KTFA Members "News and Views" Wednesday PM 9-21-2022
KTFA:
Samson: Iraq officially joins the Asian Investment Bank
21st September, 2022
On Wednesday, Iraq announced that Iraq had officially joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The Iraqi embassy in China said that "Iraq has officially joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank," noting that "the Iraqi ambassador in Beijing, Shorsh Khaled Saeed, from the President of the Asian Investment Bank for Infrastructure John Lequin, a certificate of membership for Iraq's accession to the bank."
And she added, "Iraq has become the 92nd member out of 140 countries in the bank."
It is noteworthy that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank agreed to Iraq's formal accession to it late last year.
It is hoped that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will provide soft loans to build infrastructure for member states, including Iraq. LINK
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Zeeman: Iraq joins AIIB! .why has no one talked about this. This is quite a big deal. This will provide soft loans for infrastructure.
Clare: IT IS HUGE NEWS! IMO!
Suzie: how are they doing this......on a program rate??? Just imo
JaimieO: The same way Vietnam is doing VERY well, with one of the fastest growing GDP's in the world... all with a toilet paper exchange rate that is W A Y lower than the IQD... IMO
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Samson: Iraq is a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
21st September, 2022
The Iraqi ambassador in Beijing, Shoresh Khaled Saeed, received from the head of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank John LeQueen, a certificate of membership for Iraq to join the bank.
Thus, Iraq became the 92nd member of the Bank. The ceremony of receiving the certificate included placing the Iraqi flag among the group of member states at the Bank's headquarters.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will provide soft loans to build infrastructure for member states, including Iraq. LINK
Samson: Integrity carries out four seizures of fraud and embezzlement cases in Diyala
21st September, 2022
The Federal Integrity Commission announced today, Wednesday, the implementation of four seizures of price hikes, forgery and embezzlement in a number of departments in Diyala Governorate.
The Commission's Investigation Department stated, according to a statement received by Mawazine News, that "the staff of the Diyala Investigation Office revealed violations in the process of disbursing the salaries of daily wage earners working in the Muqdadiya Municipality Directorate, based on Cabinet Resolution No. February and March 2022 for service employees working as a contract in the Directorate, as there are also violations in it.
The statement added that "the office's staff, which moved to the Oil Products Distribution Company in the province, detected an exaggeration in the purchase prices of the tools for maintaining the mechanisms belonging to the company, noting that the purchase receipts that were manipulated in the prices fixed in them were seized, indicating that the total amounts disbursed amounted to (75,740,000) Million dinars".
He explained, "During the third operation, two employees of the Private Transport Authority in Diyala were arrested for collecting more amounts than what is legally prescribed, and keeping them for their personal benefit, pointing out that signed and unwritten collection receipts were seized from one of the accused, in addition to a receipt book in the possession of the other."
He pointed out that "the work team that moved to the Cooperative Agricultural Bank revealed the process of granting a loan through manipulation and forgery," indicating that some of the bank's employees organized a loan transaction in the name of a person and disbursed it without his knowledge and approval. LINK
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Samson: One trillion dinars worth of embezzlement in the General Tax and Customs Authority
21st September, 2022
Representative Ahmed Al-Jubouri revealed, Wednesday, 21/09/2022, a misappropriation of one trillion Iraqi dinars in the General Tax Authority and the Customs Authority.
Al-Jubouri said in a tweet on Twitter, which was followed by the obelisk, that the extent of corruption in the General Tax Authority and the Customs Authority is very large and does not stop at blackmailing citizens, but exceeds it for the amounts of insurance deposited by foreign companies and merchants importing goods.
He added: embezzlement amounting to nearly a trillion Iraqi dinars was discovered, calling on the judiciary and integrity to investigate and investigate those responsible.
Observers believe that the systematic corruption that is taking place in the Customs Authority contributed to the squandering of public money.
The resigned Finance Minister, Ali Allawi, says that the customs file contains a lot of corruption and waste of money due to conflicting information between the Central Bank, the customs and the Office of Financial Supervision
Statistics indicate that Iraq annually imports goods at a minimum of 70 billion dollars, and the value of its customs exceeds 9 billion dollars, which means that these funds enter the state treasury, but things are different from reality, according to Allawi
. He explained that the highest revenue from customs did not exceed one billion and half a billion dollars, which means that there are 7 to 6 billion dollars missing, mostly due to the government's lack of control over the border outlets of the Kurdistan region LINK
Samson: On his visit to Washington, Al-Kazemi opens the outstanding Iraqi files
21st September, 2022
Concern multiplies in the Iraqi street about the continuation of the longest political crisis in the country since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, in light of political and popular fears of a recurrence of armed conflict or heading towards an unknown political, economic and security reality.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi arrived in New York to participate in the work and meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, which will start today.
