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

Originally Posted by Seaview

PM confirms Iraq's interest to develop relations with France

PM Noori Maliki described Govt.'s effort to reconstruct Iraq and provide services, particularly electricity, as race with time to achieve that

Maliki's speech came at his meet with French FM Bernard Couchner, as PM confirmed the Govt.'s will to hold best relations with France at all arenas and he expressed the country's desire to supply armed forces with modern French weapons as well as strengthening cooperation at medical field suggesting opening center to heart surgery for children in Baghdad.

PM called the French companies to invest at rebuilding and reconstruction campaign after security successes in Baghdad, Basra and Mosul and political improvement currently

ÌÑíÏÉ ÇáÕÈÇÍ - PM confirms Iraq's interest to develop relations with France

Interesting. Hope we hear more of such so things can move ahead..

Iraq Kurd PM says Ready for Power-Sharing in Kirkuk

The prime minister of Iraq's Kurdish region said on Tuesday Kurds were willing to share power with Arabs in the city of Kirkuk -- a focus of rivalry between ethnic groups, largely because of its considerable oil wealth.

Kurds, a minority in Iraq as a whole, see Kirkuk as their ancient capital and had led the push for a referendum to establish control. Arabs encouraged to move to Kirkuk under Saddam Hussein want it to stay under Baghdad's control.

The dispute could threaten the relative stability in the largely Kurdish north, spared some of the ravages suffered by the rest of the country, but it also resonates beyond Iraqi borders. Turkey fears extension of Kurdish control to Kirkuk and surrounding oil fields would spawn a wealthy, and hostile, Kurdish state that could foment separatism in its southeast.

Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said the Kurdish regional government that controls the north was pushing for a solution over the status of Kirkuk but that this did not necessarily have to come in the form of referendums proposed so far.

The Kurdish parliament voted in December for a six-month delay in a proposed referendum, partly to give the United Nations time to come up with proposals for settling the issue.

"In Kirkuk, as Kurds, we are ready for power-sharing," Barzani told Reuters in Dubai.

"We are pushing for a solution, not especially a referendum. We have asked the U.N. to be technically involved because the situation is complicated," he said.

A referendum had been due by the end of 2007 to decide the settlement of multi-ethnic Kirkuk's fate. There were fears a referendum could stoke ethnic conflict by delivering power to one side or the other, or lead to disruptive movements of population as groups manoeuvre for influence.

The U.N. special representative to Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, said in April a peaceful settlement must be found through a political formula and not a hastily organized referendum that could trigger violence.

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Iraqi FM Receives U.S and British Diplomats

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari received Mr. David Satterfield, Chief Adviser of U.S. State Department for Iraqi affairs accompanied by Mr. Bowett Mackerk, White House's Representative in the Iraqi- American negotiations on June 2nd 2008.

Both sides talked about the latest developments regarding the bilateral negotiations for the strategic framework agreement and the importance to continue negotiations to achieve it on time, they also discussed the directions to ensure Iraq's rights and its full sovereignty in the framework of the agreement, which was emphasized by the Iraqi government.

Mr. Satterfield stressed the U.S. government's interest in the success of the negotiations and securing the necessities to reach an agreement which reflects the interests of both countries and contributes to the progress of Iraq and protect its security and stability.

They also stressed on continuing bilateral talks in a positive and constructive spirit to reach an agreement that protects the interests of both countries as two sovereign states.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Labeed Abbawi, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Policy Planning and Bilateral Relations.

Also, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari Received Mr. Mark Leal, Political Director for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Mr. Christopher Prentice the British ambassador in Baghdad on Monday June 2nd 2008. During the meeting several international, regional and local issues were discussed in addition to aspects of bilateral relations between Baghdad and London.

Minister Zebari spoke about the significant improvement on social, economical, security and political levels, pointing out to other topics that the Iraqi government is looking to elaborate and implement in support of the security in the Iraqi governorates, in addition to the importance of completing the reconstruction projects and focusing on economical achievements and consolidating the relations of interaction and trust between Iraqis and their national government.

Minister Zebari stressed Iraq's desire for economic and trade cooperation with its neighbouring countries, including Kuwait, within the framework of direct relations and in accordance with the appropriate mechanisms that serve the common interests of bilateral relations between Iraq and these countries in a way that provides stability and security in the region.

