It Consists Of 50 Deputies .. Near The Formation Of A Parliamentary Coalition In Support Of The Al-Kazemi Government !

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CNN. Broadcasting A ‘Double Wide Movement’ After Yo Mahdi (Aka - Big Girtha) Cleared The Aisles !

 

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It consists of 50 deputies .. near the formation of a parliamentary coalition in support of the Al-Kazemi government

 

30th May, 2020

Parliamentary sources revealed, on Saturday, that a parliamentary alliance in support of the government of Mustafa Al-Kazimi will soon be formed.

The sources said, "There is a wide movement to form a new parliamentary alliance that includes representatives from several political forces and blocs in Parliament, to support Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi." She added: "The movement has made progress, and may result in a formal announcement of this alliance, which is likely to cross the barrier of fifty representatives, and its goal will be to support any reform steps or implement the demands of the demonstrators by the new Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, in a step that creates further fragmentation within Parliament blocks one."

She continued, "A number of deputies supporting Al-Kazemi, have fought in the last days an important movement to form a broad parliamentary coalition that supports the Al-Kazemi government and its steps towards reform." Homeland, and independent representatives from a number of other blocs."

She revealed that "the number of deputies within the coalition has so far reached 50, and that the alliance will be announced at the beginning of the parliament sessions, and will adopt real national demands, not slogans, to address crises and steps for reform", stressing that "the movement continues towards all deputies without exception, and that there are expectations Broadening the alliance in the coming days.”

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The countdown to the birth of a parliamentary coalition in support of the Iraqi Al-Kazemi government

 

- 3 Hours Ago
 

 
The scenes of Iraqi politics are currently witnessing a wide movement to form a new parliamentary alliance that includes representatives from several political forces and blocs in Parliament to support Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi.

According to well-informed Iraqi sources, I spoke to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, provided her identity was not mentioned. The movement has made progress, and an official announcement of this alliance, which is likely to exceed the fifty-seat barrier, may result in its goal to support any reform steps or implement the demands of the demonstrators before. The new Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, in a step that creates more fragmentation within the single parliamentary blocs.

The movement comes at a time when Al-Kazemi spoke about the difficulty of the stage the country is going through, the size of the major challenges facing the government (economic, political, and security), and the difficulty of correcting the path in the absence of any party or political bloc that supports the government's decisions and directions, warning of a decline to what He described it as "chaos".

According to a member of Parliament, who spoke in turn to “the new Arab”, on the condition that his name not be mentioned, “a number of deputies supporting al-Kazemi have fought an important movement in recent days to form a broad parliamentary coalition that supports the Kazemi government and its steps toward reform”, indicating that “the movement resulted from it So far the formation of an alliance of blocks of wisdom, will, competencies, part of victory, homeland, and independent representatives from a number of other blocs.

He revealed that "the number of deputies within the alliance has reached 50, so far, and that the alliance will announce it at the beginning of the parliament sessions, and will adopt real national demands and not slogans, to address crises and steps for reform." With the expansion of the alliance in the coming days. ”

Representative of the "Irada" block Hussein Arab confirmed the existence of the movement, stating to the "new Arab," that the movement aims to form a parliamentary alliance that supports the state and the government, evaluates the work of Parliament and the government, that the support be in the right direction, and provide Parliament with plans and strategic matters, to strengthen the Iraqi state ”

He pointed out that "the alliance will mainly depend on studying the important laws and standing with the government in the face of the financial and health crises that ravaged the country, as well as seeking to address the catastrophic mistakes committed by the previous government and previous alliances."

He expressed the hope that "the expected alliance will be an effective alliance towards the direction of reform."

As for the former member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Majid Shankali, he stressed the seriousness of the stage the country is going through, in the absence of parliamentary support for the government, which seeks to get the country out of its crises.

Shankali said, in an interview with "Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed", that "Al-Kazemi’s government is a government to solve a crisis, and it requires parliamentary support in order to be able to find solutions to many issues that need to be modified, reviewed and put solutions to them." Noting that "Al-Kazemi called for elections Early and resolving the economic crisis, and that requires parliamentary support, and Al-Kazemi’s support during this stage is support for the political process. ”

And he warned that “if there is no parliamentary tendency to support the government, the country will go towards the unknown, so all the blocs must go towards providing support, and that there is no alliance from a certain party, but that it supports from the Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish, and other blocs, not Especially that everyone who voted and gave the government confidence must be supportive of it, and not act to obstruct it.

However, he pointed out at the same time that “the task is difficult for the government, and there are very difficult files awaiting it, and until now, Al-Kazemi has not moved towards any file, and it is expected that the coming days will witness a movement by Al-Kazemi”, calling Al-Kazemi until he “starts heading towards reform And he opened the files of corruption, although he could not hold all the corrupt people accountable during this short period specified for his government.

And that "the majority of the blocs that supported Al-Kazemi will wait for the first hundred days of his government's life and will follow what it has been able to achieve."

In this context, observers, who spoke to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, confirmed that the alliance will give a great boost to Al-Kazemi and his government and will push towards implementing the expected reform steps.

