Iraq Wants $88 Billion For Rebuilding. Allies Offer A Fraction Of That !

[DinarThug]

LINK

Invest in Iraq conference concludes in Kuwait

08:40 - 14/02/2018  

 

The Invest in Iraq Conference, held on the sidelines of the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq, concluded its work at the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the participation of a group of representatives of private sector institutions from around the world.
"The Kuwait International Conference on Iraq Reconstruction is the beginning of the security and development phase in the region," Kuwait Chamber of Commerce Chairman Ali al-Ghanim said at the opening session of the conference.
"Kuwait does not consider the conference merely a new experience that is dedicated to Kuwait's regional, Arab and international role. It is a pioneering experiment in restoring Arab-Arab relations from the perspective of the future and common interests," he added.
In turn, the head of the National Investment Commission in Iraq, Dr. Sami Araji said at the same session that "Iraq has become a liberated country with a stable economy without restrictions on the transfer of assets and funds."
He added that "the agricultural sector in Iraq is an excellent opportunity to invest in view of Iraq's need for food security, calling at the same time to invest in industrial sectors and oil."
Araji said, "Plans to develop transport and rail links from Baghdad to Mosul and then linked to the Silk Road to China through Iran."
He said that "Iraq is seeking to build about 25 thousand housing units in a number of provinces in the first step in addition to a number of hotels, universities and hospital

[Floridian]

6 minutes ago, DinarThug said:

LINK

Invest in Iraq conference concludes in Kuwait

08:40 - 14/02/2018  

 

The Invest in Iraq Conference, held on the sidelines of the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq, concluded its work at the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the participation of a group of representatives of private sector institutions from around the world.
"The Kuwait International Conference on Iraq Reconstruction is the beginning of the security and development phase in the region," Kuwait Chamber of Commerce Chairman Ali al-Ghanim said at the opening session of the conference.
"Kuwait does not consider the conference merely a new experience that is dedicated to Kuwait's regional, Arab and international role. It is a pioneering experiment in restoring Arab-Arab relations from the perspective of the future and common interests," he added.
In turn, the head of the National Investment Commission in Iraq, Dr. Sami Araji said at the same session that "Iraq has become a liberated country with a stable economy without restrictions on the transfer of assets and funds."
He added that "the agricultural sector in Iraq is an excellent opportunity to invest in view of Iraq's need for food security, calling at the same time to invest in industrial sectors and oil."
Araji said, "Plans to develop transport and rail links from Baghdad to Mosul and then linked to the Silk Road to China through Iran."
He said that "Iraq is seeking to build about 25 thousand housing units in a number of provinces in the first step in addition to a number of hotels, universities and hospital

 

 

 

"without restrictions on the transfer of assets and funds."  Does this mean they're international?????

Have they accepted Article 8?

 

 

Edited February 14, 2018 by Floridian

[DinarThug]

LINK
Iraq is ready to reform the financial and economic sectors

 

14th February, 2018

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterich said Iraq is ready to reform the financial  and economic sectors.

Guterich said in his speech to the Iraq reconstruction conference held in Kuwait and followed by "Economy News," that "the United Nations development programs operating in 25 areas of Iraq to help Iraqis and develop their reality of living."

"The United Nations launches a grant program that helps repair infrastructure, improves daily life and helps improve economic reforms and revitalize areas that have been damaged," he sai[/b]d.  

 

[DinarThug]

LINK

WAR-BATTERED IRAQ SAYS IT'S 'OPEN FOR INVESTORS'

 

14th February, 2018

War-battered Iraq sought Tuesday (February 13) to attract international investors to rebuild the country after defeating the Islamic State (ISIS), offering hundreds of projects and touting extensive legal guarantees.

'Iraq is open for investors,' declared Sami al-Araji, chairman of Iraq's National Investment Commission, on the second day of a major reconstruction conference in Kuwait.

The government in Baghdad says it needs nearly $90 billion to rebuild devastated homes, schools, hospitals and economic infrastructure after three years of war against ISIS.

World Bank officials joined Iraqi government representatives on Tuesday in Kuwait City to seek pledges from more than 2,000 representatives of international firms in attendance.

Araji said that Iraq, which has been either at war or under international sanctions since 1980, is offering projects in almost every field of the economy -- from oil to agriculture.

He gave a brief introduction on 212 projects of various sizes available for local and international investors, whom he promised would enjoy a high degree of legal protection.

The projects introduced include building oil refineries and developing oilfields, in addition to massive housing and industrial ventures as well as at least four power plants.

Other projects included building and rehabilitating airports, railways, metros and roads.

Araji said the country is offering as many as 86 projects in the agricultural sector, many others in the health and education sectors, in addition to key ventures in tourism.

Iraq is also planning to establish four economic zones, he said.

