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

Originally Posted by Adster

Check the attached out. Wohhhhhaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Wohay when it drops to 1280 I'll be breaking even

Key security and economic Cabinet positions remain unchanged. Meanwhile, at least 70 people are slain across the nation.

By Borzou Daragahi, Times Staff Writer
December 20, 2006

BAGHDAD — An Iraqi government shake-up meant to improve a much-criticized executive branch won't change key security and economic Cabinet positions, top Iraqi officials said Tuesday.

Though his nation is ravaged by violence and poverty, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki will include only a dozen relatively minor ministry posts in his reshuffle plan, including the heads of health, transportation, culture, women's affairs and tourism, his deputies and inner circle said in telephone interviews and media outlets.

No changes will be made anytime soon at the key security and economic ministries: defense, interior, foreign affairs, finance and oil.

"The security dilemma is not an issue of ministries," said Abbas Bayati, a member of Maliki's Shiite Muslim coalition. "The issue is beyond the government and ministries. The real challenge is to find reconciliation and political understanding. It's not possible to accuse the security ministries of poor performance."

Word of the plan emerged amid swirling lawlessness throughout the country that left at least 68 Iraqis and two U.S. troops dead Tuesday in shootings, bombings and sectarian death-squad killings.

And thieves made off with nearly $1 million in government money.

Given Iraq's dire state, some Iraqi politicians said they were surprised by the limited nature of Maliki's reforms.

"I'm astonished," said independent lawmaker Mithal Alusi. "Do we have a problem in tourism so we need to change the minister of tourism? Or do we have a security problem? Or do we have economic problems?"

Maliki's spokesman said removing any of the most high-profile ministers would be politically difficult. The choices for both defense and interior ministers were arrived at through a painstaking process of negotiation with all three major blocs in the coalition government and can't be easily replaced.

"It is the will of the prime minister to reshuffle as much as he can," said Ali Dabbagh, the main government spokesman. "But it's also the decision of the other blocs in the parliament."

Government insiders predicted the first changes would begin next month.

Some of the ministers said to be on their way out are loyalists of radical cleric Muqtada Sadr, who controls a bloc of about 30 seats in parliament as well as the health and transportation ministries. But officials said the reshuffle was in no way an attempt to isolate Sadr.

"The service ministries are performing poorly, that's obvious to everyone," said Hassan Senaid, a member of Maliki's Islamic Dawa Party. "The Sadr movement supervises many of the service ministries. The reshuffle is not targeted toward their bloc. It happens that the ministries they control are service ministries."

But Sadr won't lose his influence. Under Iraq's power-sharing agreements, he probably will get to nominate replacements for departing ministers.

"The prime minister can't change any minister unless the given bloc associated with that given ministry agrees and then provides the candidates' names," said Ali Adib, one of Maliki's top deputies.

Meanwhile, Iraq's torrent of violence continued. Among those assassinated or found dead Tuesday were the coach of the national bicycling team, a former Olympic wrestling star and a well-known television actor.

Robbers made off with about $890,000 in Iraqi currency meant to pay the salaries of government workers. The holdup took place in central Baghdad as a group of employees was leaving a bank with the money.

In other violence, two U.S. troops were reported killed. A Marine died in combat Monday in Al Anbar province. At least 2,952 U.S. troops have died in the Iraq theater since the U.S-led March 2003 invasion.

State-controlled Al Iraqiya television reported that the government had put to death 13 men found guilty of terrorism-related charges. Television footage showed the convicted men in green overalls lined up against a wall, handcuffed and with black hoods over their heads.

Later footage showed the convicted men with ropes around their necks, though the hanging was not shown. The newscaster said that the convicts had confessed to killing several people and that one of the accused didn't even remember how many people he had slain.

A bomb explosion near a group of cigarette vendors in southeastern Baghdad killed two people and injured nine.

Authorities in the violence-racked city of Baqubah, a provincial capital 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, reported finding the bodies of 10 men and two women.The throats of several of the victims had been slashed.

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19 December 2006
Pentagon Report Sees Progress in Iraq Despite Spike in Violence

Says Iraqi government, security forces assume greater responsibility

By David Shelby
USINFO Staff Writer

Washington – A Pentagon report released December 18 identifies “incremental progress” in the capabilities of the Iraqi government and Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) over a recent three-month period despite a sharp increase in violence.

“The period covered in this report (August 12, 2006-November 10, 2006) saw incremental progress in the government of Iraq’s willingness and ability to take over responsibility, to build institutions, and to deliver essential services,” says the congressionally mandated report titled Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq. “This progress is notable given the escalating violence in some of Iraq’s more populous regions and the tragic loss of civilian life at the hands of terrorists and other extremists.”

The report states that Iraqi Security Forces “have assumed more leadership in counter-insurgency and law enforcement operations” and adds that coalition forces are nearing their goals for training and equipping Iraqi forces.

Iraq’s Council of Representatives has adopted key legislation in the areas of constitutional review, foreign investment and federal region formation, the report observes, but Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s national reconciliation project, which the report identifies as a key to long-term political stability, has shown “little progress.”