The head of the Center for Political Thinking, Ihsan al-Shammari, told Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that “the parliamentary move is a step towards supporting the Al-Kazemi government, working to stabilize Iraq and trying to activate the parliamentary role,” stressing that “Al-Kazemi needs not only this bloc, but also broad support By the legislature, because all future measures need parliamentary support. ”

He pointed out that "the alliance will contribute significantly to attracting more parliamentarians to support the government and give a great impetus to Al-Kazemi, and will form a solid base for him in the parliament and a core to support his decisions and his career." Financial, economic crisis and other reform decisions. ”

Salam Al-Jaf, Akhtam Saif Al-Din

New Arab

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Iraqis count on elections to topple power parties from parliament

- 3 Hours Ago

 

Iraqis are awaiting early legislative elections, with a new electoral law that differs greatly from the one that has been accompanying the polls that have occurred in the country every four years, since the US invasion in 2003. Iraqis hope for the best oversight of a new judicial body on this process, other than the Electoral Commission that was dissolved And it consisted of members called parties and political blocs from different sects and nationalities, similar to the pattern of parties sharing the same positions in successive governments in the country. The Iraqis consider that the new election law, as well as early entitlement, with the judiciary, are the most important achievement so far of the popular demonstrations that erupted in the country early October, despite their fears of what they call the power parties ’malice in breaking with promises of elections. The early period, which is also supported by the Supreme Court of Najaf, represented by Marj al-Sistani, as well as various civil and popular activities.

It is expected that Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi will hold, in the next few days, a meeting that will be the second of its kind with the members of the new elections commission headed by Judge Jalil Adnan, after a meeting orphan brought together the two parties, before Al-Kazemi obtained the confidence of Parliament on the ninth of this month, including members The commission stressed the importance of preparing for the elections and “working to enhance confidence in the electoral process and conducting fair and fair elections.” Al-Kazemi pledged that his government would work to hold the elections "in response to the requirements of the stage, and to reproduce confidence in the electoral process and the entire electoral system."

As protests intensified in Iraq, Parliament approved the end of last year of a new election law that remained a fundamental requirement of protesters, to make the electoral election more fair. The new law allows voters to choose members of Parliament on an individual basis, rather than from party lists, and for each member of Parliament to be a representative of a specific constituency, rather than groups of lawmakers representing entire provinces. The demonstrators had demanded not only a new election law, but also the exclusion of the entire "political class", and the selection of an independent prime minister who did not belong to any party.
The voting process on the law, which observers consider as the "biggest dilemma" in front of political parties, took place amid the absence of some blocs that did not attend the voting session in protest of its rejection of the new law, which confirms its harm to it. However, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, was one of his advocates, and considered that his approval would exclude all corrupt parties.

“Iraqis fear what they call the power parties’ malice, in breaking with promises of early elections next year“

A new political bloc
and Iraqis are counting on these elections that are likely to take place in the second half of next year (according to what has been agreed upon politically), perhaps preventing the faces and parties they used to see in Parliament and the government, despite the widespread popular rejection of them, considering that the presence of these people Their return every four years is enough to consider any elections as unfair and marred by corruption and fraud.

In early February, coinciding with the height of the Iraqi protests, prominent activists in the demonstrations, from the governorates of Karbala, Dhi Qar and Maysan, as well as the capital Baghdad, launched a project to form a new political bloc aimed at entering the upcoming elections and competing with the current parties. This came after a series of meetings and meetings held between coordination committees for those governorates, which considered that the approval of a new election law and the organization of early elections is not sufficient, if political blocs did not enter to compete with those currently present, and their participation in the decision, in light of the vision of reform adopted by the demonstrations. Among the most prominent leaders of the new political movement, Alaa al-Rikabi, Kazem al-Sahlani, Ali Hashem and Muhannad Naim, and various academic and legal personalities with civic orientations.

The movement has achieved an appropriate way in this framework, but the Corona pandemic, the imposition of curfews, and the suspension of various demonstrations, all contributed to the retreat of meetings, but they are still ongoing at the level of activists who finally decided to involve representatives of the governorates that did not rise, which are the north and west governorates The disaster, after the occupation of ISIS, included a tendency for the political movement to be non-sectarian and inclusive of all the cities of the country.

According to a prominent activist in Baghdad who spoke on the phone with the "new Arab", the purpose of the new political bloc is to "enter the voice of the demonstrators in the upcoming elections with one Iraqi identity", considering that it is too early to talk about this movement in full detail, because it is not yet completed However, his goal in the end is to crowd out the existing parties and prevent their uniqueness in decision-making in the country. And he points out that there will be representatives "from every square and field demonstrating, and we are waiting for the end of the Corona pandemic to hold important meetings, seminars and discussions on that", considering that if successful, "it will be the first spontaneous popular political bloc in Iraq in decades."

Customer democracy
Observers and stakeholders in the Iraqi affair confirm that the reason for the low participation rate in the elections of 2014 and 2018 was the apparent despair that prevailed in the Iraqi street from the possibility of change through the elections according to a system that consecrates the existing corrupt sectarian parties. Followers believe that the mere announcement by the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior of burning demonstrators and destroying more than 200 headquarters of movements, parties and offices belonging to political figures, during the demonstrations that erupted in the beginning of last October in the cities of the south, center and west, and in the capital Baghdad, and in areas where these parties registered A large majority of electoral votes, another confirmation of the lack of fairness in past entitlements.