The plan spans the next 10 years and Iraq announced on the opening day of the conference that the country needs investments worth $88.2 billion, of which $22 billion were required immediately.

Non-governmental organizations on Monday pledged $330 million but the main commitments are expected to be made by about 70 countries on the final day of the conference on Wednesday.

Iraqi and World Bank officials on Tuesday talked up legal guarantees available in post-ISIS Iraq, pointing to an investment law that offers ownership, unlimited cash transfers and tax breaks, among other benefits.

Nizar Nasser Hussein, the head of the legal department at the National Investment Commission, said the latest version of the law does not distinguish between foreign and Iraqi investors.

'Foreign investors can establish Iraqi companies,' he told AFP, adding that investors would be given lease contracts for 50 years, renewable for a similar period.

In addition, investors will be exempt from customs duties and income tax for 10-15 years, Hussein said.

Araji said investors in Iraq will find 'high risks, but high returns'.

Edited February 14, 2018 by DinarThug

[Floridian]

3 minutes ago, DinarThug said:

LINK
Iraq is ready to reform the financial and economic sectors

 

14th February, 2018

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterich said Iraq is ready to reform the financial  and economic sectors.

Guterich said in his speech to the Iraq reconstruction conference held in Kuwait and followed by "Economy News," that "the United Nations development programs operating in 25 areas of Iraq to help Iraqis and develop their reality of living."

"The United Nations launches a grant program that helps repair infrastructure, improves daily life and helps improve economic reforms and revitalize areas that have been damaged," he sai[/b]d.  

 

 

What?  They're READY to reform?  They should have had this all done before begging for money.

[DinarThug]

LINK

Iraq is one of the most beautiful countries in the world

 14th February, 2018
Iraq is coming after years of conflict and wars in which it won against terrorism, for security and urbanization, seeking an investment revolution of the striking style, turning it into one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Iraq plans to put forward other projects, which have exceeded 200 projects between a failed and a destructive one following the terrorism of the organization of "Daash" terrorist retreating, to another stage carrying more projects and attracting investment and international companies to implement them.
 

Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told the Sputnik correspondent in Iraq on Wednesday (February 14th) about the government's priorities for the reconstruction conference in Kuwait.

Al-Hadithi said that access to programs of grants to the world countries and international financial organizations, but this is not the first priority for the Iraqi government of the reconstruction conference in Kuwait, we think and top priority of our focus on the subject of investment and financial partnerships with international companies of different nationalities to enter into The Iraqi market to invest in various important sectors ... This is the main concern for us

About 2000 companies 

Al-Hadithi expressed his belief that this is the "investment in Iraq", which will be a very helpful factor to activate, accelerate and intensify the efforts of the Iraqi government in terms of achieving stability in the liberated areas and rehabilitating infrastructure and providing services in all governorates, Just.

Al-Hadithi explained that our efforts in the Iraqi government focus on the issue of investment in particular, that there is support from international financial institutions to invest in Iraq, and urged international companies to participate. He pointed out that the number of companies registered about 1850 companies is participating in the Kuwait Conference, The second "Tuesday", an investment under the title "Invest in Iraq" in the presence of this number of companies, investors and business leaders.

Al-Hadithi said that the grants, programs or financial facilities to be presented to Iraq will be announced Wednesday during the official delegations meeting. However, the amounts are not the primary concern, but rather investment, investment and the entry of international companies in the joint sectors, whether through the establishment of projects.

"By the way, we have raised more than (190-200) strategic projects in the sectors of energy, industry, agriculture, transport, health, education and housing," he said.

Activate the market

Al-Hadithi said about investment opportunities, in which the Iraqi government hopes to win the possibility of international companies to enter into direct investment, or partnership with the Iraqi private sector, mixed sector, or government.

Al-Hadithi announced about 200 businessmen, investors and Iraqi companies from the inside and outside, who are present at the Kuwait conference, to present the idea of partnership with the private sector in international companies to activate the Iraqi market and provide job opportunities.

Al-Hadithi said that the first day of the conference last Monday was for international and regional organizations and institutions concerned with humanitarian issues, stability, human development and ensuring an environment conducive to civil peace in the regions and societies in the liberated areas. Yesterday, "invest in Iraq".

Projects

Al-Hadithi gave us examples of the projects presented by the Iraqi government and raised them for investment in the Kuwait conference, including the "Metro in Baghdad" project, another metro in Basra, the southernmost part of the country, the rehabilitation of Nasiriyah airports, the center of Nineveh, Petrochemicals, construction, engineering, mineral and fertilizers in all governorates. "As for the energy sector, three investment refineries were offered in Anbar, Nasiriyah and Maysan.

