Thread: Archive Latest News - Think Tank - 01/01/08 - 14/04/08

‘Turkey best energy hub between Iraq and Europe’

Fadi Hakura, the Turkey specialist at London-based international think tank Chatham House, has stated that Turkey is the optimal energy hub through which Iraqi petroleum and natural gas could be exported to Europe.

Speaking to an Anatolia news agency reporter yesterday, Hakura emphasized that Turkey is the best prepared country in the region in terms of energy infrastructure; thus for Iraq it is a geo-strategic necessity to export its energy resources through Turkey. “Marketing and exporting Iraqi energy over other energy routes excluding Turkey would cost a lot more. The Syrian route is only appropriate for the Mediterranean, and thus would not be useful for exports to Europe,” Hakura stated. He also noted that transferring Iraqi natural gas would allow Europeans not to rely solely on Russia for this resource.

Hakura said Turkey has to develop a variety of resources so as to achieve energy security, adding that Turkey’s unique location provides the opportunity to acquire several energy sources. Furthermore, Hakura stated that because it is in ideal proximity to Iraq and the Middle East, Turkey could make use of this advantage and become influential in joint production and distribution of Iraqi energy resources. He also urged Turkey to be careful in cooperating with Iran on energy and stated that Turkey should not trust Iran for natural gas transfer in particular.

TODAY'S ZAMAN

President Talabani Describes Passing Bills as Historic

Today the Iraqi President, his Excellency Jalal Talabani met with the Iraqi Interior Minister, Jawad Bolani in Baghdad.

President Talabani indicated the importance of passing several bills in yesterday’s session including the 2008 budget, the provincial powers law, and the general amnesty law describing the ratification of these bills by the Iraqi Council of Representatives as “historic “.

President Talabani also praised the efforts by the Iraqi armed forces indicating the improvement of security conditions in all the Iraqi provinces particularly in Baghdad, and emphasizing the need for ongoing efforts to eradicate terrorism.

President Talabani discussed the security conditions in Kirkuk and Najaf , where recently his Excellency paid visits to, emphasizing the importance of recruiting all Iraqi factions in the Iraqi police forces as well as improving public services for Iraqi people.

The Iraqi Interior Minister briefed President Talabani on the recent Arab Interior Ministers meeting in Tunis , emphasizing the importance of those decisions which have been made during the meeting in particular those concerned with the irradiation of terrorism.

PUKmedia :: English - President Talabani Describes Passing Bills as Historic

Budget of Article 140 Announced

“The budget of Article 140, which has been allocated in the Iraqi 2008 budget, is $140 million which is not sufficient to implement the Article in this stage, and more money should be allocated for the Article”, has exclusively told PUK media on Thursday.

PUKmedia :: English - Budget of Article 140 Announced

McCormack: US Support Iran and Iraq to Have Good Relations

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said yesterday “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will make a landmark visit to Baghdad on March 2 for talks with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other officials.”

Ahmadinejad's visit will be the first to Iraq by the president of the Islamic Republic, which is at loggerheads with the United States over the causes of violence in Iraq.

Al-Dabbagh also said “Ahmadinejad would visit Iraq for two days at the invitation of President Jalal Talabani.”

"It's significant in the sense that Iraq wants to have good relations with Iran (but) there should be no interference in Iraq's internal affairs. Iran should respect Iraq's choice to have relations with the countries it chose to", al-Dabbagh added.

Meanwhile, US Department of State spokesman Sean McCormack said "It's a decision for two sovereign states to arrange for such a visit.”

He claimed that the US has always been supportive of Iran and Iraq having good, transparent and neighborly relations. Washington looks forward for Iran to play a positive role in Iraq's present as well as its future.

PUKmedia :: English - McCormack: US Support Iran and Iraq to Have Good Relations

US President Congratulates Iraqi Parliament Speaker

In two phone calls, the US President George Bush, congratulated Dr. Mahmud al-Mashhadani the speaker of the Iraqi Parliament and his deputy Sheikh Khalid al-Atia for passing 2008 budget, general amnesty and Provincial council’s drafts.

President Bush appreciated the efforts of Dr. Mahmud al-Mashhadani and Sheikh Khalid al-Atia in directing the session and passing the drafts. He expressed his hope to continue the approval on the other drafts in the next period.

PUKmedia :: English - US President Congratulates Iraqi Parliament Speaker

UN will Help Iraq Hire Regional Officials for October Elections

There will be a heavy turnout for October regional elections, the top U.N. envoy to Iraq predicted Thursday as he announced an effort to help the nation hire key officials who will make the voting happen.

«Of course we are worried. Iraq is not yet totally stable. But I know that there will be a major effort by everyone to avoid» violence, said Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special representative. «The Iraqis have shown courage and pride already three times in voting and I think they will be able to do that again.

After a contentious debate, Iraq's parliament barely approved a law Wednesday that set Oct. 1 as the date for regional elections, a step seen by the United Nations and the U.S. as a major step forward in the country's transition to self-government.

Now the problem is the mechanics of staging an election.

De Mistura said a major roadblock is that the director's post is now vacant in eight regional election offices. That includes two in Baghdad, another in southern Basra _ where Shiite factions are wrestling for control of the oil-rich area _ and one in Diyala, which is troubled by insurgent violence.