On this, the member of the al-Hikma Movement, led by the cleric Ammar al-Hakim, MP Muhammad al-Lakash, says that “the recent elections have produced a clear result, which is that the Iraqi people do not accept any of the parties and their leaders, through the participation of only 20 percent of the people, or less than that. What was a clear indication of public anger?
Al-Lakash admits, in an interview with “Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed”, that there is great skepticism among the Iraqis about the phenomenon of party leaders and political entities still obtaining stable parliamentary seats in every election, but what is even more puzzling is that some of these were getting tremendous votes, such as 100 thousand Voice and more, which is illogical compared to low popular participation. ” Al-Lakash asserts that “fraud has definitely remained in control of the Iraqi elections,” recalling “fire incidents that occurred in Baghdad’s Rusafa polling stations (2018) and the use of weapons and other illegal practices.”

“Prominent activists in the demonstrations put forward a project to form a new political bloc aimed at entering the upcoming elections and competing with the current parties."

For his part, refers the Iraqi Communist Party member Ayham Rashad, that" the leaders of the parties who act in Iraq like a king special to them, known to the Iraqis, and they are not as young as ten Anvar, and seek by staying in the parliament fixed seats are renewed every four years, to Control of parliamentary decisions and the direction of the legislative authority, and some of them have immortal seats for them through political and party agreements and courtesies,"noting also that" who does not succeed in reaching parliament or important positions, works in the shadows to arrange some deals. "

Rashad explains, in an interview with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, that the political process is determined by the election results, whatever the percentage of the voters participating in them, and therefore we need to reconsider the mechanism of this merit that does not suit the aspirations of the people. Likewise, the parties have always worked to design the election law in its sizes, in order to prevent the aspirations of the national forces to participate in political action.

A former member of the Electoral Commission, dissolved by a decision of the parliament in response to the demands of the movement, whose members were distributed in February and March last, to various ministries, believes that two workers rule political leaders in the scene, despite the collapse of their popularity and the popular anger they face . 

In a statement to “Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed”, it is considered that the (previous) election law, which was tailored to the size of the parties by adopting the modified “Saint Lego” mechanism in the method of calculating the votes (which withdraws the votes of the voters and distributes them among the political forces in a way that is closer to sharing between them), guarantees The leader of the electoral list or bloc wins, even if he is only elected by his household, by the votes of the members of his electoral list who are candidates with him who did not exceed the required electoral divider to the head of the bloc, and thus he has obtained electoral votes that did not vote for him. 

The second factor is forgery and fraud. He points out in this context that “Anbar, Baghdad and Babylon were among the most governorates of Iraq in terms of fraud, vote buying, and exploitation as well. This is due to “crimes that the judiciary has become silent with the knowledge and knowledge of.” And he paints a bleak picture of the work of the new judiciary, considering that it "will be subjected to pressure and threat, if it tries to implement a fair and fair polling process, which allows the victory of the Iraqi majority elected only."

In turn, Iyad Al-Anbar, a professor of political science at the University of Kufa in southern Iraq, believes that "the Iraqi parliament does not express popular will," and that "elections in the country are not conducted on the basis of basic programs for state administration." 

As for “party leaders who always win, they are connected to a network within what is known as customer democracy”. And Amber continues in contact with the "new Arab" by saying that "the equation in Iraq is not related to the one who gets votes winning the elections, but in a way that power gives birth to power, so the presence of party leaders and politicians in this power creates for them an audience of customers and votes." They assisted them in the elections, ”and the last participation in the 2018 elections,“ strengthened the presence of the leaders even more, because it was the customers who controlled the polling process and its results. ”

The political expert points out that “amending matters in the country requires a fair election law to remove these people from parliament and important positions, which is the biggest dilemma, because these holders of power are entrenched, and cannot be removed easily, and even if they withdraw, they will remain influential in the scenes of power to manage deals and compromises. ”

Zaid Salem

New Arab

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Al-Araji: Al-Kazemi must demand the dissolution of parliament in preparation for the early elections

 

30th May 2020

 

Former Deputy Prime Minister, Bahaa Al-Araji, on Saturday called on Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to request parliament to dissolve himself in preparation for the early elections

Al-Araji said, in a tweet via "Twitter": "The prime minister ... to fulfill your commitment and implementation of the most important paragraph in your program, requires coordination with the Presidency of the Republic to ask Parliament to dissolve itself in preparation for the early elections

He added: "And thus laying the foundation stone for the project to restore confidence between the people and the political system, which was lost due to the approach of the blocs that formed previous governments

 

Edited May 30, 2020 by DinarThug

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Deputy for victory: Next week will see the vote on the remaining ministers

 

 

11:40 - 05/30/2020

 

The deputy of Al-Nasr Alliance Falah Al-Khafaji revealed, on Saturday, the intention of the House of Representatives to hold a session early next week a session to vote on the remaining ministries of the Al-Kazemi government.

Al-Khafaji said in a statement to "Information", that "the parliament will hold a session during the beginning of next week to complete the vote on the remaining ministerial portfolios."

He added that "the political forces are determined to end the remaining ministries in order for the parliament to devote itself to completing the important laws to support the government."

