Sara Johnson

The National Investment forms a committee to study the problems that hinder the investment 2011-03-31 12:04:37 ________________________________ Baghdad (IBA). The National Investment Commission was formed under the chairmanship of the Babylon investment, the investment of Basra, Al Anbar, to study the problems that impede investment work in Iraq. He said the director general of the Babylon, Alaa Ibrahim SPEAR in a press statement that was to head the committee, pointing out that the aim of the committee to draw up a plan to solve the problems facing the investment, and also to draw a strategy for the work of the investment in the 100 days given by the prime minister to improve the work of the ministries and independent bodies to solve the problems related to the work of the investment in general. He said the director general of the Babylon investment we have a quick plan for the work of the committee to deal with the problems of the conclusion of contracts between the investor and the tenure of the investment the granting of licences in the governorates and to involve investment authorities on the issue of structural studies of cities and other issues of concern to the investment plans and other medium-and long-term to solve the problems related to the work of the investment in general. He pointed to the need for the development of Sectoral investment map تشاركيةتشابكية, pointing out that the commission has given (36) the investment, including (13) license in the private sector and (23) a license to the public sector and Licences that were held on the territory of all the private sector working as Licences on the ground of the public sector is not due to the lack of a contract between the investor and the security of tenure. (END) http://www.ipairaq.com/index.php?name=inner&t=economy&id=36988

* March 31, 2011, 12:22 PM HKT Full Text: Geithner’s Remarks at G-20 Currency Conference Nelson Ching/Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Here is the official Treasury Department transcript of remarks U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was scheduled to deliver Friday at the Group of 20 nations seminar in Nanjing on the international monetary system: Statement by Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner at the “High-level Seminar on the International Monetary System” 3/30/2011 Nanjing, China March 31, 2011 Remarks as Prepared for Delivery I welcome this seminar on reform of the international monetary system. This is a good time to assess the strengths and limitations of the current system, because the world economy is going through very substantial changes. Among the major forces shaping the global economy are the enormous opportunities created by the rise of China, India, Brazil and other dynamic emerging economies; slower growth in the advanced economies; a shift in the balance of global economic power and dynamism from the G-7 to the G-20; rising capital mobility across borders, combined with rapid financial modernization and deepening in emerging economies; and rising demand for energy and food, currently coupled with supply disruptions. These historic changes create the potential for large swings in capital flows, large moves in exchange rates, and more volatile economic growth. At the national level, the imperative is to build a resilient institutional framework more capable of absorbing future economic and financial shocks: * Stronger institutions for economic policy management: independent central banks; fiscal policy rules that help deliver sustainability; strong, independent oversight of financial institutions and markets. * Flexible exchange rate policies that can help countries better absorb shocks and enable monetary policy to be tailored to national circumstances. * Financial rules that limit leverage, funding risk, and currency mismatches in banks. * Economic reforms that foster greater balance in the composition of growth within and among the major economies to avoid the buildup of large external imbalances. * Stronger investments in improving agricultural productivity, and incentives to improve efficiency in the use of energy and other supply-constrained commodities. At the international level, we have made a lot of progress in building a more powerful and more agile framework of institutions and financial instruments to deal with this changing global economy. The past two years have been an extraordinarily productive period of international financial reform. We tripled the lending capacity of the IMF and negotiated capital increases for the World Bank and the multilateral development banks (MDBs). We built a rapidly deployable safety net with a network of financial instruments, including multilateral swap lines among central banks and the IMF’s new precautionary credit facilities, which were decisive in containing the financial crisis and then in restarting the capital flows necessary to revive trade and economic growth. We built new institutions for cooperation in the G-20 and the Financial Stability Board. We modernized the governance structures and the balance of voting rights in the international financial institutions and the international standard-setting bodies to give emerging and developing economies a greater voice. We launched new global rules to limit risk from major global banks and global financial markets. And we demonstrated just a few weeks ago the willingness of the major economies to engage in concerted intervention in the major currencies, when we acted to help Japan avoid a disorderly move in the yen that threatened to undermine its economic recovery. This record of accomplishment compares very favorably to any period of financial reform and international cooperation over the past few decades. The question is, where next? What are the most promising avenues for future reform that can accommodate the huge changes now washing across the global economy? The most compelling gaps in the present system are the weaknesses and inconsistencies in the approaches that govern exchange rate policy and the use of capital controls, and in the incentives for cooperative policy action to limit economic imbalances. The major currencies are all flexible, with essentially full capital mobility. Most major emerging economies now operate largely flexible exchange rate regimes, with very open capital accounts. Some emerging markets run tightly managed exchange rate regimes with very extensive capital controls, though this is starting to change. This asymmetry in exchange rate policies creates a lot of tension. It magnifies upward pressure on those emerging market exchange rates that are allowed to move and where capital accounts are much more open. It intensifies inflation risk in those emerging economies with undervalued exchange rates. And, finally, it generates protectionist pressures. This is the most important problem to solve in the international monetary system today. But it is not a complicated problem to solve. It does not require a new treaty, or a new institution. It can be achieved by national actions to follow through on the work we have already begun in the G-20 to promote more balanced growth and address excessive imbalances. It can be achieved by building a stronger set of international norms and standards that will hold for the future. We have been engaged in a careful multilateral effort in the G-20 to establish stronger norms for exchange rate policy and the use of prudential measures to limit risk from large capital flows, and to identify and mitigate sources of future economic imbalances. This effort has a lot of support, and we hope to see it gain more traction over time. As part of this effort, we would support reforms to change the composition of the SDR. Over time, we believe that currencies of large economies heavily used in international trade and financial transactions should become part of the SDR basket, and that to achieve this objective, the concerned countries should have flexible exchange rate systems, independent central banks, and permit the free movement of capital flows. We would also support giving the IMF a greater capacity to help influence the policy choices made by the major economies, including greater independence to publish its analysis, such as its estimates of equilibrium exchange rates, recommendations for how to preempt the emergence of large imbalances, and advice on the appropriate use of prudential tools, rather than capital controls, to limit the risks that large capital inflows imperil domestic financial stability. We support the emerging framework of financial tools to help contain the spread of financial shocks. We demonstrated in this crisis that the careful use of swap facilities by central banks and the rapid response facilities of the IMF and MDBs can be very powerful, more powerful in some ways than the large reserves maintained by many of the recipients of those facilities. This conditional safety net has the potential to help reduce the incentive for excess accumulation of reserves by emerging economies, though we have not seen evidence of that yet. There has been more progress in modernizing the financial power of the IMF than there has been on the crisis prevention front. To address this moral hazard risk, it is important that access to large scale financial assistance comes with strong conditions. Those conditions can be established ex ante, for the limited number of countries with more mature institutions and strong policy track records, or ex post, in the context of an IMF program. In conclusion, it is important to recognize that most of the solutions to the problem of how to create a more resilient and stable financial system lie at the national level. And in this context, I want to reiterate that we recognize the important role the United States plays in the global financial system. Our policy failures caused a lot of damage in this crisis. We have made a lot of progress in fixing those problems, but we have more work to do. We are committed to improving the longer term competitiveness of our economy and to fiscal reforms that will reduce deficits as a share of the economy to three percent over the next several years so that we stabilize the ratio of debt to GDP at a level that will not threaten future economic growth. We want to make sure that the American economy in the future is a source of growth and stability, not the cause of instability. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/03/31/full-text-geithner%E2%80%99s-remarks-at-g-20-currency-conference/?mod=google_news_blog

