Pitcher

Sorry Umbertino, I vehemently disagree. In a free market system a CEO gets whatever the company thinks he’s worth. Should a a movie star make 25 million for one flick? Should an athlete make 25 million a year? Does Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg deserve to earn billions for starting their companies? Does Opra deserve billions for a talk show? In the US the answer is yes!! These type of articles are pure Socialism and pure trash. If a person believes our system is unfair maybe they should move to a country where Socialism is the economic system..

We don’t have it anymore honey. 1. Since you said it was a scam I sold it 2. I can’t find it, did you take it? 3. The cleaning person thought it was toilet paper 4. There was a huge wind storm 5. Locust ate them 6. There was a flood 7. Earthquake!!!!!!!!

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Spring Festival is only five days away and organizers are preparing for one of the largest and most exciting events of 2018, promising a color festival, live entertainment, a variety of food and other family-friendly activities. The Head of Public Relations for this year’s Spring Festival, Idris Mukhtar, said they are going with the theme of new beginnings in a region that has lived through years of conflict. They hope to provide a relaxing and fun atmosphere. “Let’s start this spring differently to past springs, start it with a mind of peace, with the mind of living together,” Mukhtar told Rudaw English on Sunday. The spring festival takes place across 15 countries worldwide. Last year’s event in Erbil was primarily a color festival, but Mukhtar said this year will be much different, including DJs, singers and dancers, kid’s activities, food stalls and many other surprises. Up to 20 local and international restaurants will be selling food and a score of talented women from across the region will have handmade products for sale. The list of entertainers include DJ Pro, B5 Shadows, a group of mixed Kurdish and Arab artists, Jezhwan Jaff and Assyrian singer Saco Saca, who will be singing in three different languages. “We also have a very big surprise singer which we’ll announce tomorrow,” Mukhtar added. The Spring Festival is co-organized by Babylon FM with the help of Nishtiman Youth Network (NYN). The festival takes place on Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 at Glkand Park across from the University of Kurdistan-Hewler (UKH) campus. Mukhtar said they are expecting at least 20,000 people over the course of the two-day festival in Erbil. Tickets are available for purchase at Babylon FM, Family Mall, Barista Café in Ankawa, Amazon Bookstore on Kirkuk Road and Café De Baron at Vital Village. Tickets cost 10,000 Iraqi dinars. Once purchased, buyers will be given a box which includes a Spring Festival T-shirt, a bag of color powder to throw, a wrist band and a pamphlet of instructions written in Kurdish and English. Children under the age of eight can enter for free. Festival goers can enter the festival both days for the same price, as long as they keep their wristband. Tickets are limited and Mukhtar encouraged those interested to buy them as soon as possible. More information can be found on the Spring Festival’s social media page or by calling 07501462121. “This will be an unforgettable experience,” Mukhtar added. http://www.rudaw.net/mobile/english/kurdistan/180320182

Mmmm very interesting!

The US president has ordered the CIA not to interfere in the Russian presidential elections, and in return Russia will not intervene in the upcoming US election. Former CIA employee and current whistle blower “Jeffrey Sterling” announced that US President Donald Trump had ordered former CIA chief Mike Pompeo to stop taking any sensitive action in the upcoming Russian presidential election. “In return for this order, Trump asked the Russians to end the tensions between the two countries and to not interfere in the next US elections.”_ Sterling added. It is noteworthy that the authorities of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have taken a decision to prevent such incidents from occurring in the wake of speculation over Russia’s intervention in the 2016 election. Pompeo also said at a meeting of the Senate select committee on intelligence on February 13 that Russia could intervene in the congressional mid-term elections in November. On the other hand, at the Dartmouth Summit held in September 2017 between US and Russian security officials, the level of pessimism between the two countries was reduced and it was decided to find a solution for the challenges between the two countries at the next meeting. The next meeting was held at the Russian security officials visit to Washington in mid-February, and the meeting was held secretly, the result of which was Russia’s guarantee of non-interference in the Senate’s mid-term elections, against US not meddling in the Russian presidential election. Trump’s encounter with the Russians has been a weak one is precedent, he offered cyber assistance to President Vladimir Putin at the first meeting with the Russian leader, which was heavily criticized by some American politicians. Some speculations consider Pompeo’s new position to be linked to new changes in the CIA. http://www.iraqnow.news/articles/10161