He pointed out that "coming days will witness intense dialogues between political forces to end the vacant ministries and present them to the House of Representatives." 

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The Security Council extends the mandate of UNAMI in Iraq

 

30th May 2020

The UN Security Council passed a resolution to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) until the end of May next year.

The Security Council issued a statement after a session held by a television station regarding the decision submitted by the United States of America, which provides for the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Iraq "UNAMI", until May 31, 2021, after the mandate of "UNAMI" was scheduled to end late This May.

And "UNAMI", a political mission established by Security Council Resolution 1500 in 2003 after the American occupation of Iraq.

According to previous Security Council resolutions, it defines the tasks of the head of the UNAMI mission to Iraq by advising Baghdad on supporting an inclusive political dialogue and assisting it in setting the necessary procedures for holding elections and referendums in the country.

It also authorized the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the Mission to provide advice, support and assistance to Iraq on promoting a comprehensive political dialogue for all and promoting reconciliation at the national and community levels, and to advise the Government of Iraq and the High Electoral Commission on setting the necessary procedures for holding elections and referendums, as well as advising the Government of Iraq And the House of Representatives on reviewing the constitution and implementing constitutional provisions, as well as on setting procedures that the government of Iraq accepts to settle the issue of disputed internal borders.

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A deputy talking about general managers: They came by buying positions to be eyes of their parties

 

30th May 2020
 

The deputy from the Al-Fath Alliance, Ahmad Al-Kinani, said on Saturday that the general managers came by purchasing positions to be eyes of their parties.

Al-Kanani said that "most general managers in ministries did not come through a job entitlement, but rather on the basis of political parties and on the basis of purchasing positions with funds in order to be an eye for their parties and a window for them, especially in the periods of previous governments."

He added, "The Prime Minister is required to remove these incompetent personalities and their survival is a government disaster, especially since the approach of most managers was built on the basis of partisanship within their ministries."

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Jawdat demands that Al-Kazemi choose an oil minister who is able to negotiate with OPEC

 

 

14:31 - 05/30/2020
 

I asked the independent deputy in the victory coalition, Nada Shaker Jawdat, Saturday, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to examine the names of the nominee for the oil bag, to be chosen in the light of experience and efficiency in international negotiation, especially in the OPEC organization that we failed by the former negotiator during the reduction of our production The oil. Iraq, especially as it suffers from a severe economic crisis. 

Jawdat said in a statement to the "information", that "the selection of some important ministries, such as foreign affairs and oil, should not be subject to the wishes of partisanship or political entities, as they are ministries that have a great national responsibility according to desires and interests."

She added that "the process of choosing a candidate for the oil bag must be careful and away from political pressures and should be subject to specifications of expertise and high efficiency during external negotiations, especially within OPEC." Noting that “the former negotiator failed a lot during the recent OPEC negotiations on production cuts, and he recorded a truly catastrophic failure.

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Nassif: A political bloc is pressing for the nomination of a specific person for the oil portfolio, which contains many
corruption files


 

11:20 - 05/30/2020

Accused independent MP in the coalition of state law, Nassif, Saturday, one of the political blocs known to pressure Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to choose a figure from five personalities who were nominated for an oil bag with a number of corruption files, noting the sense of the remaining ministries.

Nassif said in a statement to the "information", that "five candidates for the Oil Ministry bag were submitted to Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to choose one of them to occupy the portfolio of the ministry, but one of the political blocs pressed Al-Kazemi to name a specific person with nearly thirty seven files of corruption." 

Likely that "Al-Kazemi will not be dragged behind by these pressures because he understands that she will not get enough votes inside the parliament dome." She added that "the rest of the ministries were decided only pending the nomination of the ministries of foreign affairs and justice by the Kurdistan Alliance Forces in addition to the oil bag", indicating that "the Democratic Party has not studied any alternative option for Fouad Hussein to the foreign portfolio."

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Deputy: The disputes over the vacant ministries are deep and their completion takes time

 

 

10:00 - 05/30/2020

 

 

The deputy of the Alliance of Raiders Riyad Al-Masoudi affirmed on Saturday that the differences regarding the vacant ministries are deep and serious, indicating that the completion of the completion of the ministerial cabinet needs time.

Al-Masoudi said in a statement seen by him / the information: “The real differences are centered around the foreign and oil ministries. The latter did not reach an agreement with the Basra representatives, and 16 representatives, including five names, were presented to the prime minister, while the KDP is still insisting on offering the name of Fouad Hussein Candidate for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He added, "The differences are deep and serious, and the completion of the completion of the ministerial cabinet needs time, although the prime minister is not facing pressure because the ministry has gone ahead and the ball is now in the arena of the political process partners and not in the square of the prime minister."

Al-Masoudi pointed out that "it is neither legal nor constitutional to limit the age of the government by one year, as the constitution determines the age of the government at four years, the state of the parliamentary session, and in the event that the prime minister resigns or is dismissed, he is replaced by another," noting that "the date of the elections is not related to the prime minister, but to a commission Elections and creating a database. The sooner the Parliament passes the approval of the Elections Law and the Ministry of Planning to prepare the data, elections are held after the Prime Minister provides them with logistical support.” 

