KTFA Members "News and Views" Sunday Afternoon 1-19-2020

KTFA:

Samson:  Parliamentary Finance: The 2020 budget will see a deficit of 48 trillion dinars

19th January, 2020

Member of Parliamentary Finance Committee, Magda Al-Tamimi, confirmed today, Sunday, that the 2020 budget will witness a deficit of 48 trillion dinars, while noting that the value of waste in fake projects until 2014 exceeded 282 trillion dinars.

Al-Tamimi told Al-Akhbaria that “more than 6000 fake projects were registered with us until 2014, when the budget was not approved,” stressing that “financial waste in fake projects until 2014 exceeded 282 trillion dinars.”

She noted, "The 2020 budget will witness a financial deficit of 48 trillion dinars," noting that it "raised a number of files to the Integrity Commission for consideration and until now no legal measures have been taken against the whales of corruption.   LINK

Dan:  IMO I think it's time to cut off use of USD in Iraq 100%. It's time to sink or swim.
Let Iraq sweat it out, make them feel Maximum pressure. If they want to implode so be it. I think they want the RI and new value of their currency enough to take necessary steps. Let them worry a little bit.

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Samson:  The presence of only 74 deputies .. The House of Representatives turns its session into deliberative

19th January, 2020
A representative source said, on Sunday, that the regular session of the House of Representatives scheduled for today failed because of the lack of a quorum.

The source said in an interview with (Mawazine News) that "the presidency of the Council decided to turn the session into deliberative, because the quorum was not completed."

He added, "The number of attendees is only 74 deputies."   LINK

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Samson: Parliamentary Integrity calls on the government to prevent the travel of all interrogated ministers

12:50 - 19/01/2020

On Sunday, the Parliamentary Integrity Committee called on the government to prevent all ministers referred to interrogation from traveling by Parliament, stating that the committee formed in the investigation of the Ministry of Electricity's files had reached important leads.

Committee member Alia Nassif said in a statement to "Information" that "the Prime Minister is required to issue a decision prohibiting the travel of any minister around whom suspicions of corruption are raised, or his interrogation has been accepted by Parliament pending confirmation of the allegations."

Nassif added, “The Parliamentary Committee on the Ministry of Electricity has reached important leads and will present it to the judiciary, while there is information regarding the submission by Minister of Electricity Louay al-Khatib of contracts in favor of deputies to keep silent on corruption files.”

She explained that "the dismissal of the government and its transformation into the conduct of business prevented the completion of the interrogation, while all the files will be transferred to the judiciary to take the necessary action."   LINK

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Samson:  Saleh discusses with Pompeo joint cooperation in combating terrorism

19th January, 2020
President of the Republic Barham Salih received, on Saturday evening, a phone call from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

A statement issued by Saleh's office, which was received by Al-Akhbaria, said, "During the phone call, the latest security and political developments were discussed at the regional and international levels, stressing the need to protect Iraqi sovereignty and respect the independent Iraqi national decision."

He added, "It was also pointed out that self-restraint and dependence on calm and constructive dialogue in solving crises and avoiding escalation in a manner that strengthens the foundations of peace and stability in the region and the world, as well as cooperation and joint coordination to confront ISIS terrorism and the lack of opportunity for terrorists to reorganize their remnants and threat to international peace and security."   LINK

Samson:  Karbouli: The demonstrators have defeated the politicians since the first day of the demonstrations

18th January, 2020
The head of the solution party, Jamal Karbouli, confirmed today, Saturday, that the demonstrators have defeated the politicians since the first day of the demonstrations, over the parties.

Al-Karbouli said in a tweet on his Twitter page, followed by "Al-Ikhbaria,": "The demonstrators have defeated the politicians since the first day of the demonstrations, when the prestige of the parties that used to fence them with kidnappings and assassinations fell with the silences that silenced the rejection of their terrorism."

He added, "The demonstrators are winning because they are defending the cause of a people," noting that "the party of power will be defeated because they are selfish." The leader of the solution party concluded his tweet with Bashtak, "# Protesters - Victory."   LINK

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Samson:  Partial opening of the roads in the Green Zone, central Baghdad, after being closed for more than 3 months

09:46 - 01/19/2020
A security source said, on Sunday, that the security authorities had partially opened the roads in the Green Zone after being closed for more than 3 months due to the demonstrations.

The source said to the "information" that "the area to Khadra was partially opened Sunday morning from the side of the celebration square, through the suspension bridge."

The area was closed in conjunction with the start of the demonstrations during last October in Baghdad and most of the provinces.   LINK

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Samson:  Three candidates were nominated for the post of prime minister, and the most likely win

19th January, 2020
The representative of the Construction Alliance, Mukhtar al-Musawi, revealed the submission of three names as candidates for the post of prime minister.

Al-Moussawi said, "Three names were presented as candidates for the post of prime minister, including Ali Shukri, Adviser to the President of the Republic, and Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi, as well as a third military figure," noting that "Ali Shukri possesses the best chance of taking the position."

He added that "there is what is more important at the present time from the issue of choosing a prime minister, which is the repercussions of the American presence and the expected demonstrations against that presence."

Moussawi continued: "We are likely to choose one of them after the end of the repercussions of the American presence and the demonstrations called by the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, against the American presence."   LINK

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Samson:  Parliamentary energy is talking about positive agreement with China: oil prices determined by the stock exchange

18th January, 2020
The Parliamentary Committee on Oil and Energy confirmed, on Saturday, that oil prices in the agreement with China will be determined by the global stock exchange, while it indicated that they are positive in the agreement.

Committee member Ali Al-Aboudi told Mawazine News that "the subject of the agreement with China is a lot of talk about it, but the government did not announce its provisions clearly to public opinion and it is assumed that the Prime Minister’s office should clarify the vague points of the people and it can be said that the text of the agreement is oil For ages. "

He added, "As for the oil prices in the agreement, they are determined according to the international stock exchange, day by day, and not a fixed price throughout the implementation of the agreement." He pointed out, "The agreement has a positive point, which includes the marketing of Iraqi oil, regardless of the size of supply and demand for shipments, especially in light of the world’s tendency to clean energy sources during the coming years."

He continued: "We hope that there will be agreements with countries other than China with the same mechanism, so that we can guarantee the marketing of oil and that there will be construction and construction in return, but as for exporting oil and the scene remains the same, this remains a great spoiler."   LINK

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Samson:  A researcher on Iraqi affairs: The armed factions are accused of carrying out the assassinations .. Therefore, their headquarters were burned

19th January, 2020

Kazem al-Muqdadi, an expert and researcher on Iraqi affairs, confirmed that demonstrators are burning the headquarters of armed factions because they are accused of carrying out assassinations against the demonstrators.

Al-Miqdadi said in a statement followed by "Al-Akhbariya", that "the escalation of demonstrations in Baghdad and the provinces is a sign of escalation and is extremely dangerous, and Iraqi wise politicians have become required to calm the situation and contain the situation."

He explained that "the headquarters of the armed factions were burned by the demonstrators, because the demonstrators consider them as the most loyal to Iran and that the assassinations are carried out by them."

He added that "the demonstrators are accusing the factions, because not a single killer has been arrested since the beginning of the demonstrations until now after the fall of the martyrs in Nasiriyah, Basra, Baghdad, Hilla and Tahrir Square in Baghdad."

Al-Miqdadi continued, "If there was a strong government, the mafias and parties would not have killed the demonstrators, and they would not have appeared in public."   LINK