Thread: Iraq/Dinar Until June 9th 1PM CST

Los Angeles Times , 9 Jun 2007
Don't delay democracy in Kirkuk

Postponing a vote on making the city part of Kurdistan could imperil the US mission in Iraq.

By Najmaldin O. Karim, president of the Washington Kurdish Institute.

Even as the battle for Baghdad continues to rage, the United States must begin considering the future of another Iraqi city: Kirkuk.

Here are two critical things to know about Kirkuk: First, it is surrounded by Kurdish towns and villages and has a population that is majority Kurdish — yet it lies just outside the boundaries of the autonomous region of Kurdistan to the north. Second, although it is a poor city, Kirkuk is built close to one of Iraq's largest oil fields.

At the moment, there is a planned referendum on the future status of the city (and the province in which it is located). The referendum is scheduled to take place before the end of 2007 and will determine whether the province should be made a part of autonomous Kurdistan.

However, there is a rising call for a postponement of the vote. If this happens, as many outsiders would like, then the entire U.S. mission in Iraq, and the fundamental justification for the war of liberation, could be fatally damaged.

The nub of the Kirkuk issue is how to reverse Saddam Hussein's appalling legacy of ethnic cleansing and genocide. During the 1980s, the Baathist regime expelled huge numbers of Kurds (as well as some ethnic Turkomen) from the city. It replaced them with Arab colonists from southern Iraq, generously subsidized by the government.

At the same time, hundreds of Kurdish villages in the province were razed, with farms and orchards burned to prevent Kurds from returning. During the genocidal Anfal campaign of 1987-88, thousands were "processed" through the military camp of Topzawa just outside of Kirkuk, the men mostly taken away to be shot en masse and buried in unmarked graves.

The murders and ethnic cleansing continued after the 1991 Persian Gulf War; according to Human Rights Watch, an estimated 120,000 non-Arabs were expelled from the Kirkuk area during the 1990s. These crimes were part of what justified the US-led liberation of Iraq.

In the years since Hussein's government was toppled, the Kurds have been exemplary in their restraint and in their adherence to the democratic process. Although they have ample historical claim to Kirkuk, they have put aside the usual bickering and have refrained from the familiar, never-ending squabble about whose ancestors were there first.

The Kurds have not made oil a factor in the discussion either. Although Hussein and many others since he lost power have viewed control of Kirkuk as crucial because they hoped it would mean control of the lucrative oilfields in the area, the Kurds have been very clear that they would like to see the profits from the Kirkuk oilfields distributed throughout the whole of Iraq on a per-capita basis, no matter what the future of the city.

Kurds have also pushed for a legal mechanism to reverse Hussein's crimes. Indeed, it is the democratically ratified Iraqi constitution, backed by 79% of Iraqis in October 2005, that mandated a citywide census followed by a provincewide referendum before the end of this year.

Sadly, the prospect of such a democratic resolution is opposed by much of the diplomatic community and the policy world. Parroting the flawed recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, also known as the Baker-Hamilton commission, their proposed solution is a nonsolution: to postpone the Kirkuk referendum because, as the Iraq Study Group argued, not all the groups in the city agree on what the future of Kirkuk should be and because a referendum could prove "explosive" and lead to violence.

Such an approach is a moral and policy mistake. To put off the referendum would insult Iraq's young democracy.

Delay regarding Kirkuk would have the further consequence of alienating Washington's best allies in Iraq: the Kurds. In today's Iraq, the Kurds are the only community united in their support of the US. The best units of the Iraqi army are from Iraqi Kurdistan, and two brigades have recently been deployed to Baghdad as part of the "surge." Kurdish politicians are keeping Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's fractious government intact. Unlike the Iraqi Arabs — Sunni and Shiite alike — who are deeply ambivalent in their views of the US, the Kurds are overwhelmingly pro-American. Not one U.S. soldier has been killed in Iraqi Kurdistan.

By putting off a resolution of the Kirkuk issue, the United States would be telling Kurds that it may betray them again, as it did when it encouraged them to fight the Baathists and then failed to support them in 1975 and 1991. At a time when Americans are already skeptical of the war in Iraq, a demonstrable success is exactly what is required. Reversing Hussein's crimes of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Kirkuk through a democratic political process will demonstrate the fundamental justice of this war and solidify a vital base of American support.

Iraqi gas could use Azeri-Turkish route
by Reuters on Wednesday, 06 June 2007 The United States is holding talks with Iraq and Turkey to drum up investment to restart Iraqi gas production and exports to Europe, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

"It could be linked up to the [Azeri-Turkish] Baku-Erzerum pipeline," U.S. State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Bryza told a conference in Baku.

