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

Experts: Instability in Iran, Iraq Threatens Gulf Oil Supply
A panel of oil experts, including an ambassador from a producing nation, warned this week growing militancy in the Middle East poses a threat to world oil markets.

The forum, hosted by a conservative think tank in the U.S. raised concerns about the continued flow of Persian Gulf oil, not only to America but also to the rest of the world. VOA's Mil Arcega reports.

With oil prices approaching $100 a barrel, major oil exporting countries are expected to take in $700 billion this year.

Bahrain's ambassador to the United States Naser Belooshi says the war in Iraq and Iran's quest for nuclear supremacy threatens the future prosperity of the region. "Even oil-rich countries need political stability. Money alone cannot bring about development. Oil-rich countries also need the know-how and the technology. These two elements can not be transferred and operated without political stability," he said.

Although he was critical of Iran's nuclear program and its support of militant groups, Belooshi warns that another military conflict in the region could push oil prices to astronomical levels.

Ariel Cohen, a foreign policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation says unchecked, the continuing conflicts could significantly reduce the world's oil supply just as demand is rising. "What happens today is not that there's not enough oil in the ground. What happens today is that political instability or unwise policies create conditions in which there is not enough investment in oil and gas."

Forum panelist Gal Luft at the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security says growing tensions between Sunni and Shiite groups have already stunted the development of refineries and pipelines that keep the oil flowing. "Clearly when Sunni's and Shiites are at odds with each other, and there is tension and violence, that affects access to resources and Ariel is right, that affects investment, he said."

The forum comes as ministers for key Middle East oil producing countries are meeting in Asia to discuss critical oil market issues.

VOA News - Experts: Instability in Iran, Iraq Threatens Gulf Oil Supply

Iraqi delegation off to China to seal power plant deal

A high-level Iraqi delegation has left for Chinato finalize a deal with a Shanghai company that will build a 940-million-dollar thermal power plant with a 1,300-megawatt capacity, an Iraqi Ministry of Electricity source said Monday.

The delegation is authorized by the Iraqi government to seal the deal with Shanghai Electric which will build a power plant over three years in Zubaydyah in Wasit province, central Iraq, the source told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The company began the design part of the project in 2001 but had to stop following the US-led invasion of Iraq, according to the source.

Iraq's power output, currently standing at about 5,500 megawatts, falls far below its estimated needs of 9,000 megawatts.

Power outages and acute power shortages, which are a huge source of public anger in the oil-rich country, are caused by frequent acts of sabotage targeting power plants.

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KRG Deputy PM arrives Home after a successful visit to US

The KRG deputy PM, Mr. Omar Fattah arrived at Erbil International Airport today after a successful visit to U.S.A. in which he met with senior US officials there and several KRG ministers was in his reception.

KRG deputy PM, during his visit met with US Vice President Dick Cheney, and senior officials from the US Departments of State, Trade, Energy and US National Security Council, and several Senators in which several issues concerning the latest political situation in Iraq and Kurdistan region was discussed.

PUKmedia :: English - KRG Deputy PM arrives Home after a successful visit to US

President Talabani met with his Advisor for Turkmens’ Affairs

The Iraqi President, his Excellency Jalal Talabani, met with the President Advisor for Turkmens’ Affairs, Muzafar Arsalan. The president shed light on the political situation in Iraq and steps paced towards the national reconciliation.

He asserted strengthening the relations among all the components of the Kirkuk city including Kurds, Turkmens, Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Arab aboriginals to guarantee coexistence in way that the city would become a distinctive and coexistent symbol. He referred that a very special significance should be paid to the livelihood of Turkmens’ brothers and sisters as they faced humiliation and deportation as their Kurdish, Chaldean, and Assyrian brothers.

PUKmedia :: English - President Talabani met with his Advisor for Turkmens’ Affairs

UN Delegation arrives in Kurdistan Region

On Monday a UN delegation headed by Peter Suransun, head of UNOPS Organization in Iraq visited the office of KRG coordinator to UN in Erbil and was received by Dr. Dindar Zebari, coordinator of KRG to UN.