SOC opens bids for Iraq pipeline tender Energy — By admin on March 31, 2011 at11:35 am SOC opens bids for Iraq pipeline tender South Oil Company of Iraq (SOC) has invited bids for an engineering, procurement and construction contract for its 105 km, 18 inch diameter gas pipeline, which will export gas from the Zubair field in southern Iraq. The onshore pipeline will transport 100 MMcf/d of gas from the Zubair depot to the Fao depot, north of the Arabian Gulf. The scope of works includes: •Execution of a 10 m wide service road along the pipeline route; •Tie-in works with the Zubair and FAO depots; •Excavation of the pipeline trench; •Welding; •Boring procedure for road, railway and cable crossings; and, •Hydrostatic testing.In 2010 Eni, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, and Korea Gas Corporation signed a technical service contract with Iraq’s state-owned SOC and Missan Oil Company as State Partner, to redevelop the Zubair field. http://todayiraq.com/2011/03/soc-opens-bids-for-iraq-pipeline-tender/

Turkish-Iraqi oil pipeline agreement concluded – electricity deals struck Energy— By admin on March 31, 2011 at 11:38 am Turkish-Iraqi oil pipeline agreement concluded – electricity deals struck Iraq’s deputy prime minister for energy affairs said on Monday that the pipeline running between the oil fields of Kirkuk and the Turkish port of Ceyhan is ready for operation after the two countries’ parliaments endorsed amendments to the bilateral convention governing it. The 960 km Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline consists of two parallel pipes with a capacity to carry more than 600,000 barrels of oil per day to Turkey’s Mediterranean port. The pipeline that carries a quarter of Iraq’s crude exports was attacked by insurgents in the Hadar area of Nineveh province at the beginning of March, temporarily halting the oil flow. Details of the amendments to the bilateral agreement between Turkey and Iraq have not been disclosed. Speaking at a press conference following his meeting with the Turkish energy minister and two Turkish energy firms in Baghdad, Hussein al-Shahristani also announced that the Turkish side has agreed to supply Iraq with electricity via the Syrian grid, adding that further meetings next week will be held to discuss the logistics of the deal. Shahristani said that another investment deal concerning the construction of the 750 megawatt Nineveh power station had been signed, due for completion in 2012. The new power station would, the deputy PM said, “enter into service alongside the Khairat network in Karbala during the summer of 2012 so that the processing rate of the two stations will reach 2000 megawatts”. At the same conference Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yildiz spoke of his country’s intention to play an active role in the resolution of Iraq’s electricity crisis. “…There will be a special meeting between me and the private Turkish companies to discuss the possibility of their investment in Iraq in this field,” he said. According to government figures, the energy currently available to Iraq is around 9 thousand megawatts of energy, while demand is estimated at up to 14 thousand megawatts during the summer months. Iraq’s power stations and distribution networks, already suffering from years of neglect attributed to the economic sanctions imposed on the country by the UN in 1990, were badly damaged during the allied invasion of the country in 2003 and by repeated acts of insurgent sabotage thereafter. The Iraqi government had previously announced plans to increase the country’s generative capacity to 27,000 megawatts over the next four years, requiring an investment of between $3bn and $4bn per year. The majority of households across the Iraqi provinces currently receive between six and eight hours of national electricity each day.This poor provision of electricity has been one of the main grievances of protestors in the wave of public demonstrations that have swept through Iraq over recent months. http://todayiraq.com/2011/03/turkish-iraqi-oil-pipeline-agreement-concluded-electricity-deals-struck/