Azeri president Ilham Aliyev told the same conference on Tuesday his country will increase gas output to 16 billion cubic metres in 2008 from 12 bcm this year and start large-scale exports to Europe via the Baku-Erserum pipeline.

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The pipeline will get most of its volumes from the giant Azeri Shakh-Deniz field on the Caspian Sea, operated by BP and Norway's Statoil and involving Russia's LUKOIL, France's Total and Iranian and Turkish state oil firms.

Channelling Iraqi gas through the pipeline would add a new source of gas to Europe's supply mix and weaken the dominance of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, which will increase its 25% share of the European market in decades to come.

It could also provide gas for the Nabucco pipeline, European project which is under threat because of Gazprom's boycott and Russia's control of gas flows from Central Asia.

An industry source told Reuters in March that Turkish firms TPAO, Botas and Tekfen and Royal Dutch Shell had set up a consortium to bid for a gas production licence in Iraq and build a pipeline to Turkey's energy hub of Ceyhan.

The pipeline would run parallel to an existing oil pipeline from Iraq's Kirkuk to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.

Turkey has a complex relationship with the mainly Kurdish north of Iraq. Its army generals and politicians have sometimes threatened to take military action to crush separatist Turkish Kurdish rebels hiding in the mountains there.

But de****e such political tensions, more than 600 Turkish firms are operating in northern Iraq. Analysts say Turkish exports to the Kurdish government there, including fuel, totalled about $5 billion in 2006 alone.

Egypt promises to consider sending ambassador to Iraq
Last Updated(Beijing Time):2007-06-08 16:02

Egypt Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Thursday said that Egypt has promised the Iraqi side to consider sending an ambassador to Baghdad.
In a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Abul Gheit said that Egypt will probe the question from all sides while commenting on statements given by Iraqi Vice President Tarek Hashimi, who said he asked Egypt to send an ambassador to Baghdad during his recent visit to Egypt.

This was not the first time the topic came up for discussion by the Egyptian side, Abul Gheit noted.

Hashimi, who on Thursday wrapped up his first visit to Cairo since he assumed office last year, met Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazef, Abul Gheit in Cairo and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh while Egypt asserted its support for Iraq to achieve peace and stability.

In July 2005, Egypt's top envoy to Iraq Ihab al-Sherif was kidnapped and then killed in Baghdad. Egypt pulled diplomats out of Iraq after al-Sherif was killed.

Today the House completed action questioning the President Office of Integrity

Baghdad-Sabah.
It is expected to witness a meeting of the Council of Deputies today continued discussions on the position of Chairman of the Office of integrity Judge Radi Radi after accusations made by the Chairman of the Committee on Integrity in the Attorney-Sa'idi morning, as will the question of the survival of the House of Nadi in office whether or refer issues to the judiciary

Expected MP Bahaa Al-Araji Chairman of the Legal Committee in the House of Representatives that no vote today to exempt Judge Radi Radi chairman of the integrity of the office he told the "morning" that the bids made by the Attorney-Sa'idi morning against Nadi did not fall under the section of interrogation, but fall under section issues rea, which must be forwarded to the juvenile who can decide after a series of investigations with staff at the fair.
For his part, Judge Radi Hamza Radi, head of the Office of Integrity expressed support for a transparent and democratic foundations up well by the Legislature establishes the right frameworks for building democratic promising at the same time expressing astonishment that the open files interrogation body integrity. He said in a statement to "Al-Sabah" that the Attorney morning Sa'idi asked to answer about the fate of eleven books issued by the Office of Financial Supervision and explained to the House that these books is a former request from the impartiality on the submission of financial reports for a number of government departments, and to attach them with the files of the investigation conducted by the the authority, which will be referred to judicial authorities after investigations are completed.
Radi stressed that the body formed in 2004 which is newly formed and it is a tremendous amount of administrative and financial corruption is estimated at 10 billion dollars, although they conducted investigations and interrogations fundamentalism in accordance with the law and submitted to the judicial authorities to decide after examining the file of the investigation or interrogation conviction. He pointed out that Article 36 of the Constitution led to the closure of dozens of lawsuits by the Council of Ministers, explaining that this article gave authority to the Council of Ministers in the affairs of the intervention.
Radi was surprised that opened the House according to officials in charge of body integrity to fight corruption but expressed his happiness for the opportunity to apprise the House on the work of the body and interact with each offers transparency strengthens the work of the Chamber of Deputies, institutions and state entities.
He stressed that before an impartial and time-consuming to detect corruption inherent in more than thirty years, we find cultures of specific anti-corruption cooperation with all relevant ministries and bodies relationship.

