Thread: Iraq/Dinar News until 6/17/07 8:30 PM CST

Originally Posted by duck2000

ok fine you want news here it is/ GEN. PETREUAS TALKING WITH CHRIS WALLACE ON FOX NEWS SUNDAY JUST SAID THAT THE IRAQI GOV IS DOWN TO TWO SENTENCES OF COMPLETING THE HCL HOWS THAT FOR NEWS !!!!!

News thread Good!

Yeah Baby!!!

Published: 18/06/2007 12:00 AM (UAE)

Oman central bank chief says riyal's peg to dollar will remain

Staff Report

Dubai: Oman's central bank governor ruled out the possibility of ending the sultanate's riyal peg to the US dollar and said the bank has stopped treasury bonds in an effort to reduce debt.
"The beneficial effects of the fixed peg for the country is very important and that is why we continue to remain committed to the peg," Hamoud Bin Sangour Al Zadjali, said.
Kuwait's decision to shun the greenback and link its dinar to a basket of currencies last month sparked concern that the Gulf states were on the brink of abandoning the US benchmark to help ease inflation.
According to figures provided by the International Monetary Fund, Oman's inflation rate has risen to 3.2 per cent last year, from 0.2 per cent in 2003.
Zadjali said higher public expenditure and a surge in prices of specific goods imported by Oman was also helping to fuel inflation.



The sultanate has stopped issuing government development bonds and treasury bills, he said.
"Internal debt could be expected to decline further" following the decision to stop issuing bonds, Zadjali said.

Gulfnews: Oman central bank chief says riyal's peg to dollar will remain

Originally Posted by duck2000

ok fine you want news here it is/ GEN. PETREUAS TALKING WITH CHRIS WALLACE ON FOX NEWS SUNDAY JUST SAID THAT THE IRAQI GOV IS DOWN TO TWO SENTENCES OF COMPLETING THE HCL HOWS THAT FOR NEWS !!!!!

See confirmation below in red. Thanks duck2000


"FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: Joining us now, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus.

General, let's start with the latest news. It was announced yesterday that U.S. forces found those two military I.D. cards of the missing American soldiers. Do you have any new leads on where they are?

PETRAEUS: Chris, we are evaluating the materials that we found in the house with those cards. I would not characterize any of those, however, as particularly hot leads.

We continue the effort in that particular area and in some other areas in Iraq, and we will not give that up.

WALLACE: This week you finally got your full complement of forces in Iraq. How is the surge working so far? And to some degree, do you feel as if the operation is only now beginning?

PETRAEUS: We actually do. In fact, a lot of what we have done to this point has been so-called shaping operations for what we have just recently launched in the last 48 hours and some additional operations that we'll launch over the next 48 or so hours.

That's not to say that we have not used those forces as they have come in, but we just recently got the fifth and final Army surge brigade, the Marine Expeditionary Unit, and our combat aviation brigade, which add considerable combat power.

And they are enabling us now to launch operations into sanctuaries, areas in which we have had very little coalition force presence other than raids in recent years.

These are areas where Al Qaeda has established car bomb factories and other bases from which they have issued forth and then moved into Baghdad to attack targets, often indiscriminately.

WALLACE: But how is the surge working so far? General Odierno, your number two, said this weekend that he believes that you have control over only 40 percent of Baghdad. Is that accurate?

And how do you feel it's going in terms of clearing out and securing Baghdad and Anbar province?

PETRAEUS: Well, I think, Chris, as I mentioned to the press yesterday, we're ahead of where we thought, I thought, we would be at this point in time, and then we are behind where we might have been in some other areas.

Anbar province is an area that, as you'll recall, was assessed to be lost less than a year or so ago by the military intelligence folks that were in Anbar province.

There's been a stunning reversal out there as tribes have said that whoever opposes Al Qaeda is with us, "We want to fight Al Qaeda. Will you help us, coalition forces?" And we have, indeed, done that.

And then they have been tied into the ministries of interior and defense so there's a linkage to the Iraqi government.

In Baghdad, there are certainly some neighborhoods — as General Odierno said it yesterday, there's about 30 percent of the neighborhoods about which we have real concern. These are the areas of the fault lines between Sunni and Shia.

We are focusing on them quite intently, and the additional forces will enable us to conduct additional operations in those areas.