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A representative committee addresses the Foreign Ministry regarding the Washington negotiation and excludes Al-Kazemi's leadership of the delegation

 

Policy 05/20/2020 15:00 109 Editor: gf   

Baghdad today - Baghdad 

 

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, Sherko Muhammad, said Saturday (30 May 2020) that his committee sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inquiring about the delegation that will participate in the "strategic dialogue" with the United States of America, and did not receive a response from them.

Muhammad said in an interview with (Baghdad Today), that "the Foreign Relations Committee sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs an official letter on how to send the delegation and its composition, and the date of private negotiations with Washington," noting that "0 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not responded to the letter of the Foreign Relations Committee until now." 

And, "The cab will be completed within a few days, and a foreign minister will be appointed who can manage negotiations and form a delegation," ruling out that "Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi will conduct negotiations with Washington himself."

Pompeo revealed last month that the United States had proposed a dialogue with the Iraqi government in mid-June to discuss all strategic issues with the Iraqi government, including the future of the US military presence. 

The Senior Undersecretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Karim Hashem Mustafa, discussed with the American ambassador in Baghdad, Matthew Toller, the first rounds of the Iraqi-American strategic dialogue that Washington called for, and the two sides ’vision to praise a balanced strategic relationship based on common interests and mutual respect.

After that, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi discussed, with US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, during a telephone conversation, the preparations to start the strategic dialogue between the two countries, and the files of economic, political and security cooperation.

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A source in Al-Kazemi’s office: upcoming negotiations with armed factions to return the displaced to their areas

 

31st May 2020

 

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi plans to enter into uneasy negotiations with political parties and armed factions linked to Iran, aiming to evacuate the cities where these factions have been present for years and to return their displaced residents to them, according to three Iraqi officials in Baghdad

They said that there are efforts to approve a comprehensive road map for normalizing the situation in cities, and that it is hoped that negotiations will start after the formation of the government is completed, and the vacancies in the remaining seven ministries will be ended

The factions of the Iraqi "Hezbollah Brigades", "Al-Nujaba", "Imam Ali", "Sayyid Al-Shuhada", "Al-Khursani", "Al-Bidaf", "Al-Tawaif", "Al-Asaib" and "Badr" are considered And other armed factions, the most prominent of those who control the file of those cities and regions, such as Jurf al-Sakhr, Al-Farsiyyah, Sanidij, Al-Auja, Aziz Balad, Al-Owaisat, Draj Tigris, the Chinese, and Akashat. In addition to the villages of Al-Toz, northeastern Diyala, Ibrahim bin Ali, Al-Dabatiya, Baiji residential complex, and other areas

According to an official in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, “The commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces (Al-Kazemi) plans to open the file of displaced people who are prevented from returning to their cities, with the support of the Presidency of Parliament and the United Nations Mission

 The official pointed out that "the prime minister has complete information and vision about the file of the displaced through his presidency of the intelligence service," pointing out that "Al-Kazimi seeks to prepare for the mission through a broad political consensus and understanding with those factions by persuading them to leave the cities and let the population return to it, especially since their number is very large." Their situation is inhumane in the camps

Member of the Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, Abdel-Khaleq Al-Azzawi, a deputy from the “Iraqi Forces” coalition, said that “work is currently underway on the file of the displaced and the absentees as well, and achieving this by the Kazemi government was one of our conditions for passing the government.” Al-Azzawi explained that "the last statistic of the number of absentees in all northern and western cities, showed that they numbered more than 60,000 people, some of whom were killed and buried in mass graves whose location has not been revealed yet, and another section we believe they are still in the secret prisons of the armed militias

Al-Azzawi added that "there are political and other armed parties who refuse to return the displaced, knowing that their areas have been liberated for years

A member of the Security and Defense Committee stressed that "Mustafa Al-Kazimi's government is obligated to implement the return of the displaced people, which is emphasized in the government program, through dialogue with the authorities that prevent the return of the people to their areas, or impose the law on them in any way

For his part, Anas Akram, a member of the Commission for Human Rights in Iraq, said that "among the main challenges facing Al-Kazemi, ending the file of the displaced and ensuring a decent return for all of these to their areas of residence." Akram pointed out that "there are some problems that prevent the return of many of the displaced people in different Iraqi cities, led by Jurf Al-Sakhr, Al-Awja, Yathrib, Aziz Balad, Al-Owaisat, Al-Alam, and others. For this, the Al-Kazemi government must bear full responsibility for returning the displaced to these areas, especially since local governments have performed What it has on this file, but there are obstacles and problems, some of which are political, while others are ethnic, sectarian and sectarian, that prevent the return of the displaced to their areas

Akram stressed that "the government should put a plan on the ground that includes the implementation of the clause of the return of the displaced to their areas, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, obligating any force operating under the Iraqi state to secure a decent and safe return of all the displaced, and closing the file of displacement completely." A member of the Commission for Human Rights in Iraq revealed that "according to the latest statistic of the commission, the number of displaced people throughout Iraq is at least one million and three hundred thousand." He continued: "There is a more difficult challenge than the return of the displaced, which is related to the absentees, especially since it is assumed that Al-Kazemi has a complete view on this file, as he was heading the Iraqi intelligence service, and he certainly has a lot of information regarding the absentees

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Deputy: No session during the ban and completion of the cab next week

 

 

11:16 - 05/31/2020
 

Confirmed the MP from the Union of Forces olive - Dulaimi, Sunday, that the Presidency of the Council of Representatives will not call for the House of Representatives to hold a hearing during the official duration of the ban this week, the likely announcement of a new session where a vote on the completion of the ministerial cabin early next week.