As to whether the Baiji refinery north of Salahaddin north of Baghdad, which is the largest oil refining plant in the region and which has suffered a great deal of damage to terrorism, among the projects submitted by the government to invest, the modern told us, of course all the projects destroyed and idle during the previous period, And an overwhelming majority will be put to investment according to priority set by the Iraqi government, in the first phase.

In other phases, perhaps, in the other stages, there will be an expansion, we in Iraq have about 200 projects put up to invest directly, at this conference.

The Iraqi government spokesman promised that Iraq would put forward other projects to invest in other stages, based on what will be achieved from the Kuwait Conference of successes.

[DinarThug]

LINK

Coalition ramps down air support in Iraq, shifts to training

 

 

14th February, 2018
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Now that Iraq has claimed victory over the Islamic State group after a bloody 3 1/2-year war, the U.S.-led coalition is decreasing air support in the country — the latest indication of the coalition’s shrinking footprint amid a drawdown of U.S. forces announced earlier this month.

American and Iraqi air force commanders say the coalition will launch fewer airstrikes in support of Iraqi forces and instead focus more on training Iraqi airmen. Iraq’s air force will assume more of the “missions, duties and responsibilities” to maintain the country’s hard-fought victories over IS, according to a statement released by U.S. Air Forces Central Command.

However, Iraq is struggling to fund the Air Force’s $1 billion budget as the country is faced with the enormous task of rebuilding in the wake of its military victories. At a conference in Kuwait this week, Iraq asked the international community for $88.2 billion dollars to fund post-IS reconstruction, but was only able to raise a portion of that.

“Training a fighter pilot takes years,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Andrew Croft at a meeting with the commander of the Iraqi Air Force, Gen. Anwar Hama Ameen. “So this is not a short term investment, this is something for the long-term.”

Up until now the U.S. Air Force had largely been supporting Iraq’s security forces by launching airstrikes against IS targets and supporting the country’s F-16 program. Currently, Iraqi F-16 pilots are trained in the U.S. and the maintenance and security of Iraq’s F-16s is largely carried out by American contractors.

The announcement from the Air Force follows the announcement of a “shift in focus” from the U.S.-led coalition earlier this month after the Iraqi government said the U.S. had begun to reduce the number of American forces in Iraq. The U.S. is reducing the number of its troops in Iraq, but Iraqi and coalition officials say an agreement on the size of the force that will remain in the country has not yet been reached.

The coalition will now focus on “policing, border control and military capacity building,” Brig. Gen. Jonathan Braga said in a written statement last week. “We will sustain the successful momentum and enhance the capacities of the Iraqi Security Forces in pursuing Daesh, now and in the future,” he added, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Coalition airstrikes proved to be decisive early on in the fight against IS and fueled Iraqi military victories throughout the more than three-year-long-campaign.

Before the U.S. began a campaign of airstrikes against IS in August 2014, the extremists could easily travel across the vast swaths of territory — much of it open desert — under their control in Iraq and neighboring Syria. Just weeks after overrunning Mosul, IS fighters launched a push on the city of Irbil in Iraq’s Kurdish region that was largely repelled by coalition air power.

In the months that followed, the extremists’ territorial gains were largely halted and over the next three years Iraqi ground forces with close coalition air support pushed IS out of towns, villages and cities across the country. In December 2017 Iraq’s prime minister declared victory over the group.

Croft said a well trained and equipped Iraqi Air Force could have prevented the fall of Mosul.

“If Iraq had a couple of airplanes and a couple of controllers, that would never have happened,” he said, referring to IS’ blitz across Iraq in the summer of 2014.However, maintaining a modern air force has been prohibitively expensive for Iraq. Last month, contracting firm Sallyport Global Holdings was awarded a $400 million contract for base operations and security for Iraq’s F-16 program by the U.S. Air Force.

By training Iraqis to maintain and secure their own equipment, Iraqi air force commander Ameen said he hopes to bring down costs. “The big challenge for us right now is the budget,” he said.

Iraq continues to struggle with a budget crisis sparked by a downturn in global oil prices and years of mismanagement of natural resource revenues. The enormous cost of rebuilding thousands of homes and swaths of infrastructure destroyed in the fight against IS is compounding Iraq’s economies woes.

“My ambition is to make the Iraqi Air Force a strong one to defend our country and its sovereignty,” Ameen said. “Not to fight against neighboring countries but to engage with them in military exercises.”

[bostonangler]

Funny, they are trying to paint a pretty picture, but paintings are imagination. I think the investors are bit more reality based and Iraq is running out of paint... JMHO

 

B/A

Edited February 14, 2018 by bostonangler

[Flash101]

If you (Iraq) Rv your currency 1 to 1 or greater I'll give you a few Million for your cause.

Who's with me....