Outside of Baghdad, the Baghdad belts, as they're called, south and north of the city, are areas into which we are now going in much greater force, again, areas in which Al Qaeda has had some sanctuary in the past.

And then in Diyala province, an area to which some of the Al Qaeda fighters have moved as they have been pushed out of Anbar and out of some of the Baghdad neighborhoods, is an area that requires considerable additional attention over the coming weeks, and it will get that as well.

WALLACE: General, the Pentagon issued its quarterly report this week, and it indicated that there has been no measurable progress so far. Let's take a look.

The Pentagon said the total number of weekly attacks on Iraqi civilians, Iraqi forces and U.S. forces actually went up from the last month before the surge to the first three months of the surge.

And the Pentagon report concluded the aggregate level of violence in Iraq remained relatively unchanged during this reporting period.

General, why shouldn't we back home view that as disappointing?

PETRAEUS: Well, the aggregate level is about the same. We actually have borne the brunt of much more of that, as have Iraqi security forces, and civilians a good bit less.

In fact, one of the metrics that we track, which is sectarian murders and executions in Baghdad, went down — by months, it was down to about a third — by the end of April, it was down to about a third of where it was back in January.

It did come back up as we announced in the month of May a little less than half. That is trending back down again.

The fact is that as we go on the offensive, the enemy is going to respond. That is what has happened. Car bombs have been coming steadily down. And as I mentioned, sectarian executions in Baghdad in particular have come down.

So again, certainly it is a mix, and that is what I've tried to convey with my assessment, that we're ahead in some areas and we need to do some serious work in others.

WALLACE: Senate Majority Leader Reid this week questioned your credibility after you gave an interview in which you said you saw, quote, "astonishing signs of normalcy in Baghdad such as soccer games and open markets." And here's how Senator Reid responded. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID, D-NEV.: We're now back up to 1,000 attacks a day in Iraq. And for someone, whether it's General Petraeus or anyone else, to say things are great in Baghdad isn't in touch with what's going on in Baghdad, even though he's there and I'm not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: General, the argument seems to be that we're getting spin out of Baghdad and not the straight talk as to what the situation is there. Your response.

PETRAEUS: Chris, I've tried hard to be forthright all along in this endeavor. My testimony before the Senate in January, again in April, when I did a VTC in the middle of that as well, with every congressional delegation and with the press, I have tried not to pull punches.

I base my assessments, what I offer, on personal observation, walking around Baghdad, driving around it, flying around it. The fact is that there are signs of normalcy throughout a good bit of Baghdad. There are tens of thousands of kids that will be out there tonight playing soccer.

In fact, we flew around the city on the way over here today, since they'd lifted the curfew, just to see how things were going. There's traffic all over the streets. The markets are reopened and so forth.

That is not to say — and in fact, in that interview I followed and also warned, for example, that the mosque bombing could spark new violence. I have tried hard to present both the good and the bad.

But I will not shrink from announcing that there is some good out there, if you will, that there is some normalcy, nor will I shrink from acknowledging that there is plenty of bad out there, as I did with the fact that we have to really focus on 30 percent of those Baghdad neighborhoods.

And there's certainly not much normalcy in some of those neighborhoods which are under the threat of both Al Qaeda and then extremist militias.

WALLACE: So how do you feel when you hear a senator here in Washington say that you're out of touch with what's going on in Baghdad?

PETRAEUS: Chris, as I said, I am just going to present what I see. I am going to provide a forthright assessment. That's the same thing that we'll do in September.

And frankly, we've got more than enough work out here to keep us occupied and to keep us focused and busy.

WALLACE: Let's talk about who's responsible for the situation in Iraq. In recent weeks, the president has been emphasizing the role of Al Qaeda. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: The primary reason for the high level of violence is this. Al Qaeda has ratcheted up its campaign of high profile attacks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: But again, the Pentagon quarterly report tells a very different story, and let's put that up. It says, "Much of the violence is attributable to sectarian friction."

And as you pointed out, there was a substantial jump in sectarian violence in May. Isn't the Sunni-Shiite conflict much more responsible for the violence in Iraq these days than Al Qaeda, sir?

PETRAEUS: I'm not so sure about that, Chris. In fact, Al Qaeda is the Sunni violence. Al Qaeda is the face of what is happening on the extremist Sunni side.

They are carrying out the bulk of the sensational attacks, the suicide car bomb attacks, suicide vest attacks and so forth.

