Early Friday Morning Iraq News 4-29-22

Early Friday Morning Iraq News 4-29-22

American Concern Over The Delay In Forming The Iraqi Government

April 29, 2022  The "Bil-Iraqi" program highlighted the statements of the US Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran, Jennifer Gavito, about Washington's position on forming the new government in Iraq, despite the passage of months since the early elections. What is the impact of the delay in forming the Iraqi government on the security situation in the country?   LINK

The Iraqi Parliament Is In The Process Of Issuing A Resolution Obligating The Government To Submit The Financial Budget

Shafaq News/ The Head of the Legal Committee in the House of Representatives, MP Muhammad Anouz, announced today, Thursday, that work is currently underway to issue a parliamentary resolution obligating the government to submit the budget for the purpose of approval, noting that the constitution did not prevent the caretaker government from sending bills to Parliament.

In a statement received by Shafak News Agency, Anouz said, "The political blockage led to the delay in approving the budget and the disruption of bills, which cast a shadow on the country's economic situation and the living reality of citizens."

He added that "there are about 120 laws that have been transferred from the previous parliamentary session to this session, some of which affect the economic aspect."

Mustafa Al-Kazemi’s government stumbled by sending the budget bill for 2022 before the Iraqi parliament in its previous session dissolved itself in preparation for the early elections that took place on October 10, 2021.

A number of specialists considered that the delay in approving the budget for the current year would negatively affect investment projects and delay ongoing projects, in addition to stopping the economic activities of the market in the country in general.   LINK

Al-Halbousi And Plaschaert Stress The Importance Of Forming A Government That "Meets The Aspirations Of The People"

Shafaq News/ Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Jeanine Plasschaert, stressed on Thursday the importance of completing the constitutional obligations and forming a new government that meets the requirements of the Iraqi people.

This came during Al-Halbousi's reception to Plasschaert in his office in the capital, Baghdad, according to a statement provided by the media office of the Speaker of Parliament, received by Shafak News Agency.

According to the statement, the two sides discussed the developments of the political situation in the country, and discussed the regional and international situations, and a number of issues of common interest.

Al-Halbousi had made a one-day visit to the Iranian capital, Tehran, during which he discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries, and touched on ways to form the new Iraqi government and end the political crisis afflicting the country.  LINK

He Expected A Delay In Its Formation For Another Two Months.. Deputy: There Is No Government Without Agreement With The People Of Arms

Shafaq News/ The representative of Nineveh Governorate, Muhammad Nuri al-Abed Rabbo, expected on Thursday that the formation of the Iraqi government would be delayed for two more months, and while he stressed that the "consensus" between the Shiite parties is the decisive factor in forming the government, he warned against reaching the stage of "breaking the bone."

And caused the mismatch between the main political forces to delay the formation of the Iraqi government after the elections held in October of last year.

Al-Abd Rabbo told Shafaq News Agency, "It is not possible to form a government without consensus among the Shiite parties that possess weapons, and if these conflicting parties do not agree, the government will not be formed."

He added, "If the government is formed according to the principle of breaking the bone or the majority, the parties that will be excluded will not remain silent and will not let things calm down and will resort to escalation in its various forms."

Al-Abed Rabbo suggested that “the country will remain at least two more months without a government, and the situation will continue as it is,” warning of “the danger of the majority government because there are those who own weapons and this does not bode well for all parties.”

With regard to the financial budget, Al-Abed Rabbo expected that it would be passed to the House of Representatives without obstruction, as there is no interest for any party in delaying the approval of the budget, he said.

Regarding the sharing of government positions by the Sovereignty Alliance, Al-Abed Rabbo explained that "Nineveh Governorate is completely absent from the sovereign positions of the Sunni component, in addition to important positions such as agencies and general directorates."

And he indicated that "the leaders of the Sovereignty Alliance shared positions without regard to Nineveh and its weight, and this is what made me, along with eight other representatives from the province, refuse to join the Sovereignty Alliance, which represents the weight of the Sunni component in the country."  LINK

Danai Far: Tehran Can Help Baghdad Out Of The Political Impasse

Shafaq News/ The former Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Danaeifar, said on Thursday that his country can help Iraq get out of the political impasse that hinders the formation of the next federal government.

Danai Far, the former Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, confirmed his visit to Erbil two weeks ago, saying that he had "candid, transparent and clear talks" with officials in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

He said in an interview with the Iranian "ILNA" news agency, today: "I have visited Iraq several times and made a trip to Erbil two weeks ago."

The leaders of the Kurdistan Region, the Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, the President of the Region Nechirvan Barzani, and the Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met on the tenth of this April, a high-ranking delegation from Iran headed by Danaei Far, according to the Iranian consulate in Erbil.

And Danai Far added during the interview with "ILNA" by saying that Tehran can help the Iraqi political currents to get out of the political impasse, and that Al-Halbousi's visit can be evaluated in this context.

On Wednesday morning, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, headed a parliamentary delegation, visited the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Al-Halbousi visited Iran for the first time in March of 2018.

Al-Halbousi's visit to Tehran was postponed for a month due to the health protocols of the two countries and the illness of the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Muhammad Baqir Qalibaf.   LINK

Khoshnaw: The Absence Of US Or Foreign Interference In The Formation Of The Government Is A Good Thing

The leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Mahmoud Khoshnaw, said that talking about the absence of American or foreign interference in the crisis of forming the Iraqi government is a good thing, as all previous interventions were negative on the political process, but the reality is that there is interference from many international parties in this the crisis.

Khoshnaw added that the decline of the US role in Iraq, especially in the current crisis, is not related to Iraq, but rather to regional and global changes.

He concluded by saying that the Iranian and British roles seem to be greater than the American ones in this crisis, but the American presence in Iraq at various levels still exists, although it is not the same as it was before. LINK

The Debt Is 20 Billion Dollars And Must Be Paid By The End Of The Year 2028

The value of the external debt  

Today, Friday, the Iraqi government revealed that Iraq's foreign debts amount to about 20 billion dollars, to be paid by the end of the year 2028 at most.

The financial advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, said that there are debts owed by Iraq to the International Monetary Fund, amounting to four billion dollars, which were loans provided after the year 2015 during the financial and security crises.

Pointing out that the other loan between 2016 and 2017 amounted to three billion dollars within the framework of a program called "credit preparedness arrangements." LINK