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

Update: We Again Failed To Support Allawi For Maliki
Al-Mada claimed that a plan by Iyad 'Allawi to withdraw his bloc’s ministers from the government was botched when he learned that the ministers in question will refuse to leave their cabinet seats.

The newspaper alleged that 'Adnan al-Bajaji, a senior member of 'Allawi’s Iraqiya coalition, came to Baghdad to announce the withdrawal of the coalition from the cabinet, but was forced to postpone the announcement fearing non-compliance from his ministers.

Al-Mada and Az-Zaman reported over the last few days that 'Allawi’s plan is to announce the creation of a new major alliance in the Iraqi parliament (seeking to topple al-Maliki’s cabinet) in parallel with his coalition’s withdrawal from al-Maliki’s government.

The State Department has made it clear to the world that we will stand by Maliki (right or wrong) because there is no promise that a new government would be any better and only be more costly in time to get up and running....

The problem for us is that Maliki and his people know this and you can see that by their going back on the agreement with the Kurds and Sunnis at the President Council Meeting last week...

End Result

Further delays and inaction as Maliki's supporters laugh at the proposed benchmarks, little alone meeting them.

http://www.rolclub.com/rumors-predic...ssure-u-s.html
IraqSlogger: Iraqi Papers Thursday: Impasse
http://www.rolclub.com/rumors-predic...t-no-coup.html

NEW DELHI, May 23 A top Iraqi oil official touted the upcoming auction of oil and gas, once the hydrocarbons law is passed, and is courting potential refinery deals.

"Iraq is preparing 15 fields and blocks for first round of auction after approval of the oil and gas law ... tenders are under preparation," Fayadh Hassan Nima, director general at Iraq ' s Oil Ministry, said during a visit to New Delhi. Gulf News reports Nima wants Indian companies to build two of the planned four refineries in Iraq, aimed at increasing capacity for oil products and turning around a growing shortage of transportation, cooking and heating fuels.

Iraq, which has had a nationalized oil system, is moving toward opening up its sector to foreign companies. They, however, must wait until the government passes a law governing the 115 billion barrels of proven reserves, the third-largest in the world.

But opponents of the bill vary in opinion, though not in strength: Kurds say it isn't allowing enough of the oil to be open to the free market and want more regional control and a better mechanism for redistributing oil revenue. Sunnis and most Shiites want stronger central control. The oil unions are threatening to strike if foreign companies are given too much access. And last month more than 60 Iraqi oil experts wrote a letter to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urging the government to wait until the security situation improves and constitutional issues are resolved.

A self-imposed late May deadline to pass the bill is likely to be missed. Nima said the bill won't be completed for another "two to three months." Meanwhile the Bush administration is leaning hard on Iraq to make progress on the law so it can use it as a sign of progress in the country

Iraq pushing oil, law in India

Iraq To Auction 15 Oil/Gas Blocks Once Oil Law Final-Official

NEW DELHI -(Dow Jones)- Iraq plans to auction 15 crude oil and natural gas blocks to international oil companies once the country's long-delayed hydrocarbons law becomes final, an Iraq oil official said Wednesday.
"We are preparing a plan for 15 fields and blocks for the first round of auctioning after the approval of the new oil and gas law," Fayadh Hassan Nima, director general of studies and planning in the Iraq oil ministry told reporters here on the sidelines of an industry event.
Iraq plans to invite Indian oil companies to build two refineries each with a capacity of 100,000 barrels a day, Nima said, without elaborating on which companies might be invited.
Nima was speaking ahead of a planned visit by Iraq's oil minister to India scheduled to start Friday.
Iraq's hydrocarbons law has been delayed for several months and many analysts believe lawmakers will miss an end-May deadline to have the legislation approved and signed by the Iraqi parliament as Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq continue to fail to come to agreement on a number of issues, including method for distributing oil revenues.
Iraq currently has 750,000 barrels a day of refining capacity and the country plans to double this capacity in the next 10 years, Nima said.
-K. Dinkar, Dow Jones Newswires; +91 011 2307 4020; [email protected]

Nasdaq 100 Flash Quotes&

Fighting overshadows Iraq's oil law
By Adam Wolfe

Iraq's national oil law has been touted as a major step toward the political reconciliation of the country's major sects. The US military "surge" in Baghdad is, in part, designed to provide the sectarian-defined political groups breathing room to pass this and other measures that would give every group a greater stake in the political and economic future of a unified Iraq. Yet as negotiations over the oil law drag on, and grow increasingly bitter, such



reconciliation seems less and less likely.

It now appears impossible for the Iraqi Parliament to pass the national oil law by the government-imposed deadline of May 31. The immediate cost of this failure will be economic - while many of the Western majors will not invest in Iraq because of the remaining security risks, Eastern and smaller oil firms appear willing if the political risks are first removed through legislation.

However, the long-term damage done by the failure to reach a consensus on the oil law will be a hardening of the sectarian fractures in Iraq's political landscape. The debates surrounding the oil law do not center on what is best for the country as a whole, but only on what is best for each sectarian group. By defining the debate as yet another zero-sum competition, Iraq's politicians have made it impossible to emerge from the negotiations without at least one group feeling like the losers. The US Embassy in Iraq has only encouraged this situation by insisting on a greater role for foreign firms in future investments.

As such, reconciliation will never emerge from the passage of an oil law in Iraq. This darkens the prospects of success for the US military "surge".

Background on the oil law
The Iraqi constitution passed in 2005 was deliberately vague on ownership and control of Iraq's oil. The document was written in such a way as to win the approval of the Kurdish and Shi'ite negotiators (Sunni Arab representation at the negotiations was minimal because the Sunni leadership was still largely boycotting the political process at the time). To do so, the text was vague on issues of governance and specific on issues of power politics.

Article 111 of the constitution states that "oil and gas are [under] the ownership of all the people of Iraq", while Article 112 calls for distribution of oil revenues to be allocated "in a fair manner in proportion to the population", with little clarity on either issue. Because the constitution is so vague, and because Sunni Arab leaders remain unsatisfied with large portions of the constitution, a new oil law is needed to clarify issues of control and revenue distribution.

The importance of a comprehensible oil law cannot be understated. The oil sector accounts for 95% of the government's revenues. Iraq's proven reserves are estimated at 115 billion barrels, putting it only behind Saudi Arabia and Canada. Less than 20% of the country has been explored, however, and many believe that Iraq's western regions could almost double Iraq's proven reserves if exploration were to go ahead.

It is vital for the future of Iraq that there is legal certainty in the oil industry to encourage future exploration and acceptable distribution of the country's leading stream of revenue among Iraq's major sectarian groupings.

The Kurdish position
Kurdish opposition to the current draft is based on fear that the central government will have too much control over the oilfields in the relatively peaceful north.

Kurdish leaders claim that the constitution gives them the right to develop the proven reserves in their semi-autonomous region because it grants regional control over existing oil reserves. However, Shi'ite and Sunni leaders interpret the constitution as only granting regional control to operations that were developed before 2005. This would mean that incremental additions to existing operations would also be controlled by the central government. Since the constitution did not define what constitutes a "new" field, the sectarian groups are now pushing for their interpretation to be spelled out in the law.

