blueskies

Thanks Uneek. It's good to have hope .....

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) -The Parliament Chairmanship called the political blocs to keep on discussions over the law draft of 2013 Federal Budget. A statement by the Parliament Chairmanship received by IraqiNews.com cited “The disputes are still huge among the blocs over the Budget law despite the intensified efforts exerted by the Parliament Chairmanship to reach a compromise among the blocs over its draft.” “Due to the significance of this law, we call MPs and blocs to continue their dialogues till the endorsement of the Budget law of 2013,” the statement added. “The Committees of the parliament will continue their performance till the endorsement of the Budget law in a session to be devoted for this issue,” the statement concluded. The parliament postponed the vote on the Budget Law of 2013 due to the disputes among the blocs over its draft. http://www.iraqinews.com/baghdad-politics/parliament-chairmanship-calls-blocs-to-keep-on-discussions-over-budget-law/

I am hoping that its a good sign that it's late in the day there and we haven't heard about an adjournment or definite postponement.

I sure hope so

According to this article from Business Week, the budget vote has been pushed off again. Interesting, though, that Business Week is writing stories on this. Iraq’s parliament postponed a vote on the federal spending plan as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition requested a reduction in the share of Kurdish provinces amid a spat over crude sales, a lawmaker said. The vote has been delayed “at least until next week,” Jaber al-Jabiri, a member of the parliament’s financial affairs committee, said by telephone from Baghdad today. The main reason is that Maliki’s State of Law bloc wants to decrease the semi- autonomous Kurdish region’s share of the state budget to 12 percent from 17 percent, he said. The Kurds have asked for 4 trillion dinars ($3.4 billion) for payments due to oil companies working in the Kurdish region in Iraq’s north, while the budget draft allocates no more than 750 billion dinars for those businesses this year, al-Jabiri said. The Kurds said the 4 trillion dinars cover retroactive payments from 2010, 2011 and 2012 as well as 2013, he said. Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM), Total SA, DNO International ASA and Genel Energy Plc are among companies caught in the conflict between Iraq’s central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government over oil-revenue sharing, production contracts and land. Tensions have deepened in recent months, with armed clashes in the disputed Kirkuk area in November and a halt in oil exports from Kurdistan by pipeline in December. Iraq holds the world’s fifth-biggest crude reserves, according to BP Plc statistics that include Canada’s oil sands. Disagreements over the Defense Ministry budget also played a role in the decision to delay today’s parliament session, said al-Jabiri, a member of the Al-Iraqiya bloc led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, an opponent of Maliki. To contact the reporters on this story: Khalid Al-Ansary in Baghdad at kalansary@bloomberg.net; Nayla Razzouk in Dubai at nrazzouk2@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss at sev@bloomberg.net http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-02-11/iraq-delays-budget-on-dispute-over-kurds-share-lawmaker

That's what an open session means, I think. I hope that they seriously keep it open and finish this.

The last time this happened one of the members here volunteered a translation as he knew Arabic and he also said he was always ready to help translate in the future. Can someone find that old post and get these docs to him?

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) -Member of the Financial Parliamentary Committee Najeeba Najeeb announced holding a meetingonday for the Presidency of the Parliament with the leaders of the Parliamentary Blocs and the Financial Parliamentary Committee to discuss the points of difference within the 2013 Financial Budget.Najeeb mentioned in statement received by IraqiNews.com on Sunday ”The Presidency Commission of the Parliament will hold a meeting with the leaders of the Parliamentary Blocs before holding the session which will be attended by the members of the Financial Parliamentary Committee in order to discuss the points of difference in the Federal Budget law draft of 2013.”She added ”The Kurdistani Alliance have no demands concerning their share of Kurdistan Region from the Federal Budget, but, there are other blocs which may have demands regarding the budget such as the Iraqiya Slate which frankly mentioned that it will not pass the budget law draft if they did not reach an agreement on this issue.”She pointed out that ”The Financial Committee accomplished preparing the financial budget and it is waiting for the political agreement.” \ http://www.iraqinews.com/business-iraqi-dinar/presidency-of-parliament-holds-meeting-to-discuss-differences-over-federal-budget/

Budget vote expected Monday. Fingers crossed. http://www.ninanews.com/english/News_Details.asp?ar95_VQ=GGDJJL

This article below suggests that the budget vote is not on the agenda for Monday's parliament session-- Alsumaria News / Baghdad Parliament source, Saturday, that the House of Representatives will read during its 12 which will be held on Monday, first and second readings of the six bills as well as discuss the reports. source said in an interview for “Alsumaria News”, “The meeting of the Council of Representatives of the 12 of the second legislative term of the year legislative third session, on Monday, will see the second reading of the draft law of the First Amendment to the command of the Coalition Provisional Authority dissolved No. (87) for the year 2004. ” said the source, who asked not to be named, said “the meeting will also first reading of draft Rules ratification Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Iraq on the one hand and the European Union and its Member States on the other site in Brussels on 11 May 2012, and the first amendment to the law of service and military retirement No. (3) for the year 2010. ” The source continued that “the meeting will also first reading of draft Rules Eighth Amendment to the Law on the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research No. (40) of 1988, and the law of the Martyrs Foundation, and the University of Defense for Military Studies, as well as discuss the report Hajj season 1433, and report the challenges and problems facing the environmental situation in the country. ” It is noteworthy that the Presidency Council of Representatives postponed , Saturday (9 February 2013), the 12th session of Parliament on Monday to a lack of quorum, after the presidency raised in (7 February 2013), the 11th session of the Council to Saturday. And, this separate article (quoted below) suggests that the budget was not on the agenda for Saturday's parliament session either-- Baghdad (AIN) –The Iraqi Parliament will hold regular session on Saturday to read a number of law drafts where the session’s agenda is free of the vote on 2013 federal budget. The media office of the parliament cited on Saturday that “The session’s agenda includes conducting the first reading for the partnership and Cooperation agreement between Iraq and the EU and the member states signed in Brussels on 11/5/2012. The session also will witness reading and voting on others law drafts.” /End/ http://alliraqnews.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28160:iraqi-parliaments-regular-session-of-saturday-free-of-vote-on-2013-budget-&catid=35:political&Itemid=2 So maybe Wife in the Know is actually right? It's plausible. I guess we will know more Monday.