 

101

[Floridian]

7 minutes ago, DinarThug said:

LINK

WAR-BATTERED IRAQ SAYS IT'S 'OPEN FOR INVESTORS'

 

14th February, 2018

War-battered Iraq sought Tuesday (February 13) to attract international investors to rebuild the country after defeating the Islamic State (ISIS), offering hundreds of projects and touting extensive legal guarantees.

'Iraq is open for investors,' declared Sami al-Araji, chairman of Iraq's National Investment Commission, on the second day of a major reconstruction conference in Kuwait.

The government in Baghdad says it needs nearly $90 billion to rebuild devastated homes, schools, hospitals and economic infrastructure after three years of war against ISIS.

World Bank officials joined Iraqi government representatives on Tuesday in Kuwait City to seek pledges from more than 2,000 representatives of international firms in attendance.

Araji said that Iraq, which has been either at war or under international sanctions since 1980, is offering projects in almost every field of the economy -- from oil to agriculture.

He gave a brief introduction on 212 projects of various sizes available for local and international investors, whom he promised would enjoy a high degree of legal protection.

The projects introduced include building oil refineries and developing oilfields, in addition to massive housing and industrial ventures as well as at least four power plants.

Other projects included building and rehabilitating airports, railways, metros and roads.

Araji said the country is offering as many as 86 projects in the agricultural sector, many others in the health and education sectors, in addition to key ventures in tourism.

Iraq is also planning to establish four economic zones, he said.

The plan spans the next 10 years and Iraq announced on the opening day of the conference that the country needs investments worth $88.2 billion, of which $22 billion were required immediately.

Non-governmental organizations on Monday pledged $330 million but the main commitments are expected to be made by about 70 countries on the final day of the conference on Wednesday.

Iraqi and World Bank officials on Tuesday talked up legal guarantees available in post-ISIS Iraq, pointing to an investment law that offers ownership, unlimited cash transfers and tax breaks, among other benefits.

Nizar Nasser Hussein, the head of the legal department at the National Investment Commission, said the latest version of the law does not distinguish between foreign and Iraqi investors.

'Foreign investors can establish Iraqi companies,' he told AFP, adding that investors would be given lease contracts for 50 years, renewable for a similar period.

In addition, investors will be exempt from customs duties and income tax for 10-15 years, Hussein said.

Araji said investors in Iraq will find 'high risks, but high returns'.

 

"The plan spans the next 10 years and Iraq announced on the opening day of the conference that the country needs investments worth $88.2 billion, of which $22 billion were required immediately."

 

 

Well, well!  First they asked for $100 Billion - now, what they really need is $88.2 billion.  Also, they really didn't need it immediately.  What they needed immediately was $22 billion.  See that!  They have exceeded their expectations!  The conference is now a HUGE SUCCESS!  How quickly a failure turns into a gigantic success!  Boy those Iraqis sure are amazing!

 

 

[Floridian]

Dinar Thug, you are to be commended.  What a spectacular job you are doing with these articles, keeping us up to date as to what's happening at the conference.

Thank you so much.  

[DinarThug]

4 minutes ago, bostonangler said:

Funny, they are trying to paint a pretty picture, but paintings are imagination.

I think the investors are bit more reality based and Iraq is running out of paint...

 

Relax - The Clown’s Packin’ Plenty Of Extra Makeup As Backup For This Extreme Camel Makeover ! 

 

 

What Day Is It ?  

 

     

 

 

 

LINK

Source: "Al-Ghad Press": International organizations will monitor Iraq's contracts with investors to prevent corruption

13th February, 2018
International organizations will supervise and control all contracts and investment projects to be signed by the Iraqi government with investment companies in the coming years, a government source said on Tuesday, pointing out that the aim is to dispel fears of financial and administrative corruption.

 

The source said that "international organizations announced that they will supervise and monitor the contracts between Iraq and investment companies in the coming years, to resolve fears of financial and administrative corruption in the country."  But he also revealed that "Iraqi companies listed on the black list of many Iraqi ministries participated in the Kuwait conference for the reconstruction of Iraq, which embarrassed the Kuwaiti government, after a foreign newspaper published the backgrounds of these companies."  "The main participants in the conference are the Europeans, and the conference is almost empty of American companies, which is surprising for us and international organizations," the source said. 

He pointed out that "the funds to be granted to Iraq will be through the Supreme Investment Committee linked to the Prime Minister, and oversees the contracts and the funds of this committee of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations." "The government's approach to investment comes from the international community's fear and concern about the inability of donor countries to help Iraq with about $ 88 billion, which is the estimated value of reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed by the continuing wars in Iraq," he said. 