Al-Dulaimi said in a statement to the "information", that "the parliament does not have the ability to hold a session of parliament during the period of the official ban, despite the requests of more than 120 deputies", indicating that "most of the deputies have no desire to hold a session through the electronic window." The adviser to the Speaker of Parliament, Burhanuddin Ishaq, had ruled out, in a previous statement to "Information", holding a session of parliament during the period of the comprehensive ban, stating that the outbreak of the Corona pandemic hindered the resumption of the Council's sessions. 

She added that "the political forces have pushed their candidates to Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi for the vacant ministries except for the Kurdistan Alliance Forces," adding that "a new session will be announced in which the vote to complete the ministerial cabinet will take place early next week."

 

Edited May 31, 2020 by DinarThug

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Officially .. Parliament sets Wednesday as the date for its session

 

Policy  ,   05/31/2020 23:38  

 

Baghdad - Iraq today:
 

On Sunday, the Iraqi Council of Representatives announced the resumption of its regular sessions next Wednesday.

A statement of the Presidency of the House of Representatives stated that "The House of Representatives will hold its regular session on Wednesday, 3/6/2020 one o'clock in the afternoon

to read and discuss a number of laws listed on its agendas."

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In the video .. the American ambassador clarifies the features of the upcoming strategic dialogue with Iraq

 

31st May 2020
 

The American Ambassador to Iraq, Matthew Toller, revealed the features of bilateral cooperation between the United States and Iraq, and the strategic dialogue scheduled for mid-June.

The US embassy published a video clip of Toller’s statements, in which he clarified the features of the dialogue in its political, economic, security, social, and cultural aspects.

On April 7, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for a "strategic dialogue" between the United States and Iraq to discuss the future of the relationship between the two countries.

The dialogue, which will be a series of meetings between senior American and Iraqi officials, aims to put all aspects of the US-Iraqi relationship on the dialogue table.  

In English.....   VIDEO LINK

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Source: Political movement to choose a foreign minister before the strategic dialogue with Washington

 

31st May 2020

 

 A representative source involved in the political bloc dialogues revealed that Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi wants to complete the vacant ministries as soon as possible, indicating that the delay is due to deep differences between the political blocs

The source indicated to Arab media that the foreign and oil ministries receive the most attention in the dialogues, due to the existence of two urgent requirements, namely, the dialogue with Washington, which should be led by a foreign minister, as well as the need for the oil minister to manage the oil export file that requires contacts with an organization. OPEC

He pointed out that there is a desire on the part of most of the interlocutors that the Foreign Ministry file should be resolved in an appropriate period before the start of the dialogues with America, so that the new minister has enough time to see the files that will be raised in the dialogues

The same source pointed out that there is a preliminary approval to grant the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the "Kurdistan Democratic Party" led by Masoud Barzani, without saying: "However, a dispute is taking place regarding the candidate, as Barzani's party insists on offering the Minister of Finance in the previous government, Fouad Hussein, to the ministerial portfolio, which is An order opposed by other powers, as a matter of refusing to nominate any former minister to obtain a ministry in the Al-Kazemi booth

 It is noteworthy that a government decision was issued on the twelfth of this month that Al-Kazemi takes over the acting Foreign Ministry, until a new minister is chosen

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Newspaper: Iraqi-American negotiations will start on June 10

 

 

11:11 - 05/31/2020

The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Sunday that the strategic dialogue between the United States of America and Iraq will start on the tenth and eleventh of next June. 

 
And although Al-Kazemi is far from making hostilities and is close to making friends even with his opponents, his supporters are betting on this trait while his opponents, including those who accepted him compelled to see that the ability to satisfy enemies and friends together, is a recipe that must be viewed with caution. 

"The dialogue begins on the tenth and eleventh of the month of June (June)," the newspaper said in a report that was seen by him / the information. Military and economic.”

She added that "the precursors to this dialogue are many and are more favorable to Al-Kazemi's opponents. While the supporters of Al-Kazemi, especially the Sunnis and the Kurds, believe that the results of this dialogue will be in their favor in one way or another, especially since the opponents of Al-Kazemi do not have much pressure on him on the level of foreign policy.

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Parliamentary Foreign Affairs: Two things that will not be waived in the Baghdad and Washington negotiations

 

 

05/31/2020 12:48:04

 

 

The Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee confirmed two things that will not be waived in any negotiations between Iraq and the United States of America during the strategic dialogue to be launched next June.
 

"The forthcoming dialogue between Iraq and America is a road map for strategic relations between the two countries and we, as a supervisory committee, closely follow the course of the negotiations and the rest of the formation of the negotiating delegation," the committee's chairman, Sherko Mirwais, told Al Furat News.