To play along, I would say that none of the articles out today say that the budget will be voted on Monday do they? Don't they just say that the session today was adjourned for lack of quorum? Is the budget really on the agenda for Monday? And why would they need to postpone the vote just to do the math for increasing the assumption of the price of a barrel of oil? Makes you go hmmmmmmm. Just asking.

TQ, I'm with you and I believe your info. It's way more believable than normal guru fare. Please stay strong. Your helping lots of folks piece things together.

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) -The White bloc called the political blocs to unite their stances over endorsing the 2013 Budget during the next parliament session of next Saturday. The Secretary General of the White bloc, Jamal al-Bateikh, stated in a press statement received by IraqiNews.com “The political blocs agrees upon some points within the 2013 Budget and their stances must be united to endorse it during the parliament session that will be held next Saturday.” “The draft of 2013 Budget is ready since the beginning of the current year and the disputes among the political blocs were behind delaying endorsing it where it is necessary to endorse it during the next session of the parliament due to its importance for the governmental performance,” he concluded. The parliament postponed its regular session of Thursday due to the lack of the deal among the political blocs over endorsing the 2013 General budget that is 138 IQD Trillion. http://www.iraqinews.com/baghdad-politics/white-bloc-calls-political-blocs-to-unite-their-stances-over-endorsing-01-budget/

Actually, I think it's great news that they've made it an open session. From my understanding (limited as it is), this would allow a budget to pass on a straight up or down vote without a quorum needed. Making something an open session usually encourages more members to attend. Otherwise, things will get passed without their vote. Anyway, that what I've heard is the significance of an open session. Someone, please correct me or add more info if you've got a greater understanding.

TQueezy, thanks for the update. The info makes sense, especially if you read the recent articles that came out tonight explaining what the lingering disagreements are over the budget. They say that the Kurds want their 17% of the budget but others want them to only get 13% and wanted an up or down vote on both numbers. So your intel is consistent with the facts trickling out (assuming that they're real). Personally, I would just split the difference and call it a day but I'm sure they've already thought of that

I still have hope. Who's with me?

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) -A source among the sides that attended the meeting of the parliament Chairmanship and the leaders of the political blocs revealed the reasons hindered reaching agreement among the blocs over the law draft of 2013 budget. The source stated to IraqiNews.com “The meeting did not result in reaching agreement because of several disputes where the Kurdistani Alliance called to avoid reducing budget of Kurdistan Region to less than 17% and to pay the salaries of the Peshmerga from the budget of the Ministry of Defense in Federal Government in addition to allocating 4 trillion IQD as dues to the foreign firms working in KR.” “Representatives of other blocs objected the Kurdish demands and called the representatives of the State of Law Coalition to reduce the budget of KR to 13% and presenting the two percentages for a vote,” the source added. “The representatives of the Iraqiya Slate called to authorize the provinces to run the strategic projects in the provinces and to reduce the allocations of the Council of Ministers and the General Secretariat of CoMs,” the source concluded. http://www.iraqinews.com/baghdad-politics/source-reveals-reasons-hinder-reaching-agreement-over-01-budget/

Uneek, do you think that maybe the Wife in the Know can send an update on the latest budget postponement?

Deny statement attributed to Mr. Speaker on to postpone the vote on the budget Picked up the media today news attributed to the President of the House of Representatives Mr. Osama Najafi on postponing the vote on the federal budget to next Saturday, and while we would like it to stress that Mr. Najafi did not make any statement to any media outlets on the deferment of the budget scheduled to vote on today being was busy running the meeting, ask the media to exercise accuracy and credibility in the dissemination of news. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF8&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://www.parliament.iq/

Parliament votes to hold open session until budget passes. http://www.iraqinews.com/baghdad-politics/iraqi-parliament-decides-to-keep-session-open-till-voting-on-01-budget/ This seems like a very hopeful sign to me. Fingers crossed.

There is an article that says that some Finance Committee members walked out of a meeting to finalize the budget tonight because the Chair was having a private meeting with the Kurds. It did not say that there wouldn't be a vote tomorrow. My hope is that, for a variety of reasons, they actually HAVE to pass the budget by tomorrow or the next session.

I believe you, RVandGolf.

Props to you, Uneek. Can you PM me? We have the same leanings . . .

Sage449, I want to get goofy too.

Love ya, RVandGolf. Thanks for passing along the info