Energy — By admin on March 31, 2011 at 11:43 am Iraq: Oil production could drive equipment sales Procurement consultant Jeremy Waller believes that the market Iraq has a lot of potential and will be driven by oil production although incoming companies will need “creative strategies”. Waller predicts that higher oil prices mean that budgets are again available to meet infrastructure plans in certain countries. With Iraq likely to expand production significantly, Waller thinks that this will result in a “massive inflow of funds”. “Higher oil prices mean that Iraq is starting to feel relief from having short term funding problems in meeting its need for infrastructure spend and rebuilding,” said Waller in his Construction trends in the Middle East – Iraq example is worth considering report. “It is dependent on maintaining the current success of the major oil companies operating in the southern fields of Manjoon and Rumailah. “Western industrials should be looking hard at Iraq as an emerging market. There is huge pent up demand for most industrial equipment in the short term and massive consumerism in the longer term,” he said. “Unfortunately this is occurring against a background of state owned companies, where accountability is an issue, although the private sector is emerging strongly to assume a more entrepreneurial role. Options now are emerging so that ambitious manufacturers and service providers in the oil, water, power, sectors have real options.” According to Waller, particular issues lie with product support, service and training and need to be addressed as they represents a higher investment than with other markets.“You cannot just fly training and support staff into Iraq quite yet, but fortunately decades of surviving parts and equipment embargoes mean that Iraqi engineers are exceptionally skilled at maintaining and repairing plant and equipment, the oil fields in the south being a testimonial to this.” http://todayiraq.com/2011/03/1363/

Al-Hashimi, The representative of the Arab League to discuss the developments of the situation of local and Arab The vice-president of the republic reviewed, Tarek Al Hashemi, with the representative of the secretary-general of the Arab League in Iraq Nagi Shalghem the developments of the situation on local and Arab arenas. News agency quoted the statement as saying Al Hashemi, الخميسان the meeting included a review of the political situation and the latest developments on the Arab arena. The statement added that Shalqam offered his condolences للهاشمي and the Iraqi people, the tragedy that took place in Salah al-Din governorate, expressing at the same time his hope that يتجاوزالعراق the current crisis and restore its assigned role. http://ar.radionawa.com/(X(1)A(ubgy_DomzAEkAAAAZTljOTlhMzEtZDQxZS00NDhkLTllZmUtZDQ4NTg2NDIxYTQ3HgpI-CY85Tuu0nMkSxxe1RWYsgM1))/Detail.aspx?id=1726&LinkID=63

Nouri Al-Maliki: Iraq civil state and not Islamic Nouri Al-Maliki, the prime minister said that the Iraqi state has not adopted the Islamic regime and that they are not Doctrinal, sectarian, but a civil state, while he confirmed that Iraq said the region, and to anyone. He said Prime Minister nouri Al-Maliki during a meeting at his office and a large delegation of tribal sheikhs and dignitaries in Tal Afar, Iraq is not that the state with an Islamic regime ليقال that this is a regime that a Shiite Muslim, Sunni, confirming that the Iraqis are free to their beliefs واعتناقهم لمذاهبهم religions. Al Maliki confirmed that Iraq Syed in the region and one, either economically or politically, culturally and socially, but said that the delay in the country would be busy while the war for foreign affairs or by internal fighting. http://ar.radionawa.com/(X(1)A(rZELJzomzAEkAAAAYTU3ZTZmYzMtNjc1ZC00ODA5LTkyNWItYmMzNTVhODA5ZTRkgWfZZ4ebJHn6Eu0kxwdwBl1clnU1))/Detail.aspx?id=1703&LinkID=63