The Kurds also want decisions about foreign investment to be made at the regional level. In fact, they have already negotiated deals with foreign oil firms to explore and develop the Kurdish semi-autonomous zone. In 2004, the Kurdish Democratic Party reached an agreement with Norway's DNO ASA, which began drilling in December 2005. This month, DNO announced that it had begun pumping oil and will be able to deliver it to the market in June. Under the existing draft of the oil law, the deal reached with DNO and other contracts made by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) would have to be renegotiated.

Kurdish leaders are concerned about granting control to the central government for two main reasons. First, assuming that Kirkuk is brought under control of the KRG, the proven reserves in the semi-autonomous region would provide enough revenues to fund a Kurdish state when Kurdish leaders feel it is time to cross that bridge. Second, they are skeptical about granting control to the ill-defined bodies that would control oil developments and revenues, which the central government would oversee.

The existing draft would create the Iraqi National Oil Co (INOC), a state-run oil firm, to manage new projects. The Federal Oil and Gas Council would regulate the industry, but it is not clear how membership to the council would be granted, or whether it would be limited to Iraqis.

The Kurdish leadership would prefer regional control of all oil reserves, with a defined portion of revenues going to the central government. Ideally, existing oilfields would contribute a lower rate, and newly developed fields (narrowly defined) would contribute to the central fund at a higher rate.

Sunni objections
Opposition to the draft oil law is only part of a larger agenda for Sunni politicians. The Sunni-majority region is oil-poor, and Sunni politicians fear that the oil law could cut off their regions from Iraq's main source of income.

Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, leader of the Iraqi Accord Front, earlier threatened to pull his party's 44 politicians out of the 275-member Parliament if the government did not meet his demands for redrafting the constitution before May 15. After a face-saving meeting with the prime minister and the president, Hashimi backed away from his threat. Nevertheless, many Sunni politicians are only interested in passing the oil law if it also leads to revisions in the constitution.

Sunni demands are primarily concerned with creating a strong central government and preventing the breakup of Iraq into autonomous zones. As such, Sunni negotiators are pushing for a larger role for INOC in new oil developments. It is their belief that Sunnis would need to be brought in to run the company because of their experience gained under Saddam Hussein's regime in operating Iraq's oil industry. They would also like to limit the role played by foreign firms in developing Iraq's reserves, partly for similar reasons.

Sunni politicians are also pushing for redistribution based on population, and discounting other concerns that might be brought into the equation such as retributions for hardships endured under Saddam.

While many of their demands are close to those of the Shi'ite leadership, the Sunnis appear willing to prevent the law's passage until their other demands are granted.

Competing Shi'ite visions
The Shi'ite leadership is united in its desire for a stronger role to be played by the central government in Iraq's oil sector, if only to prevent the Kurdish region from growing in power.

The Iraqi oil minister, Hussein al-Shahristani, has inserted language into the draft bill that would strengthen the government's role. Four appendices were inserted into the law after it emerged from the cabinet in February, which appear to grant INOC control over 93% of Iraq's reserves. This is not acceptable to the Kurdish leadership and is now a major obstacle to its passage.

However, there is a large split within the Shi'ite majority over the role of the central government. The politicians aligned with Muqtada al-Sadr favor a strong central government for strategic reasons. Since the US-led invasion of Iraq, Sadr has advocated maintaining the existing borders of Iraq, as well as a powerful national government, because he believes this will lead to the creation of a strong Shi'ite state on Iran's border.

Currently, Sadr seems to be preparing for the downfall of the government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. For this reason, Sadr's loyalists may prove to be another obstacle to the passage of the oil law, even if they believe in the spirit of the text. They may believe that they can hasten Maliki's departure by preventing his government from achieving one of the benchmarks often mentioned in Washington to judge Iraq's political progress. They believe that if Maliki's government fails to reach the benchmarks, Washington will be forced to begin pulling its troops out of Iraq. One strategy for doing this may be to insert language into the draft oil law that they know will be unacceptable to their Kurdish counterparts.

The other main Shi'ite faction, the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), made up of the Islamic Da'wa Party and the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), was formerly closely aligned with Iran. However, it has moved closer to the interests of the United States as it tries to maintain Maliki's government. In fact, SCIRI re-branded itself as the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) this month to distance itself from the Islamic Revolution in Iran and give it more of an Iraqi-centric title.

The main goal of the UIA at this point is passing the oil law in whatever form is acceptable. Because Washington has hinged the prospects of its current "surge" policy on Maliki's ability to reach reconciliation with Iraq's other groups, the oil law has become even more important. Every other group knows this, and their intransigence stems from either a desire to gain concessions from the UIA on other issues or a goal of removing the UIA from power.

Benchmarks, investments drive US
President George W Bush's "surge" strategy in Iraq is increasingly losing political support. With the Democratic Party controlling Congress, the pressure to demonstrate that the military policy is working has grown.

The domestic debate in the US seems settled on granting the military until September to prove that the surge has had an effect on security conditions in Baghdad. Yet lawmakers are insistent that Iraq's government must demonstrate political progress by redrafting portions of the constitution to mollify Sunni concerns, revise the de-Ba'athification laws, hold provincial elections, and pass a national oil law.

As a result, the US Embassy in Iraq is pressuring the sectarian groups to pass the oil law as soon as possible. Still, Washington does have an agenda as to what the law should look like.

US-funded consultants had a significant role in shaping the draft oil law in Iraq. Firms such as BearingPoint were brought in to advise the Iraqi government and advocated allowing for private competition in the oil sector. It is Washington's belief that Iraq's oil sector will be most efficiently exploited and managed through the competition of private oil firms, including foreign companies. As such, Washington would like to reduce the role played by INOC in the oil sector. However, at this point passing the oil law is more important to Washington than granting rights to foreign oil companies.

Conclusion
Iraq's national oil law has become an important factor in gauging the country's progress on political reconciliation. Judging by the debate surrounding the oil law, such a reconciliation will not be in the offing any time soon. Each sectarian and political group brings to the debate its own agenda, and these are incompatible with each other. Rather than looking for areas where compromise might be found, each group has dug in and looks to demand further concessions before voting for the oil law.

This puts Washington and Maliki in the precarious position of pushing for any law to be passed, even if it may be against their interests in the long term. Washington has hinged its military "surge" on progress from Maliki's government to pass measures demonstrating the political reconciliation of Iraq's sectarian groups. In turn, Maliki must push for the passage of such measures out of fear of losing support from Washington.

This is a situation that the Kurdish, Sunni, and Sadr-led groups would like to use to their advantage. Because the debate has been framed in these zero-sum terms, there will invariably be a loser. This, by definition, makes the possibility of Iraq's oil law leading to national reconciliation zero. It is likely that the law will be passed in some form in the next few weeks, but its passage will only hasten rather than slow Iraq's drift toward factionalism.

Asia Times Online :: Middle East News - Fighting overshadows Iraq's oil law

BAGHDAD, May 22 Iraqi oil law negotiators meet in Baghdad this week amid pressure to reach consensus -- especially from the United States seeking a sign of success in Iraq.

Ashti Hawrami, natural resources minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, told UPI talks over the oil law, a portion of which was approved by negotiators in February but has since been knocked down, will restart this week.

The Kurds want greater regional autonomy and control over Iraq's vast oil reserves. They also are the biggest promoters of allowing foreign companies into Iraq's oil sector. The central government, however, wants federal control over most of the oil. There is now a constitutional debate over which side has the rights to the oil.

