Thread: Archive Latest News - Think Tank - 15/04/08 - 26/08/08

Industry Ministry inks deal with British company

Iraq's Industry & Minerals Ministry has inked a memo of understanding with a British company to develop the country's weaving plants in order to cater for the needs of the Iraqi defense and interior ministries, a media spokeswoman said.

"The MoU, signed during Industry Minister Fawzy Hariri's visit to Britain last week with a high-level ministry delegation, provides for the British company's undertaking development of the Iraqi weaving factories and devise new production lines by use of advanced British technologies," Hanan Jassem told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"The Iraqi delegation also discussed with a number of British companies chances of cooperation and industrial investment in light of Iraq's reconstruction efforts and openness to European Union (EU) states," she added.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had embarked on a multi-leg European tour that took him to Germany, Italy and the Vatican. The Iraqi premier called on the EU countries to cooperate with Iraq in all fields.

Aswat Aliraq

Govt. official urges foreign firms to invest in Iraq

A civilian spokesman for Baghdad's Fardh al-Qanoun (Law Imposing) plan on Tuesday reiterated the Iraqi government's call for foreign companies to invest in Iraq.

"The Iraqi government reiterates its invitation to foreign companies to invest in Iraq, especially after the introduction of proposed designs for the rebuilding of Baghdad's infrastructure…," Tahseen al-Sheikhali said during a Baghdad-based conference on Tuesday.

In response to a question made by a correspondent for Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI) about bids submitted by foreign companies to conduct services projects in the Iraqi capital, Sheikhali noted that the government has received many bids from Gulf and European companies to invest in Baghdad, noting that 18 projects will be implemented in the coming few months.

Commenting on the electricity needed for the implementation of Baghdad's infrastructure projects, the spokesman said that the Ministry of Electricity has developed a four-year plan to increase its energy production from the current 5,400 megawatts and cover the city's actual consumption of electricity, which exceeds 10,000 megawatts.

"The growing population of Baghdad city has been taken into consideration while developing the city's designs," he noted.

The designs include the establishment of an international fairs city, tourist hotels in al-Aamirya area, a cultural city in Baghdad's downtown celebrations square, and an island project between the areas of al-Kurayaat and al-Kadhimiya.

Aswat Aliraq

Demand for dollar drops on Tuesday

Demand for the dollar was down in the Iraqi Central Bank's auction on Tuesday, reaching $151.920 million compared to $218.355 million on Monday.

"The demand hit $46.320 million in cash and $105.600 million in foreign transfers outside the country, all covered by the bank at an exchange rate of 1,189 Iraqi dinars per dollar, one tick lower than yesterday," according to the central bank's daily bulletin, which was received by Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

None the 17 banks that participated in the auction offered to sell dollars.

The Iraqi Central Bank runs a daily auction from Sunday to Thursday.

Aswat Aliraq

Iraq grants licenses for luxury hotel, glitz mall in Baghdad

Iraqi investment commission on Tuesday announced it licensed two commercial projects, marking the start of the long-awaited boom after years of sanctions and violence.
Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other officials are on a drive to promote investment with violence in Iraq at a four-year low. Direct foreign investment in Iraq was a mere $272 million in 2006, according to UN statistics.

"The investment commission granted two investment licenses: the first was for an Iraqi investor planning to build a five-star hotel in al-Utifiya district, while the second was for an Iraqi company planning to build commercial complex (Mall) containing 82 units in Baghdad's eastern side, Rusafa," said Iraq's investment agency's statement received by Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

"The first project in Utaifiya aimed at promoting religious tourism and to provide facilities for pilgrims to religious sites," the announcement noted.

Utaifiya is a western Baghdad's district and known for its Buratha mosque. Shiites believe the mosque was built on the location where their revered Imam Ali stopped while fighting enemies in Baghdad. Utaifiya is a neighbor to Kadhimiya district, where a golden–domed shrines of Imam Musa Bin Jaafar al-Kadhim and his grandson Moahmed al-Jawad, the seventh and the ninth Imam for Shiites, lies. The shrine is annually visited by a high number of Shiite pilgrims.

Earlier, Iraq laid the foundation stone for a luxury hotel in Baghdad. That was the first project to receive a license from Iraq's new investment commission.

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/eng...=2&NrSection=2

Iraqi Minister of Defence Arrives in Kirkuk

Abdul Qadir Jasim al-Ubaidi, Iraqi minister of defence arrived today in Kirkuk City accompanied by a number of Iraqi army officers. Al-Ubaidi made a tour in Kirkuk’s streets to closely oversee the security situation in the city.

He then went to Kirkuk Governorate headquarters to hold a meeting with the Governor Abdul Rahman Mustafa and the head of provincial council Rizgar Ali.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraqi Minister of Defence Arrives in Kirkuk

Passing Elections Law Delayed Until Tomorrow

The Iraqi Council of Representatives, upon the request of the speaker Mahmoud Mashhadi, delayed today’s session until tomorrow. Today’s session was planned to pass the supplementary budget and the provincial elections laws.

“Some lawmakers called for postponing the election this year,” lawmaker Abdulla Saleh told PUKmedia while he did not reveal the identity of those lawmakers.

“Kurdistan Alliance Bloc, United Iraqi Alliance, Iraqi Islamic Party, Islamic Union of Kurdistan and Iraq’s People’s Congress have agreed to hold the elections this year,” deputy speaker, Khalid Attiya said in a press conference, expecting the elections bill to be voted on tomorrow.
The representatives of Kurdistan Alliance Bloc also announced that they do not have any objection to passing the supplementary budget law.