Mr. Leal, valued the observations and ideas expressed by Minister Zebari, stressing his country's willingness to cooperate and consult with Iraq to strengthen the friendly relations between both countries that reflects positively in the region especially since UK is keen on the stability of the region.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Labeed Abbawi, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Policy Planning and Bilateral Relations, and Mr. Hussein Mula, Head of Europe Department at the Foreign Ministry.

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Iraqi Kurdistan PM Sees no Threat from Turkey

The prime minister of Iraq's Kurdistan region said on Tuesday he saw no threat from Turkey, which regularly strikes Kurdish guerrillas in northern Iraq, and was optimistic about future ties.

The Turkish military has regularly attacked Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebel positions this year in the mountains of northern Iraq, where several thousand militants are believed to be holed up. "We are optimistic on future relations with Turkey, which is the major trade partner with Kurdistan," Nechirvan Barzani told a news conference in Dubai. "We don't feel any threat."

The Turkish military launched a major ground offensive across the border in February signalling a new phase in the offensive against the PKK, which took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 with the aimed of establishing an ethnic homeland in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.

Turkey is concerned that the emergence of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government could encourage separatists in its southeast. However, it recognized that increased trade could help its south-eastern economy and alleviate the poverty that has fed the rebellion there.

The EU and the United States are keen for NATO-member Turkey, which says it is defending itself against a terrorist organization, to keep its attacks in northern Iraq limited to avoid destabilizing Iraq and the wider region.

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Investment authority to include private sector represntatives in Missan

Missan's provincial council has set up a local investment authority, the chairman of the council's investment committee said, noting that two representatives from the private sector are included in the authority.

"A secret ballot was held in the presence of 34 council members to elect nine members for the local investment authority, including two from the private sector," Taha al-Deif told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

"The inclusion of two candidates from the private sector was made in light of a proposal made by the investment committee, given the vital role of the private sector in the investment process...," the committee's chairman explained.

Amara, the capital city of Missan province, lies 390 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Aswat Aliraq

Demand for the dollar lower at daily auction

Demand for the dollar was down in the Iraqi Central Bank's auction on Tuesday, reaching $66.335 million compared to $119.910 million on Monday.

"The demand hit $4.635 million in cash and $61.700 million in foreign transfers outside the country, all covered by the bank at an exchange rate of 1,197 Iraqi dinars per dollar, unchanged from yesterday" according to the central bank's daily bulletin which was received by Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

None of the 13 banks that participated in the auction offered to sell dollars.

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

Aswat Aliraq

Update.......

Iraqi stock market agrees to publish its trading data online

****utive Director of ISX said that the Board of Governors of the market had taken several resolutions during its third meeting in 2008, including contracting with companies to publish the trading data online, as well as giving contributing companies two months to submit their closing accounts.

Taha Ahmed Abdul Salam explained, "The Board approved the contract with the company (Al-Mubashir) for Investors Service, which will prepare and publish the trading data online to all sites and enable investors to receive services of the company concerning the trading data of the companies and their financial situations." He added, "The Council asked the company to send the agreement contract, which will be for three years, and assigned it to set up a web site to the Iraqi market with advanced specifications, just like the ones of the Arab financial markets. The Iraqi market will not bear any financial cost of providing technological services or the publishing of data."

He noted that "the project of the electronic trading is continual and the Council adopted several resolutions including organizing procedures for training the staff of the Securities and prepare the clearing bank to work with the market testing and the results of the meetings. There are also training courses for loading the trading data of companies and send the outputs to the contributing company whose staff will be trained to deal with these data; also, getting ready to regulate a final test of all intermediaries (a comprehensive trading session) to test the staff and intermediaries in order to grant them licenses for electronic work during the first half of June."

Abdul Salam said, "The Board of Governors of the Iraqi market decided, during its third meeting of 2008, to give the uncommitted contributing companies a period of two additional months to submit their final accounts starting from June 1 until July 31. After this date, the authority would impose a fine of one million dinars for each month of delay and for two months as well." He continued, "The resolution states that in the absence of the company's commitment to provide its accounts, the trading of its shares on the market will be stopped with the imposition of a fine of five million dinars."

It is noteworthy that ISX, which was founded by Law (No. 74) in April of the year (2004) and began its operations in the first trading session in June of the same year, holds three weekly meetings on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday , where the shares of 94 companies are traded.