The powerful oil unions are threatening to strike if foreign companies have too much control over the 115 billion barrels of proven reserves. If they halt production, Iraq's 1.6 million barrels per day will be taken from the global market.

President Bush in January said passing the law would be a benchmark for success in Iraq. Democrats in Congress have attempted to hold him to that, including it in language authorizing supplemental funding for the war. Bush, however, has vowed to veto any such measure, especially if there's a timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops.

But pressure continues from the United States via diplomatic channels. USA Today reports Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman said such pressure is making matters worse.

"At this point, the U.S. need to show progress is beginning to outweigh the need for a complete compromise on oil and gas development, which may not have been possible in any case," Greg Priddy, global energy analyst at the business risk analyst Eurasia Group, wrote Tuesday in the firm ' s Energy Trendwatch. "In the end, what is eventually passed will probably be intentionally vague," he added, and any investment will be limited in size and located in relatively safe places, like the Kurdish north.

Iraq feels pressure to pass oil law

Kucinich Lobbies To Oppose Iraqi Law

The Politico) Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) invoked a little-used rule today that allowed him an hour to speak on the House floor about the Iraqi oil law that he has been lobbying his Democratic colleagues to oppose.

Kucinich Lobbies To Oppose Iraqi Law, By John Bresnahan - CBS News

WASHINGTON, May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At approximately 11:00 a.m. tomorrow, Congressman Dennis Kucinich will invoke a rarely used procedure to offer a privileged motion claiming one hour of time to speak on the floor of the House of Representatives about current legislative plans to privatize Iraq's oil.

This will be the first time in Congress that there has been a full discussion of the covert efforts to accomplish privatization of Iraq's oil through the supplemental spending bill.

Kucinich has alerted his colleagues to this concern in the past. Tomorrow he will do so on the floor of the House.

Kucinich argued against invading Iraq prior to the 2003 vote that authorized it. He published his case against it and helped persuade many of his colleagues to vote No. Kucinich challenged the legality of the war in court in an effort to prevent it. He proposed a detailed plan to end the occupation of Iraq over three years ago. His current plan is found in his bill HR 1234, which includes these findings:

"Any attempt to sell Iraqi oil assets during the United States occupation will be a significant stumbling block to peaceful resolution. There must be fairness in the distribution of oil resources in Iraq."

Kucinich has voted against every new funding bill for the occupation, including the recent Supplemental. He supports using the power of the purse to end the war. He opposes any attack on Iran and proposes formally forswearing the use of so-called preventive war. He has proposed the creation of a Department of Peace to address international and domestic violence.

SOURCE Kucinich for President

Kucinich to Speak for Full Hour on House Floor on Iraq Oil Law - Yahoo! News

DEAD SEA, Jordan May 21, 2007 (Dow Jones Newswires)

Iraq's Vice President Tariq Al Hashimi said Sunday he opposes a draft oil law that is crucial to Iraq's future because it gives too many concessions to international oil companies and the country's regions.
"We disagree with the production sharing agreement," Al Hashimi told Dow Jones. "We want foreign oil companies but not with big privileges."

Iraq's government is locked in debate over the draft oil law that must be approved by the country's parliament. Parliament in Baghdad could take two months before to approve the legislation, Al Hashimi said.

International oil companies such as Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc and ConocoPhillips are awaiting the legislation that will set a framework for licensing access to Iraq's vast oil reserves, estimated to be the world's third biggest.
Disagreements between the Kurds in northern Iraq and the central government in Baghdad revolve around who controls rights to oil exploration and how revenues from the oil rich areas of the North will be divided.
Kurds want their share of the earnings from the export of oil to be given to them directly, bypassing the central government's finance ministry.
"We are against giving regions extensive powers," Al Hashimi said. "We need to review these extensive powers given by the Iraqi constitution to the regions at the expense of the center."
Iraq's main sectarian Muslim groups of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds are jostling for a share of the nation's oil wealth. The Kurds, with a population of around 5 million, dominate the country's north while the Shiites populate the South, where most of Iraq's oil exports are shipped.
The Sunnis, which reside largely in central Iraq, feel they may be squeezed out of their share of revenues from Iraq's oil wealth. Al Hashimi, leader of the Islamic party, is the senior Sunni politician in Iraq's government. Iraq has the world's third-biggest proven oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and Iran, but only about 10% of the country has been explored, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

RIGZONE - Iraq's Oil Law Gives International Oil Companies Too Much -VP

by Anne Alexander
Iraqi union leaders representing tens of thousands of oil workers across southern Iraq are optimistic that a threatened strike last week has won significant concessions from the US-backed government.
The Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) represents 26,000 workers in the provinces of Basra, Dhi Qar, Maysan and al-Muthanna. The union has organised three strikes since 2003 which paralysed the oil industry, halting all Iraqi oil exports.
A strike called for 14 May was halted by last-minute negotiations with Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki.
One of the key issues in the dispute was the controversial new oil law being debated by the Iraqi parliament. The law allows multinational companies to grab huge profits by developing Iraq’s huge untapped oilfields under contracts lasting up to 30 years.
The IFOU has long campaigned against the sell-off, organising two conferences in Basra last year in protest at the US-backed government’s plans. Hassan Juma Awad, president of the union said, “The oil law does not represent the aspirations of the Iraqi people.”
It will let the foreign oil companies into the oil sector and enact privatisation under so-called production sharing agreements.
He appealed for solidarity from the international trade union movement in defeating the law. "The federation calls on all unions in the world to support our demands and to put pressure on governments and the oil companies not to enter the Iraqi oil fields.”
The union is not alone in its condemnation of the draft oil law. Opponents of the law also include all of Iraq’s other trade unions, a number of political parties, and a group of over 60 senior Iraqi oil experts.
On 5 May union negotiators sent a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki listing the demands of the coming strike which included a call for the law to be submitted to the union for revision.
The union is also demanding improvements in pay and conditions, government measures to tackle rising prices and medical treatment for oil workers, particularly those in areas affected by the use of cancer-causing Depleted Uranium weapons.
Union negotiators said last week that Al-Maliki “clearly agreed” to their demands and promised further meetings between representatives from his office, the Ministry of Oil, the Southern Oil Company and the IFOU

http://www.so******tworker.co.uk/art...ticle_id=11673

May 18, 2007
(The Politico) A broad coalition of 24 liberal organizations sent a letter yesterday to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) urging them to drop the "Oil Law Benchmark" in legislation that will continue to fund the war but require the Iraqi government to meet certain benchmarks, reports Politico's Ryan Grim.

The coalition is concerned that the benchmark puts undue pressure on the Iraqi government to open its oil industry to foreign companies. The signers include MoveOn.org; Public Citizen; United for Peace and Justice, a leading antiwar group; and U.S. Labor Against the War; among other groups with strong support among liberals.

Liberal Groups Want Oil Benchmark Law Out Of Iraq Funding Bill, By John Bresnahan - CBS News

Calcutta News.Net
Sunday 20th May, 2007

An Iraqi law could mean overseas companies will control their oil fields.

A British campaign group, Hands Off Iraqi Oil (HOIO), has singled out the role of Shell, which it said had been working closely with Britain and the U.S. to create a policy to allow multinational companies to take control of Iraq's oil.

