Thread: Iraq/Dinar News. 09/05 to 01/14/07

Called to activate the Arab ministerial committee on Iraq
Baghdad - the Samurai
A representative of the Arab League in Baghdad, Ambassador Mokhtar Lamani on the League's Secretary General Amr Moussa intensive contacts with Arab countries on the current situation and developments in Iraq met with an official delegation to discuss the draft success of the national reconciliation in Iraq.
.He said Mane told the (morning) : Moussa, sent messages to all the foreign ministers of the Arab countries regarding developments in the situation in Iraq and review of the University's efforts in bringing the Iraqi parties and give them an image of the events on the arena, referring to the invitation of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, the Arab Ministerial Committee on Iraq to convene and to take the necessary steps to save Iraq and moving Arab attitudes towards the promotion and development of Arab relations with him.
He continued his meetings with Iraqi officials, where he met during the last few days, both Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi, Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh and national security adviser Muwaffaq Rubaie to study the general situation in Iraq and procedures for improving and the role of the Arab League in achieving a reconciliation nationalist.
He explained that he met with European ambassadors and the American ambassador in Iraq, as the leaders will meet Accord Front Dr. Adnan Al-Dulaimi and Tariq Al-Hashmi, Vice President of the Republic within the same framework.
On the other hand, met with the delegation of the supreme body for dialogue and national reconciliation in Cairo with the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, It was during the meeting discussed ways to the success of the draft national reconciliation and steps taken to convene a conference of political forces.
The Secretary-General emphasized the support of the university for the success of the project and work to bring security and stability to Iraq.
The delegation also met during his visit to the Higher Arab Republic of Egypt with the delegation of Iraqi community there.
In relation to sources in the Arab League headquarters in Cairo told (morning) : League Secretary-General Amr Moussa considering several ideas concerning Iraq not disclosed.
The sources pointed out that the Arab League will extract the results of the contacts held in Baghdad or in other capitals for a political visions contribute to the reform of the current situation in Iraq, where the university through its representative in Baghdad extensive and intensive contacts to ensure a national consensus and strengthen Iraq's relations with Arab countries.


Cheers!
DayDream

Called to activate the Arab ministerial committee on Iraq
Baghdad - the Samurai
A representative of the Arab League in Baghdad, Ambassador Mokhtar Lamani on the League's Secretary General Amr Moussa intensive contacts with Arab countries on the current situation and developments in Iraq met with an official delegation to discuss the draft success of the national reconciliation in Iraq.
.He said Mane told the (morning) : Moussa, sent messages to all the foreign ministers of the Arab countries regarding developments in the situation in Iraq and review of the University's efforts in bringing the Iraqi parties and give them an image of the events on the arena, referring to the invitation of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, the Arab Ministerial Committee on Iraq to convene and to take the necessary steps to save Iraq and moving Arab attitudes towards the promotion and development of Arab relations with him.
He continued his meetings with Iraqi officials, where he met during the last few days, both Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi, Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh and national security adviser Muwaffaq Rubaie to study the general situation in Iraq and procedures for improving and the role of the Arab League in achieving a reconciliation nationalist.
He explained that he met with European ambassadors and the American ambassador in Iraq, as the leaders will meet Accord Front Dr. Adnan Al-Dulaimi and Tariq Al-Hashmi, Vice President of the Republic within the same framework.
On the other hand, met with the delegation of the supreme body for dialogue and national reconciliation in Cairo with the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, It was during the meeting discussed ways to the success of the draft national reconciliation and steps taken to convene a conference of political forces.
The Secretary-General emphasized the support of the university for the success of the project and work to bring security and stability to Iraq.
The delegation also met during his visit to the Higher Arab Republic of Egypt with the delegation of Iraqi community there.
In relation to sources in the Arab League headquarters in Cairo told (morning) : League Secretary-General Amr Moussa considering several ideas concerning Iraq not disclosed.
The sources pointed out that the Arab League will extract the results of the contacts held in Baghdad or in other capitals for a political visions contribute to the reform of the current situation in Iraq, where the university through its representative in Baghdad extensive and intensive contacts to ensure a national consensus and strengthen Iraq's relations with Arab countries.


Cheers!
DayDream

Iraqi government to repair Shiite shrine - Yahoo! News

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's Cabinet announced plans Thursday to repair a major Shiite shrine bombed by suspected Sunni extremists in February, setting off waves of sectarian revenge attacks that have killed thousands of Iraqis.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki would chair a reconstruction committee composed of representatives from the military, government ministries and religious groups.

The committee will also oversee the building of infrastructure such as water and power supply, transport links, and housing in an attempt to stabilize Samarra, the primarily Sunni city about 60 miles north of Baghdad that surrounds the 1,200-year-old Askariya shrine.

The shrine, one of the holiest in Shiite Islam, was heavily damaged in the Feb. 22 attack, which enraged the country's majority Shiites.

Militias sponsored by major Shiite political parties attacked dozens of Sunni mosques, sparking revenge attacks by minority Sunnis. Militia-linked death squads terrorized Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad, with the tortured bodies of their victims found dumped on city streets or floating in the Tigris River.

