KTFA:

Clare:  The Central Bank determines the valid and rejected Iraqi banknotes for circulation

2023-01-16 

The Central Bank of Iraq determined, on Monday, the valid and non-negotiable banknotes of the local currency

The bank said, in a statement received by Shafaq News agency, that it is "responsible for defining the categories of Iraqi coins, their standards, printing, and minting coins, and is responsible for destroying and replacing them and identifying defective ones," noting that "discriminating between their categories by imposing a specific category on the public or refusing to receive A certain category is unacceptable and against the law.”

And he explained that "the banknotes issued by him remain valid for negotiation in the event that they were exposed to any tear of more than 3 cm, and it was repaired with transparent adhesive tape on one or both sides and did not affect its features."

He added that "the banknotes also remain valid if they were cut in one of their corners within 2 cm and did not affect their features, and also if traces of circulation and use appeared on them and were not harmed or damaged affecting their shape, color and size."

He pointed out that "the banknotes are considered unfit for negotiation if the banknote is worn out or damaged even though it was not torn or parts of it were lost, and if it was damaged as a result of exposure to water or various liquids, and it is also considered unfit for negotiation if it consists of two parts with different numbers." Its area was close to that of the original banknote.

And he indicated that “the banknote is also considered invalid if the banknote is fixed with a transparent tape or more on its width or length, in addition to pieces of it more than one angle or loaned, or if it is defective in terms of design and size and if it loses 50% of its area.” It is also considered unfit for circulation if foreign materials stick to it and affect its features, such as inks and dyes, or if they are perforated.”   LINK

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Clare: Parliamentary recommendation to go to the electronic system in regulating the movement of funds

Today, Monday, the Parliamentary Finance Committee confirmed that one of the reasons for the fluctuation of the dollar exchange rate is the lack of an electronic system, while indicating that this aims to regulate the movement of funds.

A member of the Finance Committee, Jamal Cougar, told the official agency, “The financial electronic system project was proposed years ago in the Finance Committee and other committees, as well as by some ministers and economists, but the issue did not find the required response.”

He explained, "One of the reasons for the conflict between the dollar and the Iraqi dinar is the lack of an electronic system, and therefore the movement of funds is not clear," stressing "the importance of the country's approach in this direction, as it regulates the movement of funds."

For his part, the economic expert, Amer Al-Jawahiry, stated that “strong decisions must be issued capable of transforming the financial system into an electronic one and taking all measures,” stressing the need for “the presence of a specialized team that lays the basis for work on the matter.”

He continued, "We must keep pace with change and keep pace with the development taking place in the world in terms of the electronic system and other developments."  LINK

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Henig:  An American delegation arrives in Baghdad within hours before an expected visit by Al-Sudani to Washington

Baghdad today - Baghdad 
 
Informed sources said, on Monday, that an American delegation will arrive in Baghdad within hours, while indicating that there is an expected visit by Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani to Washington to meet with President Joe Biden.

The sources told (Baghdad Today) that "an American delegation will arrive in Baghdad within a few hours to discuss the file of scheduling and deployment of American forces in Iraq."

The sources added, "Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein will soon go to Washington to arrange procedures for Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a al-Sudani's visit to the United States and to meet with US President Joe Biden."   LINK

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Henig:  Agence France-Presse: Al-Sudani is preparing to meet with Biden and shows friendliness to America, which is tightening its policies against Iran

January 16, 2023

Baghdad / Obelisk: Agence France-Presse considered that an interview published by the Wall Street Journal, on Sunday, with Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, showed Sudani's keenness to please the United States, which continues to intensify its tone against Iran.

Al-Sudani told the newspaper that he wants to send a high-level delegation to Washington soon, perhaps as a prelude to a meeting between him and President Joe Biden.

Al-Sudani considered that his country is still at the present time “in need of foreign forces” present in it, most of which are American, according to what came in an interview published Sunday by the Wall Street Journal.

"We believe we need foreign forces," said Al-Sudani, who has held the post since the end of October, adding, "Eliminating ISIS will take some time."

"We do not need forces fighting inside Iraqi territory," he said, explaining that "the threat to Iraq stems from the infiltration of (extremist organization) cells from Syria."

The United States has about two thousand military personnel in Iraq to carry out training and advisory missions.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is also carrying out a non-combat mission in Iraq, in which, according to its website, “hundreds” of personnel from several member states or NATO partners (Australia, Finland and Sweden) participate.

According to the French Agency, the Sudanese government, which gained confidence after a year of bloody clashes, sometimes relies on the support of parties allied to Iran that dominate parliament. Iraq also relies heavily on gas and electricity from its eastern neighbor.

The Iraqi government faces enormous expectations from Iraqis who are exhausted by a serious economic and social crisis.

At the end of November, the Iraqi Prime Minister visited Tehran, which saw promises of strengthening cooperation on the security and economic levels.

In a related context, there are talks about a dispute between the Sudanese government and the Shiite parties that support it over the position on the American presence in Iraq.

Ali al-Ghanmi, a member of the political bureau in the Euphrates Movement, led by Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani, said about the differences within the coordination framework or the state administration coalition over the relationship with the United States, according to his statements published in local media.

Al-Ghanimi, a former deputy, explained that some political parties - he did not name them - have reservations about the relationship with Washington because of the airport incident.

It is hoped that Al-Sudani's protocol visit to Washington will discuss the joint security file between Baghdad and Washington, especially with the presence of an escalation by the armed factions against the American presence.

The leader of the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, Abbas al-Zaidi, revealed to Al-Masalla the resistance's dissatisfaction with the actions of the government of Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani.

Al-Sudani had stressed the importance of continuing joint work, especially in the field of advising and training the Iraqi forces, which are fighting the confrontation against terrorism effectively and professionally.