The Ministry of Justice is seeking to close eight prisons lack humanitarian standards The date of publishing 31/03/2011 07:00 AM Baghdad (بابنيوز): A reform, head of Iraqi major general Jawad Kadhim, that the number of prisons in Iraq reaches 34 prisons, "he said recently closed the honour was a total of the 33 Prisons in all parts of Iraq in the hope that the Ministry of Justice to close eight other prisons as humanitarian standards, including El Rasafa prison," he said the absence of any secret prison in Iraq. For his part, said Major General Ali Hamid, the representative of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the committee to resolve the files of the prisoners, during the conference, that the committee formed to resolve the problem of the detainees of representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the leadership of the Supreme Judicial Council and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, which was formed in 2-4-2010 seeks to resolve the files of the prisoners, indicating that consideration had been given to a number of the cases of detainees arrived at 15,531 cases, if there has been any condemnation to the right of prisoners to be released, adding that among those issues related to detainees have been released 5578 prisoners and 9953 of them to justice. While noting a spokesman for the Supreme Council of the judiciary Abdul Sattar Al-Berkdar that in the two months of January and February ago, released 12,877 prisoners and more than 6 thousand prisoners to the courts denying at the same time, there is no detention without judicial warrants, "he said all the prisoners were detained in accordance with court orders if there were cases of detention without a warrant by the citizens in order to take the necessary action," he said. http://www.babnews.com/inp/view.asp?ID=36887

Four Jordanians accused of recruiting elements to fight in Iraq The date of publishing 31/03/2011 02:00 PM Amman (AFP): A Jordanian judicial source said today that the State Security Court attorney general the charges relating to terrorism to four Jordanians tried to recruit members to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. The source said that " the attorney general the charges relating to terrorism detainees Ahmed Yusuf (30 years old) ومجاهد nabil (20 years old), Omar (25 years old), and the administration of justice nasri الطحاينة, on the background of trying to recruit members in the kingdom to be sent via Syria to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan." Were these charges including " recruitment of persons inside the kingdom with a view to terrorist groups, and to leave the country with a view to join armed groups terrorist organizations, and the collection and management of funds with a view to be used for committing terrorist acts." According to the bill of indictment, the four suspects with ties of friendship and وتواصلوا with "Jihadist SITEs" on the Internet to recruit elements to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, there are fighters through Syria. Security services foiled the scheme of those in the second of January, was arrested on three of those suspected to have fled nasri الطحاينة of the administration of justice. http://www.babnews.com/inp/view.asp?ID=36931

Al-Maliki Calls for finding a comprehensive map of all institutes and caring for people with special needs 2011-03-31 15:48:27 ________________________________ Baghdad (IBA). He said Prime Minister nouri kamel Al-Maliki: that Iraq was one of the countries that بنكبات as a result of the deceased, the wrong policies, and the wars and adventures, and use of chemical weapons against the Iraqi people, which left a large number of persons with disabilities, who are in need of care and legislation, in particular. Al-Maliki Said when attending, and the annual celebration day disabled Iraqi which had been set up by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: We must be with special needs that they are part of US and المجتمعولابد to provide them a special effort يعبرعن our commitment and our duty towards them. He called for creating a comprehensive map of all institutes and caring for people with special needs in the العراقلتقديم service necessary for them by the state, because the dignity of society, there shall be no us neglect وتركهمدون care and attention. Al-Maliki Said: " We are the first to take care of this segment more than others because they trust, who, the secretariat and we ونتحملها it official responsibility and moral, and look for the special needs of التفاتة through the provision of real احتياجاتهمواشعارهم always despite the handicap, which suffer from it that they are an important part of society, as well as the establishment of the institutions and their own, and to have been the-for the development of this sector. Al-Maliki Opened the disabled products and business and by people with special needs,, thanks to the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and all those responsible for their efforts under the auspices of this group, calling for the revival of this event every year, and to be a culture reflects our commitment to this category لاشعارها والتكريم care and respect. The ceremony was attended by the deputy prime minister rose Nouri Shawes and a number of ministers and members of the House of Representatives and officials. (END) http://www.ipairaq.com/index.php?name=inner&t=politics&id=37006

The commission of inquiry electricity failures تقرراستدعاء some officials in the ministry in the wake of the financial and administrative corruption Haidar Ali Jawad-31/03/2011 ad-3: 02 | readers number: 24 ________________________________ The Parliamentary Investigation Committee said in the Ministry of Electricity failures, it decided at its first meeting, which was held today, calling some of the officials in the Ministry of Electricity on the background of the financial and administrative corruption in the ministry. Uday said Awad, the chairman of the committee that: "will be questioned officials in the Ministry of Electricity involved with administrative and financial corruption to negligent in the production of electric power and during the previous years," he said. He added: " That the names of the Negligent will be under the dome of the parliament and it, therefore, be referred to Justice http://www.burathanews.com/news_article_120872.html