A spokesman for HOIO claims there has been a revolving door between Shell and the Foreign Office, with four of the last five permanent heads of the Foreign Office going on to become directors of oil and gas companies, two of them at Shell.

HOIO says a lobby group, working on behalf of BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Total and ENI, has been advised by the U.K. government on strategies for influencing the Iraqi government.

In March, an all-party group of British MPs expressed concern about involvement by the UK government in drafting Iraq’s new oil laws.

Meanwhile, The New York Times has reported that over between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels a day of Iraq’s oil production is unaccounted for and could have been siphoned off through corruption or smuggling.
Iraqis could lose their own oil to U.K and U.S. multinationals

In Iraq, key oil bill goes nowhere


May 21, 2007
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The nation's Sunni vice president spoke out Sunday against a proposed oil law, clouding the future of a key benchmark for continued U.S. support for the government.
"We disagree with the production-sharing agreement," Tariq al-Hashemi said in Jordan, where he was attending an international conference. "We want foreign oil companies, and we have to lure them into Iraq to learn from their expertise and acquire their technology, but we shouldn't give them big privileges."
Iraq's cabinet signed off on the oil bill in February and sent it to parliament, a move that the Bush administration hailed as a major sign of progress. But parliament has yet to consider the legislation, which would cover how to manage the country's oil wealth and distribute revenues.
The bill also faces opposition from the Kurds, who want greater control of oil in Kurdish areas.
In Iraq, key oil bill goes nowhere

23 May, 2007

Foreign Undersecretary Receives UK Deputy Ambassador in Baghdad

Mr. Labeed Abbawi, the Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Policy Planning and Bilateral Relations, discussed during a meeting with Mr. Mathew Lodge, the UK Deputy Ambassador in Baghdad on 23/5/2007 the current discussions between US, UK and Iran on the Iraqi issue and the efforts made by the Iraqi government to bring closer viewpoints between these parties.

Mr. Abbawi pointed out the necessity of activating resolutions of Sharm Al-Sheikh Conference and the formation of the working committees that were decided in the International Baghdad Meeting of 10 March. The two sides also discussed various issues concerning bilateral cooperation and means develop it in the manner that may serve shared interests of the two countries.

Mr. Abbawi expressed Iraq’s desire to work hard to remove all the obstacles that negatively affect the Iraqi issue. For his part, Mr. Lodge promised to make efforts to achieve these goals.
http://www.mofa.gov.iq/english/news/...px?newsid=3279

Of around four million displaced Iraqis, the US let in 69 in the last seven months, Neil King and Yochi Dreazen report for the Journal. The two reporters present an update on the DC debate over the question of relocating Iraqi refugees in the US, noting the extreme difficulties and red tape that Iraqis, even those who worked with the US in Iraq, have in reaching the country legally. State and Homeland Security departments plan to develop procedures for letting more Iraqis in, and pending legislation on the Hill could allow tens of thousands of Iraqis to enter. Democrats especially have pushed the issue, while only one Republican, Chris Shays of Connecticut, currently in Iraq, has supported legislation to reform Iraqi asylum policy. The US will spend $150 million this year for “Iraqi refugee work in the Middle East,” they report.

Iraqi Refugees Create Quandary - WSJ.com

By Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, May 24, 2007; Page A01

BAGHDAD, May 23 -- More than three months into a U.S.-Iraqi security offensive designed to curtail sectarian violence in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, Health Ministry statistics show that such killings are rising again.
From the beginning of May until Tuesday, 321 unidentified corpses, many dumped and showing signs of torture and execution, have been found across the Iraqi capital, according to morgue data provided by a Health Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. The data showed that the same number of bodies were found in all of January, the month before the launch of the Baghdad security plan.
Such killings are a signature practice of Shiite militias, although Sunni insurgents are also known to execute victims. The number of found bodies is a key indicator of the level of sectarian violence, but the statistics also include some who died from causes unrelated to the political situation.
Weeks after the security plan was launched in mid-February, Bush administration and U.S. military officials began citing a decline in sectarian violence as evidence of the plan's effectiveness. Although that trend appears to have reversed, the unidentified corpses being collected this year remain far fewer than those found during the peak periods of sectarian strife last year.
Lt. Gen. Aboud Qanbar, the Iraqi commander overseeing the security plan, acknowledged in an interview that the number of unidentified corpses is rising and said there has been a spike in sectarian assaults by Shiite militias, especially elements of the Mahdi Army, the militia of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
"We are aware of this happening, yes," Qanbar said Tuesday, seated in his office inside one of the palaces of the late ousted president Saddam Hussein. "We have noticed that those gangs are again attacking people."
The rise in sectarian violence has followed a recent increase in mass-casualty suicide attacks and car bombings that have targeted mostly Shiite areas in Baghdad and other parts of the country. U.S. officials have acknowledged that they have had little success in curtailing such attacks, which have occurred with greater frequency since the start of the security plan than before.
In the 14 weeks preceding the start of the plan on Feb. 14, at least 821 people died in 11 attacks -- typically suicide car bombings -- that killed more than 20 people at a time, according to a Washington Post analysis. There have been at least 20 such attacks in the 14 weeks since the start of the plan, causing a death toll of at least 1,098, the analysis showed.
Such bombings, apparently orchestrated by Sunni insurgent groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq, have prompted reprisal killings, Qanbar said. "Terrorists of al-Qaeda and the enemies of Iraq, they want to start a crisis," he said. "The objective behind this is to incite sectarian strife."
Like the numbers of unidentified corpses, other indicators of violence, such as kidnappings, remain below levels seen last year at the height of sectarian tensions. The United Nations, citing Health Ministry numbers, reported that 1,471 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad in September 2006 and 1,782 in October 2006. Bombing victims and many others who die violently in Baghdad are taken to the city's hospitals rather than its morgue.
But the recent increase in unidentified bodies raises questions about whether thousands of U.S. reinforcements can effectively halt sectarian violence.
President Bush and other senior administration officials have cited declines in sectarian killings in justifying U.S. troop increases and additional funding for the war.
washingtonpost.com

Announcement No.(931)

D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 931 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Thursday 2007/5/24 so the results were as follows :

Details NotesNumber of banks12-----Auction price selling dinar / US $1259-----Auction price buying dinar / US $-----------Amount sold at auction price (US $)43.535.000-----Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) ------ Total offers for buying (US $)43.535.000-----Total offers for selling (US $)-----------

EU interested in importing Iraqi natural gas National - Voices of Iraq

Wednesday , 23 /05 /2007 Time 5:04:09 </B>

By Dergham Mohammad Ali EU-Gas
EU interested in importing Iraqi natural gas
By Dergham Mohammad Ali
Baghdad, May 23, (VOI) - A visiting European Union delegation said that EU countries are interested in importing Iraqi natural gas from the Ekas field in southern Iraq, the spokesman for the Iraqi Oil Ministry said on Wednesday.

"EU representatives held talks this week with oil ministry officials, headed by oil minister Hussein al-Shahrestani, and expressed EU countries’ interest in importing Iraqi natural gas from the Ekas field, a huge field that extends from Ninewa province to the southern borders of Saudi Arabia," Essam Jihad told the independent news agency voices of Iraq (VOI).
"Ekas is one of the fields included in the ministry's development plan. It has a production capacity of 100,000 barrels per day, in addition to possible large amounts of gas in the western region that may turn Iraq into one of the largest natural gas producers in the Middle East region," he added.
"The delegation expressed desire to transport gas through the joint Arab pipeline that passes through a number of Arab countries: Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and through Turkey towards the EU," he also said, noting that the delegation expressed interest in importing the whole production.
"Large steps have been taken towards concluding the agreement and the EU delegation is interested in participating to develop Iraq’s oil fields," the spokesman affirmed.