De Mistura outlined a process whereby the U.N. will identify 15 candidates for each post with the winner ultimately being selected by Iraq's electoral commission. The U.N. is taking on the candidate-vetting role in consultation with top Iraqi leaders, he said.

Speaking at a joint news conference with parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, de Mistura said the whole process should be complete in 43 days.

«We want to assure our people that next elections will be honest, free and transparent,» al-Mashhadani said.

De Mistura congratulated the Iraqi parliament on passing the elections law, although he admitted he was surprised that they set such an early date for elections.

«I was pleasantly surprised,» he said. «It's good to be pleasantly surprised in Iraq, or any place in the world.

Despite the need to hire qualified elections officials in a manner that all parties agree is transparent, de Mistura said he believes that voting can go forward as scheduled in October.

PUKmedia :: English - UN will Help Iraq Hire Regional Officials for October Elections

Austrian Resumes Service to Erbil

Austrian was the first European carrier to be granted landing rights in Iraq. The service operated from December 2006 until August 2007. The safety of passengers and employees is of paramount importance and additional security measures have been implemented over the past months in conjunction with the local authorities.

Having conducted a detailed examination of conditions in Iraq, and based on the security situation as it stands at present, Austrian Airlines will resume flights to Erbil from 2 April 2008 onwards. The situation in the region is still being continuously monitored in cooperation with the security authorities, enabling the company to act without delay in the event of any irregularities or changes in the situation.

Three flights a week (on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) are planned for April and May and four a week (including Sunday) from June onwards. As a result, a direct service to Erbil will be reincorporated into the Austrian route network, opening up numerous new connecting flights for passengers.

PUKmedia :: English - Austrian Resumes Service to Erbil

Reports on Govt. reshuffle media hype – Sadrist MP

Reports on the government's plans to launch a reshuffle were "sheer media hype," said a legislator from the Sadrist bloc, or Iraqis loyal to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, on Friday.

"Most of the powers taking part in the government reject plans to trim ministries on the grounds that they obtained those portfolios by means of political agreements," Bahaa al-Aaraji told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"The trimming of the cabinet ministries would trigger differences within each parliamentary bloc. The different blocs would not want to see differences arising within," Aaraji said.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, according to a release by his office on Thursday, underlined the importance of "accelerating the formation of a new government on sound basis so that it may be able to meet the ambitions of the Iraqi people."

"Maliki, in a message he sent to the presidential board and the leaders of the political blocs, has set the principles for the formation of a new government. Most important of these principles is avoiding the quota system, selecting experienced figures as ministers and limiting the number of ministries to 22," read the release.

Aswat Aliraq

Trade Bank of Iraq Aims to Offer $7.5 Billion in Credit in 2008

Trade Bank of Iraq, established in 2003 to finance trade and help in the reconstruction of the country, plans to issue about $7.5 billion in letters of credit this year, its chairman said.

The amount compares with the $6.3 billion offered last year and the $25 billion granted since 2003 by the bank, President and Chairman Hussein al-Uzri said in an interview at the Dead Sea in Jordan late yesterday.

The credit lines will be offered to ``importers of food stuffs, other vital commodities and imports for power equipment, the oil sector and other infrastructure projects,'' al-Uzri said.

Iraq, which is the holder of the world's third-largest oil reserves and exports about 1.7 million barrels a day, derives 95 percent of its income from oil production, al-Uzri said. The country imports about $3 billion in oil products a year ``because of the lack of refineries and other downstream facilities.''

Trade Bank of Iraq was involved in the financing of a 500 megawatt power plant in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, which will begin operating in March this year, al-Uzri said.

The bank wants to ``expand from trade finance to more project finance and participate in major projects in the country and be one of the conduits for foreign investment in Iraq,'' al-Uzri said.

Iraq has an estimated 115 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, behind Saudi Arabia and Iran, according to BP Plc figures.

The Middle East and North Africa region account for about 35 percent of Iraq's imports, Europe represents as much as 30 percent and the U.S. and Asia account for the rest, according to al-Uzri.

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Update.......

US Secretary of Commerce urges investment in Iraq

US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, insisting that security in Iraq has improved, has urged business people to look at potential opportunities to invest in the country.

"What we see today is that the security situation has improved, it has improved to such a way where we believe companies should be taking a look at potential opportunities," Gutierrez told reporters in Amman.

"With security improving, businesses are growing and jobs are created, giving people hope and a different view of the future. So having more security attracts more investments."

"If Iraq grows that could be very positive for Jordan and the whole area," he said, a week after Iraqi Finance Minister Bayan Jabr Solagh urged Jordanian businessmen to invest in what he called his country's "booming economy" during talks with King Abdullah II.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said last month the country's economy is expected to find stability in 2008-2009 despite political and security problems.

It added that Iraqi gross domestic product (GDP) growth would likely top seven percent this year and hold between seven and eight percent in 2009, while oil production, which accounts for 70 percent of GDP activity, is expected to increase by 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2008.

Gutierrez said Iraqi oil exports grew from eight billion dollars in 2003 to 28 billion dollars currently.

"Iraqi oil exports have done well, but that is very much a function of oil and the price of oil, and one of Iraq's great opportunities is to diversify outside oil," he said.

Iraq Development Program - US Secretary of Commerce urges investment in Iraq