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

Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations excellent -- Iraqi official


(With photos)

SOFIA, June 7 (KUNA) -- Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abawi said Thursday his government had special relations with Kuwait.

Speaking to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA,) on the sidelines of a current visit to Bulgaria, he said his country's relations with Kuwait stemmed "not only from the fact that they have common borders, but because they have a common history and civilization."

He stressed that what the former Iraqi regime did to Kuwait was not enough to sever those good relations between the two brotherly states.

He also lauded Kuwait's efforts to restore law and order to his country.

He added that his current visit to Bulgaria was aimed at fostering military, economic and cultural ties with that country.

He said he met so far with Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalvin and Bulgarian Deputy Defense Minister Sonia Yakolova and agreed with them on a protocol of cooperation at economic, trade, political, military and security levels.

The Iraqi official said Bulgaria has shown readiness to receive an Iraqi military delegation "to discuss the military cooperation in greater detail."

A meeting of the joint Iraqi-Bulgarian ministerial committee is to take place soon in Sofia to discuss cooperation at all those levels.

Turning to the issue of the debt owed by Iraq to Bulgaria, it was agreed to hold joint meetings between the finance ministries and central banks of both countries to reschedule the debt or agree on ways of settling it.

Abawi said he had briefed the Bulgarian side on the efforts of the Iraqi government to dissolve all armed militias by paving the way for their members to join the regular Iraqi armed forces.

Article originally published by KUNA (Kuwait News Agency) 07-Jun-07

Tax revenues rise 55%



Azzaman, June 8, 2007



The State Tax authority’s income has rise 55% in 2006 over 2005, new statistics show.



According to figures the authority issued recently more than 388 billion dinars were collected in 2006. A U.S. dollar is worth approximately 1,500 dinars.



Most of the money came from taxes imposed on professions while corporate taxe came second.



The figures did not show how much the authority had gathered from the income tax introduced in the aftermath of the 2003-U.S. invasion.



In a statement, the authority said collecting taxes was not an easy job in Iraq currently mired in violence and military operations.



It said financial and administrative corruption were hurdles on the path of transparency in collecting taxes in the country.



But the absence of figures on income tax has already been interpreted that the authority itself lacks transparency.



It means that it has left the massive monthly salaries of top officials and other senior government civil servants untaxed, contravening standing regulations.

After the adoption of a new mechanism for distributing fuel

Breakthrough gasoline crisis in Babylon

Hilla Plumber
The basis of the crisis in Babel gasoline in the wake of a petroleum products distribution company a new mechanism for the distribution of fuel between the cars. He said Luay al-Musawi, spokesman for the company told (morning) :

The new mechanism that assisted in the elimination of the crisis include the distribution of auto-fuel stations mobilization evidenced by the figures in the paintings of registration indicating that it caused the momentum that generates stations in urban centers, particularly the city of Hilla. The governorate witnessed over the past week crisis in benzene, and queues of cars were seen gathered in front of the stations are in crises caused severe traffic chaos in the streets and main roads of town. In a statement earlier told (morning) attributed champion Fadel Khash Director distribution Babylon crisis to a lack of a hyphen quantities of gasoline to maintain warehouses Basra and impatience inventories at warehouses embankment on which the governorates of Karbala, Najaf and Babil addition to the growing demand for gasoline due to power outages and high temperatures. And between Khash that amount maintain arrived last week of gasoline is 400 thousand liters per day, whereas the share of the maintenance assessments are 720 thousand liters.

.

He mentioned that the crisis was confined to only benzene as the total available material stockpiling gas oil (kerosene) in the governorate of about seven million liters and that conservation is not suffering from any crisis in oil White article calling on people to expedite the receipt of their quotas of oil to avoid any potential problems in the coming winter season.

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

Shiites blame Arabs for Iran’s influence in Iraq



By Mustafa Amara



Azzaman, June 9, 2007



A senior Iraqi Shiite politician says Iran’s influence in Iraq is the result of Arab countries’ desertion of its government.



Hadi al-Ameri who heads the military wing of the Supreme Islamic Council, Iraq’s largest Shiite political group, said Arab sates have abandoned Iraq and as a result it had no choice but turn to Iran.



The SIC is the largest group in the current Shiite and Kurdish coalition ruling the country. Ameri made the remarks during a visit to Cairo where he met Amer Sulaiman, head of the Egyptian intelligence and Amer Mousa, Arab League secretary-general.