This is, I think, all of the individuals in the intelligence community — General McCrystal, the head of our Joint Special Operations Command — all of us feel that the central front of Al Qaeda's terror war is focused on Iraq.

So I think it is appropriate to emphasize the role that Al Qaeda Iraq is playing and the role that they play in provoking and giving excuses to the extremist militias of the other side, of the Shia side, as a justification for what they are doing, ostensibly, to protect the Shia people, but then in their own turn carrying out violence of their own.

There is no question but that there is sectarian violence between, again, Al Qaeda, certainly between some other Sunni insurgent groups and these extremist militias.

And that is, in fact, what we are trying to try to break the cycle of, the cycle of violence that can really damage a neighborhood, the cycle of violence that, in fact, tore the fabric of society in Iraq and particularly in Baghdad, and especially in the mixed neighborhoods, during the latter part of 2006 and into the early part of this year, with really enormous damage as a result.

WALLACE: General, you talked briefly before about the fact that you're trying to split off some of the Sunni insurgents from Al Qaeda, especially out in Anbar province, and in fact, you've even gone to the lengths of arming some of the Sunni insurgents to fight Al Qaeda.

How do you know — or do you worry that they are going to end up using those weapons to either attack U.S. forces or to fight their civil war against the Shiites?

And how do you respond — we understand that aides to Prime Minister Maliki objected strongly about arming Sunni insurgents to Defense Secretary Gates yesterday, so how do you respond to that concern?

PETRAEUS: Well, those are legitimate concerns, and we have the same concerns. We have a good discussion going with the government of Iraq.

As I mentioned, the process really is to identify these individuals, try to vet them as best we can. By the way, we do biometric data on all of them. We link that to serial numbers of weapons and so forth.

And then what you want to do is you want to get them linked into legitimate government of Iraq institutions, starting out perhaps as what are called police support units; then, as they prove themselves, getting a ticket to the police academy so they can become full-fledged police, or volunteering for the Iraqi army.

The fact is that over time in any of these conflicts, individuals at some point have had to end up sitting across the table from those who at best tacitly were aware of what was going on against their adversary, and that we perhaps aided and abetted it.

Interestingly, we have a British three-star general — my deputy is the head of our particular effort here, the engagement and reconciliation cell that we have established in part because they've had some pretty tough experience in this regard themselves, having sat down at tables in northern Ireland and other places with individuals who, say, 10 years earlier were swinging pipes against their lads.

That's been instructive for us. We think that it has been carried out with sufficient safeguards in Anbar province. It has certainly completely changed the dynamics of Anbar province.

And now, by the way, you see a bottom-up political activity that is also ongoing, where city councils, neighborhood councils and so forth are getting elected and are gradually tying into the provincial council which, of course, ties into the government of Iraq.

We're even seeing that in some of the neighborhoods in Baghdad where neighborhood councils had ceased to exist because of the security threat, and they are now coming back to life as well.

Again, those are legitimate concerns. They are legitimate discussions with Prime Minister Maliki. He supported strongly what was going on in Anbar province.

It gets much tougher when you get into the mixed neighborhoods near Baghdad in the Baghdad belts, and we're all working together to try to ensure that there are safeguards so that we're not arming individuals who eventually take up arms against the government.

WALLACE: General, we have to take a quick break here.

But when we come back, the September deadline for a progress report on the surge. What can we expect? And can we rely on the Iraqi government to hold up its end of the bargain? Back with General Petraeus in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And we're back now with more of our exclusive interview with General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

General, let's turn to the political situation in Baghdad. Back when you were being confirmed by the U.S. Senate, you said the point of the surge was not to win a military victory, but to give the Iraqi politicians time to reach out in national reconciliation. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETRAEUS: The objective will be to achieve sufficient security to provide the space and time for the Iraqi government to come to grips with the tough decisions its members must make to enable Iraq to move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Now, that was five months ago, and since then the Iraqi politicians have failed repeatedly to meet benchmarks for political reform.

Hasn't that part of your surge strategy, trying to give the Iraqi politicians some breathing space — hasn't that failed, sir?

PETRAEUS: Well, there certainly have not been real substantial achievements in that regard so far.

However, the oil framework law and also now the oil revenue law are pieces of legislation in which the Iraqi leaders are very much coming to grips right now.