A statement stated that Al-Kazemi will deliver Iraq's speech at the General Assembly meeting, and he will meet on the sidelines of the Assembly's work with a number of kings and heads of brotherly and friendly countries participating in the meetings, as well as a meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He added that "the Prime Minister, on the sidelines of the participation, will meet with a number of officials of international and regional organizations to discuss the most important files for cooperation at various levels. In order to address the economic and political challenges facing Iraq and the region.
Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein affirmed, "Iraq's speech on the work of the United Nations General Assembly, which Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi will deliver, will address internal issues, including the election results and the file of forming the next government."
A visit to the impact of Iraqi political tension
Al-Kazemi’s visit to America comes this time, in light of political and popular fears of a recurring armed clash, after the end of the religious forty visit, in light of the continuing political tension between the “Sadr movement” and the “coordinating framework.”
For his part, the leader in the "Coordination Framework", Fadel Mawat, said that his coalition "strongly rejects any external interference by Washington or the West in Iraq's internal affairs and in the current political crisis, especially since any intervention of this kind will deepen the conflict and differences instead of resolving them."
Mawat explained that Al-Kazemi "is required to discuss the files that concern Iraq, which are the economic and security, and not to address the political issue, as this is a matter for the Iraqi political forces, and they are the guarantee to resolve this dispute according to dialogue and negotiation and in the constitutional and legal frameworks." Mawat confirmed that Al-Kazemi “will inform the leaders of the political forces after his return, headed by the coordination framework, about the schedule of his visit to the United States, to find out the files he discussed there, and whether there is a tendency to conclude any new agreement, as he does not have any authority to conclude any international agreements as President A caretaker government, which is a government lacking in powers.”
On the other hand, said political analyst Maher Judeh. Al-Kazemi “will discuss the Iraqi political situation, the dispute and the conflict between blocs and parties. With the international community during his upcoming visit to the United States, especially since there are international messages of warning and concern that reached during the past period to many Iraqi political parties and even the government.
And Judeh indicated that "the political crisis will top the files that the Prime Minister will discuss with the leaders of the countries with whom he will gather. On top of them is Biden, and we also expect that Al-Kazemi will hear strongly worded warning messages about the evolution of the political conflict in Iraq to the use of violence and weapons.
And the political analyst warned that “the internationalization of the Iraqi crisis is possible if the dispute continues and develops into the use of weapons again, as happened previously in the Green Zone and Basra Governorate, and the issue of internationalization is the most prominent thing that world leaders will present to Al-Kazemi, as the international community will not remain idly by regarding what is happening.” in Iraq".
The axes of the Iraqi crisis are currently summarized in the insistence of the "coordinating framework" forces on resuming parliament sessions and resuming its work in full. It also adheres to electing a president and a prime minister with full powers instead of the current caretaker government headed by Al-Kazemi, and then going towards amending the current election law.
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On the other hand, the Sadrist movement rejects this and insists on dissolving parliament and holding early elections within 9 months. It also proposes amending paragraph 76 of the constitution regarding the major bloc that has the right to form a government. He also raises another demand, which is the amendment of the Federal Court law to be more independent from the political parties that, since 2005, have actually chosen the 11 members of this court, using sectarian and partisan quotas. In addition, the Sadrist movement refuses to amend the electoral law.
His meetings on the sidelines of participation in the meetings of the General Assembly of the United Nations
Al-Kazemi met in New York, the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein. On the sidelines of participation in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly.
His media office mentioned that during the meeting, bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them were discussed. As well as discussing the latest developments on the regional and international arenas. He pointed out that “the meeting discussed preparations for holding the Baghdad 2 Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in Jordan. As well as discussing economic cooperation in various fields and at all levels. He also reviewed the stages of progress in the electrical interconnection project that the two countries were keen to move forward, due to the benefit and interest of the two brotherly countries.
The statement continued, "The two sides stressed the importance of maintaining joint coordination and continuous cooperation in various fields, in light of the outcomes of the tripartite summit meetings that resulted in several agreements. It can contribute to achieving the interests of the peoples of the two brotherly countries, and the rest of the peoples of the region.”
Bilateral cooperation
Al-Kazemi and Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi discussed bilateral cooperation, while they stressed the importance of accelerating the work of the agreement between the two countries on addressing climate challenges.