Aswat Aliraq

Iraqi VP meets Kurdistan Premier on oil draft law, Kirkuk Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Thursday , 24 /05 /2007 Time 11:54:09 </B>

Baghdad, May 23, (VOI)- Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi met with Kurdistan Prime Minister Negervan al-Barazani on oil draft law and Kirkuk in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Mahdi's office said on Wednesday.

"Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi discussed with Iraq's Kurdistan Premier Negervan al-Barazani several political, security and economic issues, including oil draft law and the implementation of the Iraqi constitution's Article 140 on normalizing the situation in Kirkuk city," Mahdi's office said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Iraqi cabinet adopted a draft law on oil investment in Iraq including Kurdistan region and sent it to the Iraqi parliament for debate and voting. The proposed law gives the central government in Baghdad more powers to control investment contracts of oil in the country, a matter rejected by Kurds who demand more jurisdictions be given to the local government when conducting contracts with companies concerning oil in the region.
Also the Kurds urged Iraqi leaders to implement Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution regarding the statues of oil-rich-Kirkuk. Kurds claim that the former regime had changed the demographic distribution of the population by alluring more Arabs to settle in Kirkuk and drive out Kurds during 70-80s.
Article 140 stipulates that situation in Kirkuk should be normalized as it was before the alleged Arab migration to the city, to conduct a census and to hold a referendum to decide whether or not the city would join Kurdistan region.
Kirkuk, 250 km northeast of Baghdad, is a mixed city of Arabs, Kurds and Torkmans.
According to the statement, Abdul Mahdi said "we have no differences as to the agreed principles but we need to work out solid mechanisms to secure the good implementation of the article."
The meeting also touched upon issues related to the budget of the Kurdish local fighters (Peshmerga) within the Iraqi national budget, the statement added.
"Both sides stressed the importance of continuing concerted efforts to gain security and stability as well as supporting the ongoing political process in the country," the statement added.
Abdul Mahdi, according to the statement, said "we should adhere at the mechanisms set up by the constitution to solve all disputable issues."

Aswat Aliraq

Iraqi newspapers warn against overthrowing national unity government Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Thursday , 24 /05 /2007 Time 11:54:09 </B>

By Saad Obeid Baghdad-Press
Iraqi newspapers warn against overthrowing national unity government
By Saad Obeid
Baghdad, May 23, (VOI) - Iraqi newspapers on Wednesday discussed the tragic situation in Iraq and the possibility of extending Baghdad's security plan to all Iraqi provinces, and quoted several parliamentarians as warning of the repercussions of overthrowing the current national unity government, led by Nouri al-Maliki.

Expressing their concern about the potential repercussions of overthrowing al-Maliki's government, a number of Iraqi members of parliament told the government-funded al-Sabah newspaper that any attempt to target the current government would prove futile. Parliamentarians from the Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF), the Sadrist bloc and the Fadhila Islamic Party categorically denied that their blocs were attempting to overthrow the government. MP Hassan al-Saneed from the Shiite United Iraqi Coalition (UIC) indicated that any attempt to topple the government would plunge Iraq into a civil war that he said would serve no one's interests.
Criticizing several political groups for propagating an overthrow of al-Maliki's government, Falah al-Mashal, the editor-in-chief of al-Sabah wrote, "The calls for overthrowing the current government are desperate attempts to realize dreams that are unattainable in the light of the current Iraqi political landscape."
Al-Taakhi newspaper, issued by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud al-Barazani, published two main headlines that read, 'An expanded meeting between KRG's delegation and the Iraqi government to discuss several issues' and 'Parliamentarians and politicians: U.S.-Iranian talks are useless unless they positively affect the Iraqi situation.'
According to the newspaper, a number of Iraqi politicians said that the Washington-Tehran talks scheduled to take place in Baghdad late this month would be meaningless unless they have a positive impact on the security situation in Iraq.
The newspaper also published the following headlines: 'Bush: September is set for evaluating increase of U.S. troops,' 'Najaf tribal leaders call for merging militia with state apparatus' and 'Anbar governor: Our problem is with ministries, not with MNF.' Criticizing what he described as the poor performance of several Iraqi ministries, the governor of Anbar said that the Interior Ministry has so far not appointed new recruits, or provided arms and ammunition for the police in the province. The governor also slammed the Ministry of Trade for its "negligence" in supplying Anbar with provisions.
Under the front-page headlines reading, 'Gunmen slaughter family, including four children at fake checkpoint south Baaquba,' 'Butchery in al-Aamel neighborhood market, four students from the Faculty of Ibn al-Haytham killed in mortar attack and 12 hostages released in Anbar' and 'Ammar al-Hakim asserts his father will beat cancer,' the independent al-Mashriq newspaper quoted Ammar al-Hakim, a son of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq, previously known as the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), as saying that his father's condition is stable and he is currently receiving medical treatment for cancer in Iran. Quoting doctors from the United States who examined al-Hakeem, Ammar said that his father has minor lung cancer, which is under control.
Al-Adala newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq, published a front-page headline reading, 'With the attendance of Iraqi PM: UIC considers the possibility of extending security plan.' Highlighting the statement released by the council, the newspaper said that while acknowledging the serious security situation facing several Iraqi provinces, the coalition discussed the possibility of extending Baghdad's security plan to other hot spots in Iraq.
In an article entitled, 'The Iraqi Cabinet is ready to provide full support to protect Christians,' the newspaper quoted Ali al-Dabbagh, an official spokesman for the Iraqi government, as saying, "The Iraqi Cabinet addressed the issue of the forced displacement of Christian families in Baghdad by terrorist groups during a session held on Tuesday." Al-Dabbagh expressed the Iraqi government's complete support for those families, adding that the cabinet will provide all reasonable assistance to them.


SS/TP

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fredgwest1999

EU interested in importing Iraqi natural gas National - Voices of Iraq

Wednesday , 23 /05 /2007 Time 5:04:09 </B>

By Dergham Mohammad Ali EU-Gas
EU interested in importing Iraqi natural gas
By Dergham Mohammad Ali
Baghdad, May 23, (VOI) - A visiting European Union delegation said that EU countries are interested in importing Iraqi natural gas from the Ekas field in southern Iraq, the spokesman for the Iraqi Oil Ministry said on Wednesday.

"EU representatives held talks this week with oil ministry officials, headed by oil minister Hussein al-Shahrestani, and expressed EU countries’ interest in importing Iraqi natural gas from the Ekas field, a huge field that extends from Ninewa province to the southern borders of Saudi Arabia," Essam Jihad told the independent news agency voices of Iraq (VOI).
"Ekas is one of the fields included in the ministry's development plan. It has a production capacity of 100,000 barrels per day, in addition to possible large amounts of gas in the western region that may turn Iraq into one of the largest natural gas producers in the Middle East region," he added.
"The delegation expressed desire to transport gas through the joint Arab pipeline that passes through a number of Arab countries: Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and through Turkey towards the EU," he also said, noting that the delegation expressed interest in importing the whole production.
"Large steps have been taken towards concluding the agreement and the EU delegation is interested in participating to develop Iraq’s oil fields," the spokesman affirmed.