In June, Iraq's national security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie said the government had detained a Tunisian and two Saudis for allegedly taking part in the bombing, which he described as an al-Qaida-led plot to spark outright sectarian warfare.

The rebuilding of the shrine comes as part of al-Maliki's reconciliation efforts to try to end a three-year insurgency and convince Shiite militias to stand down.

Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr recruited thousands of his followers in July to rebuild and protect the Askariya shrine, but dropped those plans following warnings from local residents that the move would only stoke tensions.

Immediately after the Samarra bombing, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said that if the state could not protect Shiite shrines, then "the faithful" should do so.

Al-Dabbagh also said the government decided to form another committee to oversee the rebuilding and renovation of all mosques, both Shiite and Sunni, that suffered damaged over recent years.

This is good news for the reconciliation. We can only hope that this is the first of many outreaches by the government to help rectify the unrest.

Iraqi government to repair Shiite shrine - Yahoo! News

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's Cabinet announced plans Thursday to repair a major Shiite shrine bombed by suspected Sunni extremists in February, setting off waves of sectarian revenge attacks that have killed thousands of Iraqis.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki would chair a reconstruction committee composed of representatives from the military, government ministries and religious groups.

The committee will also oversee the building of infrastructure such as water and power supply, transport links, and housing in an attempt to stabilize Samarra, the primarily Sunni city about 60 miles north of Baghdad that surrounds the 1,200-year-old Askariya shrine.

The shrine, one of the holiest in Shiite Islam, was heavily damaged in the Feb. 22 attack, which enraged the country's majority Shiites.

Militias sponsored by major Shiite political parties attacked dozens of Sunni mosques, sparking revenge attacks by minority Sunnis. Militia-linked death squads terrorized Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad, with the tortured bodies of their victims found dumped on city streets or floating in the Tigris River.

In June, Iraq's national security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie said the government had detained a Tunisian and two Saudis for allegedly taking part in the bombing, which he described as an al-Qaida-led plot to spark outright sectarian warfare.

The rebuilding of the shrine comes as part of al-Maliki's reconciliation efforts to try to end a three-year insurgency and convince Shiite militias to stand down.

Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr recruited thousands of his followers in July to rebuild and protect the Askariya shrine, but dropped those plans following warnings from local residents that the move would only stoke tensions.

Immediately after the Samarra bombing, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said that if the state could not protect Shiite shrines, then "the faithful" should do so.

Al-Dabbagh also said the government decided to form another committee to oversee the rebuilding and renovation of all mosques, both Shiite and Sunni, that suffered damaged over recent years.

This is good news for the reconciliation. We can only hope that this is the first of many outreaches by the government to help rectify the unrest.

I had occasion to email Name removed for their Safty.-neno at Warka bank regarding a wire transfer. I closed the email with the following...

I see that the Foreign Investment Law has been enacted, and I offer my sincere congratulations to you and your country. We here hold great hope that the enactment of this law will herald a new era of great prosperity for the proud people of Iraq.

I'm hoping he'll respond with some sort of candid comment...I'll post it if he does...OSWoman

I had occasion to email Name removed for their Safty.-neno at Warka bank regarding a wire transfer. I closed the email with the following...

I see that the Foreign Investment Law has been enacted, and I offer my sincere congratulations to you and your country. We here hold great hope that the enactment of this law will herald a new era of great prosperity for the proud people of Iraq.

I'm hoping he'll respond with some sort of candid comment...I'll post it if he does...OSWoman

Originally Posted by benzboy

so are we still looking at by the 15th, or now next year?
benzboy

Take your pick, your speculation will be as good as anyone else.

Originally Posted by benzboy

so are we still looking at by the 15th, or now next year?
benzboy

Take your pick, your speculation will be as good as anyone else.

I know this is old information, but we still might be able to use this article to get more information.

Investing in Iraq’s future
December 08, 2003

The business opportunities for foreign investment in Iraq are numerous but companies may need a little help in order to successfully tender for contracts, says Sophie Roell.

Interested in taking advantage of the billions of dollars being poured into the reconstruction of Iraq? You had better get someone on the ground in Iraq, according to Sam Kubba, head of the American Iraqi Chamber of Commerce. With Iraq’s Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) giving companies as little as three days to reply to tenders, it is best to know about them before they’re formally announced.
With the US allocating another $20bn to the reconstruction effort, and other donors chipping in too, the race is on for companies to get on the gravy train – some government officials are even leaving office to set up consultancies to advise companies on how to get in on the action.
“There’s a lot of work, a lot of opportunities. It’s up to you to take advantage of those opportunities,” Mr Kubba told businessmen attending a conference on the rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan organised by MFM Group in Washington DC. Though security is one of the main obstacles to doing business, he says that a visit there would prove that the “security situation is not as bad as it seems in the press”.
However, actually getting there (via Jordan or Kuwait – neither cheap nor easy) is just one of the issues facing companies wanting to invest in Iraq. Others include communications – it can be “very difficult just to reach people,” according to Mr Kubba – as well as legal issues.