The source added that "investment was the only option for the reconstruction of Iraq, otherwise the country will be unable to overcome its crises as a result of increasing numbers of unemployment and poverty rates, and community differences." 
In a related context, the source said that "the organizational group of the conference called for Iraqi companies have no international or regional balance, which has surprised the companies and international bodies involved, as some considered it an indication of the seriousness of Iraq to dispel the concerns of companies invested from the state of corruption rampant" . He pointed out that "some Iraqi investors will not have a role in the conference, and calling them to him was useless." The second day of the conference was devoted to the second day of the conference. The second day was devoted to the investment companies to compete in 157 investment projects, including the giant power plants in Erbil and Basra, the cement plant in Karbala and the petrochemicals in Salahaddin and Diyala.

 

[DinarThug]

LINK

Rafidain: The announcement of the names of granting the advances of retirees be on meals

 

2018/2/14 8:18

Rafidain Bank announced that the announcement of the names of grants to retirees of three million dinars through electronic payment tools will be in the form of new meals, in view of the large numbers and advanced applicants for the advance.
 

The bank's media office said in a statement received by the agency all of Iraq [where] a copy of it that "the system was launched [my fingerprint] for the pensioners' advances in a new policy pursued by the bank to reduce the routine and simplify the grant procedures, in addition to reducing the phenomenon of circulation of cash masses manually and move to Means of electronic payment to keep abreast of economic and banking developments in developed countries. " 

He pointed out that "the bank set up a mechanism to grant the advance starting from the advance applicant to put his fingerprint at the branches allocated for grants, which will show all his data, which allows the branch to know its financial position to be completed after treatment easily and raise the amount of the advance to his electronic card and then received from the bank.

[DinarThug]

LINK

Amir of Kuwait: Iraq reconstruction conference a global recognition of the sacrifices suffered by Iraq

10:23 - 14/02/2018  

 

KUWAIT: Kuwait's reconstruction conference in Iraq is a recognition of the magnitude of the sacrifices made by Iraq in the face of terrorism, Kuwait's Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah said on Wednesday, stressing the start of a comprehensive reconstruction of infrastructure and other life-threatening facilities.

Al-Sabah said in a speech at the opening of the ministerial meeting of the Iraq reconstruction conference in the presence of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his follower, Al-Maaloumah. "As we extend our congratulations to the brothers for their victories, which came after great sacrifice and determination, A wide international level at the official and popular levels and the private sector represents a recognition by the world of the magnitude of the sacrifices incurred by Iraq in the face of terrorism and the efforts of the international community to reward him for that confrontation. As Iraq confronted and confronted terrorism, it played a historic and honorable role to defeat the organization Terrorist attacks that have brought the lives of Iraqis in the areas they have taken over to hell. They are homeless, wounded, untreated and hungry without food. "

Al-Sabah added that "our meeting today and the outcome of our conference will be a continuation of our efforts and a reaction from the international community in our efforts to confront and defeat terrorism and to confront all its dangers and challenges." Because of the ongoing conflict there and we have all the confidence that we and the international community will not hesitate to support them after the return of security and stability to them."

"We are aware of the extent of the devastation caused to Iraq by the control of these terrorist organizations on some of the Iraqi territories and the ensuing fighting of these organizations to clear the Iraqi soil, which must be with Iraq today to embark on a comprehensive reconstruction of the destroyed infrastructure and other life facilities This is an action which Iraq will not be able to address alone, which led us to appeal to the international community by inviting us to participate in this work and bear its consequences. In light of the magnitude of these consequences, we have had to think about the vital and supportive role of the private sector, S I give the participation and giving. "

 Al-Sabah said that "the private sector is able to deal with the opportunities offered by the brothers in Iraq from investment opportunities and vital projects related to the infrastructure of their country and the embodiment of that role. Yesterday, more than two thousand companies and businessmen from the private sector took part in this role. On the first day, high-level experts in the financing institutions within the reconstruction programs and also met on the same day civil society organizations, which in turn participate in reducing the humanitarian burden suffered by the Iraqi people, a role that is always appreciated and proud. 

[DinarThug]

LINK

Germany makes an important offer to start strategic projects in Iraq

 

 

2018/2/13 20:22

German Minister Kierhard Moller presented Prime Minister Haider Abadi with an offer to start strategic projects in Iraq during the next two months.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office, the German minister presented during his meeting with Abadi in Kuwait an offer to start strategic projects in Iraq during the next two months, including the electricity sector, in addition to creating thousands of jobs , Training thousands of Iraqi youth with professional specialties by the best German companies, as well as setting up vocational training centers. " 

He added that "the German delegation provided funding for a number of projects in Iraq," stressing "Germany's support for Iraq and its continued to stand with him in various fields and encourage German companies to work in Iraq."