Parliament members receive the Curricula Vitae of candidates for ministries of interior and defense and planning Haidar Ali Jawad-31/03/2011 ad-3: 06 | readers number: 64 ________________________________ The members of the House of Representatives, the Curricula Vitae of the candidates, the ministries of defense and interior and planning. A parliamentary source said that: "The House of Representatives received today the Curricula Vitae of the candidates of the ministries, Khaled al obaidi, tired of the Ministry of Defence, Ibrahim Al-Lami of the Ministry of the Interior, Youssef Abdel-Nabi to the Ministry of Planning," he said. The House of Representatives was granted in its session that was held on 21 December, the incomplete vote of confidence for the government headed by nouri owners. And the Chamber of Deputies on 13 February last the appointment of eight new ministers out of nine nominated Al-Maliki to complete government formation, which is needed for the security portfolios and a bag of planning. The prime minister promised during the last two weeks to provide security prime minister but was not able to bring them due to the lack of an agreement on them. It is worth mentioning that the political blocs in arbela, I call on the Iraqi List as minister of defense and the National Alliance Minister of Interior and national security. Al-Maliki And three security ministries of defense, interior and national security, the agency. http://www.burathanews.com/news_article_120873.html

Kurdish opposition denies scheduling meetings with ruling partiesThursday, March 31st 2011 2:36 PM Erbil, March 31 (AKnews) – An opposition group in Kurdistan denied on Thursday any scheduled meetings with the ruling parties over recent protests in the region. A member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani – one of the ruling parties in Kurdistan – told a press conference they would convene with Gorran on Thursday as a follow-up to their earlier talks on Tuesday. A member of Gorran’s negotiating team Yousef Mohammed, told AKnews that they were not aware of any agreed meetings with the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) – the other ruling party led by the regional president Massoud Barzani. “In our first meeting, we concentrated on reforms and necessary measures regarding the demands of the people,” said Mohammed “epecially the urgent demands of people, then we will look into the situation to see if there are other matters that require us to meet.” The “urgent demands” refer to part of a 26-point demand paper protesters in Sulaimaniyah had submitted to the government to implement. The urgent demands include putting an end to the state of emergency across the Kurdistan region and bringing to justice those accused of killings during the protests. So far nine people have died in the public demonstrations and more than 200 left injured. Other fundamental demands include the summoning to parliament of the ministers of the interior and Peshmarga affairs as well as the prime minister for accountability over the incidents. The protestors’ other fundamental demands include launching an inquiry into, and the disclosure of, assets belonging to government officials, as well as salary cuts for MPS, ministers and high-ranking government figures. In the meeting between the KDP, PUK and Gorran on Tuesday, support for the demands of the protesters was emphasized. They also agreed to pass important law by consensus rather than by majority vote, as well as the review of a number of laws – including the constitution of Kurdistan which was passed by the majority of the parliament amid protests from opposition groups. Reported by Dilshad Saifaddin, Edited by Raber Y. Aziz http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/228651/

Fishing seasons ends in Kurdistan Thursday, March 31st 2011 1:57 PM Erbil, March 31 (AKnews) – The fishing season in the Kurdistan Region will end on Friday, a source at the Ministry of Agriculture and water Resources said. Fishing in the Kurdistan Region is permitted throughout the year except for the three months from April through to late June which is normally the mating season for the fish. The closure of the season includes all Iraq. “Any fisherman caught fishing during this period will be punished and his equipment will be confiscated,” said Sirwan Saed, director of fish resources at the ministry of agriculture. Fishermen in the Kurdistan Region sometimes use means other than those permitted by the government such as explosives and electricity currents which Saed said were forbidden not only during the mating season but throughout the year. There are about 262 fish farms in Kurdistan, 162 in Erbil alone, all of which are privately owned. Iraq’s governmental hatcheries do not produce fish for consumption; rather they produce juvenile fish stock to supply farmers for breeding. In 2010, a total of 376,000 tons of juvenile fish were produced in government hatcheries. “90% of these fish are kept for breeding and reproduction” said Saed. Reported by Saman Ali Ry/Ka/AKnews http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/2/228636

Moment of silence observed in parliament for Salah al-Din victims 3/31/2011 4:02 PM BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Osama al-Nujiefi, asked on Thursday lawmakers to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the double explosion in Salah al-Din. The parliament held on Thursday afternoon a session, led by Osama al-Nujiefi, with the attendance of 240 lawmakers to make the second reading of the salary of the president of the republic and his deputies, in addition to the parliament's speaker and his two aides. Scores were killed or wounded when gunmen using car bombs, explosive belts, and hand grenades stormed into the council headquarters of Salah al-Din Province and held people hostage. SH (TP)/SR http://en.aswataliraq.info/Default1.aspx?page=article_page&id=141740&l=1

