Thread: Archive Latest News - Think Tank - 03/11/07 - 31/12/07

Time ripe for Parliament to Endorse several Drafts, Maliki tells Rice

Baghdad, Nov 3, (VOI) – Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Istanbul that the time was ripe for the Iraqi parliament to endorse several draft laws adopted by the government, including those on oil & gas and accountability.

The U.S. administration was blaming the Iraqi government for failure to pass a number of important draft laws like the drafts on oil & gas and the accountability, which is known as the debaathification law.

"Maliki and Rice discussed several issues of mutual concern and the importance of an Iraqi-Turkish-U.S. cooperation to deal with the threat posed by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)," according to a statement by the Iraqi cabinet on Saturday.

"The PKK is a terrorist organization, not just to Turkey but to Iraq as well, particularly as far as security and economic aspects are concerned," the statement quoted Maliki as saying.

In his speech before the Istanbul conference on Saturday, the Iraqi premier called on his country's neighbors to increase their security measures along their borders with Iraq and respect Iraq's sovereignty.
Maliki said that his government has taken "a firm decision to close down all offices and headquarters of the terrorist PKK all over Iraqi territories."

"We announce before you today that we have taken drastic measures to block any facilities reaching this terrorist organization via airports and borders," Maliki said, adding "the constitution of Iraq compels us to respect relations with neighboring countries and not to allow our territories to be used to wage aggression on any country."

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle =59337&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

Kurdistan Solution Party Office in Sulaimani was closed

Director of Kurdistan region general security, Mamosta Saifadin exclusively told PUKmedia that their forces closed the only office of the Kurdistan Solution Party in Sulaimani today.

Security forces have closed the office of the above-mentioned party in Erbil today.

There were some news reports today that the Kurdistan Solution Party offices were also closed in Duhok governorate.
Kurdistan Solution Party is known as a pro-PKK party.

PUKmedia :: English - Kurdistan Solution Party Office in Sulaimani was closed

PM's Statement on Istanbul Meetings

The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG) welcomes the Istanbul meetings of the Foreign Ministers of the G8, the Permanent 5, the neighbouring countries, the Arab League, and the UN Secretary General. We hope that this distinguished group of diplomats and interested parties will help to find a resolution to the current tensions which exist along the Iraqi-Turkish border.

The KRG condemns in the strongest terms the recent acts of violence committed by the PKK inside Turkey. There can be no excuse whatsoever for these actions which undermine peace and stability in the entire region and which are not in the interest of anyone involved. There is no place in the modern civilised world for this type of violence.

The KRG wants peaceful and cooperative relations with Turkey. We have many strong ties to Turkey, both economic and cultural, and we hope to see these ties grow in the future. People on both sides of the border have come to benefit from our trade relations and many Turkish firms are welcome participants in the economic life of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. We want to extend the hand of friendship to the people of Turkey and cooperate toward a more stable and prosperous future for all our peoples.

We understand Turkey’s frustration with the actions of the PKK and we share the grief and sadness over the loss of life that has taken place. We believe that the only solution to this long-running problem is to be found in negotiations and compromise, not further violence.

We insist that the PKK cease all violence against the Turkish military and make clear their willingness to lay down their arms and meet at the negotiating table. We are doing all we can to secure the release of all hostages and to defuse tensions in the area.

The KRG will in no way allow its soil to be used for violence or interference in the affairs of our neighbours and we are taking steps to guarantee that this does not happen.

Our commitment to peace and good relations with our neighbors is unshakeable – we have already seen too much violence and too much suffering in our history. This problem has existed in various forms for over 20 years – we are fearful that it will gain more life and more energy if violence is allowed to prevail.

We would like our friends in the region and elsewhere to know that we are ready – at any time, in any place, and with any group – to sit down and find a negotiated solution to the current impasse. For us, there is no alternative to dialogue and discussion. We believe there is an opportunity for a political solution and we urge the distinguished group of Foreign Ministers to work with us to find that solution.

The people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq want only peace and stability so that we can continue our progress toward greater economic and political development. We are willingly a part of Iraq, and we intend to remain so. The people of Turkey should not fear our progress along the road toward freedom and prosperity. We want to be a safe and responsible neighbour to Turkey. We threaten no one, not today, or in the future.

PUKmedia :: English - PM's Statement on Istanbul Meetings

Maliki says no civil war in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Saturday that his conflict-torn country has overcome the threat of civil war and violence is receding.

"Ethnic violence is decreasing... The civil war that Al-Qaeda wanted to spark has been prevented," Maliki told a conference of Iraq's neighbours and major Western powers in Istanbul.

"Iraq has overcome the period of danger and is stronger and more experienced today," he said.