[DinarThug]

LINK

UN Secretary-General: Iraq has protected the world from the threat of terrorism  

 

UN Secretary-General Antoine Guterres on Wednesday hailed the "great efforts" of Iraqis in the fight against terrorism, stressing that Iraq has protected the world from the threat of terrorism, while considered that the upcoming parliamentary elections will be essential for stability.

"Iraq has made great efforts in the fight against terrorism," Guterres said in a speech at the ministerial meeting of the Kuwait conference. "Iraq has protected the world and the international community from the threat of terrorism and must be solidarity with them."

"The parliamentary elections scheduled for next May will be essential for achieving stability in Iraq," Guterres said, stressing the need to "involve women in decision-making." 

[DinarThug]

LINK

World Bank Decides to Grant Iraq $ 4.7 Billion

11:28 - 14/02/2018  

 

World Bank President Jim Young Kim said Wednesday that the bank has contributed $ 4.7 billion to Iraq's reconstruction, adding that it will continue to help build Iraq for its importance in the Middle East.

"We will continue to help build the Iraqi state because it is important to us in the Middle East," Kim said in a speech at a conference on reconstruction in Kuwait.

"We will assist Iraq in development strategies to improve planning for private sector investment," Kim said. "Reconstruction and recovery can not be achieved only in domestic resources but can be relied upon by the private sector."

##################

 

 

LINK

World Bank announces $ 4.7 billion contribution to Iraq reconstruction

14th February, 2018

World Bank President Jim Young-kim announced the World Bank's contribution of $ 4.7 billion to Iraq's reconstruction.

"The World Bank has increased its contribution to the reconstruction of Iraq from one million dollars in 2016 to 4.7 billion dollars to date," Kim said in his speech to the Iraq reconstruction conference and its follow-up, "The Economist News". "This money for the reconstruction of services and bridges construction and rehabilitation systems Water, electricity and job creation. "

He added that "the World Bank allocated $ 1 million to implement projects in seven cities, in addition to another $ 1.5 million to support the private sector and provide investments in transport systems, telecommunications, banking and agriculture."

"The World Bank is committed to increasing funding for Iraq and developing development strategies to improve investment and the private sector," he said.

Kim called on the Iraqi government to invest in human resources and develop them through education

[DinarThug]

21 minutes ago, Floridian said:

Dinar Thug, you are to be commended.  What a spectacular job you are doing with these articles, keeping us up to date as to what's happening at the conference.

Thank you so much.  

 

WTF - I Feel Like I’m Running A Jerry Lewis Telethon Today !  

 

 

OK - Let’s See Who Else Has Pledged ...

 

     

 

 

 

LINK

Prince of Kuwait announces the allocation of two billion dollars as loans and investment to Iraq

10:32 - 14/02/2018  

 

KUWAIT CITY - Kuwait's Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah announced on Wednesday the allocation of one billion dollars for investment in the reconstruction of Iraq and one billion dollars in loans during the opening of the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq.

 "I am pleased to announce that the State of Kuwait, in line with its commitment to support its brothers in Iraq, will commit itself to allocating one billion dollars as loans in accordance with the mechanisms of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development," Sabah said in a speech at the opening of the ministerial meeting of the Iraq Reconstruction Conference.

 Al-Sabah added that "Kuwait has allocated another billion to invest in investment opportunities in Iraq as well as the contribution of Kuwaiti charities." 

##################

 

LINK

Kuwait's Amir announces lending to Iraq one billion dollars

 

 

14th February, 2018

The Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, allocated one billion dollars to lend to Iraq, stressing the allocation of another billion dollars for investment inside Iraq.

"The State of Kuwait will commit to allocate one billion dollars to lend Iraq according to the Kuwaiti fund and another $ 1 billion to invest in investment opportunities as well as the contribution of Kuwaiti charities," Sabah said in his speech at the end of the Iraq reconstruction conference held in Kuwait.

He added that "positive indicators indicate the success of the conference to reconstruct Iraq in Kuwait," pointing out that "Iraq suffered because of terrorist operations."

[DinarThug]

LINK

France: Investors need judicial guarantees from Iraq

 

 

13th February, 2018

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Laudrian called on Tuesday for Iraq not to exclude any area in Iraq from the reconstruction process, indicating that investors need judicial guarantees from Iraq. 

"Reconstruction efforts should not exclude any region or component, especially those who have been marginalized in the modern history of Iraq or targeted by a" Daqsh, " 
he said on the second day of the Iraq reconstruction conference to be hosted by Kuwait until Wednesday. It
is necessary to reconstruct entire villages, cities and areas, and even areas that have remained outside the control of the Da'ash organization.

He explained that "Iraq will not be able to promote permanently, unless it decides to deal directly with the reconstruction process, and works to promote stability and national reconciliation."

"Investors need solid financial guarantees in the judicial, environmental and practical fields," he said.