Legal hitches

Though the CPA passed a foreign investment law on 19 September, it is very general and a lot is still being done using laws of the Saddam era. For example, when it comes to registering a company, you are not allowed to use the word ‘national’ or ‘international’ in the name: Saddam did not allow this. Then, there’s the added danger that some of the new laws passed by the CPA “may be over-turned or repealed when there’s a democratic government in Iraq,” according to Mr Kubba.
Still, the situation is changing rapidly, and Mr Kubba predicts that issues like security and communications will be much improved in a matter of months. For those wondering why to invest in a country like Iraq, Merriam Maschatt, the trade and economic adviser to the CPA, tells businessmen that “Iraqi consumers represent a vast under-served market,” and says that “commerce is flourishing throughout the country”.
Rob Sobhani, president of Caspian Energy Consulting, has an even more compelling reason: bigger oil reserves than even Saudi Arabia. “When the last barrel of oil leaves the Persian Gulf, it will probably say ‘Made in Iraq,’” says Sobhani.
However, for the moment, the big business is government contracts, and it’s worth keeping an eye on a number of websites (see box) dedicated to helping the investment process.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iraq websites

The Iraqi Business Center, run by the US Army, will e-mail you with the latest tenders. Contact at Baghdad Business Center.

Sites with information on government contracts include:

The US Department of Commerce at 404b
Website of the CPA at CPA Iraq
USAID, which has awarded the bulk of Iraq contracts to date, can be found at USAID: Assistance for Iraq.
Organisations that offer advice and help on tendering for contracts include:

American-Iraqi Chamber of Commerce, www.aicc.us.
www.taskforce.yesvirginia.org
Consultancy headed by Joe Allbaugh, campaign manager for Bush-Cheney 2000, set up specially for postwar Iraq opportunities, accessible at www.newbridgestrategies.com

I know this is old information, but we still might be able to use this article to get more information.

Investing in Iraq’s future
December 08, 2003

The business opportunities for foreign investment in Iraq are numerous but companies may need a little help in order to successfully tender for contracts, says Sophie Roell.

Interested in taking advantage of the billions of dollars being poured into the reconstruction of Iraq? You had better get someone on the ground in Iraq, according to Sam Kubba, head of the American Iraqi Chamber of Commerce. With Iraq’s Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) giving companies as little as three days to reply to tenders, it is best to know about them before they’re formally announced.
With the US allocating another $20bn to the reconstruction effort, and other donors chipping in too, the race is on for companies to get on the gravy train – some government officials are even leaving office to set up consultancies to advise companies on how to get in on the action.
“There’s a lot of work, a lot of opportunities. It’s up to you to take advantage of those opportunities,” Mr Kubba told businessmen attending a conference on the rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan organised by MFM Group in Washington DC. Though security is one of the main obstacles to doing business, he says that a visit there would prove that the “security situation is not as bad as it seems in the press”.
However, actually getting there (via Jordan or Kuwait – neither cheap nor easy) is just one of the issues facing companies wanting to invest in Iraq. Others include communications – it can be “very difficult just to reach people,” according to Mr Kubba – as well as legal issues.

Legal hitches

Though the CPA passed a foreign investment law on 19 September, it is very general and a lot is still being done using laws of the Saddam era. For example, when it comes to registering a company, you are not allowed to use the word ‘national’ or ‘international’ in the name: Saddam did not allow this. Then, there’s the added danger that some of the new laws passed by the CPA “may be over-turned or repealed when there’s a democratic government in Iraq,” according to Mr Kubba.
Still, the situation is changing rapidly, and Mr Kubba predicts that issues like security and communications will be much improved in a matter of months. For those wondering why to invest in a country like Iraq, Merriam Maschatt, the trade and economic adviser to the CPA, tells businessmen that “Iraqi consumers represent a vast under-served market,” and says that “commerce is flourishing throughout the country”.
Rob Sobhani, president of Caspian Energy Consulting, has an even more compelling reason: bigger oil reserves than even Saudi Arabia. “When the last barrel of oil leaves the Persian Gulf, it will probably say ‘Made in Iraq,’” says Sobhani.
However, for the moment, the big business is government contracts, and it’s worth keeping an eye on a number of websites (see box) dedicated to helping the investment process.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iraq websites

The Iraqi Business Center, run by the US Army, will e-mail you with the latest tenders. Contact at Baghdad Business Center.

Sites with information on government contracts include:

The US Department of Commerce at 404b
Website of the CPA at CPA Iraq
USAID, which has awarded the bulk of Iraq contracts to date, can be found at USAID: Assistance for Iraq.
Organisations that offer advice and help on tendering for contracts include:

American-Iraqi Chamber of Commerce, www.aicc.us.
www.taskforce.yesvirginia.org
Consultancy headed by Joe Allbaugh, campaign manager for Bush-Cheney 2000, set up specially for postwar Iraq opportunities, accessible at www.newbridgestrategies.com