"Our success will help not only us but also you," he said, addressing Iraq's neighbours.

Maliki asked for more international support for his government's efforts at economic reconstruction and at quashing daily violence.

He renewed a call on neighbouring countries to act to prevent "the infilitration of terrorists."

Turkey is hosting the meeting which besides Iraq includes top ministers and officials from the United States and other western powers and Middle East nations including Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain.


Maliki says no civil war in Iraq - Yahoo! News UK

Iraq 'will arrest Kurdish Rebels'

Iraq says it is ready to track down and arrest Kurdish rebel leaders responsible for cross-border raids into from northern Iraq.

Government spokesman Ali Dabbagh also said Baghdad was prepared to take joint action with Ankara against the fighters of the PKK.
The pledge was made at international talks in Turkey on in Iraq.

Iraq's six neighbours are gathering with diplomats from the UN, G8 and international Arab and Islamic groups.

Attending the talks in, Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki said his country should not be used a base for attacks against neighbours.
"We will co-operate with our neighbours in defeating this threat," he said.

'Clearly unacceptable'

Ali Dabbagh was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying: "There are security measures being taken, the checking of any suspect officer of the PKK in the Kurdistan region and in all Iraq."
"They will be arrested," he added.

Meanwhile, authorities in Iraq closed an office in Irbil on Saturday of the Kurdistan Democratic Solution, a political party which Turkey says is a front for the Kurdish rebels.

The party secretary, Fayaq Gulpi, said: "The security forces in Irbil entered our office, expelled all our party members and our sympathisers then closed the office."

Irbil is the seat of government for Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and lies 350km (217 miles) north of Baghdad.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at the talks in Istanbul that attacks launched on forces from Iraq were "clearly unacceptable".

"The governments of Iraq and Turkey must work hard to address this challenge and I am confident that a mutually acceptable solution can be found," he said.

Turkey has massed up to 100,000 troops on its southern border for a possible offensive to eliminate Kurdish rebel bases in Iraq.

Threats

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the meeting: "Our objective is to have an Iraq that has stability and safety and that does not create threats for its neighbours."

BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs says the Iraqi authorities are anxious that Saturday's one-day conference remains focused on broader questions of security and stability in Iraq, and how the outside world can help.

They hope hints of a recent downturn of violence in Iraq may encourage greater outside engagement, says our correspondent.
The first round of talks was held in May, when an agreement in principle was reached to forgive Iraq some $30bn (£14.4bn) in debts.

The trouble is many of the participants in Istanbul have different views of how they want to see Iraq develop politically, says our correspondent.

The Saudis and the Iranians, for example, regard each other suspiciously but they find common ground in not wanting to see Iraq unstable and broken up.

A lot of interest will again be focused on the chemistry between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterparts from two significant regional players with which is at odds, Iran and Syria.

Those attending the conference include representatives of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Arab League and the Islamic Conference Organisation.

Turkey is pressing Washington to do more to stem PKK activity from Iraq, where the organisation is thought to have about 3,000 rebels based.

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan met Condoleezza Rice in on Friday and the pair are due to hold more talks on Saturday, with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari also attending.

But analysts expect that any major announcement about the border situation will be kept for a summit between President George W Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan being held in Washington on Monday.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraq 'will arrest Kurdish Rebels'

Crocker calls to face Iran influence in Iraq

US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker called from Dubai to reopen Arab Embassies in Baghdad in order to face the Iranian influence he described as negative. Crocker who headed to Istanbul to attend the expanded conference on Iraq, resumed his tour to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. He acknowledged that Iraq is a dangerous place and that diplomats working in Baghdad are subject to risks.

Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network | Iraq News | Crocker calls to face Iran influence in Iraq

Eerily quiet on the News front today.

Not much published - not sure if that's a good thing or bad.

Firms call for long-term investments in Iraq

MANAMA: Companies interested in rebuilding Iraq are upset with the low turnout at the Gulf Iraq Expo (GIX).

The GIX at Bahrain International Exhibition Centre has only been a partial success due to low turnout with a number of infrastructure exhibitors dissatisfied with the event.

Their main grievance is alleged lack of international commitment that has led to a number of companies attending the expo seeing little in serious investment and not enough firms are interested in conducting business.
"Iraq is in need of trillions of dollars to pursue the rebuilding and development of infrastructure," an Iraqi official told the GDN.

"Americans have committed $50 million a year to pursue the rebuilding of our infrastructure and so far this year they have spent $30m to $40m on setting up roads, residential blocks and power stations in Iraq."

"Iraq is in need of more than 3m residential homes and approximately 6,000mw of power.