A high-level US delegation is expected to visit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region for talks on a joint administration in the disputed areas and the redeployment of the Peshmerga forces along with the federal forces, spokesman for the Arab tribes in Nineveh revealed Saturday. Muzahim Al-Hewitt said the US command had informed Baghdad about the redeployment of the Peshmerga forces in all the disputed areas and the formation of a joint operations room between the two sides under the supervision of US forces. Al-Hewitt added that the Arab tribes were concerned over the return of sectarian violence and attacks on nationals of other sects and religions. He added that the disputed areas have a Kurdish majority, stressing that all the components, religions and sects in those areas are very concerned as most of ISIS terrorists had joined Iran-allied IMIS Militias. Kurdistan Region says the federal government is seeking to change the demography of the disputed areas. In early October, 2017, Iraqi forces and IMIS Militias invaded Kirkuk where they committed atrocities against civilians particularly Sunnis. Human rights groups said those atrocities amounted to war crimes. http://www.iraqnow.news/articles/10156

Thank you King Bean. Didn’t get that either but if it makes em happy it’s all good.

I’m ok with the warning and jail time. I was breaking the rules without really knowing it. I’m doing my time, no biggie. I just wish they would serve better meals.

DTS. Drain the Swamp.

Can you blame the Obama officials for speaking out about McCabe’s firing. They are worried, very worried. If McCabe starts singing the dirt of the last administration could be exposed. DTS I’m all for all the dirt from both political parties be exposed. Time for OUR politicians to realize they work for and represent the people, not their own special interests!! DTS.... Drain the Swamp.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/economy/big-tech-needs-to-face-a-theodore-roosevelt/

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi took the opportunity in a unity speech during Iraqi Martyrs Day which aligns with the death anniversary Shiite cleric Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr to say Iraq is now possibly establishing its third republic. “We are probably today establishing the third republic. The third republic is a united, strong Iraq that is capable of playing an important role not only in the region but the world," said Abadi. Abadi argued he is for majority politics, but under certain conditions. “We are for majority politics if the purpose of majoritarian politics is to achieve a strong state, and a state that can progress forward powerfully to meet the expectations of citizens,” Abadi reveled. Abadi dismissed forms of majority politics which exclude the others in the political process. Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and MPs in his State of Law bloc’s have expressed their intention to form a majority government, citing the incompetency of the previous governments as caused by the coalition nature of the governments. "We are for this unity, and that is why we are for political a consensus that that takes care of Iraq's interests and the citizens. We are not with political consensus that leads to privileges to sides and parties. We reject such consensus,” Abadi added. Abadi posited that Iraqis achieved “an astounding victory that dazzled everyone” and warned the media of trying to leverage ISIS sleeper cell attacks, saying it amounted to helping terrorism. "Unity resulted in victory. For the sake of sustaining the victory, we have to be united. We cannot take care of this victory without unit,” Abadi argued. Abadi proclaimed unity as necessary for sustaining the victory into the second victory of rebuilding, investment, creating jobs and stability. Abadi argued that security has to be established for services and rebuilding that is necessary for IDPs returning to their homes. He did admit that some IDPs had changed their homes and have settled elsewhere. "We don't want to effect a demographic change," said Abadi, revealing that some displaced people have left their homes and have populated other areas. Fuad Masum, a Kurd and the Iraq president, also participated in the event and celebrated the strong relationship between the late Mohammed Baqir Sadr and Jalal Talabani. Sadr was killed by the Saddam Hussein regime in 1980 after writing in defense of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. [It] is necessary to render the victory over terrorism a fact in the future as well, which calls for providing the positive, actual, and necessary environment for a dignified return of displaced [people],” Masum said. “[It's necessary] for social reconciliation to resolve all disputes between the sons of one nation based on the constitution,” Masum added. The tense relations between Baghdad and Erbil have witnessed a thaw and normalization, especially with the decision of reopening KRG’s airports for international flights and sending salaries for some KRG departments. The first Iraqi republic lasted from 1958 to 1968, Saddam Hussein then rose before being removed from power by the US-led coalition in 2003. Iraq’s current government was constitutionally formed in 2005. http://www.rudaw.net/mobile/english/middleeast/iraq/170320181