A statement from his media office said that "the meeting touched upon Iraq's prominent role in achieving regional security and stability, by resolving differences between countries based on the policy of dialogue and calm, and convergence of views." In order to achieve peaceful solutions in the region, he pointed out that “the two sides stressed the importance of continuing bilateral cooperation between the two neighboring countries, in various fields, especially economic, security, cultural, and energy, and high coordination to confront climate changes, and speeding up work on the agreement concluded between the two countries on addressing climate change.” Climate challenges the world is witnessing.
Economic cooperation
He also met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the two sides stressed the importance of strengthening joint cooperation in the economic field.
A statement explained, "The two sides reviewed Iraq's efforts in combating terrorism and pursuing its remnants, and the importance of strengthening security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries that provide assistance to the Iraqi security forces in the field of advice and training, and the meeting also witnessed an emphasis on cooperation in the economic field, especially in the field of Alternative Energy".
The statement concluded that “the meeting witnessed an emphasis on the importance of the reform programs pursued by the Iraqi government, and its positive endeavor to secure sustainable development. This contributes to enhancing stability and security in Iraq and the region.”
The Austrian chancellor expressed his thanks to Al-Kazemi. He highly appreciated the efforts of Iraq and its security forces in pursuing the remnants of terrorism and drying up its sources. He pointed out that “the meeting discussed dealing with the immigration file, and preparing for the voluntary return of Iraqi immigrants. As well as looking into the prospects of direct air link between Iraq and Austria. And the possibilities of cooperation in the field of clean and renewable energy, and the development of investment in the field of solar energy.”
The two sides expressed their "support for efforts to calm down, enhance stability in the Middle East, and support Iraq's efforts to bring about sustainable development, economic reform, and activate regional cooperation."
Al-Kazemi had visited Washington in July 2021, where he held the fourth and final round of strategic dialogue with US President Joe Biden. Which ended with the announcement of the withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraq at the end of last year, according to the announcement of the Iraqi government at the time.
The visit comes amid a stifling political crisis in the country, described as the worst in the post-2003 history of Iraq, which came after the early legislative elections were held last October. LINK
Sir: IMO-Is it possible that Kazemi is going to drop the MOAB’s in his speech before the UN on Friday? Will Kazemi announce that Iraq will move away from the petro-dollar and join the BRICS nations! Very interesting… Bye bye Byedan and the UN Iraq don’t need you!
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Samson: Political analyst: Parliament session next Saturday, and another more important on September 27
9/20/2022 23:41:37
The political analyst, Abu Mithaq Al-Masari, suggested that a parliamentary session will be held next Saturday to elect the first deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.
Al-Masari said; for the “Al-Sistara” program broadcast by Al-Furat satellite channel tonight: “Next Saturday, a parliamentary session will be held to elect the first deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, and on the 27th of this month, if the session goes positive, the President of the Republic will be elected and the Prime Minister will be assigned to form the government.” "Security arrangements in Baghdad are underway to prevent abuse or encroachment on state institutions," he said.
Al-Masari added that "the meeting of the coordination framework candidate for the prime minister, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, today was not provocative to any particular political bloc or party, and the country is in danger and the necessity of the path, as independent deputies, Charna and others attended the meeting." He explained, "The meeting came as an urgent extrapolation, in which the person in charge seemed useful and important towards amending and evaluating his next government, and everyone is seeking to mature the form of the government and move the political process forward."
Al-Masari added, "So far, the framework has not dropped its approval or participation of the movement in the next government, and it will not turn its back on it and in constant communication with its leaders. Before the Arbaeen visit, there were two successive visits to the movement." He noted that "there is no constitutional text that stipulates that the next government should be one year old. We have a political reference and a constitution. We judge a mechanism regarding the form of the next government. There is no alternative to the constitution despite all the observations about it."
Al-Masari stressed, "The framework has gone on to achieve a strong, service government that fulfills its tasks and obliges others to do so. Everyone suffers, and the conditions when they are presented to special moods at the expense of people's interests are very flawed, and the formation of the government as soon as possible leads to achieving the citizens' demands." He continued, "The framework does not have harsh conditions or determination, even the leader of the Sadrist movement, Mr. Al-Sadr. We saw from him that he did not object to Al-Sudani's personality as a candidate for the government, but he objected to the selection mechanism and did not officially demand the replacement of Al-Sudani with another candidate."
He considered Al-Masari, returning the cart to the tracks is "the biggest and main concern, and then all matters are subject to negotiation, substitution and replacement. As for the tripartite delegation, it will discuss the participation of the Sadrist movement in forming the government."
He concluded by saying, "The Kurdistan Alliance is supposed to take its turn towards holding the parliamentary session to elect the president of the republic, instead of asking the framework to achieve a quorum of 220 deputies to elect their candidate." LINK