Iraqi stock market agrees to publish its trading data online | Iraq Updates

'Iraq to reject US defense pact'
Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi has declared his country's opposition to a proposed security agreement with the United States.

Al-Hashemi who wound up his five-day visit to Jordan on Monday said that "There is an Iraqi national consensus to reject the draft agreement" which is being discussed by Baghdad and Washington, DPA reported.

He was responding to questions about a draft agreement that was reportedly reached between the Iraqi government and the United States for regulating the US military presence in Iraq after 2008.

The Iraqi vice president's opposition to the pact comes as the proposed pact has been under fire by religious and political leaders in Iraq.

Iraq's most revered Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani also objected to the security accord and reiterated that he would not allow Iraq to sign such a deal with "the US occupiers" as long as he was alive.

Iraqi anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said the proposed pact was "against Iraqi national interests", calling on Iraqis to protest and demonstrate after every Friday prayers until the agreement is cancelled.

"Iraq will not accept any formula that undermines its sovereignty and runs counter to the Iraqi interests," al-Hashemi said in a speech to the Jordanian Society of Sciences and Culture in Amman on Monday.

Noting the country is "facing dangerous challenges," he said Arab countries "can play an effective role in helping Iraq to come out of its present plight and to forge a national reconciliation there".

During his visit, the Iraqi vice president held talks with King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Nader Dahabi and apparently convinced them to send an ambassador to Baghdad to reopen the Jordanian embassy.

US Arab allies in the region have so far failed to open embassies in Baghdad, despite Washington's requests.

Press TV - 'Iraq to reject US defense pact'

Originally Posted by Seaview

Iraq conducts huge technological project

Senior official and legislative delegation begins a visit to UK at next week to discuss political, economic and security developments with British and American officials

as well as ****uting huge technological project throughout country by cooperation with Intel Company to provide PC set and Internet service for each Iraqi house.Speaker's advisor, Intisar Alawi, said that the legislative delegation will leave country on June 6th to take part at workshop and holding talks with Intel to carry out this strategic project that named "PC and internet for each Iraqi house". Alawi added that the project's aim to develop the technology's using at all fields, as the American company will provide all technical issues and selling the PCs and internet service at suitable prices and by installments for the Iraqis as the Iraqi Govt. will provide moral

ÌÑíÏÉ ÇáÕÈÇÍ - Iraq conducts huge technological project

I'm curious how Intel will be paid for setting this up. They might insist on dollars for the infrastructure but it will have to get paid in dinars from individuals who use their internet service. Intel will have to keep it cheap enough for Iraqi's to afford but they will have to convert the dinars to dollars to bring the profits home.

How can it be affordable for Iraqi's and profitable for Intel when the dinar exchange rate is just fractions of a penny to the dollar?

Rhetorical question... we know the answer.

Al Maliki to raise Iran interference in Iraq
Cabinet spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said Iraq wants to discuss evidence of Iranian interference in Iraq and bilateral relationship in general during the visit of Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki to Tehran this week.

Cabinet spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said Iraq wants to discuss evidence of Iranian interference in Iraq and bilateral relationship in general during the visit of Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki to Tehran this week. While government officials did not confirm the date of the visit, Iraqi and Iranian local media said it would be on Saturday. Al Dabbagh did not say which ministers would travel with Al Maliki but noted that Prime Minister Al Maliki will head a political-security delegation.

Ties between Iran and Iraq have improved since US invasion in 2003 and the fall of former President Saddam Hussein who led Iraq into war against Iran in the 1980s.

However, Iraqi-Iranian relations were caught by high tension with repeated accusations from Washington and Baghdad that Tehran is fueling violence in Iraq by backing Mehdi Army militia while Tehran insists to deny meddling in Iraq and holds US Forces the responsibility of violence.

In a bid to confirm facts on the ground, Prime Minister Al Maliki had ordered the formation of a committee to gather evidence of Iranian interference in Iraq that would be presented to Tehran.

In this context, a delegation from Iraq’s Unified Alliance visited Tehran at the start of May to show Iranian officials evidence of the Islamic Republic’s backing for armed groups in Iraq. Al Dabbagh had reported last month that Iranian missiles had been found in Basra City during a campaign by Iraqi forces on Mehdi Army militia.

Meanwhile, Iraqis have repeatedly said they do not want their territory to become a battleground for a proxy war between the United States and Iran, which are also in confrontation over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News...e-in-Iraq.html