Oil prices jumped on Friday, pushing contracts to a two-week high as US equities rose and investors bought up to cover positions ahead of a weekend in which CBS TV will broadcast an interview with Saudi Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the news program. “60 Minutes”. The full interview markets, which will be broadcast on Sunday, are expected after Prince Mohammad said in excerpts earlier that Saudi Arabia would develop a nuclear bomb if Iran took the step. Brent crude for the day closed at $ 66.9 a barrel at $ 66.42, its highest level since Feb. 28. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude was up $ 1.15, or 1.88 percent, to close at $ 62.34 a barrel after jumping earlier in the session to $ 62.54, its highest level since March 7. Brent crude ended the week with gains of 1 percent while US crude futures rose 0.4 percent over the week. This is the second consecutive weekly increase for both high-level officials. http://en.economiciraq.com/2018/03/17/oil-prices-are-on-the-rise-and-markets-are-awaiting-an-interview-with-the-saudi-crown-prince/

Wow, I’ll bet that was Incredible! I’ve seen pictures but that can’t come close to seeing it in person. Now it will be put to a better use. Thank you for your service.

Geez, I do apologize for the incorrect link. Don’t have a clue how I did that, probably fat fingers or in too much of a hurry. I’ll be more careful in the future. At least I finally figured out how to post in the correct forums!!!

You guys are awesome, working it on a St. Patty’s Eve!! It’s Friday, brain is off for the next 2 days. Pass me another Guinness. And yes, I am 25% Irish!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5505431/US-impose-sanctions-13-Russians-indicted-Mueller.html

