Abarvets

We could only hope.......................

Perhaps they were on one of the servers the Feds shut down yesterday.

I am sorry to hear that. I hope all is well with him and he stays safe.

09 Mar 2012 Turkish jets strike north Iraq: rebels ARBIL, Mar 09, 2012 (AFP) - A Kurdish rebel group said on Friday that Turkey's air force carried out air strikes on border areas of north Iraq, but gave no details about casualties or damage. "On March 8, between 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) and 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), F-16 jet fighters belonging to the occupation army of Turkey launched air raids" against the Jabal Mattine area, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said in a statement. It gave no further details. The air strikes were the first reported raids in around a month on north Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, where the PKK maintains rear bases. Fighting between Turkish forces and PKK rebels has escalated in recent months. In October, Turkey launched a major air and land offensive against the rebels in the southeast of the country and in neighbouring northern Iraq after 24 of its troops were killed in a night-time ambush by rebels. The PKK took up arms in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 45,000 lives. It is labelled a terrorist outfit by Ankara and much of the international community. str/psr/jds/hkb http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20120309T125320ZLQO48/Turkish_jets_strike_north_Iraq_rebels

UPDATE: Iraq's New Oil Terminal Starts To Ease Export Bottleneck Friday, Mar 09, 2012 (Adds details on Iraq's export capacity, targets and production throughout.) By Hassan Hafidh Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Iraq has started crude oil exports from a new floating terminal, a senior Iraqi oil official said Friday, alleviating a bottleneck and increasing the country's daily export capacity by 900,000 barrels of oil. Iraq has had to reduce its production from southern oil fields in recent months because it didn't have enough export capacity, but the new Single-point Mooring, or SPM, terminal means the country will be able to increase exports from its southern oil fields to some 2.2 million barrels a day this year, and brings total export capacity in the south to 2.7 million barrels a day, officials said. Exports of the Kirkuk crude from the country's north are expected to remain steady at around 400,000 barrels a day, meaning Iraq's total export target this year would reach 2.6 million barrels a day. Iraq, a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, is currently producing around 2.9 million barrels a day while exports averaged 2.2 million barrels a day last year. It aims to raise production to 3.4 million barrels a day this year, according to Oil Ministry figures, and to achieve that is seeking to ease bottlenecks, rejuvenate aging pipelines and build new storage for crude. The official, who is from the country's largest oil firm the South Oil Co., said loading began at around 1245 local time Thursday at a rate ranging between 10,000-25,000 barrels an hour. "If things go well and we don't have any problem, we are expected to finish loading the first vessel with 2 million barrels capacity in two days from now," said the official who asked not to be named. Iraq had opened last month the new SPM, built by a subsidiary of Australia's Leighton Holding Ltd. (LEI.AU), but bad weather and some technical faults delayed the start of loading. The Iraqi government has signed 11 oil deals with international oil companies over the last three years, with the aim of bringing its output to at least 8 million barrels a day later this decade. -By Hassan Hafidh, Dow Jones Newswires; +962 799 831 831 ; hassan.hafidh@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZW20120309000149/Iraqs_new_oil_terminal_starts_to_ease_export_bottleneck

Anbar issues lawsuit against energy minister for blocking phosphate plant investment Text size By Anwar Msarbat ANBAR, March 8 (AKnews) - Anbar council has filed a lawsuit against Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Hussein al-Shahristani for not agreeing on the investment of the metal phosphate cement plants in the province and instead reverting the project to the Ministry of Oil to introduce it within its licenses schedule. Officials believe such a move to be illegal as control of the project falls in the hands of Anbar council. Muzher Hassan told AKnews that Shahristani did not approve the investment project while Anbar officials and government bodies in Baghdad did approve it. "Comprehensive study and planning was prepared by Anbar Provincial Council and the [Anbar] Investment Commission and investing the plan will solve the problem of unemployment by providing thousands of jobs, in addition to getting benefit from the mineral wealth in western Anbar and providing services for citizens," he added. Anbar council wants to establish laboratories for the production and concentration of phosphate ores and phosphoric acid, as well as launch three cement plants. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20120309082315/Anbar_issues_lawsuit_against_energy_minister_for_blocking_phosphate_plant_investment © AK News 2012