“You (Arabs) deserted us. You sold us. And we have no door to knock but Iran,” Ameri said in response to a question on Iran’s increasing influence in Iraq.



Iraqi Shiites are Arabs and traditionally they have supported Arab issues and fought tenaciously during the 1980-1988 war with Iran.



Iraqi government’s relations with Arab states are strained and last week Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused ‘some Arab quarters’ of hatching a coup against his administration.



Maliki’s opponents are working to unseat him but have failed to win the needed majority in the Shiite-dominated parliament.



Sunni factions as well as the former Shiite Prime Minister Ayad Alawi have formed a new front to topple Maliki.



But they have failed to win over the Kurds, Maliki’s allies, and were snubbed by other Shiite groups, namely the influential movement led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.



Ameri said attempts to split the current coalition were doomed to failure.



He said Arab states were not at equal distance from the various political factions in Iraq.



The government has repeatedly accused some Arab states of supporting groups fighting U.S. and Iraqi troops and resorting to violence to achieve their aims.

More Iranian pilgrims to pay homage to shrines in Iraq



By Saadoun al-Jaberi



Azzaman, June 9, 2007



Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has agreed to allow 2,500 Iranians enter Iraq to visit Shiite holy shrines in Najaf and Karbala, According to Najaf’s governor.



The governor, Assad Sultan, said the decision to increase the number of Iranian pilgrims visiting the country was bound to “revitalize religious tourism and boost Najaf’s economy.”



So far only 1,500 Iranian pilgrims were permitted to cross the border into Iraq every day.



The shrines in Najaf and Karbala, south of Baghdad, are holy to Shiites across the world and their sanctity is only surpassed by the Saudi shrines in Mecca and Medina.



The shrines, though holy to Shiites, also attract visitors from across the Islamic world.



In anticipation of a boom in tourism, Sultan said his province has signed a contract with a Kuwaiti firm for the construction of a tourist city in the nearby town of Kufa, also a holy site.



Members of the provincial council had visited Kuwait where they had reached a memorandum of understanding with the Kuwaiti authorities.



Under the pact, Kuwait will encourage Kuwaiti investment in the province and set up a ‘strategic investment center’ in Najaf.

The Church in Iraq is Disappearing Under the Strike of Persecution
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Posted GMT 6-8-2007 23:13:15
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ROME -- The Church in Iraq is disappearing, said the celebrant at a funeral Mass for slain Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni who was killed on Sunday in Mosul.

A Mass for the soul of the priest was held at his alma mater, the Pontifical Irish College.

In the homily of Thursday's Mass, Father Philip Najim, the procurator for the Chaldean Church to the Holy See, lamented the situation of Christians in Iraq.

"Closed churches, car bombs, forced conversions … in Iraq Christians are dying. The Church is disappearing under the strike of persecution, threats, violence on the part of extremists that won't leave any option but conversion or fleeing," Father Najim said.

Father Ganni and three deacons, Basman Yousef Daoud, Ghasan Bidawid and Wadid Hanna, were shot in what Benedict XVI called a "senseless killing." It is said that the Pope will discuss the plight of Iraqi Christians when he meets with U.S. President George Bush on Saturday.

Father Najim said: "Christians have become the scapegoat to be taken advantage of or eliminate. They can't profess their faith freely. Women are forced to wear the veil and crosses are torn from the churches."

Today in Iraq, he added, "the kidnapping of priests is more frequent each day. Christians are forced to pay taxes if they want to keep their homes and faith.

"The only alternative is to renounce one's own roots, leave one's country, intensifying the emigration wave."

Living martyrs

According to Father Najim, the slain priest "is a martyr of the Chaldean Church that suffers and has shed its blood in what Benedict XVI calls the Church of the living martyrs."

"His martyrdom should be a new dawn for the life and peace of Iraq, giving room to Christian hope," he said. "We need the Holy See to encourage the Church in Iraq and all Christians to unity.

"May Father Ganni's sacrifice be an injection of vitality for his community, his Church in Iraq, and for the universal Church."

Civil and Church leaders attended the funeral for the 34-year-old priest, who was ordained in 2001.

Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud, prefect for Congregation of Eastern Churches; Cardinal Desmond Connell, retired archbishop of Dublin; and Archbishop Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil, procurator of the patriarchate of the Syrians of Antioch to the Holy See, were among those who attended.

The ambassador to the Holy See from Iraq, Albert Yelda; from Ireland, Philip McDonagh; from the United Kingdom, Francis Campbell; and two representatives from the Untied States were also at the Mass.

ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome

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