IRAQ HURTLES TOWARD ANOTHER ELECTION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Iraq continues to move slowly but surely towards recovery. The defeat of ISIL — despite a small insurgent pocket remaining in Kirkuk and Diyala — and the (relative) success of the Kuwait conferencegive Iraq the tools needed to continue moving forward and begin to solve its myriad of security, economic, and societal problems. Unresolved issues — the integration of Iraq’s battered Sunnis, the relationship with the United States, and the diversification of the national economy, to mention just a few — could lead to a resurgence of the Sunni extremism that saw its latest manifestation in ISIL. First, however, Iraq must successfully navigate the next election, scheduled for May 12. This election — the second since the end of occupation — presents three key questions for Iraq: First, will Haider al-Abadi be able to retain the prime ministry? Second, will cross-sectarian lists find success? And third, will new voices be able to emerge and take real power? The proliferation of cross-sectarian and pro-reform parties is an encouraging sign, but it remains to be seen whether change has truly come to Iraqi politics at this early stage. Unlike earlier elections in 2014 and especially 2010, the 2018 race will be characterized by a diversity of choices. In 2010, there were essentially only four parties or “lists,” two Shi’a, one Sunni, and one Kurdish (a list is how candidates are arrayed for the voter on the ballot. A list may have more than one party in a coalition, and conversely a party may be on more than one list). This year there are (arguably) five major Shi’a lists, two major Sunni lists, two major Kurdish lists, and several interesting independent and/or new parties and lists — for a total of 88 lists overall (though several of those are individuals and minority lists). Given this diversity of parties, no single list will garner anything approaching a majority of the seats. The leader of the “largest block” (which can be formed after the election, per 2010 precedent) will have a herculean task in assembling his coalition. Most observers expect that no list will get more than 40, perhaps 50, of the 329 available seats, in the best case (all estimates of likely election results are my own, based on conversations with multiple Iraqi sources in Baghdad). So even if Abadi’s “Victory” list gets 50 seats, he will still need to find at least another 115 seats (and realistically many more than that, given typical attendance levels in parliament) to reach 165 required for a parliamentary majority to form a government. This desire to cement a solid block of seats no doubt played into Abadi’s short-lived alliance with Hadi al-Ameri’s “Conquest” list, in which the two groups briefly agreed to be on the same list. Whoever finds himself putting together the coalition will have several pools of seats from which to draw, however. Both Conquest and Nouri al-Maliki’s “State of Law” are expected to draw roughly 30 seats, while the parties led by the younger scions of the Hakim and Sadr families are handicapped at fewer (though each certainly hopes to exceed expectations). More than one of my interlocutors pointed to this diffusion of Shi’a parties as an expression of Iranian weakness, as it appears Tehran no longer has the power to force all, or most, of the Shi’a politicians into one consolidated list. On the pure Sunni side, the “Patriotic” list of Iyad Allawi, Saleh Mutlaq, and Salim al-Jabouri could take 25 seats, while the “Resolution” list of the Nujayfis is expected to take significantly fewer. And on the Kurdish side, the combined list of the traditional Kurdish Democratic Party (KPD) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) parties will compete against the new coalition of Gorran, Komal (the Kurdish Islamists), and Barham Saleh’s “Alliance for Democracy and Justice.” I found no educated observer in Baghdad who was willing to speculate on how these two alliances would split the roughly 50 seats generally won by the Kurdish parties. From these available pools of seats on the major lists — plus independents, minorities, and smaller parties — the leader of the largest block will have to try to craft a working coalition, whether a majority government (much discussed but never yet tried) or simply a national unity government composed of all the significant vote-winning parties, as has been the practice to date. Most observers expect any attempt to create a majority government, with some parties/lists left out of the distribution of ministries and therefore in opposition, to be very difficult. With the large number of lists, even a very successful party will have only a bare plurality of seats — winning 20 percent would be well in excess of current expectations. So rather than a more stable parliamentary model, where two to four parties negotiate a coalition, it is likely that five or six parties — at minimum — will have to agree to form the new Iraqi government. In other words, the negotiations will more closely resemble the complex coalitions of Italy and Israel, rather than the simpler ones of Britain and Germany. Another encouraging sign is the emergence of cross-sectarian tendencies in the major lists. The most obvious instance of this trend is the case of Srwa Abdulwahid, the leader of the Kurdish Gorran delegation in parliament. She was listed as a candidate on Abadi’s Victory list. Despite rumors of her withdrawing (due to Kurdish pressure), she is still listed as of this writing. And she is not an isolated case. Both the Victory list and Ameri’s Conquest list have Sunni Arab candidates running in Anbar and Nineveh, and both will probably win seats in those provinces, particularly as the Victory List in Nineveh is led by former Defense Minister Khalid Obeidi, a popular figure in his hometown of Mosul. While it is too strong to call this development revolutionary, it is nonetheless a serious new trend that will change the nature of government formation, potentially downplaying ethno-sectarian divisions while highlighting party ones. This would be a healthy development, should it materialize. Both Victory and Conquest are running in 18 provinces — meaning they will try to win seats in all three of the Kurdish provinces — while Hikma is running in 16, contesting seats in Sulmaniya but not Erbil and Dohuk. While by no means a panacea, a list coming out of elections with a Shi’a base and significant Sunni Arab, and perhaps Kurdish, parliamentary representation, would be a new phenomenon in Iraqi politics. This election is also seeing the emergence of a number of “reform” parties and lists. There are many, but I will focus on just a few. In the north, Barham Salih, the former KRG Prime Minister and PUK stalwart, has broken off to form the Coalition for Democracy and Justice. His platform (19 pages, emailed to me in English), gives a laundry list of technocratic reforms across the entire range of Iraq’s politics and political economy — judicial reform, tax reform, housing reform, health care reform, education reform, and so forth. Of course, being a Kurdish-based party, the coalition also focuses on Kurdish independence, but makes it clear that there are preconditions to be set and that an independent Kurdish state would have to be “elaborately and extensively negotiated with the federal government in Baghdad.” The Coalition for Democracy and Justice is running independently in the three provinces of the KRG proper (Erbil, Dohuk and Sulimaniyah), and on a combined list with Gorran and Komal in Nineveh, Kirkuk, and Diyala. In Baghdad, Abdul Basit Turki, who is both a former central bank governor and the former head of the Board of Supreme Audit, is heading the Iraqis for Change movement, running on an explicitly anti-corruption, anti-sectarian and anti-foreign influence platform. Iraqis for Change is running in six provinces — Baghdad, Anbar, Nineveh, Diyala, Sallahdin, and Najaf. When I spoke with Basit in Baghdad last month, he was quite passionate about providing a new alternative to the traditional options Iraqis have had — primarily Iraqi Sunnis, based on the provinces in which his list is running. Finally, while not exactly a new party, perhaps the loudest reform voice is Hikma, or “Wisdom,” the new party that Amar al-Hakim broke away from his earlier vehicle, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (which was in turn, formerly the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq). In my discussion with al-Hakim, he laid out Hikma’s broad — if not terribly specific — platform emphasizing non-sectarianism, youth, women, education, and a technocratic government. Their grassroots membership appears to be strong, though whether strong enough to break through the older political machines has yet to be seen. As mentioned earlier, Hikma is fielding candidates in 16 provinces. What strikes at first glance is that while all of these parties seek to break a fresh path and redefine politics as usual, each is led by a very familiar face. Nor is it any great secret that none of these parties are expected to do particularly well. However, should one (or more) of the parties — or ones like them — exceed expectations, it could signal a new political awareness in Iraq. And it goes without saying that Baghdad is desperately in need of new politics. Diversity appears to be breaking out within all of Iraq’s communities, bringing new political trends to the forefront and splintering previous political alliances. Of course, diversity of candidates does not mean there will be diversity in electoral outcomes. The voters always have the last word and could well decide to return the usual suspects, in the same political alignments, to parliament. Further, it is not at all clear that this hoped-for diversity increases stability, or in any way makes for a more functional (or less corrupt) government once it is formed. The general opinion in Baghdad seems to be that whoever emerges from this process as the next prime minister (either Abadi for a second term or some other candidate) will be weaker than Abadi is today. And government formation, despite the prodding of outside powers (the United States, Iran, and Turkey) is still expected to be a drawn-out process of some months. Of course, this is just the handicapping with the elections about two months away, and the voters can always decide to surprise the world. But this is — as best as I can determine — conventional wisdom, from which variations can be measured. Iraq has survived a number of challenges since 2014, when elections were last held. Those who predicted the “end of Iraq” have been proven wrong, as were those who doubted the ability of a then-routed Iraqi army to retake Mosul a few short years later. This election promises to put a final bookend on ISIL’s occupation of northwest Iraq, and let a new government (if not a new prime minister) begin the long work of recovery and reconstruction. The next major step in Iraq’s history belongs not to the army, but to the voters. https://warontherocks.com/2018/03/iraq-hurtles-toward-another-election-what-you-need-to-know/