Al-Zaidi told Al-Masalla: We reject the intervention of the US embassy in the Iraqi issue, warning against complete submission to the occupation, as there is no specific ceiling for the goals and projects of the aggressive occupation in Iraq or the region across Iraq.

A member of the House of Representatives, Jassim Al-Moussawi, directed a request to Parliament regarding the presence of foreign forces on Iraqi soil, and while he confirmed that the US forces had caused major violations to the country, he considered Washington's allegations of providing aid to Iraq as "false."

Maqarat expects that the current government is aware of the impact of the escalation on the internal political and economic situation, and that it does not want the relationship with Washington to deteriorate.

And the leader in the framework, Mahmoud Al-Hayani, considered the talk about the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq unreal, and just a media talk.

In light of the security calm during the Sudanese era until now, it is not known whether it was a temporary truce decision, or a framework government decision to coexist permanently with the American presence in Iraq.     LINK

Henig:  Iraq begins to develop its air defense in a plan to dispense with external support

Mohamed Ali  January 15, 2023

Today, Sunday, a senior Iraqi military official in the Ministry of Defense in the capital , Baghdad , revealed a joint strategy for the Air Force and Air Defense Commands , which includes a comprehensive development of the Iraqi Air Force and military bases, in various cities of the country, in addition to strengthening monitoring and control networks during the year 2023.

The official explained that this plan guarantees the control of the Iraqi forces over the entire airspace of the country, through the purchase of various combat and unmanned aircraft, as well as various radars and missile interception systems from various sources.

This comes with the anticipation that the government of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a al-Sudani will send the draft financial budget for the year 2023 to parliament in the coming days, with a view to approving it. Informed sources confirm to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the government will raise the
financial budget of the Ministry of Defense to strengthen various military sectors.

According to a prominent Iraqi general in the Iraqi Ministry of Defense in Baghdad, "the military leaders in the country have reached a complete strategy to develop the Air Force and the Air Defense Command, in a way that guarantees that Iraq can dispense with any non-Iraqi air or information support."

The official, who asked not to be named, added that the military development plan includes developing the Iraqi Air Force's arsenal with combat and bomber drones or for airspace control purposes. It also includes rehabilitating air military bases and subjecting their personnel to advanced training courses.

He continued, in his interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that, "according to the plan, the Iraqi Air Defense Command will obtain new and advanced radars from various European countries, as well as missile deterrent systems to prevent any violation of Iraqi airspace."

The official revealed that there is broad political support from various parliamentary forces and blocs to enhance Iraq's military capabilities during the current year 2023, in a way that enables the Iraqi army to carry out its tasks without the need for external assistance.

Last week, the commander of the Iraqi Air Force, Lieutenant General Shihab Jahid, said that the plan for the current year 2023 is to develop the capabilities of the Iraqi Air Force.

Jahed said, to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "the plan for this year will focus on restoring the basic infrastructure of the Air Force, as the recruitment and purchase of aircraft must be preceded by a process of preparing the air bases, in order to ensure that the aircraft operate with bases with infrastructure and combat readiness during which they can from completing its tasks.”

The programs of the Iraqi government headed by Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, whom parliament voted for at the end of November of last year, included the development and support of the military establishment in the country, without explaining the details of that, but he indicated in a statement on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the army, which fell on the sixth of this month. That his government will continue "within its programme, to work to strengthen the role of our armed forces in all its forms, led by our heroic Iraqi army, and to work on the technological and field development of its combat weapons, and to raise the capabilities of movement, deployment, holding the ground and repelling aggression."

An expert on Iraqi security affairs and a member of the Warriors Association in Baghdad, Saad Al-Hadithi, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that, “The plan to develop the Iraqi army was among the previous recommendations of the Joint Operations Command, during rounds of joint dialogue with Washington in 2021 during the government of Mustafa Al-Kazemi, where he showed The committee assessed Iraq's continued need for air support from the international coalition, especially with regard to information and airspace monitoring in the border areas with Syria.

Al-Hadithi added, "The previous development plan focused on the Iraqi ground forces, given that the greatest burden of direct military confrontations against terrorism was on the ground forces, but the development of air defense today has become necessary."

The spokesman considered that Iraq's continued reliance on the American squadron of "F-16" fighters, as the backbone of the Air Force, is incorrect, and Iraqi leaders noticed it during the administration of President Donald Trump, whose administration blackmailed Baghdad with aircraft ammunition, especially during the period of tension that followed the assassination of Soleimani. Therefore, diversification is very important, and an excellent step for the Sudanese government.   LINK

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Henig:  Integrity reveals the issuance of two arrest warrants for the former Director General of the Dhi Qar Investment Authority

Today, Sunday, the Investigation Department of the Federal Integrity Commission announced the issuance of two arrest warrants against the former Director General of the Dhi Qar Investment Commission.

The department confirmed in a press statement that “the Nasiriyah Investigation Court, which specializes in integrity issues, issued an arrest warrant against the former Director General of the Dhi Qar Investment Authority, in the matter of violations that occurred in the referral of a real estate as an investment opportunity; Which led to deliberate damage to the funds and interests of the entity in which he works.”

She added, "The aforementioned court issued a second arrest warrant against the former Director General of the Dhi Qar Investment Authority, in the case of violations committed in one of the real estate that was offered for investment."

The circuit indicated that the Nasiriyah Investigation Court, which is specialized in integrity issues, issued two arrest warrants. Based on the provisions of Articles (340 and 331) of the Iraqi Penal Code No. (111 of 1969).

It is noteworthy that the competent court had previously issued two summons orders against the former Director General of the Dhi Qar Investment Commission in the two cases, pointing out that one of the two summons orders included three other defendants.   LINK