In fact, we helped bring down from the Iraqi Kurdish region last night the top negotiator, and we're at the stage where supposedly there are two sentences that must be resolved.

So I think it's time to see now if these important laws can go forward, in addition to some of the other smaller achievements that they've had in terms of the higher electoral council, the budget and so forth.

WALLACE: We understand that Secretary of Defense Gates basically gave the Iraqis a September deadline. He said we really have to see some measurable political reform by September. True?

PETRAEUS: Actually, not quite so blunt. In fact, Secretary Gates had a very good session with Prime Minister Maliki.

In fact, he started off by complimenting the prime minister and the other leaders with whom he met on their response to the Samarra mosque bombing. They were united in that effort. They were decisive.

And we think their response in ordering rapid steps to be taken has, in fact, helped hold down the level of violence to well below what took place in the wake of the February '06 bombing.

And in fact, I should know that yesterday there was an agreement with UNESCO and the government of Iraq to rebuild that Samarra mosque.

WALLACE: I mean, I understand that, sir, but you know, we here back in the states look and we see the oil law has not been passed, the constitution has not been amended, they have not held provincial elections, they have not brought Sunnis back into the government.

I mean, really, the glass is not half full.

PETRAEUS: Chris, I don't think anybody's satisfied with where they are, and the Iraqi officials are foremost among them. They're grappling with really basic issues here. We're talking about issues that will set the course for this country for years and decades to come.

Our own experience as a country, in fact, shows how difficult it is to resolve some of these very difficult issues.

They recognize fully that our ability to help them in the future depends on the progress that they show over the course of the next few months. They're keenly aware of that.

And I think they are going to do everything they can to try to inject hope into places like Washington and elsewhere to show that the Baghdad clock can indeed move a bit faster so that you can put a bit of time back on the Washington clock.

WALLACE: Well, let's start talking about the Washington clock. Less than a month ago, President Bush was talking up the importance of this progress report that you're going to be delivering to him and to Congress in September.

Let's put it up on the screen. Mr. Bush said, "I see it as an important moment because David Petraeus says that's when he'll have a pretty good assessment as to what the effects of the surge has been."

But now, sir, a number of top administration officials are downplaying the September report. Are you backing away from how much you're going to be able to say in September?

PETRAEUS: I am not. In fact, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, my diplomatic wing man here, and I will go back in September and we'll provide a snapshot of where we are at that time, and it will be a forthright assessment of what we've achieved and what we haven't achieved.

I'll talk, obviously, about the security aspects of the situation and he will address the political and economic ones.

We also owe it, we think, to the decision-makers at one end of Pennsylvania Avenue and those who provide advice and consent and resources for the policies at the other end some sense of the implications of the various courses of action that might be under discussion at that point in time.

There are some very serious centrifugal forces here in Iraq, and I think we all need to have very clear eyes about what can happen, what the implications of various options are and, again, just to assess those correctly.

WALLACE: Well, let's explore that. General Odierno, your number two, said this weekend that the Washington politicians need to give the surge more time.

Do you think by September you're going to have a reasonable and a realistic sense of how the surge has gone, whether, in fact, it is working or not working?

PETRAEUS: I think we will have a sense of that, Chris. I've said that all along. I started saying that back in January. I think we'll have had by then our forces in the mix for a good several months.

We'll have some sense of how we have done in these various sanctuaries that Al Qaida has had in the past that we are now entering for the first time in which we will endeavor to stay.

We'll have a sense of how we've done in some of these tough neighborhoods in Baghdad and how we are doing, also, all of this in partnership with our Iraqi security force counterparts in Diyala province and in some of the other areas of the country.

WALLACE: So you think by then that the policymakers in Washington — the president, his administration, members of Congress — can make a reasoned decision as to whether or not to continue with this strategy?

PETRAEUS: Well, what I've said, Chris, is that at that point in time, the ambassador and I think we can provide a reasonable snapshot of the situation at that time and how things have gone in the surge, both in the security and then in the political and economic arenas.

And it is, obviously, up to the policymakers and to the legislators to determine the course ahead.

WALLACE: Do you feel a sense of pressure? Do you feel that September deadline pressing in on you? And does it affect the decisions you make?

PETRAEUS: Chris, we've got a fairly heavy rucksack we're carrying out here, but thank goodness for all the tremendous troopers out here who, in truth, are really carrying the heavy burden of this.

