Mowafaq Al-Rubaie Kurds run for the chairmanship of the Article 140
(Voice of Iraq) - 31-05-2007 | Sotaliraq.com - ÕæÊ ÇáÚÑÇÞ

Irbil (May 31) and the agency (Lucky) Italian News-A source in the Kurdish Parliament "that Parliament will be held next Sunday, a special meeting to discuss the obstacles that hinder, ways to implement Article 140 of the Constitution, concerning the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk, and research positions around Iraqi forces, as well as the position of the proposed constitutional amendments." Tariq essence Information Advisor to the Chairman of the Parliament in a special statement, said that "the parliament in its call those, the Minister for areas outside the province, Dr. Mohammed Ihsan, to hear the report of the findings of the Kurdish delegation in Baghdad, during his meetings with Iraqi officials about those topics, in the forefront the issue of Article 140." He disclosed that the essence of "the Kurdish leadership to take on the Iraqi government delay in the implementation of Article 140, which is non-appointment of the Chairman of the Higher Committee of the article, in its attempts to block its implementation." Meanwhile, Al Agency (Lucky) Italian news from private sources, three names put forward for the chairmanship of the works, from whom Dr Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i, the Iraqi national security adviser, who is considered the most likely candidate Kurds to assume the post, succeeding former Justice Minister Hashim Shebli who tendered his resignation. But leading Turkmen Front denied knowing the names put forward, asserting that "the Front has not received any offer by the subject." Ali Mahdi, a leading figure in the Turkmen Front in a telephone conversation with the agency (Lucky) Italian News said that the "front has not received any proposal in this regard so far, and we do not oppose the front appointment of any person to chair the Commission, but must be impartial and fair, and agreed upon by all political parties on the question of Kirkuk." For his part, deputy governor of Kirkuk, "Article 140 is the key solution to all the problems of Kirkuk, which suffered so much in the era of the former dictator." Irfan Kerkuki, who also occupies the presidency of the People's Party of Turkmenistan, in a telephone conversation said that "Kirkuk has suffered for more than 35 years under the former regime, which destroyed 750 villages belonging to the province, and the abandonment of thousands of citizens of the city of Kurds and Turkomans, and distorted features and management of many regions, Therefore, the article 140 is the key solution to all the problems of Kirkuk, it does not matter who will lead it, as much as we would like to be acceptable to all parties, and begin the actual steps for the application of this article, for the remainder of the constitutional deadline before it. " The Dr. Mowafaq Al-Rubaie friend of the Kurdish people, and defend the rights of national minorities, is good relations with the Kurdish leaders, and was present yesterday at the handover the security dossier to the territorial government, which coincided with the leaking news of his nomination by the Kurds for the presidency of the 140.

Originally Posted by Inscrutable

Talabani will be in the US for 3 weeks and I don't expect there will be any monetary adjustment while he is away from home.

News::Talabani to Meet with Bush at White House

Is there really a better place to be then in the US (next to President Bush) during such a monumental, historic change?

I don't think so!

It comes down to attitude - positive or negative.

The pessimists have to be right all the time - the optimists only have to be right once (and that time is approaching!)!

President Bush will be sending one of his top aides to Iraq to assist the Iraqis "meet the benchmarks that the Congress and the President expect to get passed," he announced in a press conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. Though many items of mutual concern were discussed during today's White House meeting between the Iraqi and US presidents, benchmarks appeared to have been the primary focus. Washington has been urging the Iraqis to move more aggressively on draft legislation that would address the equal distribution of oil revenue, reform the de-Baathification process, and plan for provincial elections.
O'Sullivan spent time in Baghdad early in the war, working for Jay Garner, and subsequently Paul Bremer. After returning to Washington, she joined the White House staff in October 2005, becoming Bush's top policy adviser on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan until her resignation last month.
Though O'Sullivan had said she would probably be seeking work outside the government after leaving the White House, the opportunity of the new position apparently changed her mind. President Bush says she will work directly with Ambassador Ryan Crocker, but did not detail what efforts she would undertake assisting the Iraqis to push through the pertinent legislation.



IraqSlogger: Bush to Send Meghan O'Sullivan to Iraq

Regarding the Oil Summit... there was also an article Last week or the week before that those holding it decided that since the HCL seemed to be so hottly debated... they were planning to move it to September 2-4th in Dubai give or take a day or so.. but early September

Check that... I just saw the announcement that it is to September 8th - 10th in Dubai

HD

Originally Posted by HoosierDaddy

Regarding the Oil Summit... there was also an article Last week or the week before that those holding it decided that since the HCL seemed to be so hottly debated... they were planning to move it to September 2-4th in Dubai give or take a day or so.. but early September

Check that... I just saw the announcement that it is to September 8th - 10th in Dubai

HD

Go back and look at it again two different conferences.

Spet. 2, 3 Oil, Gas, Petrochemical and Electricity Summit

Iraq Oil, Gas, Petrochemical & Electricity Summit

Sept. 8, 9, 10 International Investment in the Iraqi Oil Industry under the

New Hydrocarbon Law

CWC Exhibitions and Conferences