NCRI - The US Secretary of Defence has accused Iran of funnelling money into Iraq to influence the outcome of its upcoming elections, as part of Iran's overall campaign to destabilise the Middle East. On Thursday, James Mattis said that the Iranian Regime is sending a “not [insignificant] amount of money” into Iraq to sway votes. He said: “We have worrisome evidence that Iran is trying to influence — using money — the Iraqi elections. That money is being used to sway candidates, to sway votes — not an insignificant amount of money, we believe, and it’s highly unhelpful. We know that they are doing what they can to impact the elections, and we don’t like it.” While Mattis declined to name a specific amount in US dollars or to say what outcome Iran hopes to achieve in the elections, it is clear that the US opposes any attempt by a foreign power to interfere in the democratic elections of another sovereign state. Iran’s control of Middle East Iran has been expanding its power over the Middle East for quite some time now, hoping to create a Shiite Crescent from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, but this has been ramped up as Iran seizes power in the vacuum left by defeated ISIS militants. The Regime now boasts of controlling four capitals across the Middle East, including Baghdad, Sana’a, Damascus, and Beirut. Iran’s power in Iraq began to grow after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and increased after the partial withdrawal in 2011. Mattis also criticized Iran for its malign meddling in the Middle East, which included supporting Bashar Assad in Syria and the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. Iran’s testing of advanced weaponry Mattis also noted that Iran is using the strait between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea to test weapons, including anti-ship missiles, radars, mines, ballistic missiles and explosive boats. He is also suspicious of the fact that Iran appears to have stopped its dangerous actions against US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, like making high-speed approaches, launching drones, and capturing 10 US sailors. He said: “It’s like an outlier, and I don’t know why. They don’t seem to be engaging in the same provocative behaviour [in the Gulf].” According to the representative for the US Naval Forces Central Command in Manama, Bahrain, Navy Commander William Urban, there have been no “unsafe and unprofessional” actions by Iran’s Navy in the Gulf since August. https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/terrorism-fundamentalism/24505-mattis-iran-is-meddling-in-iraq-s-elections