[MFA]

47 minutes ago, Floridian said:

 

 

 

"without restrictions on the transfer of assets and funds."  Does this mean they're international?????

Have they accepted Article 8?

 

 

im thinking what u thinking

[nannab]

28 minutes ago, DinarThug said:

What Day Is It ?

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!! Thuggie

[stangernan]

41 minutes ago, DinarThug said:

The second day of the conference was devoted to the second day of the conference.

 That's about all the devotion they got!!

[DinarThug]

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/world/wp/2018/02/13/feature/trade-a-lexus-for-a-prestigious-phone-number-in-iraq-the-best-digits-cost-a-mint/?utm_term=.7756958e2d86

 

In Iraq, the best digits cost a mint !

 

Story by Mustafa Salim and Tamer El-Ghobashy

Photos by Alex Potter

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

 

BAGHDAD

In Iraq, owning this special item can grease the skids in business, get a politician to stand at attention and even inspire affection in a sweetheart.

This key that opens so many doors is a cellphone SIM card.

But not just any SIM card. It must be “distinguished,” associated with a phone number considered prestigious because} it has a distinctive or beautiful series of digits. Say, for instance, a string of sevens or zeros, or a repeating pattern of numerals.

The marketplace for these modest pieces of plastic inside phones, which connect them to a network, can rival that of gold and precious stones — with trades in the thousands and tens of thousands of dollars.

And while this market emerged about a decade ago, a newfound optimism in Iraq’s future after the recent defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq has increased demand for the special SIMs among aspiring business executives, political neophytes and young people looking to treat themselves.

They’ve become so popular that Iraq’s largest telecom companies are formalizing the trade, introducing offers for tiered SIM cards from “Silver” to “Diamond Plus.” A regular SIM card runs about $3, while a Silver card carrying a number with some combination of consecutive pairs, such as 4455, costs about $30. A Diamond Plus card — which features a number whose last five digits are the same — will set a seeker back $1,300 to $1,500.

But it’s on the street and in Internet chat rooms — where the trend was born — that the big-money cards, also known as “presidential numbers,” are found.

 

At the King of Distinguished Numbers in Baghdad, customers can browse the boards and books of numbers or request a specific number from the telecom company. 

 

The value of the cards is derived not from numerology or lucky dates but from what the number conveys to others about the phone’s owner.

“These numbers are a language,” said Haider Mohamed, a 45-year-old cellphone dealer who specializes in distinguished phone numbers. His shop, “World of Distinction,” located in a shopping strip in central Baghdad, advertises the special permutations available for sale on long sheets of paper displayed in the window.

“A man makes calculations for what will make him successful in life or in business,” Mohamed said. “Among them is what his phone number says about him.”

And what does a phone number with the right combination of consecutive zeros and ones say?

“It says he has taste. It also says he’s loaded,” Mohamed said, breaking out into laughter. “It gives him optimism. It gives him prestige.”

 

Iraqi women talk on their cellphones outside Mansur Mall, a place to see and be seen in Baghdad.

 

Mohamed said he once traded a particularly beautiful number to a businessman for a $60,000 Lexus, a claim confirmed by Mohamed’s top rival in the prestige-numbers business.

Owners of the numbers and the merchants who sell them generally agree that the trend began sometime in 2007 — a result of Saddam Hussein’s ouster in 2003 during the Iraq War. Iraq, long cut off from the world by punishing sanctions and pariah status, began to open up; new technology and foreign products started to pour in. Cellphones were among the most coveted items, especially in a country where few people use landlines.

Iraqis became brand-
conscious in everything from cars to clothes. Luxury items that once were within the reach of only the narrow ruling elite flooded the market. If you had money, you could express your individuality through what you wore, what you drove and what you carried.

The toppling of Hussein also shattered the tight political and business class that had surrounded him, creating opportunities for savvy entrepreneurs and ambitious would-be power brokers. To project status and sophistication, they needed the right tools. An impressive phone number became indispensable.

 

LEFT: Special numbers, pasted on cardboard outside the King of Distinguished Numbers, range in price from $3 to thousands of dollars depending on the digits and their order. RIGHT: Hussein al Rashid, the CEO of a contracting firm in Baghdad, is one of many Iraqis who has paid a premium for a designer number, one that identifies the user as distinguished and having money and influence. 

 

While the phone number market exists in several other Middle Eastern countries, nowhere has it reached the excesses of Iraq. Rarely do the prices elsewhere approach $100. That’s because, for Iraqis, it’s about more than vanity. It’s a way to stand out in a society in which political upheaval has opened the door for new elites to emerge.

Essa Sultan, a 47-year-old contractor, said he paid $1,200 in 2009 for a phone number that ends with six sevens. He has been offered $10,000 for the number, but he refuses to sell it.