We've got a lot of great help in taking this forward and we also have some wonderful partners on the Iraqi side.

But we do see that time staring us squarely in our eyes, and we're focused on it, and we're going to try to do all that we can with what we have between now and then.

WALLACE: There are reports that you and General Odierno would like the surge to continue until at least early 2008, that if it's going to work, it needs to continue into early next year. Is that true?

PETRAEUS: We've got a number of different options that we have looked at, Chris, and it really is premature at this point in time to try to prejudge that.

Again, I would suspect that late in the summer, early September, that we will provide some recommendations on the way ahead up our chain of command as well.

WALLACE: But you surely don't think the job would be done by the surge by September, do you, sir?

PETRAEUS: I do not, no. I think that we have a lot of heavy lifting to do. The damage done by the sectarian violence in the fall and winter of 2006 and early 2007, as I mentioned, was substantial. And this is a tough effort.

WALLACE: So then it would be fair to assume that the enhanced troop levels would continue for some months after that and into 2008.

PETRAEUS: Chris, again, premature right now. A number of options out there. And not about to announce what we might do here today, I'm afraid.

WALLACE: Well, you can't blame me for trying, sir. There are also some...

(LAUGHTER)

WALLACE: There are also some reports that you believe that we're going to need at least 130,000 troops in Iraq through the end of 2008. Is that true?

PETRAEUS: Chris, there's some wonderful mind-readers out there. I'd love to know who they are. But they seem to know what's in my mind better than I do.

Again, our first focus is on doing all that we can as we've truly now launched the surge and we have some reasonable expectations for what we can achieve.

Beyond that, we will obviously provide that assessment in September along with, I would suspect, at that time some recommendations on the way ahead. But you're looking out well beyond that, and we're not prepared to address that yet.

WALLACE: Well, let me look out even further than that, General. Some administration officials have talked about needing to make — and basically squaring with the American public, saying, "Look, this is going to be a long-term commitment," and even comparing it to the situation in South Korea, where we have had thousands of troops for decades.

Do you see this to stabilize and achieve what we want in Iraq as that kind of a long-term commitment?

PETRAEUS: Well, I think the real question, Chris, is at what level. I think just about everybody out there recognizes that a situation like this, with the many, many challenges that Iraq is contending with, is not one that's going to be resolved in a year or even two years.

In fact, typically, I think historically, counterinsurgency operations have gone at least nine or 10 years.

The question is, of course, at what level, how much will we have to continue to contribute during that time, how much more can the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government pick up as this goes along. And I think that's the real question. And I'm not sure what the right analogy is, whether it's Korea or what have you.

I think all that the folks in Washington were trying to indicate by that was that there is some possibility of some form of long-term security arrangement over time.

And I think in general that that's probably a fairly realistic assessment, assuming that the Iraqi government, in fact, does want that to continue. And of course, it is very much up to them, and their sovereignty is paramount in all of this.

WALLACE: General, we have less than a minute left. Let's get to the bottom line here. Do you feel that we can still win in Iraq, that we can leave behind a stable, democratic government?

PETRAEUS: Chris, if I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be leading the finest of young American men and women who are putting their lives on the line every day.

In the last two weeks, I've gone to memorial ceremonies, one of which was for four soldiers lost in one unit, another for six soldiers lost in one unit. And I can tell you that as you sit there at that, you obviously reflect on that particular question.

And again, I think that there is good prospect for progress in the months ahead that hopefully can be matched by progress in the political and economic arenas here in Iraq and, again, can give us hope for the way ahead.

WALLACE: General, I can't think of a better way to end this conversation. We want to thank you so much for giving us a progress report today. And please stay safe, sir.

PETRAEUS: Thanks, Chris. Good to be with you.

FOXNews.com - Transcript: Gen. David Petraeus on 'FOX News Sunday' - FOX News Sunday | Chris Wallace

Originally Posted by duck2000

ok fine you want news here it is/ GEN. PETREUAS TALKING WITH CHRIS WALLACE ON FOX NEWS SUNDAY JUST SAID THAT THE IRAQI GOV IS DOWN TO TWO SENTENCES OF COMPLETING THE HCL HOWS THAT FOR NEWS !!!!!

And its going to take them until Sept. to finish 2 sentences? BULL!!! Oh I mean thats about right for these clowns......