Al-Nujeifi visits Prague next week 3/31/2011 2:54 PM BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Osama al-Nujiefi, will start an official visit to Prague next week to discuss boosting bilateral relations, according to a media center in the Czech capital. "Well informed sources said that the parliamentarian will start an official several-day visit to Prague, where he will meet with senior officials to discuss boosting ties," the center said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "Al-Nujiefi's visit is the first to Europe since assuming his office," the Iraqi ambassador to Czech, Hassan Maala, said. "We hope to increase visits to boost cooperation, mainly on economic and investment level," he noted. SH (TP)/SR http://en.aswataliraq.info/Default1.aspx?page=article_page&id=141739&l=1

Mosul dam cracksWednesday, March 30th 2011 8:02 PM Baghdad, March 30 (AKnews) - The Ministry of Water Resources said Wednesday that it will negotiate with the "Bauer" German company and "Trevi" Italian company to address the cracks in the foundations of the Mosul Dam. The Ministry of Water Resources discussed on February 22 the cracks at the base of Mosul dam with 60 international companies and Bauer and Trevi companies were chosen. The ministry’s director of projects Ali Hashim told AKnews that the Ministry of Resources is working to accelerate the implementation of functional processors during the current year related to the development of fundamental bases of the dam, and the negotiations will continue with these two companies to address the issue during the next few days to take advantage of it with respect to energy storage and electricity energy generating. The Ministry of Water Resources assured earlier that the cracks found in the foundations of the Mosul Dam are under control and that the collapse of the dam is not possible. In 2006 The U.S. administration warned of the risk of the 80-year-old dam, the fourth largest in the Middle East, collapsing thus exposing Mosul’s 1.7 million inhabitants to a 20 meter high wave of water and extensive flooding. More recently the German magazine Hermes published reports that the concrete base on the right hand side of the dam may collapse this year if the Iraqi government fails to address the issue immediately. Ministry statistics reveal that Mosul dam is costing the government around half a billion dollars a year to maintain. It is Iraq’s biggest dam and holds back a reservoir that contains between 8-11 billion cubic meters of water used in agriculture, fish-farming and power generation through a nearby hydroelectric plant. The 113 meter high dam situated on the Tigris River was constructed by a joint German-Italian company in the first half of the 20th century Reported by Saman Dazzayi RN\GS AKnews http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/3/228502/

Update: Salahaddin blast death toll reaches 175 casualties Wednesday, March 30th 2011 8:13 PM Salahaddin, March 30 (AKnews) - An official security source in Salahaddin police said Tuesday evening that the toll of the explosion and the armed attack done on the building of the Salahaddin provincial council rose to 65 dead and 110 wounded persons, mostly civilians. Capt. Hazem al-Jabbouri told AKnews that joint U.S-Iraqi forces stormed the council's building and controlled the first and second floors and at the end they succeeded in controlling the whole building and killing all the attackers at around 6:00 pm. "The attack was done by a bombed car that exploded at the main entrance and a suicide bomber who blew himself up inside the building, then more than 15 militants stormed the building and detained members of the Council and hostages, and among the dead persons were three of the council's members who are Sheikh Mahdi Arran, Wathiq Shaker and Abdullah Jabbara," he said. Reported by Abdullah al-Hasan RN\GS AKnews http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/3/228507/

Bolani calls Maliki to protect scientific competencies from assassinationsWednesday, March 30th 2011 8:23 PM Baghdad, March 30 (AKnews) - The former interior minister called on Wednesday the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to move urgently to provide protection to the deans of the faculties and the important competencies after the assassination of the Dean of the Medicine Faculty at the University of Mustansiriya yesterday. MP from the Center Alliance Jawad al-Bolani told AKnews that there are clear murders for the scientific competencies in the country and this is a risky indicator since the gangs are trying to destabilize the security situation and empty Iraq of its competencies. Security sources said that unidentified gunmen entered the clinic of Dr. Mouhammed Alwan, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Mustansiriya University, in Harthiya district west of Baghdad, and shot him dead then escaped to an unknown destination. "The government must take precautionary measures through the assignment of the VIP Protection Directorate to protect those competencies. The security file needs reviewing and management of plans." Baghdad is witnessing a wave of assassinations by silent guns that claimed the lives of a number of employees and officers. About the bombing of the building of Salahaddin provincial council Bolani said that "the terrorist act in Salahaddin province is a serious challenge for the government to choose competent security ministers. "The absence of security ministers have negatively impacted the security situation in parts of Iraq and the continuing delay in naming them is not acceptable ... One of the reasons for the breach in Salahaddin is the exclusion of officers in the province and other provinces for unknown reasons where Salahaddin did not witness such violations in the past." The final toll of the explosion and the attack on the Salahaddin provincial council reached to 65 dead and 110 wounded persons, mostly civilians. The competent security authorities in Salahaddin imposed a curfew on vehicle movement and civilians after the attack. Reported by Abdullah Shames and Fulaih al-Jawari RN\GS AKnews http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/228510/

United Nations Briefing Book (Iraq) December 2010 http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/UN-Briefing_Book_English2011.pdf