“This number gives the impression that I am distinguished, which helps me get business, especially among officials in the state ministries who I am dealing with,” he said. “If I call them from a regular number, they wouldn’t answer my call, but when they see this number, they can’t ignore it because they know a VIP is calling them.”

 

Some of the special sequences available at the King of Distinguished Numbers in Baghdad.

 

Sultan said that his phone number is an essential element of his studied bling.

“I am always keen on carrying the latest iPhone and having the latest Land Cruiser,” he said, referring to the prized and pricey Toyota luxury SUV. “The phone number completes the prestige.”

In a country such as Iraq, where corruption in the public sector is so endemic that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has declared rooting out graft to be the next big fight after defeating the Islamic State, giving SIM cards with distinguished numbers to politicians is a common and illicit way to curry favor. The cards help launder the bribes because they can be traded for cash.

Dealers said that many of their regulars are assistants to Iraqi politicians and military officers who come to sell the valuable SIM cards gifted to their bosses.

But for many, the desire for a distinctive number is less nefarious. Small businesses and start-ups covet them because the repetitive number combinations make them easy to memorize and project professionalism, said Dera Tarek, a 31-year-old who owns a modest car dealership.

“It helps me with marketing the company,” he said. “After getting one for $100, it’s helped my business grow.”

 

Some young Iraqis have spent as much as $300 for a special phone number. Others are saving to get theirs. (Alex Potter/For The Washington Post)

 

Hussam al-Zaidi, 29, posted a notice on a Facebook group dedicated to the buying and selling of the special digits that he was in the market for a card that would set him back no more than $300. Zaidi was looking for love, and he believed that his pedestrian phone number was holding him back.

“A friend of mine has a distinguished number that helps him get many girls,” he said. “So I thought of trying it, but I was stunned by the prices. Some numbers are even more expensive than fancy cars.”

Ali Rasheed, a 22-year-old photographer who works part time at a cellphone shop in Baghdad’s upscale Mansour district, recoils at the practice — which he said many Iraqis who struggle with poverty would find grotesque.

“It’s all about showing off, nothing more,” he seethed. “People who do this only care about shallow appearances and getting ahead in any way.”

Safa Mohsen has no such qualms. Indeed, he says he’s the one personally responsible for inflating SIM card prices so much. Mohsen, a wiry 44-year-old, calls himself “the King of Distinguished Numbers” and runs a store of the same name. And he’s recognized among his fellow dealers as the premier broker for important people seeking very specific numbers. He maintains a stock of about 2,000 distinctive cards — the most valuable worth $3,000 — and can be commissioned to arrange special acquisitions.

 

His shop bustles with people hoping to sell him their SIM cards and make a small fortune. He rapidly evaluates their worth.

A Washington Post reporter asked him to appraise several phone numbers belonging to prominent Iraqis from the newspaper’s Baghdad bureau contact index.

Former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki’s two numbers are worth more than $10,000 each, Mohsen concluded. Maj. Gen. Fadhil Jamil al-Barwari of the elite, U.S.-trained counterterrorism service
had a number that would fetch at least $38,000 for the sheer number of consecutive zeros, Mohsen said.

But even a dealer with Mohsen’s clout has a white whale — a number so rare and beautiful that he says he has been commissioned by the owner of an Iraqi television station to acquire it for $120,000. The phone number has seven consecutive zeros and belongs to a policeman in the city of Kirkuk. But Mohsen said the officer wouldn’t accept the offer and the television baron, whom Mohsen declined to identify, couldn’t afford to pay more.

The policeman had bought the SIM card in 2007 for a mere $125, according to Mohsen.

Why would a civil servant balk at the six-figure payout?

“He cherishes it,” Mohsen said. “Just like wine, the older it gets the more valuable it becomes.”

Read more

 

Edited February 14, 2018 by DinarThug

[Synopsis]

29 minutes ago, DinarThug said:

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Laudrian called on Tuesday for Iraq not to exclude any area in Iraq from the reconstruction process, indicating that investors need judicial guarantees from Iraq. 

 

Thank You, DinarThug, For Facilitation The CNN Informationathon!!!       

 

Hey, how come the FRENCH did NOT contribute ANYTHING at the Kuwait Donor Conference - FRANCE has a Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq JUST LIKE The United States Of America AND, apparently, unlike ANY OTHER Country!!!

 

                     

 

It MUST be LOOKIN’ GOOD IF the French are there AND NOT contributing ANYTHING AND Complaining ALL The While!!!

 

              

 

Bone Appetit - Longue vie à la France (Enjoy Your Meal - Long Live France)               

 

Go Moola Nova (BEFORE THE FRENCH GET IT ALL!!!)!!!

[caz1104]

Typical French, whine & complain....and they don't take showers or shave either!!!!