Aswat Aliraq

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Another supporting article that Natural Gas is becoming more important. Decrease EUs dependence on gas from Russia? "Largest Natural Gas producers in the ME". Interesting!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigred52

With all the delays and now the middle east is heating up fast and Iran
is about to get crushed: If it doesn't r/v by the end of June
its all over. BUT I AM NOT SELLING JUST IN CASE !

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Hold onto it Red. As long as Iraq isn't drawn into the skirmish between us and Iran (i.e. we clean Iran'a clock) you may get your $3/dinar rate sooner than later....

If Iran is going through a rebuilding process that only makes Iraq's oil all the more attractive. That would eliminate a major competitior, eh.

:wink:

Justice / Ali Zuhair Al-Rubaie : Rafidain Bank announced approached advanced banking services to the beneficiaries, said the source at the bank I am one of the most important programs of work are coming restructuring of the bank and the application of the Comprehensive

.The introduction of the credit card or smart card and automatic teller system, linking bank accounts with banks, local, Arab and international and other sophisticated business, which would access the bank to the ranks of advanced international banks. .He added the bank exercises all banking transactions, whether internal or external, through branches of the 147 branches inside Iraq, in addition to 9 branches outside Iraq and has a distinguished position among agents so that the title of economic activity in Iraq. وة .In the area of bank credit Bank issued several instructions to grant loans to each of :-a. Microfinance. ب.B. Rafidain Bank lending staff, and government departments in advance personal and advance for marriage. ج.C. The granting of loans to all sectors of Iraqi dinars and foreign currency. .D. Granting loans to graduates of colleges and institutes within the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

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ستثمارA symposium to discuss the prospects of investment


ميسان / المدىMaysan / long
نظم.Center forward sincere in Maysan symposium panel on (the prospects for investment in Missan governorate) and the Hall building has been maintained during the review of the current reality of the province of Team Information Center of the Office of the Governor of Maysan attendees then discussed investment opportunities in the province and how to help investors and discussed how to prepare a guide for investors The opening dialogues for the development of this sector at the end of the symposium attendees recommendations included : accelerating the formation of the local investment in the province of Maysan. He urged public and private sectors to prepare comprehensive database of the actual reality of each sector, resources and investment opportunities available.
.And the emphasis on providing the necessary facilities to encourage investors to reduce administrative red tape.

.And the need to continue to hold panel discussions with the relevant sectors, which would create the information needed to make investment in their sectors.
.The attendance Iraqi Central Bank and banks to reduce the rate of bank interest to facilitate the work of investors and the swift opening of the bank credits in the province of Maysan.
. The Symposium was attended by Adel Al-Radi Mehouder governor of Maysan and Kadim behind Vice President of the Provincial Assembly and the Chairman and members of the investment in the province and a selection of spe******t teachers.

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foreign investment and its role in the petroleum industry




كاظم موسىMousa Kazem
Iraqi oil sector of the oldest regional oil sectors, and it is the largest national economic sectors, as a basic rule of the overall economic activities that are Iraqi, and represents the oil sector source




The basis for the financing of the national financial, and adopt the state budget almost entirely on the resources of the oil sector and by 98% of the total proceeds of the national income, therefore, is the first private-funded governmental actors, which is spending on various projects and services to current and future by identifying the culprits in the financial and monetary policies governmental, leading up to the level of granting the real value of the national currency (the dinar) awarded by the state steadiness and stability, which reflect positively on the living standards of the individual and society, including the oil sector needs to develop processes for the entire share. should recourse to foreign investment to finance the work of joints that sector to determine the quality and quantity of foreign investment, after the economic feasibility study required, in addition to determining the joints eligible for investment, It must be the engine base in the petroleum industry (extraction) that the government sincerely Acosta joints extractive industry will be (a big role in guiding the industry according reconciliation whose pricing policy and determine how much and what type of surroundings. Maiedi to have a negative effect on the political decision. It is more appropriate to foreign investments, in particular, the capital of Iraqi expatriates joints towards establishing oil refineries and service departments, such as those for construction, as well as possible direct those investments towards modernization and support joints transport petroleum products (fuels from and to Iraq, as well as pipeline projects oil derivatives (oil - and-white liquid gas) inside Iraq and this requires billions of dollars and dinars to extend thousands of kilometers away from the pipeline for delivery of assembly plants Chairperson reservoirs subsidiary, which in turn leads to the industrial parks, commercial and town centers, It is the way the distribution of petroleum products within cities in the very backwardness and primitive hand they rely wagons and sedans donkey carts, along with the bad packets distributed those products, Pednani liquid gas specializes feet and damaged, and the best way replaced by networks of connections tubes in place in some residential complexes list, as is foreign investment in this oil detailed many benefits are cut and crisis situations of scarcity, in addition to absorbing a large amount of unemployed labor and other trained personnel, as well as easing pressure on the budget of the Ministry of Oil recycles funds allocated for the establishment of similar projects to other projects, Investing in this key is promising and successful because of its guaranteed benefits for investors, it must have foreign investments in the service of the national economy through contributing players in the construction Srouheh / It may amount of those investments to the national economy, increase financial streams is a great contribution to the export of products. oil to the outside world through the ranks of oil, to be constructed by these investments, rather than relying on existing government that the refineries are unable to meet the growing domestic demand for petroleum products in general and motor fuel (gasoline and gas oil) in particular, the accounts of the Ministry of Oil to import petroleum products are assigned government treasury (5) billion dollars annually allocated for the imports reclaimed from the amounts allocated to spend on infrastructure projects and services projects, as well as manifestations of the crisis of scarcity, and which acquired a permanence and continuity, what leads to the use of foreign investments through conciliation joints oil mentioned leading to the benefits of vehicle, reflect positively on overall economic activities other, and establish a process of social welfare that pass through the phase of economic prosperity.
Translated version of http://www.alsabaah.com/

The discovery of the largest natural gas field in Iraq extends from Mosul to the Saudi borders


12:06 2007.05.24 12:06 2007.05.24

PUKmedia :PUKmedia :

.A spokesman for the Ministry of Oil Assem Jihad yesterday, Wednesday, the existence of the largest natural gas field in Iraq extends from the border of the province of Nineveh to the existing Western and has extensions up to the Iraqi-Saudi border, estimated productivity card accompanying initially estimated at about 100 thousand barrels per day.

.The Jihad said in a statement to Radio (Sawa) that the European Union is interested in exceptionally realm Acas invader in Iraq, because of its proximity to the European Union via strategic gas pipeline project linking Egypt, Jordan and Syria through Turkey to the European Union.

.He pointed out that the Jihad of the Ministry of Oil held intensive talks with the European Union delegation in the past few days on the field Acas. .He stressed that future investments in the field of Acas would make Iraq the largest producers of natural gas

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التموينيةTrade needs to be an additional $ 1 billion to cover the ration card
- 23/05/2007News and reports-23/05/2007


برسBaghdad-file Press

.The Ministry of Trade confirmed that they needed an additional $ 1 billion to cover the syllabus of the ration card. وقال.Trade Minister Abdul farmer Sudanese parliamentary committee formed to consider the request, pointing out said that the Iraqi state budget for 2007 allocated approximately three billion dollars to cover the costs of items ration card, stressing that the ministry will deal with this budget, and the government has shown willingness to cooperate with the request of the Ministry of Commerce.