These paragraphs are not in order... they are based on queries of the words "revaluation" "May" & "Exchange Rate" 15. The CBI will continue to aim at keeping inflation low, predominantly by maintaining a stable exchange rate. The low level and the relative stability of inflation do not suggest any significant over- or undervaluation of the Iraqi dinar. Also, a stable exchange rate continues to provide a solid anchor for the public’s expectations in an otherwise highly uncertain environment and in an economy with a very low level of financial intermediation. Meanwhile, the CBI will continue to keep its policy interest rate positive in real terms. To enhance mobilization of domestic financing, limitations on state-owned banks’ use of government deposits for investing in Treasury bills have been reduced, while the pension fund has also been allowed to invest in Treasury bills and to participate in auctions directly. IX. Exchange rate arrangement: The Central Bank of Iraq has been conducting foreign exchange auction on a daily basis since October 4, 2003. The central bank followed a policy of exchange rate stability which has translated in a de facto peg of the exchange rate since early 2004. However, from November 2006 until end 2008, the CBI allowed the exchange rate to gradually appreciate. As a result, the exchange rate arrangement of Iraq was reclassified to the category of crawling peg effective November 1, 2006. Since the start of 2009, the CBI returned to its earlier policy of maintaining a stable dinar. Consequently, the exchange rate arrangement of Iraq was reclassified effective January 1 2009 as a stabilized arrangement. 24. Staff supports the CBI’s policy of managing the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar to keep inflation low. A stable exchange rate continues to provide a solid anchor for the public’s expectations in an otherwise highly uncertain environment. Over time, rising oil revenues could put upward pressure on the real exchange rate, which would warrant allowing greater exchange rate flexibility. Staff also welcomes the authorities’ continued commitment to safeguard the independence of the CBI, which is critical for maintaining confidence in the Iraqi dinar. 3. Overall macroeconomic performance in 2010 has been strong. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has been successful in keeping inflation under control, by managing the exchange rate and by keeping the policy interest rate positive in real terms. Headline inflation and core inflation (excluding fuel and transportation) have remained in the low single digits. The CBI’s policy interest rate, which has been gradually reduced, is currently at 6 percent and positive in real terms. With low inflation, the exchange rate has been stable since the beginning of 2009. The CBI’s international reserves increased to $50 billion at end-December 2010, from $44 billion at end-2009. 8. The CBI will continue to be independent in the pursuit of its policy objectives. The CBI’s monetary and exchange rate policies will continue to be aimed at keeping inflation in the low single digits and safeguarding international reserves. We believe that the policy of maintaining a stable exchange rate continues to be appropriate, as it provides a solid anchor for the public’s expectations in an otherwise uncertain environment and in an economy with a still very low level of financial intermediation. The policy interest rate will be kept positive in 32 real terms (measured against core inflation) to signal the CBI’s firm commitment to maintain a low rate of inflation. 5. Monetary policy. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) intends to maintain its present monetary policy, which aims at keeping inflation in the single digits. The exchange rate remains the CBI’s main policy instrument, given the very low level of financial intermediation. The authorities remain committed to ensuring the independence of the CBI, which they view as critical for maintaining confidence in the Iraqi dinar. The CBI has appointed an international audit firm to conduct the audit of its 2010 financial statements. The CBI will provide staff with the draft 2010 audited CBI financial statements and draft management letter (a new benchmark for end-May 2011). The auditor will also conduct special audits of the CBI’s NIR and NDA as of December 31, 2010 (also a new benchmark for end-May 2011). The Ministry of Finance has been gathering information on the outstanding stock of advances (a benchmark for end-September 2010). While some progress has been made, a number of line ministries have yet to report. The authorities aim to complete the inventory by end-May 2011. In the meantime, the Ministry of Finance will request the Board of Supreme Audit (BSA) to review the outstanding advances to determine whether these should be closed with the funds returned to the budget. The reviews of government bank accounts and the stock of advances clearly show the need to move toward introducing a single treasury account (STA). The authorities share this view. As a first step of moving ahead with what will be a lengthy process, staff of the Fund and the Bank will assist the authorities with advancing the process for establishing a Financial Management and Information System (FMIS), an important step in the process of moving toward a STA, by helping to determine a set of core functionality requirements (a new benchmark for end-May 2011). As a transition to a STA, the authorities also plan, with the assistance of Fund technical assistance, to streamline cash management in the short run already by granting a larger role to the CBI in the Treasury’s banking arrangements and thus to reduce outstanding cash balances (a new benchmark for end-June 2011). The review of the public sector deposits and advances made it clear that large improvements in cash management and fiscal controls and reporting can be made with the eventual introduction of a Single Treasury Account (STA). While we are committed to introduce a STA, this will be a challenging process that will take several years to complete. As an important intermediate step, we are aiming to establish a Financial Management and Information System (FMIS). Despite considerable efforts, the assistance we have received in this area has not resulted yet in the introduction of such a system. Therefore, we will develop, in close consultation with the IMF and the World Bank, a set of core functional requirements for a financial management and information system that is consistent with internationally accepted good practice in this area, including the ability to produce regular comprehensive reports; the inclusion of a commitment control system; and a decision on the envisaged payments system and associated banking arrangement (a new structural benchmark for end-May 2011).