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Authorities in Iraq have selected one of the presidential palaces as the premise for the American University in Baghdad, officials were quoted saying on Thursday. State-owned al-Sabaah newspaper quoted Ahmed al-Rubaye, director-general of the state properties department, saying that the department, in coordination with a commission formed by the cabinet on the management of state assets, selected the Radhwaniyah palace and the surrounding territory for the establishment of the American University in Baghdad. He said the measure also involves the execution of “strategic projects that make use of that location for the purpose of investment”. Radhwaniya is located to the west of Baghdad, and the presidential palace there was a main residence for the former president’s family. A government committee is currently taking stock of palaces and other properties belonging to late leader Saddam Hussein and his defunct Baath Party. The government has recently ordered the seizure of assets that belonged to Saddam Hussein and more than 4,200 officials from his government and ruling party. Last March, Iraq’s higher education minister, Abdul-Razeq Eissa agreed with the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad to take steps towards the opening of an American university in the Iraqi capital https://www.iraqinews.com/features/iraq-now-first-business-class-helicopter-taxi/ <-----This is the wrong link

The Minister of Planning, Salman Jumaili, on Thursday, the company “Exxon Mobil” specialized in energy, to redouble its efforts to develop the oil industry in Iraq, stressing the government’s readiness to support its efforts to achieve the desired results of oil investments. The Office of Jumaili said in a statement that the latter “met in his office,” was discussed and discussed the reality of oil production in Iraq and mechanisms to increase this production to achieve the ceiling today, the headquarters of the new head of the Russian company Oksin Mobil Taher district, “indicating that the production needed by the country To meet the requirements of development. ” Al-Jumaili stressed on the importance of dealing and contracting of major international companies to implement projects, especially in the field of oil, because such companies have the capacity and competence that qualifies them to implement such projects according to time, quality and high quality. He pointed out that “this principle is pursued by the Iraqi government in the file of investment and the implementation of strategic projects,” noting that “companies that develop the oil industry can also implement other projects accompanying, such as desalination projects, especially in the province of Basra.” Jumaili called on “the company to increase its efforts to develop the oil industry in Iraq,” expressing “the readiness of the Iraqi government to support these efforts to achieve the desired results of oil investments.” For his part, the head of the company, Oksin Mobil in Iraq Taher Haidam, that his company “has been working in Iraq since 2010 in the province of Basra in the West Qurna I also develops other programs such as desalination and development of two other fields, and the exploitation of gas associated with the production of energy And to promote and develop the oil industry in Iraq and reach the target ceiling of http://en.economiciraq.com/2018/03/16/iraq-calls-for-oksin-mobil-to-double-efforts-to-develop-the-oil-industry/

Yes I am happy that the Iraqi people have something to celebrate. I believe your post is further evidence that things are getting better. They have had to edure a terrible despot and then many years of war. My son had 3 tours of duty in Iraq and he said the people desperately just want peace and live without war. Apologies if you took my post the wrong way.

Not so sure dangerous is the right word. I think he is unpredictable and I believe that is part of his style.

World Bank will lend Iraq 6 Billion The World Bank announced that it has made a pledge to Iraq to lend $ 6 billion over the next three years to help him in the development of infrastructure, adding that the formation of a higher investment council will be authorized to grant large investment projects worth billions of dollars. “The Iraq reconstruction conference held last month in Kuwait is a successful conference due to the participation of more than 1,800 companies and grants and loans amounted to about 30 billion dollars,” said the World Bank’s representative in Iraq, Yara Salem, in an interview. Funds and identify projects to be spent in liberated areas and other areas. ” “In the last four years, the World Bank has provided $ 4.6 billion to rebuild infrastructure through the development of bridges, schools and hospitals and to provide social support to the poor,” she said. “The World Bank has pledged $ 6 billion over the next three years to help Iraq rebuild “He said. “The Iraqi government has taken several measures to encourage investors through the facilitation of visa and the entry of investors to Iraq, in addition to reforms relating to the system of arbitration in commercial disputes and registration system and the abbreviated government procedures and routine through the single window,” noting that ” The Council of Ministers is to encourage the work of investors by solving all the problems at the same time because it includes in its membership all ministries, which removes obstacles from investors. “The Investment Board will be a very large multi-billion dollar project and the NIA is the main partner of this board,” she said. http://en.economiciraq.com/2018/03/15/world-bank-we-will-lend-iraq-6-billion-over-the-next-three-years/

Not the celebration we are looking for but it is another good sign.