The period from July to October saw sharp erosion in public confidence in the Iraqi government’s ability to improve the situation, according to State Department surveys discussed in the report. The Iraqi government must focus on key domestic issues such as enactment of a hydrocarbons law, reform of the de-Ba’athification process, demobilization of militias and a reduction in unemployment to regain the public’s confidence, the report says.

Oil production and electricity generation have risen over the past three months, though they still fall short of program goals, the report says. Daily power availability now averages 11 hours nationwide, although Baghdad, Iraq, receives electricity an average of only six hours per day. The report states that water projects have increased the nation’s supply of potable water by 35 percent over the past six months.

Although attacks on infrastructure have declined, the report says the cumulative effect of past attacks and the difficult environment for making repairs continue to impair the government’s ability to deliver basic services.

Security remains a key concern in Iraq. The report says the total number of attacks has risen 22 percent over the past three months, but it attributes part of that increase to a seasonal spike in violence during the Muslim holy month Ramadan. It says the majority of attacks are aimed at coalition forces and that most civilian violence remains localized in neighborhoods with mixed Sunni and Shiite populations. More than three-quarters of all attacks are taking place in only four provinces: al-Anbar, Baghdad, Salah ad-Din and Diyala. According to the report, more than 90 percent of Iraqis outside the Sunni Triangle say they feel “very safe” in their neighborhoods.

The report notes that the Iraqi Ministry of Defense assumed command and control of the Iraqi Ground Forces Command (IGFC) in September. It anticipates that the IGFC will take full control of all 10 divisions of the Iraqi army by June 2007. The report says the most significant challenges on the security front are addressing the ISF’s shortcomings in logistics management and reforming the Ministry of Interior’s police force to eliminate militia infiltration.

The full text of the report (PDF, 53 pages) is available on the Department of Defense Web site.pdf file: http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs...t-20061216.pdf

For additional information, see Iraq Update.

Pentagon Report Sees Progress in Iraq Despite Spike in Violence

Originally Posted by pipshurricane

EXCLUSIVE-Iraq officials reach tentative oil law deal-sources (Reuters) Dec 20 2006 14:27

Noozz.com | IRAQ

Iraq officials reach tentative oil law deal-sources
Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:14am ET

By Mariam Karouny

BAGHDAD, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Iraqi officials have reached a tentative deal on an oil law that would allow the regions to negotiate oilfield contracts with foreign investors but gives the central government the final say.

Iraq desperately needs foreign investment to revive its shattered economy, which relies heavily on oil export revenues. The country straddles the world's third largest oil reserves.

Sources close to the negotiations said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has "signalled his approval" of the draft, but the law still awaits political approval and endorsement by the cabinet.

The sources said the law calls for the formation of a national oil council -- led by either the prime minister or his deputy -- that will have the authority to reject oilfield deals.

"Regions will be negotiating in accordance with specific parameters and investment models decided by the national oil policy council ... in the presence of a representative of the national oil body," one of the sources told Reuters.

"If rejection happens and the region insists on the contract, a body of (independent) experts will arbitrate."

The oil minister, central bank governor, a representative from each region and oil, finance and economy experts will serve on the council, the sources said. Continued...

"The Kurdish regional government has accepted to review its existing contracts so that it wil become consistant with the law," a source said.

The industry desperately needs foreign investment to revive Iraq's shattered economy, which relies heavily on oil export revenues.

The contracts issue is vital to Iraq's future as a solution favouring the regions would devolve power over its most valuable resources to the majority Shi'ites and the Kurds whose regions are home to the country's most coveted oilfields.

Minority Sunni Arabs, who were the dominant group under Saddam Hussein before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, fear regional devolution will leave them with nothing.


"Contracts will not become effective unless the national body does not reject it. If the national policy council were to reject any draft contract within a specified period of 60 days then the contract will not be effective," the sources said.

The sources said the law calls for Iraq's two national oil companies to be turned into a holding company with operational affiliates to manage different aspects of the industry.

It also says oil policy would be set nationally and the ministry of oil would be restructured and transformed into a regulatory body. All revenues would be deposited into a single national account.

Iraqi officials have said the law will be delivered to the parliament for ratification by the end of December. But the legislation is likely to be finalised early next year because of the holiday season, the sources said.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...clePage2&sz=13

Closer than ever......

The Government of Iraq today announced that it has reached an agreement with Export-Import Bank of Malaysia, the official export-import bank of Malaysia, canceling 80% of its bilateral claims against Iraq.

The accord is comparable to the bilateral agreements concluded since November 2004 between Iraq and the various governmental creditors comprising the Paris Club as well as other of its governmental creditors. In addition, the United States, Cyprus, Malta and Slovakia have each cancelled 100% of their bilateral claims against Iraq.

"Iraq welcomes the conclusion of another bilateral agreement with one of Iraq's non-Paris Club creditors," said Iraq's Minister of Finance Baker Jabr Al-Zubaidy. "Iraq appreciates Export-Import Bank of Malaysia's constructive approach to reaching this agreement."