"As a result, what matters to us is the sovereignty of the state and the interest of Iraq, above all else, and we hope that the agreement will help to restore security better, rebuild infrastructure and make a better life for the Iraqis." And that "the interest and security of Iraq is the responsibility of everyone, and all political parties need to cooperate with the new government, because this agreement and others with countries are in the interest of our country, and when we are realistic, we will build a better life for our generations." Mirwais said: And on the issue of arming Iraq as one of the files that the two countries may discuss, he replied, "These determinants are not known yet, and we are waiting for the actions of the Prime Minister and there is a meeting with representatives of the components and state institutions on that."

On April 7, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for a "strategic dialogue" between the United States and Iraq to discuss the future of the relationship between the two countries. The dialogue, which will be a series of meetings between senior American and Iraqi officials, aims to put all aspects of the US-Iraqi relationship on the dialogue table. And the American ambassador to Iraq, Matthew Toller, said today, Sunday, that the strategic dialogue with Iraq aims to overcome the challenges it faces. And he spoke in a video clip broadcast by the US embassy about the next strategic dialogue, scheduled for mid-next month.

He added that in "the coming weeks, my colleagues throughout the mission will discuss in detail how our strategic framework agreement addresses all aspects of our bilateral relationship - political, economic, cultural, educational and scientific, and not only limited to security assistance," stressing that "our partnership extends beyond just providing support to the forces Iraqi Security. We look forward to the upcoming strategic dialogue meetings that aim to cooperate in how to strengthen these ties in order to overcome the many challenges that Iraq still faces."

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How US should approach Strategic Dialogue with Iraq

 

31st May 2020    

After five months and two failed attempts, Iraq has a new prime minister. Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s appointment offers the country the prospect of some respite after months of political paralysis and mass social unrest since October 2019. The unrest has rocked the political class, and has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the dramatic decline in oil prices, and tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iraq have simmered since America’s assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on Iraqi soil in January. The U.S. has become increasingly frustrated with Baghdad’s failure to control militia groups that answer to Iran, and Iran’s use of Iraq as a conduit to circumvent or mitigate the economic impact of Washington’s maximum pressure campaign. Washington upped the pressure on Iraq by reducing the duration of sanctions waivers that allow Iraq to import electricity from Iran. President Trump even threatened to impose sanctions on Baghdad and withhold access to Iraqi reserve funds if Iran’s proxies continue to attack U.S. forces with impunity.

Amidst these tensions, Washington and Baghdad have an opportunity to reset their relationship via a U.S.-Iraq strategic dialogue next month. Here is how the U.S. should approach it:

1 Cultivate long-term relations with certain key components of the PMF, rather than ask Iraq to disband it altogether

The Popular Mobilization Force (PMF) is a 100,000-strong umbrella militia organization. It is dominated and commanded by Iran’s proxies, but comprised of disparate factions — and its ascendance has frustrated Washington. The fight against ISIS brought a sense of unity and purpose to the PMF, but it is now in disarray following the withdrawal of factions aligned with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s leading Shiite clergyman. Like Sistani, these groups have lamented that Iran’s proxies have effectively used the PMF as a front to further their own ambitions.

Their withdrawal presents an opening for the U.S. to cultivate closer ties to the Sistani-aligned factions. Washington should not ask Iraq to disband the PMF wholesale — a demand Baghdad couldn’t satisfy given the PMF’s power in Iraqi institutions and politics. Instead, Washington should work with the prime minister to provide direct military support and training to more preferred groups to help shift the balance of power in their favor. Providing these weapons should be conditional on not letting them end up in the hands of Iran-aligned factions and, critically, on them not being used against U.S. allies in the future. The now-open splits suggest that state-aligned PMF factions could be amenable to developing closer ties to outside actors like the U.S., either through direct bilateral engagements or indirectly through Kadhimi. Elevating and empowering them will provide Kadhimi with a much-needed buffer against Iran-aligned groups who would otherwise be too powerful to contain. The U.S. could help Kadhimi leverage divisions to re-balance the relationship between the state and Iran’s proxies.

2 Don’t expect Baghdad to rein in Iran’s proxies (yet)

The good news for the U.S. is that Iran’s proxies have suffered a number of chinks in their armour since the protest movement emerged and since the assassination of Soleimani and al-Muhandis, which has resulted in a leadership void that has thrown Iran’s proxy network into disarray. Iran’s proxies have been implicated in the violence against protesters, which has diminished their social legitimacy and popular support. This could have a far-reaching impact, since their ascendancy is linked to their ability to attract popular support. The withdrawal of the Sistani factions from the PMF also diminishes the power of Iran-aligned factions.

However, the Iraqi armed forces are stretched and focused on containing the resurgence of ISIS and other militant groups, in addition to curtailing tribal and other local conflicts. Kadhimi, meanwhile, is still new and does not yet have a strong political base. At this point, attempting to rein in resource-rich and battle-hardened militias with strong backing from Iran will bring more costs than benefits to a war-fatigued country.

3 Help Kadhimi on governance issues, but don’t try to rebuild the Iraqi state

The U.S. has to come to terms with the reality that rebuilding Iraq’s institutions in the current environment would likely benefit Iran. Washington has traditionally preferred to play the long game, adopting a comprehensive approach to rebuilding Iraq’s institutions. But that poses difficulties in the current political environment, in light of Iran’s influence and the fact that Iraqi politicians must first get their own house in order — i.e. establish a consensus on critical and domestic foreign policy decisions, like whether they want the U.S. in the country.