Thanks Chouchou Couldnt Find Link Didnt Want To Be Called A Lair!

This is from the 10th, but i don't remember seeing this

العراقيInternational competition on Iraqi oil
PUKmedia صلاح مندلاوي: 11:35:54 2007-06-10PUKmedia Salah Mendallawy : 11:35:54 2007-06-10

ستعتمد .Expect news agencies oil passage of a law within two months, and follow up on two fronts rival investment opportunity guaranteed profits, Front alliance, led by the United States and the United Kingdom's military forces stationed in Iraq, which could protect the investment work detonated Therefore, the delegation visited Iraq, and Britain has shown interest and urgency to pass a law to begin oil production as it is confident it will gain a seriously these contracts, at least they will labor Iraqi cheaper compared with their manpower unless used Asian employment, and has the goal of near and far : the recent increase in the supply of crude oil, thus reducing the price and long term is to ensure continuity of crude oil to provide for a hundred years to come.

اما .The Front is the interview Front China, Russia, India, France, Germany, Japan, which had previously agreed with the former Iraqi government to exploit the fields and fields of Touba a concession contract (No. 8), signed with the Indian government.

.To examine the position of Mr. visiting Minister of Oil India to hold talks on the topic which initially believed that no privilege for anyone but that everyone entering the competition transparent India is not a State does not have oil CST high and the huge capital and close relations in the world of cartels and Altherustadt oil in the world not show any Hamas to support the Iraqi people in the new era.

ا !!As for China, which he will visit the President of the Republic has created a Bishara off seven billion debt to the former Iraqi government by 100%, which probably will move some of our sister States to do what the China! ! !!China now has the financial ability to compete, or at least ensure oil supplies for growing the next hundred years, which is perhaps not exceeding the limits needs to get to international competition and to seek to reduce oil prices but also compete as a state entered into preliminary agreements with the former Iraqi government, and we support them without working hands! !

%.Russia follow the focus of the contest on what they have agreed in principle willing to write off debt of 100%.

بقي.It remains to be seen that Turks and Norwegians and Canadians have already entered in the extraction and training in Kurdistan as we enter the production pending the issuance of law and the formation of the oil, which almost certainly would approve the agreements that Kurdish oil because they take into account all the aspects that are within the conditions stipulated in the draft law not to mention that the oil recognizing the centrality of revenue and centralized networks export oil contracts for the sale and investment However, we do not want that imagination rivalry between governorates to begin intensive production and consequently flooding the international market and declining oil prices, which will be to our advantage.

.For example, the gas field discovered in Mosul and hideouts extended to the existing Her intelligence European rivals so arrived at the Oil Ministry claim export liquid gas to Europe without being issued by the Ministry of Oil in the distribution network Maibges gas pipeline between the cities of Iraq, which will continue to wait (God's mercy) so get rid of the heavy liquid gas cylinders, which constitute a curse on the Iraqi people and I am one of them who suffer from sliding or Sauvant paragraphs.

ر.Of course, Europeans want to compete with Russia, Iran and Algeria in liquid gas and oil states surprised by the rush to compete for investment projects in Iraq, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Iran, which imports 40% of its petroleum derivatives and bent hurry to build a dual pipeline between Abadan and Basra in order for the liquidation of 35 thousand a barrel of crude oil, as trade and the connection between religion and have not Abalaqideh friendship and anything else. نحن :We live intensity of pressure because the principle rampant in partnership oil identify 40% of investors and 60% of Iraq, over 25 to 35 years, there is no doubt that they Ikimunna follows :

1. .1. inexperience and lack of power and lack of patience and stifling crises at home because of the acts of terrorism that must find supporters among those competing.

2. .2. weak economy and the Iraqi crisis resulting from the shift from centralized state or Bourgeoisie state to a free economy and provide the appropriate atmosphere for life Fayrosat administrative corruption.

دولية.This distinction of Iraqi soil has created one but resulted from the siege imposed on Iraq and the removal of the Iraqi government troops international.

ها.The decision-makers must not Ihtarua or doubted in both wooing Dr. Oil Ministry and the Iraqi government land is Iraqi land almost virgin at the time began wells California, Texas and other aging and retired disparities.