PUKmedia :: English - Passing Elections Law Delayed Until Tomorrow

KAB Agrees on UN’s New Suggestion about Kirkuk Provincial Elections, Official Spokesman Says

Official Spokesman of the Kurdistan Alliance Bloc (KAB) inside the Iraqi Parliament, Firyad Rawanduzi, told PUKmedia today that they are supporting the UN’s new proposal for Kirkuk provincial elections.

“However, it seems that UN’s new proposal for Kirkuk provincial elections would not be acceptable to all the Iraqi parliamentary blocs which passed the Iraqi provincial elections law on June the 22nd,” he said indicating that negotiations with all the Iraqi parliamentary blocs are ongoing to reach an acceptable solution to all sides.

Rawanduzi said that the Kurdistan Alliance Bloc has told UN’s representation, the US ambassador to Iraq and all the Iraqi parliamentary blocs that the Kurdistan Alliance Bloc agrees with the new the UN’s new suggestion.

“The suggestion includes several points, including extension of the current local administration of Kirkuk to be continuous until provincial elections would be held later, as well as establishing a fact-finding committee to investigate demographic changes in Kirkuk so that the committee might present its recommendations to the Iraqi parliament on December 31st,” Azad Bamarny Kurdish lawmaker from the Kurdistan Alliance Bloc said.

The suggestion also indicates postponing provincial elections in Kirkuk until December 31st, when a new provincial council will be established according to the results of the vote in Kirkuk.

PUKmedia :: English - KAB Agrees on UN’s New Suggestion about Kirkuk Provincial Elections, Official Spokesman Says

End of Iraq Kirkuk crisis still impeded

The stands voiced ahead of Parliament’s session dedicated to ratify the provincial election law did not hint to a possible end of crisis in Kirkuk sometime soon. However, deputy speaker Khaled Al Attiye noted that political commanders have reached a temporary compromise to end freeze of Kirkuk issue and allow local elections.

In his turn, Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh affirmed during his visit to Kurdistan’s Parliament speaker Adnan Al Mufti that talks are ongoing to reach solutions on disputed issues in the provincial law stressing on the Constitution as a major reference. For his part, MP Ezz Din Al Dawla denied any agreement between the political parties on the ratification of the provincial law on account of ongoing disputes over Kirkuk. He revealed that the major rows between Arab and Turkmen parties on one hand and Kurdistan Alliance on the other hand are due to the absence of written guarantees in the proposals of UN Chief envoy to Iraq Steffan De Mistura on Kirkuk. He noted that Arab and Turkmen stress the necessity of introducing legal guarantees to the law in order to be protected from any Kurdish attempt to hinder the implementation of the law. He added that the Kurdistan Alliance is not guaranteed, thus could not be trusted, mainly after it called to join Kirkuk to Kurdistan, which is seen as prior intention by the Alliance to break any political agreement on Kirkuk. MP Yunadam Kanna said rows over carrying out provincial elections according to Constitution Article 140 will pursue on account of mistrust between political parties. Kanna explained that the demand of the Kurdistan Alliance to enter Article 140 in De Mistura’s Kirkuk proposals is an attempt to hinder the ratification of the provincial election law saying this article is non-efficient as it has expired end of 2007; hence it enjoys no legal aspect.

For his part, head of unified coalition party Ali Al Adeeb clarified that political consensus is crucial in pushing forward the political process at this stage noting that alliances between the political powers are carried out according to current interests and visions. Sheikh Mohammed Isaac Al Fayyad criticized political parties that won previous elections leaving negative impressions before Iraqi voters urging Iraqis to participate strongly in the coming local elections. He called on the people not to believe non-realistic vows and slogans and not to vote in return of money.

Rows were brought to the streets as thousands of residents in Adhamiya District in Baghdad demonstrated in protest to joining Kirkuk to Kurdistan.

End of Iraq Kirkuk crisis still impeded | Iraq News | Alsumaria Iraqi ********* TV Network

Al Rafidain and Rasheed banks introduce smart cards

Al Rafidain and Rasheed banks introduced a new developed mechanism that eases financial transactions for citizens through the smart card that carries out 250 operations. The first category of people to which the card applies is contractors and social security fund members.

Al Rafidain and Rasheed banks introduce smart cards | Economics News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network

three joint committees for economic cooperation between Iraq and Syria

The Cabinet Committee of Economic Iraqi - Republic, Sunday, the formation of three joint committees to explore areas of economic cooperation between the two countries, according to Syrian agency.

The agency said that "the Preparatory Committee of the Ministerial Committee Iraqi-Syrian joint economic meeting in the building of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce announced the formation of three committees, as the First Committee will discuss areas of cooperation in economy and trade, and the second at the Education and Higher Education and others, and the third for drafting." The news agency quoted Ghassan Habash Associate Minister of Economy and Trade head the Syrian side in the Preparatory Committee reaffirmed "the necessity of developing relations Republic - Iraqi in the economic sphere by increasing the volume of trade exchange and establishment of joint investments between them in order to serve the common interests of the two countries and brotherly peoples."

Habash expressed the hope that "the committee meetings contribute to the development of cooperation between Syria and Iraq through activating the existing conventions and the signing of the agreements and cooperation protocols and memoranda of understanding to establish a new a new phase of constructive cooperation between them."

The news agency quoted Mohammed Abdu Mohammed, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry of Company Affairs and Chairman of the Iraqi side in the meetings of the "desire of the Iraqi side to develop its relations with Syria, especially in the economic field through activating the agreements existing between them and provide facilities to Syrian businessmen to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq, together with the joint coordination Between the two countries in the Arab and international forums. "

The agency said that the "meeting of the Preparatory Committee which includes representatives from various ministries and businessman from both countries came in preparation for the meeting convened by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Iraq, Tuesday, next."

Translated version of http://www.almadapaper.com/paper.php?source=akbar&page=107