The promoting of the UN humanitarian activities in Kurdistan region in general and increasing the UNOPS staff in the frame work of their projects here was discussed during the meeting.

Trying to move most of the meetings from the Jordanian capital of Amman to Kurdistan region by the coming year was emphasized during the meeting as well.

KRG coordinator to UN was invited officially to participate in a conference about the health sector which will be organized by the Iraqi federal government.

UNOPS organization also intends to carry out several projects in three governorates of Kurdistan region regarding health sector and reinforcement of the ability police forces.

PUKmedia :: English - UN Delegation arrives in Kurdistan Region

Barham Salih received U.S Deputy Treasury Secretary

The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Barham Salih received the U.S Deputy Treasury Secretary, Robert Kimmitt and his accompanying delegation.

The bilateral economic relations between both countries and the ways to improve them were discussed. The achievements which were gained following signing the international covenant by Iraq were evaluated.

The Deputy Prime Minister was talking about a meeting due to be held by Iraq and UN for all the diplomats already participated in Sharem el-Sheik meeting.

Both sides discussed working for an Iraqi- American mutual economic committee to offer economic support to Iraq aiming at accelerating development and flourishing in Iraq which leads the country contributes to the global finance.

On his part, Robert Kimmitt confirmed of keeping his country’s support for economic transformation in Iraq and expressed his confidence towards the Iraqi political and economic developments.

PUKmedia :: English - Barham Salih received U.S Deputy Treasury Secretary

Iraq's Sadr praises followers for obeying ceasefire

Influential Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr praised his followers on Monday for obeying his ceasefire order, but criticised the Shi'ite-led government for failing to demand a withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Sadr, whose followers hold sway in Shi'ite areas of Baghdad and across parts of the south of the country, ordered his Mehdi Army militia to cease its activities in August, a surprise move that U.S. commanders said helped reduce bloodshed in Iraq.

"Turning to my brethren in the Mehdi Army, I thank them for their obedience to the halt," he said in a lengthy statement to his followers.

But he also strongly criticised the United States, describing President George W. Bush as the "master of evil", and rebuked the ruling Shi'ite parties for failing to call for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

"The parliament is Iraqi and the government is Iraqi, so where are your tongues? Raise your voice, my brothers ... to expel the occupation," he said.

Sadr has long embraced fiery anti-American rhetoric, but his political strategy has varied over the years, often unpredictably.

The Mehdi Army rose up against U.S.-led forces twice in 2004. In 2005, his movement joined the Shi'ite coalition that leads the U.S.-backed government, but it quit the cabinet earlier this year in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops.

For much of this year, U.S. forces said they considered rogue Mehdi Army units to be their greatest threat, although attacks have subsided since the August ceasefire.

Sadr's followers have also fought with rival Shi'ite groups in the south.

Iraq's Sadr praises followers for obeying ceasefire - Yahoo! News UK

Pressing Iraq's Parliament

Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte, in Baghdad after a week of meetings with provincial leaders in Iraq, said Sunday that lawmakers must take advantage of the lull in violence in recent months to pass crucial legislation. Otherwise, everything may unravel.

17 DEAD, MORE BOMBINGS: At least 17 people were killed or found dead on Sunday. The deadliest attack was a suicide car bomber who struck a highway police checkpoint northwest of the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi.

NO DEAL ON OIL DEAL: Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, using unusually strong language, told Iraqi state television late Sunday that oil development contracts signed by the self-rule Kurdish region were illegal. "This will lead to the breakup of Iraq."

BAATHISTS STILL BLOCKED: Iraqi lawmakers clashed Sunday over a draft bill that would allow thousands of former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to return to their government jobs. This and an oil law are among the 18 benchmarks set by President Bush.

ALL THE BETTER TO WATCH: Hard-line Sunni political leader Adnan al-Dulaimi was installed Sunday in a hotel in the center of the safe Green Zone after Iraqi security forces detained him over the weekend in his house and arrested his bodyguards. One of them had keys to a car bomb.

cleveland.com: Everything Cleveland

25,000 Iraqi refugees streamed back from Syria- paper

Nearly 25,000 Iraqi refugees have returned home from Syria since mid-September 2007, a New York Times report said citing Iraqi Red Crescent estimates.

