TNT:

Tishwash: IMF: Iraq, Qatar increase their gold holdings

Data from the International Monetary Fund showed an increase in gold reserves in Iraq and Qatar.

According to these data, in May 2024, Iraq increased its gold reserves by 2,644 tons to 148,305 tons.

The data showed that Qatar increased its gold reserves by 3,112 tonnes to 106,423 tonnes in June 2024, according to Reuters. link

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Tishwash: Iraq eyes drawdown of US-led forces starting September, sources say

Iraq wants troops from a U.S.-led military coalition to begin withdrawing in September and to formally end the coalition's work by September 2025, four Iraqi sources said, with some U.S. forces likely to remain in a newly negotiated advisory capacity.

The Iraqi position is being discussed with U.S. officials in Washington this week at a security summit and there is no formal agreement on ending the coalition or any associated timetable yet, the Iraqi sources and U.S officials said.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller told a news briefing that both sides were meeting in Washington this week to determine how to transition the U.S.-led coalition's mission based on the threat posed by Islamic State, adding he had no further details.

U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003, toppled former leader Saddam Hussein and then withdrew in 2011, only to return in 2014 to fight Islamic State at the head of the coalition.

The U.S. currently has around 2,500 troops in Iraq at the head of a more than 80-member coalition that was formed in 2014 to repel Islamic State as it rampaged across Iraq and Syria.

They are housed at three main bases, one in Baghdad, one in western Anbar province and another in the northern Kurdistan region.

It is unclear how many troops would leave under a deal, with Iraqi sources saying they expected most to eventually depart but U.S. officials saying many may remain under a newly negotiated advise and assist mission.

U.S. officials are keen to have some military footprint in Iraq on a bilateral basis, in part to help support its presence across the border in Syria, where it has around 900 troops.

The issue is highly politicized, with mainly Iran-aligned Iraqi political factions looking to show that they are pushing out the country's one-time occupier again, while U.S. officials want to avoid giving Iran and its allies a win.

There are also concerns about Islamic State's ability to regroup.

The jihadist group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019 but still carries out attacks in both countries and is on track to double its attacks in Syria this year compared to 2023, the U.S. military said.

The group and its affiliates have also in recent months carried out attacks in Iran and Russia, as well as in Oman last week for the first time.

While the coalition's mission is to advise and assist Iraqi forces in the fight against the Islamic State, Western officials say the U.S. and its allies also see its presence in Iraq as a check on Iranian influence.

Washington and Baghdad initiated talks on the future of the coalition in January amid tit-for-tat attacks between Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim armed groups and U.S. forces that were sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.

An agreement to draw down the coalition could be a political win for Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who has been under pressure from Iran-aligned factions to push out U.S. forces but has sought to do so in a way that balances Iraq's delicate position as an ally of both Washington and Tehran. link

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Tishwash: The Oil and Gas Law has been imprisoned in Parliament for 19 years and is threatened with deportation to the next session

The secret lies in the consensus of political forces

Political disagreements and a lack of consensus since the first session of the House of Representatives made the draft oil and gas law a victim and locked in parliament's drawers.

In each session, conflicts prevent its approval in its final form, as five parliamentary sessions have passed and the law has not been released until today.

The Parliamentary Oil, Gas and Natural Resources Committee expects that the law will be transferred to the next parliamentary session, despite the visit of the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani, early this month, to the capital, Baghdad, and his meeting with political leaders.

A member of the Parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee, Ali Al-Lami, said in an interview with Al-Mada, “One of the reasons for obstructing the approval of the oil and gas law is the continuing disputes between the governments of Baghdad and Erbil “

He added that his committee "sent the law at the beginning of the current parliamentary session to the government, and we met with the Prime Minister, the President of the Republic, and all the heads of blocs and parties, and we explained the importance of this law."
The member of the House of Representatives points out, “The law is unlikely to be approved during the current session, as it requires study and reading,” suggesting that “the law will be transferred to the next parliamentary session.”

The draft Iraqi oil and gas law regulates Iraq's vital sector and the management of the country's oil fields through one national company, with imports being deposited in one account.

Iraq exports an average of 3.3 million barrels of crude oil per day, and black gold constitutes more than 90 percent of the Iraqi treasure's resources.

For her part, a member of the Parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee, Zainab Al-Moussawi, said in an interview with Al-Mada, “The law is almost complete, and to a high degree, but there are some objections about some points, which are summed up in the delivery of oil imports and exploited and unexploited natural resources to Baghdad.”

Al-Mousawi adds, “The Oil and Gas Law is concerned with regulating the country’s natural resources and exploiting the largest possible amount of undiscovered oil fields.”

She points out that "the law will also contribute to achieving self-sufficiency in oil derivatives and optimal exploitation of wasted natural resources, valued at hundreds of billions of dollars, which contribute to diversifying the state's financial resources."

The draft oil and gas law in Iraq available to Parliament stipulates that responsibility for managing the country's oil fields must be entrusted to and supervised by a national oil company.

In August 2023, the Prime Minister, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, confirmed that “the draft oil and gas law is one of the basic and important laws, representing a factor of strength and unity for Iraq, and it has been stuck for years, At a time when the country today is in dire need of its legislation and to benefit from this natural wealth, in every way.” Fields and sectors, as well as the contribution of the legislation to solve many outstanding problems.”

He explained, “There are governorates that have not invested their wealth, which is considered negative for development endeavors in all their paths.”

In February 2022, the Federal Court in Baghdad ordered the region to deliver the oil produced on its lands to Baghdad, and to cancel contracts the region had signed with foreign companies.
The matter reached the point where the judiciary in Baghdad invalidated contracts with many foreign companies, especially American and Canadian companies. link

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Mot: .... Why Didn't it Happen???? - Why!!!????