Instead, Washington could focus on nearer-term opportunities. One possible win — which could ultimately help prop up the Iraqi economy and state-building projects in the longer-term — could be achieved within the Iraqi Ministry of Finance. It is led by a capable Iraqi technocrat and statesman, Ali Allawi, who appreciates the necessity of continued U.S. support. Washington should work to empower him, by helping to establish a modern banking and finance infrastructure, continuing to extend Iraq’s sanctions waiver, and enabling increased financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank and help Iraq restructure its debts.

4 Leverage the Kurdistan region…

The longer Kadhimi is able to keep his head above the water over the coming months, the greater his prospects of protecting U.S. interests. But he cannot do it alone. Baghdad has multiple centers of power that constrain his ability to forge and enforce policies, especially where these are at odds with the policies of the array of powerful political blocs and militia leaders.

Washington should work to enhance the political influence of the Kurds in Baghdad and the stability in the Kurdistan region, where the U.S. has a sizable presence. The U.S. should empower the Kurds on the assumption that it may have to one day withdraw from Iraq before it has secured key U.S. interests, after which it would need to turn to the Kurds to either relocate its forces to the Kurdistan region or use it as a conduit through which to secure vital U.S. interests in other parts of Iraq. In the nearer term, the U.S. can ensure the Kurdistan Regional Government does not succumb to its financial crisis and disputes with Baghdad. That will preserve and reinforce one of the very few cards the U.S. has in Baghdad.

5…and don’t ignore your friends

Since 2011, the U.S. has been its own worst enemy in Iraq. It has been a bystander as U.S.-aligned Arab Sunni factions have been marginalized and suppressed. Components of the Shiite political class, historically averse to closer ties with Iran, have had no choice but to embrace Tehran as it filled a void. In 2017, the U.S. opposed the Kurdish independence referendum but then stood by as Iran’s proxies, armed with U.S. weapons supplied to the Iraqi government, fought and defeated the Peshmerga in Kirkuk.

The U.S. and its allies do not have to agree on everything, but Washington should avoid steps that significantly weaken the standing of its allies or enable pathways for expanded influence of its rivals. Iran’s partners prosper because Tehran treats attacks on its allies as attacks on Iran, and mediates disputes between them. The U.S. should do the same for its own allies.

6 Cultivate relationships with the next generation of Iraqi leaders

Iraq’s current crop of political leaders largely lack a sense of purpose, unity, and urgency to address the country’s long-term challenges. The current government is effectively a transitional government, a crisis government with two key objectives: steer the country away from the abyss and hold elections that can restore its legitimacy.

Washington should focus — and encourage leaders in Baghdad to focus — on engaging and enabling the next generation of capable, reform-minded Iraqi leaders (including those who are currently in government and those who are engaged in grassroots politics). Opening opportunities for grassroots actors and encouraging the development of a reform-minded political class could help drive Iraq’s rival camps — that either want to maintain the existing political order or see it overhauled in its entirety — toward compromise.

The U.S.-Iraq strategic dialogue is part of a broader process aimed at settling a series of longstanding issues. But Iraq’s crises and structural challenges will outlast both the current Iraqi and U.S. administrations. Expectations should not be set too high, but as the above indicates, Washington does have options. It is possible to develop a mutually beneficial and functioning relationship, one that can also yield much needed reprieve and results for the Iraqi population.

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The government adopts a new anti-corruption strategy

 

 

10:22 - 05/31/2020

The observer member of the Supreme Council for Combating Corruption, Saeed Yassin Moussa, announced on Sunday the government's intention to adopt a national strategy ready to fight corruption and review the overall performance during the previous period.

Moussa said in a statement seen by (the information), "This strategy depends on the accurate distribution of roles between the relevant institutions in the government, parliament, the Supreme Judicial Council, civil society organizations and the media."

He added, "The mission of the Supreme Council is to be coordinating between the supervisory authorities and the parties that are related to fighting corruption, such as the judiciary and public prosecution, in order to continuously build public policies, evaluate public performance and take the necessary decisions, which enhance integrity, combat corruption and take preventive policies against corruption."

He added, “The government on the accountability and accountability side facilitates procedures to meet the requirements of the judiciary and the Integrity Commission,” noting that “during this period we were demanding that the government have a direct control arm, meaning that the government had the offices of the inspectors have a consultative function to the minister, any of its reports might be taken out or Not with the inspector having the ability and authority to refer the file that requires it to the Integrity Commission.

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Parliament Rapporteur: Al-Kazemi has completed his cabinet, and is awaiting dispatch

 

 

19:50 - 05/31/2020
 

 

Parliament Rapporteur Khadija Ali announced on Sunday that the Prime Minister has completed the nominations of the ministerial cabinet for the vacant ministries, stating that Parliament is awaiting the arrival of names to determine the date of the session.

And Ali told / the information / that "Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi decided the nominations for the vacant ministries and the remaining vacant and in the process of sending them to parliament with their CVs."

She added that "the names did not reach the council yet," noting that "the date of the session will be decided after the names arrive to the presidency."

She explained that "the dialogues indicate the readiness of all the blocs to attend the session to vote on the remaining vacant ministries."