.The Iraqi government reduced its overall budget for the 2007 financial allocations for ration card from four billion to around three billion, which raised objection number of Iraqi representatives

التجارة بØ*اجة إلى مليار دولار إضاÙ�ÙŠ لتغطية البطاقة التموينية

hmmmmm, i know a way they could stretch what they already have:smile:

Ministers pledge to the Iraqi government





الصباحBaghdad-Sabah.
لمالكيMinisters decided to continue the existing Iraqi government of national unity even though the President existing Dr. Iyad Allawi to withdraw from the government and parliament. Transfer reliable source that these ministers will continue their work in the government of Mr. Nouri Al-Maliki


.Without indifference to the call may launch Dr. Allawi to withdraw from the political process ran according to information from a meeting with him in Amman last week.
.The news reports that Dr. Iyad Allawi said during the meeting lasted for days XVII, XVIII and XIX of this May that it might resort to the withdrawal of its list from the government and possibly parliament in a step described by observers as part of an attempt (coup) to change the government of national unity.
.The source who requested anonymity told (morning) : he felt fully confident of a number of existing Iraqi ministers that they will not respond to a request to withdraw from the government. The position of the ministers with the views of many members of the House who Astejnoa call for a coup, adding that this exceeded the constitutional referendum and said in interviews l (Sabah) yesterday : that this attempt to drag the country into civil war.
.According to the source, the existing Iraqi ministers emphasized that Iraq's interest will remain above partisan considerations and political conflicts.
.It is noteworthy that the Iraqi List Astusert Mohammed Tawfik Allawi's contacts and minds Mikhail human rights and Muhammad Abbas Aribi one of the Ministries of State and Hashim Shebli (resigned) of justice.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by rvalreadydang

The discovery of the largest natural gas field in Iraq extends from Mosul to the Saudi borders


12:06 2007.05.24 12:06 2007.05.24

PUKmedia :PUKmedia :

.A spokesman for the Ministry of Oil Assem Jihad yesterday, Wednesday, the existence of the largest natural gas field in Iraq extends from the border of the province of Nineveh to the existing Western and has extensions up to the Iraqi-Saudi border, estimated productivity card accompanying initially estimated at about 100 thousand barrels per day.

.The Jihad said in a statement to Radio (Sawa) that the European Union is interested in exceptionally realm Acas invader in Iraq, because of its proximity to the European Union via strategic gas pipeline project linking Egypt, Jordan and Syria through Turkey to the European Union.

.He pointed out that the Jihad of the Ministry of Oil held intensive talks with the European Union delegation in the past few days on the field Acas. .He stressed that future investments in the field of Acas would make Iraq the largest producers of natural gas

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Having driven from Mosul to Kuwait and the border with SA, this is like saying that all of Iraq is a natural gas field. Take a good look at a map and you'll see just how big this country really is. Again another report as to how important natural gas is playing in the overall picture.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fredgwest1999

Announcement No.(931)
D.G. of Foreign Exchange Control

The 931 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Thursday 2007/5/24 so the results were as follows :

Details NotesNumber of banks12-----Auction price selling dinar / US $1259-----Auction price buying dinar / US $-----------Amount sold at auction price (US $)43.535.000-----Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) ------ Total offers for buying (US $)43.535.000-----Total offers for selling (US $)-----------

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Just a thought......Thats 2 days on 1259....I was wondering what the likelihood of the rate going back to 1260.....then the reval happening as everyone had hoped.....??
Regards
http://roycepsamsurfing.com/images/LOGO.GIF

Number of banks 12 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1259 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ ------ -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 43.535.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $) ------
Total offers for buying (US $) 43.535.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) ------ -----


Gooooooooooooooood Morning Rolclub


"The More They Take, The More We Make"
"Stay the Course, its the difference between Winners and whiners"


10.67 Trillion taken out and still the Party has not started


1. "0" Dinar rate change today, it was 1259, it is now 1259

2. A (net) worth of dinars, IQD - 54,810,565,000 pulled out of circulation today 5/24/07.

3. 12 banks participating today

4. 150th auction since the beginning of CBI's reval plan

5. 236 days into the CBI's reval plan. (Seven Months +)

6. 10,676,913,923,000 dinars pulled from circulation !!

6A. Conservative ESTIMATE of Dinars still in circulation or controlled by the CBI 6,323,086,077,000

7. "0" Dinars back into circulation today

8. 218 dinar change since Oct 1st (baseline was 1477) 14.759% increase in value of the dinar since beginning of reval plan (Approximatly Oct 1st).

9. 1 point reduction in the rate so far this week. Was at 1260 at the end of last week, 1259 so far this week.

10. 10 point drop in the month of May. Ended at 1269 in April, now stands at 1259
In January we saw a 2.49% drop in the rate.
In February we saw a .928% drop in the rate.
In March we saw a .546% drop in the rate.
In April we saw a .3142% drop in the rate

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roycepsam

Just a thought......Thats 2 days on 1259....I was wondering what the likelihood of the rate going back to 1260.....then the reval happening as everyone had hoped.....??
Regards
http://roycepsamsurfing.com/images/LOGO.GIF

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Royce, it's a possibility, i have seen it bounce back and forth in the past....as long it's a bounce that brings us back to the rv i'm game!

btw, i love your sig daffy, lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PAn8tv

Wciappetta, thanks for your insight on this matter and bringing some sanity to this whole dinar investment :fryingpan. Cudos to you! :beer:

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You're welcome I'm only reciting what the relevant positions of the IMF, CBI and the public record have stated. i know some folks have tried hard to overshadow these facts with all the dismal reporting.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bob1940

Hear, Hear Wciappetta! I like your style of thought. Comme on RV with a High and sudden Move. Bring it on Iraq!

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:ro_emote:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snottynose

this has really brightened my day,didn't want to believe this person,and i didn't,thanks for putting your 2cents in and sharing with us!!!!
Sarah!!

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My pleasure

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wm.Knowles

Having driven from Mosul to Kuwait and the border with SA, this is like saying that all of Iraq is a natural gas field. Take a good look at a map and you'll see just how big this country really is. Again another report as to how important natural gas is playing in the overall picture.

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this makes it even more perplexing in my mind! LOL......how the heck can they let their people suffer so and just sit on all that money???

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roycepsam

I was wondering what the likelihood of the rate going back to 1260??

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Why should it go back?

Iraq leader Announces NEW/IMPROVRD Cabinet Changes

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister asked Parliament Thursday to approve six new Cabinet members to replace a group which resigned last month on the orders of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
Al-Sadr ordered his ministers to quit the government over Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's refusal to call for a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. The anti-American cleric went into hiding in Iran last February when the Baghdad security crackdown was launched.
In Parliament, al-Maliki thanked al-Sadr for giving him the "authority to choose the ministers."

He told the chamber, which will decide in a vote Sunday, that all six were independent "not because we have something against parties, but we were keen on their being independent because that was one of the conditions put for the selection."

Al-Maliki was upset because there were not enough legislators to approve his choices on the spot, and was instead forced to delay the vote by three days.