"The event here today has a number of big companies but the problem that we have witnessed is the fact that decision-makers from the Iraqi ministries have not shown up, meaning that all the large projects are not available to be propagated."

A representative from the Iraq-based infrastructure firm Al Qasswara Group said that the exhibition has amounted to very little in terms of actual deals. So far the only deal his company has negotiated has been the purchase of diggers from the Omani Chamber of Commerce.

"We have seen a number of our counterparts from Iraq but there hasn't been anyone that is interested in investing in long-term business," Al Qasswara Group chief executive Luqman Al Janaby said.

Merjal is another Iraq-based company that deals with contracting and infrastructure. They recently installed a 350mw gas power station in Kurkuk as well as a 500mw gas turbine power station in Arbil. The company is currently installing a 150 tonne per hour boiler in Baghdad.

"The expo has been good for networking with other companies but from a business point of view has not been very fruitful," Merjal Oil and Industry consultant adviser Kahtan H J Al Anbaki said.

"The fact that no decision-makers from Iraq have attended is an issue, but another problem is that the expo has been held over a weekend which has led to less local businessmen attending.

"The ideal set-up for this expo would have been a concise programme of tenders in Iraq resumed by direct dialogue to establish acquisitions between companies."

Al Bilal Group, another Iraqi-based infrastructure firm, has said the event has seen low interest and that companies that want to stabilise in Iraq now need to seek partnerships soon.

"The Iraqi government and the American investors are working in Iraq," Al Bilal Group vice-president Majid Ahmed said.

"The entire infrastructure needs to be renewed with a new system and design and there are a limitless number of opportunities for firms interested in investing in Iraq.

"Some people say that in the next two years these problems will begin to be addressed but realistically there is at least another five to six years work in Iraq until a global standard of infrastructure is even beginning to take shape."

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International Conference Ends With Pledges Of Support For Iraq Government

An international conference on Iraq's stability and security closed with two dozen nations and organizations pledging to support the U.S.- backed government in Baghdad and help take action against terrorism.

In a final declaration adopted Saturday by the conference, Iraq's neighbors and regional trading partners along with representatives from the E.U., the Group of Eight industrialized nations and the U.N. Security Council's permanent members also vowed to help prevent the passage of illegal arms into Iraq, and ensure tighter control of borders with Iraq.

The final statement called for further talks on issues of security, energy and displaced persons.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon cited the ethnic conflict in Iraq and a growing refugee problem.

"Iraq today is faced with an extremely complicated web of overlapping, ethnic conflicts," Ban said. "An increased level of displacement is already causing humanitarian crisis."

According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 2 million Iraqis have fled their country. They include 1.2 million in Syria, 750,000 in Jordan, 100,000 in Egypt, 54,000 in Iran, 40,000 in Lebanon and 10,000 in Turkey.

Ban said September and October saw the lowest number of killed civilians in Iraq. He urged the government to take advantage of this trend to "transform political and military development to a broader national reconciliation" between Iraq's ethnic groups.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called for the withdrawal of coalition forces in Iraq.

"Withdrawal of all the forces from Iraq should take place according to a plan ... introduced by the government of Iraq, and based on that plan, the United Nations should make a decision to end the mission of the foreign forces," Mottaki said.

Mottaki also said security contracting companies, such as the U.S. firm Blackwater, were causing instability in Iraq. The company is accused of killing 17 Iraqi civilians in September.

Much of the meeting was overshadowed by Turkey's problem with Kurdish rebels, but the delegates made sure to also address the items on the original agenda.

In addition to their pledges, they backed the creation of a Baghdad-based " support mechanism" that would be charged with implementing decisions from the meeting and other such talks.

The group's next meeting on Iraq will be held in Kuwait. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said the meeting would most likely be held in March.

Nasdaq 100 Flash Quotes

Factions vie for oil deals to finance activities

Political factions and militia groups now play a bigger role in the country’s oil industry, senior officials and experts said.

They said filing stations in major cities are under the control of militias suspected of using the proceeds to finance their operations and activities.

“Militia groups have imposed their control over filling stations,” said former Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloom.

Uloom said political parties were using their clout and presence in the government to snatch oil exporting deals from SOMO, the country’s oil exporting arm.

These factions, he said, were also involved in the purchase of fuel products the import of which is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

“Many of these deals are granted or better taken outside the legal framework under which SOMO works,” Uloom said.

Thamer Ghadhban, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s energy adviser, did not dispute Uloom’s remarks.

He said the government was aware of certain religious militia groups “imposing levies on fuel products sold to the public.”

Ghadhban said these groups were capable of doing so “by placing their loyalists at the head o of filling stations in major cities” including Baghdad.

However, he said, the level of corruption and smuggling was receding.

Azzaman in English