09 Mar 2012 Thousands rally in Iraq over Bahrain crackdown Text size BAGHDAD, Mar 09, 2012 (AFP) - Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad and cities in the Shiite-majority south of the country on Friday to condemn Bahrain for crushing an uprising a year ago. The protests, organised by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, took place in a half-dozen cities in south Iraq with attendance ranging from dozens to several thousand, AFP reporters said. "The Bahraini king is a king only to himself, not for the oppressed people of Bahrain," Sadrist official Ibrahim al-Jabari said in a speech to thousands of demonstrators in the movement's Sadr City bastion in north Baghdad. Jabari also criticised the Arab League for barring Syria from attending an upcoming summit in Baghdad, but allowing Bahrain to join. Protesters shouted, "Bahrain! Free, Free Bahrain!" and held banners condemning Saudi Arabia's "interference" in the Gulf monarchy. Rallies were also held in Sadr's headquarters town of Najaf, the southern port city of Basra, and the towns of Nasiriyah, Hilla, Amara and Diwaniyah. AFP journalists said thousands of demonstrators attended the Najaf and Amara protests, while hundreds took part in the Basra, Nasiriyah and Hilla rallies. Diwaniyah, however, only say a few dozen protesters. "All of these protesters have come to say to the Bahraini leaders, 'Stop what you are doing to the people of Bahrain'," said Mohaned al-Gharawi, a Sadrist official taking part in the Najaf demonstration. Bahrain has complained to Iraq previously of Sadr's "irresponsible statements" about the uprising, summoning Baghdad's envoy to Manama in January. The Shiite-led opposition in Bahrain demands constitutional changes that would reduce the power of the ruling Sunni dynasty. Tensions have remained high in Bahrain since a deadly crackdown last year after a month of street protests in the capital Manama. Tensions between Iraq and the six Gulf Arab states have risen sharply since Bahrain secured military support from fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members to smash the month of pro-democracy protests. In the aftermath of the crackdown, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned that the military intervention risked stoking sectarian conflict across the region. bur-sf/psr/hkb http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20120309T123749ZLQM88/Thousands_rally_in_Iraq_over_Bahrain_crackdown

08 Mar 2012 Iraq to discuss debts to Jordan Amman, March 8(Petra) Iraq's Finance Minister Rafe' Essawi stressed that he will discuss, during his current visit to the Kingdom, Iraqi debts to Jordan. Iraq will study paying off all its debts after concluding discussions with the Paris Club, Essawi said in press statements today. Earlier, Essawi met in Amman with the International Monetary Fund mission to review Iraq's economy. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20120309080627/Iraq_to_discuss_debts_to_Jordan © Jordan News Agency - Petra 2012

Zig perfect words, just perfect!

Thanks Yota! Didn't get to check in today and wow look what I missed! I should check in late more often! :)

Interesting they would have such large auctions after all the articles regarding control of the money supply and fears of currency leaving the country. Thanks for posting the numbers!

Alright, anyone here work at Mayo? Lets see if we can get some info from him. A date and rate maybe? Carrello see if inviting him to the Texas Penthouse in Vegas can persuade him. Alright all kidding aside, thanks for the post!

Thank you. I was thinking the same thing when I read it the first time. Why in heavens name would I travel to your Expo if you don't have the HCL passed. It would be a waste of time. As an investor there is no way I would go in without this being passed. Especially after reading that you haven't passed it since 2008! What kind of PR statement is that? If it hasn't been done already and kept off the official books it is about to be completed. Thanks Stryker! In the publication have they given any hints on the status of the HCL? I like hopeful thinking!

The Business Opportunity You’ve Been Waiting For: “Iraq Oil & Gas” March 7, 2012 Filled underIraq Daily News No Comments According to reports by various U.S. government agencies, multilateral institutions and other international organizations, long-term Iraq reconstruction costs could reach $500 billion or higher. The proposed Hydrocarbons Law, which governs oil contracting and regulation, has been under review in the Council of Ministers since October 26, 2008, but has not received final passage. Iraq was the world’s 12th largest oil producer in 2009, and has the world’s second largest proven petroleum oil and reserves. Few of Iraq’s known fields are in development, and Iraq may be one of the few places left where vast reserves. Iraq Energy EXPO and Conference, April 23-26, 2012 is the only official government sponsored expo and conference, Iraq Ministry of Oil and its 22 companies will be present and they welcome you as they welcome all international companies to participate in upstream and downstream development. http://iraqdailytimes.com/the-business-opportunity-youve-been-waiting-for-iraq-oil-gas/

Thanks for the information Adam and thanks for posting the chat. Very interesting.

Thank goodness for that! Thanks Tony you made my day with this news!

Yes, and please hurry. Folks here really need this to move along.

Very nicely said Carrello.

Shoot we should have consulted that thing earlier. We would have had a lost less stress with all the ups and downs! :)

refusing to discuss the budget within the Council until the court's response of federal law, passed by Parliament earlier. Alright, so at least we know where the budget stands.

I can only hope that this means we are very close. This is their last attempts to screw things up. Once they change the value to the positive, people will be optomistic. Thanks for the post.

Yota, Is this not the person that Hashimi tried to take out? The Minister of Higher Education?

Seriously?! You were not the only one.

Could not have said it any better!

No worries. I have concerns since I was told that the summit was to be postponed. Not because of anything Iraq did but as a result of other countries not having their act together. So every time I see them hinting at anything along the lines of cancel or postpone I cringe. I am hoping that what I was told was incorrect!