He admitted that he took a long time in choosing them, but said it was the result of the time needed to review the candidates history. Describing them as technocrats, he said none had any record of corruption.

He also announced a future Cabinet reshuffle, but said he had not yet received any proposals for candidates from the parties that make up his government.

"Some blocs want to change their ministers, and some ministers we want to change. It is not a shame to talk about a Cabinet reshuffle because we seek the best" people, al-Maliki told Parliament.

The new six candidates included one woman, Khiloud Sami, who has been proposed for the post of state minister for provincial affairs. Although the religious affiliation of the six were not announced, all had traditionally Shiite names.

The six are Sabah Rasoul for Health ministry, Ali al-Bahadli for Agriculture, Amir Abdul-Jabbar for Transportation, Thamir Jafar al-Zubaidi for the Civil Society Ministry, and Zuhair Mohammed Ali Sharba for the Tourism and Antiquity ministry.

___
Associated Press Writer Bushra Juhi contributed to this story from Baghdad.
Iraq leader announces Cabinet changes - Yahoo! News

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer 53 minutes ago

THIS WAS ALSO REPORTED:

Addressing a parliamentary session chaired by Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, the PM said "we have assigned other ministers to undertake the six ministries' affairs, but this does not mean they are working properly."

"We need to review the political agreements and resolutions concluded by the (constitutional amendment committee), which means that all political blocs have to take part in the political process," the prime minister highlighted.

"We are here to discuss the reshuffle, not to tackle the security situation in the country."

He promised parliament's members that he would attend the next sessions with the commander of Baghdad's security plan, Aboud Qanbar, and Minister of Defense Mohammed Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi.

A media source said earlier that the parliament is due to discuss a number of items on its agenda, including the anticipated reshuffle.

"Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will attend today's session with a number of nominated ministers," the source, who asked not to be named, told the independent news agency voices of Iraq (VOI).

The Sadr movement decided last month to withdraw its six ministers from the Iraqi government, protesting the government's refusal to set a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.

The movement of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had six portfolios and a total of 30 seats out of the 275-member parliament.

It is a main component of the Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition, the largest parliamentary bloc with 113 seats, to which Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki belongs.

Aswat Aliraq

NOTE:

Al-Maliki was upset because there were not enough legislators to approve his choices on the spot, and was instead forced to delay the vote by three days.

Maybe that's why no vote on HCL (ARTICLES 115/111 before Parliament...look for this reference for the oil law) - a majority didn't show up to the session again...the other day there were less than 80 members present. Maliki said that will start taking and posting names of those not attending.
Also, this may mean more votes this Sunday?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bultn

Why should it go back?

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I always believed this (1260) was the magic figure we were hoping for to get the REVAL.... the number that the budget worked at.....if you know different then please enlighten me....I am all ears......anyway either way I'm just waiting to shed the shackles of my mediocre life style and walk with the big boys(maybe a nice holiday, new car, etc)....So here's to a RV soon....
Regards
http://roycepsamsurfing.com/images/LOGO.GIF

U.S. approves Iraq funds transfer

UNITED NATIONS -
The U.N. Security Council approved the transfer of more than $3 million in oil-for-food revenue to meet iraq's U.N. arrears and dues.

The Iraqi government requested the transfer — approved Wednesday — of funds from the escrow account for the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, known as UNMOVIC, which was responsible for chemical, biological and missile inspections in Iraq.

Under the U.N. oil-for-food program, Iraq was allowed to sell oil provided the proceeds went primarily to buy humanitarian goods and pay reparations from the 1991 Gulf War that followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

But a small percentage of the money was also used to pay for weapons inspections by UNMOVIC and to buy spare parts for the oil industry.

While the program helped Iraqis cope with U.N. sanctions, an independent investigation concluded it was corrupted by bureaucrats, oil tycoons and Saddam Hussein after the former Iraqi leader was allowed to choose the buyers of Iraqi oil and the sellers of humanitarian goods.

Saddam's successors have been lobbying to have the Security Council stop using the country's oil revenue to pay compensation to war victims and the salaries of U.N. weapons inspectors — and to have all money remaining in the U.N.'s oil-for-food accounts transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq.

A May 7 letter from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the council indicated that the current balance in UNMOVIC's escrow account stands at about $66.4 million.

At a formal meeting Wednesday, the council approved the transfer of $2.5 million to the U.N. Industrial Development Organization to pay off the Iraqi government's arrears and another $694,771 to pay Iraq's contribution to the regular U.N. budget, the peacekeeping budget, U.N. tribunals and U.N. renovations.

Once those transfers are made, the oil-for-food account will have a balance of about $63.1 million.

Council diplomats said the five permanent council members — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China — are close to agreement on a plan to transfer most of the money in the escrow account to Iraq, but they have not yet agreed on how to wrap up UNMOVIC's operation. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks have been private.

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said Wednesday he expected an agreement on UNMOVIC very soon, but refused to give any details.

U.N. weapons inspectors left Iraq just before the March 2003 U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein, and the U.S. has barred them from returning. They have continued to work, compiling a detailed database and using commercial satellite photos to keep track of equipment with dual civilian and military uses, which they had been monitoring on the ground.

UNMOVIC was charged with verifying that Iraq had eliminated all biological and chemical weapons and the long-range missiles to deliver them, and to continue monitoring to ensure that the country did not acquire any new weapons of mass destruction

U.S. approves Iraq funds transfer - Yahoo! News

Women leaders program launched in Arbil Arbil - Voices of Iraq

Thursday , 24 /05 /2007 Time 4:25:07 </B>

By Abdul Hameed Zibari Arbil, May 24, (VOI) -

A program for women leaders in northern Iraq, which aims to increase Iraqi women's participation in the decision-making process, was launched on Thursday.

"The program was implemented in coordination with a local development team and the U.S. Development Agency for Local Government Programs, and with the participation of members from municipal councils and Iraq's Kurdistan’s National Council," Mirwan Ali, a member of the organizing committee for the program, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

Outlining the objectives of the program, Ali said that it aims to enhance the abilities of Iraqi women within the public sector and to provide a mechanism for increasing awareness of their rights.

"The program is directed at women working in the national council, municipal councils, ministries, general departments, syndicates and government institutions," Ali explained.

"The program will organize conferences and workshops on the policies and laws that affect leading women, and the construction of a women's research institute," said Ali, noting, "coordination with women's organizations at the national and international levels and the use of the media to highlight women's role in the public sector are also aims of the program."

The program includes the five northern Iraqi provinces of Kirkuk, Arbil, Duhuk, Sulaimaniya and Mosul.

Demand for dollar down in daily auction Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Thursday , 24 /05 /2007 Time 4:14:07 </B>

By Dergham Mohamed Ali Baghdad, May 24, (VOI) –

Demand for the dollar was down in the Iraqi Central Bank’s daily auction on Thursday, reaching $43.535 million compared with $69.415 million on Wednesday.

In its daily statement the bank said it had covered all bids, which included $8.395 million in cash and $35.140 million in foreign transfers, at an exchange rate of 1,259 dinars per dollar, the same as yesterday.

None of the 12 banks that participated in Thursday's auction offered to sell dollars.

Ali al-Yasseri, a trader at the auction, told VOI "that the stable exchange rate today and yesterday limited foreign transfers."

The Iraqi Central Bank runs a daily auction from Sunday to Thursday