House of Representatives discusses the rules of procedure and law to reduce the salaries of the three presidencies on Thursday وكالات - أكد مصدر برلماني، الأربعاء، أن مجلس النواب سيناقش خلال جلسة يوم غد الخميس القراءة الثانية لقانون تخفيض رواتب ومخصصات الرئاسات الثلاث ومشروع قانوني النظام الداخلي وشركة النفط الوطنية. Agencies - parliamentary source, on Wednesday, the House of Representatives will be discussed during a meeting on Thursday the second reading of the Law of the reduction of salaries and allowances of the three presidencies and the draft legal rules of procedure and the national oil company. وقال المصدر أن "مجلس النواب سيناقش خلال جلسته الـ48 التي ستعقد يوم غد الخميس، القراءة الثانية لقانون تخفيض رواتب الرئاسات الثلاث ونوابهم ووكلاء الوزراء ومن هم بدرجتهم والمكافآت الشهرية لرئيس مجلس النواب ونائبيه وأعضاء مجلس النواب". The source said that "the House of Representatives will discuss at its 48, which will be held on Thursday, the second reading of the law to reduce the salaries of the three presidencies and vice-chairmen and deputy ministers and their grade and the monthly emoluments of the President of the House of Representatives and his deputies and members of the House of Representatives." وأضاف المصدر الذي طلب عدم الكشف عن اسمه، أن "الجلسة ستشهد أيضا القراءة الأولى لمشروع قانوني النظام الداخلي للبرلمان وشركة النفط الوطنية العراقية". The source, who asked not to be named, said: "The meeting will also see the first reading of the draft legal rules of procedure of Parliament and the Iraqi National Oil Company." ورفع مجلس النواب العراقي، أمس الثلاثاء، جلسة البرلمان الـ47، إلى يوم غد الخميس،بعد الانتهاء من القراءة الأولى لمشروع قانون وزارة التربية والقراءة الثانية لمقترح قانون الرقابة المالية، والتصويت بالأغلبية على اعتبار قمع الانتفاضة الشعبانية خلال العام 1991 جريمة ضد الإنسانية. And raising the Iraqi Council of Representatives, on Tuesday, a session of Parliament 47, the day on Thursday, after the completion of the first reading of the draft Law on the Ministry of Education and the second reading of the proposed law on financial control, and a majority vote to consider the suppression of the popular uprising in 1991 a crime against humanity. وكان مجلس النواب العراقي صوت، في الـ12 من آذار الحالي، خلال جلسته الـ41 على قانون تخفيض رواتب الرئاسات الثلاث بشكل مبدئي. The Iraqi Council of Representatives voted, in the 12 of March current, through its 41 Act reduce the salaries of the three presidencies in principle. مزي Mzee http://alrayy.com/19986.htm

Unknown target whole schools by explosive devices in west of Baghdad 2011-03-30 18:29:38 ________________________________ ] Baghdad (IBA) ... the unknown people on placing explosive devices near the schools in Ameriya region west of Baghdad. A police source said the independent press agency (IBA) that unknown people have put explosive devices near the mosque was good al-bdour primary and secondary qutaiba bin Muslim الباهلي for girls, it exploded during the prayer, students from their schools to the largest number of casualties among civilians. He said the force was able to combat the explosives to control it and detonated it without حدوثاي human or material losses. The same region witnessed last week a bomb blast on a short distance from the mosque والمدرستين-without any material or human losses. (Finally)/gc/. http://www.ipairaq.com/index.php?name=inner&t=security&id=36958

Iraq promised the IMF to maintain the independence of the central bank Palm-Iraq informed the International Monetary Fund this month that the central bank will remain independent after the court ruled that the bank is the prime minister. In a memorandum of understanding sent by Iraq to the fund on the third of March expected Iraq's GDP growth 12 percent this year and vowed to complete the restructuring of the Rafidain Bank, the two biggest rational Iraqi banks by mid-June. http://www.nakhelnews.com/pages/news.php?nid=6570

mass grave found in Kurdistan contains Iranian soldiers PUKmedia 2011-03-30 15:55:33 An team of Iranian forensic experts arrived Wednesday in Kurdistan region following the excavation of a mass grave found in Saed Sadiq district, Sulaimani province. The mass grave dated back to the Iraq-Iran war during the 1980s, which contained a number of dead bodies of Iranian soldiers. The dead bodies are expected to be brought back home in a ceremony. http://www.pukmedia.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7241:mass-grave-found-in-kurdistan-contains-iranian-soldiers-&catid=29:kurdistan-region&Itemid=385