دم .The ministry and Members of Parliament only indivisible assignment and create competition among intellectuals, past and future, between Front, which is often sacrificed for us and those willing to sacrifice and believe us, and of course we start our national oil company then announced a service to compete maintenance of the pipeline which narrowed much work and welding products Concavities the stalled for long periods where, admitting to the Ministry of Oil to remember that all the values of honor and purity and much administrative hand and unscrupulous very necessary because every drop of oil paid by the drop of blood.

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

Hilla - file Press

في مليون دولار.Founded in Babylon province first investment bank to preserve capital million.

به.The bank participated in the establishment of a number of traders, industrialists and employers in Babylon on the opening subscription and purchase its own shares.

.The Bank has all the usual banking business from the sale, purchase and exchange of shares, as well as granting loans and banking facilities, as well as deposit funds Balhassapien current and saving.

.The organizers of the bank have been organized to mark the occasion was attended by Mohammed Mas'udi President of the Babylon province, Hassun Alvclaoui deputy governor of Babil, and a number of traders and bankers in the province
تاسيس اول مصر� استثماري �ي بابل

Is the blue highlighted part below a misprint ?????.......or no ?

US dollars continues recovery against all major currencies -- NBK report ECO-KUWAIT-NBK-REPORT
US dollars continues recovery against all major currencies -- NBK report
KUWAIT, June 17 (KUNA) -- The US dollar continued its recovery last week against all major currencies, while the euro touched a three-month low at 1.

3260 to the dollar, said the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) in its weekly monetary report published Sunday.

The report said the sterling was back to 1.97 to the dollar, while the Japanese yen was the biggest mover reaching a four and a half year low of 123.

50. The Australian dollar remained at 0.83, while the Swiss Franc dropped to 1.

2450.

Moreover, it said the Federal Reserve reported that "economic activity continued to expand from mid-April through May," with most districts describing "modern or moderate" growth.

On Europe, NBK said inflation in European zone (E-13) economies grew by only 0.2 percent in May, compared to a prior 0.6 percent in April, adding that in the UK, inflation came out in line with expectations and previous figures.

As for the Japanese yen, it dropped to its lowest in four and a half years against the US dollar, and a 15-year low against the sterling, after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept interest rates unchanged at 0.50 percent.

The NBK report explained that the decision was widely expected, with most analysts expecting a hike by 25 basis points in August's meeting. BOJ's Governor Fukui, said he would have to be more confident that Japanese growth was sustainable before raising interest rates.

The final review of growth in the Japanese economy for the first quarter of the year came out above expectations and initial reading, with a growth of 3.3 percent, it said.

Meanwhile, the industrial production dropped by 0.2 percent in April, below the market's consensus, a fact that pushed the Japanese yen lower across the board.

And finally on Kuwait, NBK's report said the US dollar remained unchanged against Kuwaiti dinar at 0.28811. (end) hq.


Kuna site|Story page|US dollars continues recovery against all major cu...6/17/2007

NEWSWEEK: International Editions: Highlights and Exclusives, June 25, 2007 Issue
(Reuters)

By Larry Kaplow and Christopher Dickey
Newsweek

June 25, 2007 issue - The call from President George W. Bush came hours after terrorist bombs brought down the minarets of the Golden Mosque in the Iraqi city of Samarra. The attack last week was a replay of the conflagration that destroyed the golden dome of the same Shiite shrine on Feb. 22, 2006—the date Iraq's sectarian strife took the turn toward open civil war. So in Baghdad, embattled Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was scrambling: he imposed curfews, blamed Al Qaeda, pleaded with his people to forgo their vendettas. His situation looked desperate and his credibility shot. (Only the day before, he'd told visiting Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, "We have eliminated the danger of sectarian war.") Then, at about midnight Baghdad time, the White House called.


Maliki welcomed the friendly American voice on the other end of the line. "President Bush called me, and he declared his deepest sympathy and readiness to reconstruct the whole shrine of Samarra," Maliki told NEWSWEEK in an exclusive interview. The Iraqi praised Bush's human touch. Indeed, the dour-faced Shiite politician's aides say he often brightens up after talking to the U.S. president one-on-one, whether by phone, in person or in a videoconference. "You can see how happy he is," says Sami Al-Askari, a close adviser, speaking of past encounters. "Mr. Bush encourages him."
Their bond has a lot to do with fate, says Maliki: "Destiny wanted to bring together two people who strongly stick to their principles." But the two men are also linked by their precarious political positions. The U.S. military has acknowledged that its surge in forces is not likely to bring stability to Baghdad by the end of summer. Elsewhere in the region, the Hamas takeover of Gaza and the latest assassination of an anti-Syria legislator in Lebanon suggest the impotence of American policy. So pressure is rising for some sort of political breakthrough in Iraq. In recent weeks a parade of American legislators, generals and diplomats have tramped through Baghdad to push Maliki for quicker progress on a range of stalled measures, from a new oil law to reconciling with former Baathists. Bush's unflagging support runs the risk of undercutting that message.