"The figure represents a fraction of the estimated 1.5 million Iraqis who fled to Syria in recent years to escape the sectarian violence and ethnic cleansing in Iraq," read the report.

"The agency said the recent widespread drop in violence in Iraq had drawn some refugees back, though it added that many had also run out of money. Recent visa restrictions were forcing people back too."

According to the report, "The vast majority of the returning refugees, roughly 20,000, came back to the capital, Baghdad, where their well-being is far from assured. The agency said many had found squatters in their homes and had had to seek sanctuary elsewhere, leading to a rise in the number of people displaced within Iraq."

Citing Iraqi government figures, the newspaper said that a much larger number of Iraqi refugees had returned from Syria. "It put the number at 60,000 for September and October, which included all Iraqis who crossed the Syrian border during that time."

"The refugees are finding an altered landscape, with neighborhoods largely ethnically homogenous, reshaped by sectarian strife.
Unemployment also hovers at roughly 40 percent, and corruption is rampant, with many people paying bribes to obtain jobs," the report said.

The report further quoted American commanders as warning that the Iraqi government is still "ill-prepared to handle the myriad issues faced by returning refugees, among them securing shelter, food and aid."

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC) also warned that Iraq is "too unstable for large-scale repatriation."

"Many Baghdad neighborhoods are still unsafe for United Nations workers to visit, according to an agency spokeswoman, a fact that is stymieing efforts to gauge how the returnees are faring," the report added.

25,000 Iraqi refugees streamed back from Syria- paper | Iraq Updates

U.K.'s Iraq Pull-Out Plan May Not Work, Lawmakers Say

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's plan to cut the number of British soldiers in Iraq in half by the middle of next year may not work because the remaining contingent will be too small, a panel of U.K. lawmakers said.

The 2,500 troops left will be unable to do more than defend themselves at their base in Basra, the House of Commons Defense Committee including members of Parliament from the major parties said in London today.

The comments are a blow to Brown's plan to accelerate Britain's withdrawal from Iraq and insulate the Labour government from criticism about the handling of the war that started in 2003. Brown, who took over from Tony Blair in June, is suffering the biggest popularity slump for the ruling party in two decades partly because of the handling of the war.

``It is not clear what those remaining in Iraq will actually be doing,'' said James Arbuthnot, a member of Parliament from the opposition Conservative Party who leads the panel. ``We cannot ask our forces to remain in Iraq unless they have an effective and clearly-defined role.''

The findings also add to criticism Retired Admiral Michael Boyce made on Nov. 23 suggesting the government has short-changed armed forces by asking them to do too much with too few resources.

Defense Secretary Des Browne said defended his plan to transfer authority for security to Iraqi troops before pulling out the British contingent.

Government Response

``All of our decisions in relation to troop numbers are taken on the best and most detailed military advice,'' Browne said in Parliament today. ``We need to assess the position as we go along.''

Britain has about 7,700 troops in Afghanistan and 5,000 soldiers in Iraq. The remaining contingent in Iraq will drop to 2,500 by next ``spring'' while another 500 would offer logistics support from neighboring Kuwait, Brown has said.

The Defense Committee said Britain's entire presence in Iraq ``will be open to question'' if the troop numbers are cut so much. It called on the Ministry of Defense to explain how such a small force could intervene to keep peace when needed.

``A full withdrawal from Iraq will only be possible if the Iraqis are trained and equipped to handle their own security effectively,'' Arbuthnot said. ``This work is not yet complete.''

The opposition Conservative Party has the backing of 43 percent of voters, compared with 32 percent for Labour, according to a YouGov Plc poll published last week. The same survey of 1,966 voters showed that 68 percent rate the government's comp****ce on defense matters as ``poor-to-awful.''

Australia intends to withdraw its 1,000 soldiers from Iraq following the election of Kevin Rudd as prime minister last week. The U.S. has almost 170,000 troops in the country.

PUKmedia :: English - U.K.'s Iraq Pull-Out Plan May Not Work, Lawmakers Say