Iraq is in the final stages of the restructuring of all claims resulting from the Saddam-era held by both bilateral and commercial creditors. On November 21, 2004, Iraq reached an agreement in principle with its bilateral creditors comprising the Paris Club.

The total amount of claims against Iraq held by both bilateral and commercial entities has been estimated at more than U.S. $140 billion.
PR Newswire : The Official Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Cancels 80% of Its Iraqi Debt

ALARAB ONLINE | Display Page

Originally Posted by IITB

I believe the reason that Chase is not keeping pace with the CBI , is "why make such a small profit on the short term goal , when so much more can be made on the long term gain."
What I mean by that is, if they nickle and dime their customers by the day, it would not be near as profitable, as holding on for the R/V ( THE BIG BANG ) when people will be lining up around the block with millions to do business with them.
The R/V is eminent,and they damned well know it !!!! JMHO
Merry X-mas all

If they know it, they are not telling the employees. I have been buying dinar for 2 months now, and i am the only one at this particular chase that is doing so.... the tellers keep asking me if i am going on vacation. I have told them to read about the dinar and go to this site, but they haven't done so yet... I believe that if the higher ups do know something, they are not telling anybody else and probably did buy dinar and are keeping it secret!

hunter

Originally Posted by Inscrutable

ALARAB ONLINE | Display Page

Now we just need it to be enacted. Let Rock.

Originally Posted by moneyhunter

If they know it, they are not telling the employees. I have been buying dinar for 2 months now, and i am the only one at this particular chase that is doing so.... the tellers keep asking me if i am going on vacation. I have told them to read about the dinar and go to this site, but they haven't done so yet... I believe that if the higher ups do know something, they are not telling anybody else and probably did buy dinar and are keeping it secret!

hunter

Welcome to Rolclub. Please see the first post, it will help guide you thru the Dinar Part of the forum.

Economic : $ 50 billion investment in the petrochemical sector Gulf



Baghdad-Sabah
Some experts specializing in the oil and gas sector in the Gulf region, the volume of investments in the petrochemical industry more than 50 billion dollars over the next few years.

They also revealed, through their participation in the Conference for the first Gulf petrochemicals and chemicals manufacturers, which began its work in Dubai, said these investments will cover more than ten mega projects in the capital of each of them ranged between three and four billion dollars, and Saudi Arabia accounted for almost half.

Quoting the life of the Londoner Executive Vice-President of the "Saudi Company for Basic Industries" (SABIC) and the Chairman of the Council of the European manufacturers to the Gulf petrochemicals and chemicals last Mohamed as saying that all indicators show significant growth opportunities, multi-sector, especially in the field of ethylene, which would increase energy production by 30%, while increasing capacity by 50% ethanol.

The Gulf region at the top of the list of countries which possess great potential in the petrochemical sector.

The dilemma facing the industry is the increase in the cost of new projects, and the dearth of construction companies executing them, causing the postponement of some projects, pointing to the postponement of a project in Qatar.

Reports indicate to the Gulf petrochemicals and chemicals manufacturers to the Gulf Cooperation Council states to produce more than 60 million metric tons of petrochemicals in 2007, also enjoys the Gulf Arab strategic importance in the petrochemical and chemicals worldwide.
He expected the growth of these sectors in the region by 13% by the year 2010, pointing out that the region is in the form of increasingly become the center of gravity of the global chemical industry, particularly after the entry of Iraq's airspace competition again.

Also expected to reach the Gulf exports to 50 million tons in the year 2008, with the superiority of the Gulf region to other regions of the availability of materials and the latest technologies and strategic geographical location of the area, and provides a high level of liquidity to fund projects in these markets, which gives it a competitive characteristics, as well as the relatively low cost of construction and labor in addition to generous tax incentives for foreign partners.

The Executive Chairman said Aikwet Company for Petrochemicals in Kuwait, and the Vice President of the Turkish Hamad that the Middle East has become the largest recipient of funding for projects in the world, according to the latest economic reports, indicating that the total loans financing projects in the world amounted to 98.5 billion dollars in the first half of this year, and allocated 33 billion dollars for projects submitted in the Middle East.

The conference discussed the first of the Gulf of manufacturers petrochemicals and chemicals (Jepka), the global need for petrochemical products, and related matters increasing capital to expand business through bank credit and capital markets, and themes of shipping logistics and the challenges and issues of supply and demand and gas resources in the Gulf region and the role of national oil companies in developing the petrochemical sector in the region and management skills. Participants also stressed that the region is in the form of growing to become an industrial center of gravity.

He said the Union's Secretary-General Abdullah bin Zaid Alhaqbani response that the conference witnessed unprecedented presence of 430 participants, and characterized the discussion topics present it is very important, for the benefit of all participants. He pointed out that the importance of the sector requires listening to the views and experiences in order to achieve the desired results, in what is a strong start for the work of the Union. While Mohammed said that the establishment last came
In order to create an organization that encompassed all manufacturers to become one voice in all international conferences.

Translated version of http://www.alsabaah.com/

I picked up my order from chase yesterday, and got "gently used" 10k and 5k notes. BTW Kristen/Ourhouse BE CAREFULL out there with UPS. I live in Denver also and it is BAD here