Perhaps it's not surprising that a stubborn president of the United States and this equally stubborn prime minister of Iraq find solace in each other's company. They're both increasingly isolated from the people they are supposed to lead. They are contemporaries (Bush is 60, Maliki is 57), and both spent most of their lives as relatively unworldly men, albeit worlds apart. Both have had to learn on the job while in the top job. Both are surrounded by small circles of confidants who have given them demonstrably bad advice where the future of Iraq is concerned. Both are at odds with fractious legislatures. Both are deeply religious and have important fundamentalist constituencies. Each of them very much needs the other to succeed, and neither has any real alternative.

But while Bush reassures Maliki, the American public's patience is running out. Last week in quick succession three senior U.S. officials flew to Baghdad—Adm. William Fallon, the top commander in the Middle East, Negroponte and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The message the U.S. officials wanted to hammer home to the Iraqis, Gates said, is "that our troops are buying them time to pursue reconciliation, that frankly we are disappointed with the progress so far."
Under the circumstances, another man might push harder and faster for change. But Maliki says he needs time in order to make long-term decisions—ones that will be "written in stone"—and says he's confident that Bush understands. "The timetables given, sometimes I do not find them in President Bush's mind so much as they are in the minds of some people who make [public] statements," says Maliki. As for the U.S. Congress: "Every time I meet President Bush through the videoconference I tell him that I have a hard time dealing with the Parliament or the political blocs [in Iraq]. He says, 'I have a worse time dealing with the Congress'."
In fact, the system Maliki's working in does share much of the blame for the political stalemate. On many days the Iraqi Parliament cannot manage a quorum; several legislators spend most of their time out of the country. Cabinet positions are apportioned out to parties, and ministers answer to their factions before they do to Maliki. He told a closed-door session of Parliament that the sectarian bickering kept him "in handcuffs."

But questions remain about Maliki's commitment to true reconciliation and power-sharing. Maliki's office has reasserted a law allowing it to block corruption probes against ministers and used it to protect political allies, according to documents obtained by NEWSWEEK and a knowledgeable source who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals. U.S. commanders have said that orders still occasionally come from high levels in the government ordering the release of captured Shiite militiamen—though Maliki has also authorized the arrest of ranking militia commanders. Maliki admits that he is deeply suspicious of Baathists, but insists he is reaching out to Sunnis in general.

As Maliki told Admiral Fallon, "There are two mentalities in this region: conspiracy and mistrust." Those currents run deeply through his own psyche. Maliki fled Baghdad in 1979 under threat of death, hiding in the marshes. Friends say more than 60 members of his family, including a brother-in-law, were killed by Saddam Hussein's thugs.He has some reason to be suspicious even now. Iraq's Sunni-dominated Arab neighbors are hostile to Maliki, whom they see as ceding too much influence to Iran. That's led to constant rumors of coup plots. Former prime minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite who was once a Baathist and then a favorite of the Central Intelligence Agency's, has been openly trying to organize a bloodless parliamentary putsch against Maliki with support from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others. "He has enormous pressures from all sides that he has to grapple with," says a senior U.S. military officer, who was not authorized to speak on the record. But at least he knows one person in Washington he can call for support.



Bush Keeps Faith in Iraqi Prime Minister - Newsweek The War in Iraq - MSNBC.com

I still see an good rv coming.
But I think I'll move my date past by next month for now unless something real good happens soon .
Reason? I was concerned in the Generals statements not being more prompt on his answers about pressured benchmarks and if things will be in place for his report in Sept. When asked more than once by Chris Wallace in different phrases. He never gave a short yes answer. Thought he was kinda weak , I did not want to hear I think so. I want to hear "Hell Yes it will be done."

I still feel a Big RV when all is in place. I am going to be patient and get my Dong out and play with it a while. JMHO

Happy Fathers day to all the troops that are Dad's