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Don961:  Al-Kazemi presents the results of his visit to America and Jordan and takes a decision regarding the popular crowd

11 hours ago Rudaw Digital

 The Council of Ministers held its regular session today, Wednesday, (August 26, 2020) under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, where the latter gave a presentation on the results of the tripartite summit in which he participated in the Jordanian capital Amman, as well as his visit to the American capital, Washington, and what resulted from it Bilateral understandings.

 Al-Kazemi said in a statement that Rudaw Media Network received a copy of, that moving away from "the policy of axes is the approach that Iraq has taken for itself, and that Iraq affirms the commitment to balance and moderation, as well as relying on cooperation and partnership in the economic and investment fields, as a way to build bridges of interdependence between the peoples of the region." ".

 Al-Kazemi directed the ministers to intensify their meetings with their counterparts from Jordan and Egypt, in order to activate aspects of exchange and cooperation in various fields that serve the interest of Iraq, just as it serves the interests of other peoples.

 In turn, the Minister of Health gave a presentation on the latest developments in facing the Corona pandemic, and ways to reduce the chances of transmission of infection and provide medical services to the injured.

 The Council stressed the importance of the bodies in charge of the preventive measures, especially in connection with religious occasions and Ashura rituals.

In the energy sector, the Minister of Electricity made a presentation to the Council on the current reality of the system for producing and distributing electric energy, and the latest efforts made in this aspect to sustain production and provide the best services available to citizens.

The council discussed the issues and topics on its agenda, and took the necessary decisions and actions in their regard, and it came in its decisions:

1- Canceling the Council of Ministers Decision No. 197 of 2015, related to the discharge of state employees when they join the ranks of the Popular Mobilization Forces, due to the absence of the need for it after the issuance of the Popular Mobilization Authority Law No. 40 of 2016, which undertook to regulate the work of the employees of the aforementioned body.

2- Amortizing the amounts owed by the Army Department of Shops on the profits made for previous years in favor of the public treasury, and using an amount of two billion five hundred million dinars, for the purpose of the Ministry of Defense to pay the aforementioned amount to the company implementing the general hospital project for the armed forces with a capacity of 400 beds in Baghdad.

3- Empowering the Minister of Finance with the authority to negotiate and sign a draft agreement (avoiding double taxation and preventing evasion from paying taxes imposed on income and capital) between the government of the Republic of Iraq and the government of the Swiss Federation, as amended by the State Council, based on the provisions of Article 80 / Sixth Article of the Constitution.

LINK

Samson:  Saudi Foreign Minister arrives in Baghdad

08/27/2020 12:40:30

 The Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan, arrived in the capital, Baghdad, today, Thursday.

The visit comes before the anticipated visit of the postponed Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to Riyadh.  LINK

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Samson:  Al-Ghanimi and the Saudi ambassador discuss coordinating efforts to combat terrorism and secure borders

08/26/2020 23:31:45

 Minister of Interior Othman Al-Ghanimi discussed, on Wednesday, with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Iraq, Abdulaziz Al-Shammari, to coordinate efforts in combating terrorism and drugs and securing borders.

An interior ministry statement, Al-Furat News received a copy of, stated that "at the beginning of the meeting, Al-Ghanimi welcomed his guest and discussed with him a number of issues of common interest."

He explained, "Where the two sides discussed the importance of developing bilateral relations in a way that serves the interests of the two brotherly peoples, and working to coordinate security efforts with regard to combating terrorism and drugs, securing borders, and common security issues."  LINK

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Samson:  The foreign minister and his Saudi counterpart agree to activate memoranda of understanding concluded by previous governments

08/27/2020 17:10:25

Iraq and Saudi Arabia agreed to activate memoranda of understanding concluded by the previous government between the two parties.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that "the foreign minister is discussing with his Saudi counterpart ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries on various levels." He added, "Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein received Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Minister, who is conducting an official visit to Iraq to discuss bilateral relations between Baghdad and Riyadh."

In the meeting, bilateral relations were discussed, and the positive development achieved at all levels was praised, and the two sides agreed to activate memoranda of understanding concluded by previous governments.

They also discussed deepening economic and investment relations between the two countries, especially in the field of agriculture, petrochemicals, and providing Iraq with energy, And discuss the issue of linking energy with the countries of the Cooperation Council.

The two sides discussed the results of the visit of the Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation to Washington, and what emerged from it, as well as the outcome of the tripartite summit between Iraq, Egypt and Jordan that took place in the capital, Amman.

The two ministers discussed developments in the regional situation of common interest, and stressed the importance of enhancing security and stability in the region.  It is worth noting that this is the first visit of Prince Faisal bin Farhan to Iraq since he assumed his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.   LINK

Samson:  Al-Kazemi government is preparing a budget for only three months

26th August, 2020

The Iraqi government announced, on Wednesday, that it is working on preparing the general budget for the remaining three months of the current year.

Ahmed Mulla Talal, the spokesman for the Prime Minister, said in a press conference in the presence of the Shafaq News Agency correspondent, that the 2021 budget is almost complete and upon completion, it will be voted on in the Council of Ministers and sent to the House of Representatives. 

Talal pointed out that "the degrees of deletion and creation will be allocated to holders of higher degrees and employees with contracts and wages in state institutions." 

It is noteworthy that the sending of the federal budget for the year 2020, by the government to the Iraqi parliament, has been delayed as a result of the continuous protests since last October, which led to the resignation of the previous government headed by Adel Abdul Mahdi and its transformation into a caretaker government whose powers are not to send the draft financial budget law to Parliament.

Earlier, the Iraqi Minister of Finance, Ali Abdul Amir Allawi, ruled out approving the general budget for the year 2020 and confirmed that his ministry is working on preparing the 2021 budget.

The fall in oil prices due to the Corona pandemic has caused a financial deficit, while the Parliamentary Finance Committee confirmed last July that the fiscal deficit of the 2021 budget bill is estimated according to financial revenues and oil prices.  LINK

JJimmyJJ:  Hmm... I'm thinking there must be a good reason for all this energy and effort to be expended. What is going to change for the last quarter that they need a new budget for it?

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Samson:  US official: Each country has its own timetable for normalization with Israel

26th August, 2020

A senior American official accompanying the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said on his Arab tour, on Wednesday, that the region sees in the Emirati-Israeli agreement all good reasons for normalization with Tel Aviv, especially the Gulf countries.

On the steps for rapprochement between the Arab countries and Israel, the official pointed out that "each country has its own timetable and its own process." According to the American Al-Hurra channel. He added, "We were able to broker an agreement between the UAE and Israel, and we would like to see more countries printed with Israel."

The US official indicated that Bahrain will take any decision regarding its bilateral relations with other countries in a way that is in the interest of its people, and "we respect that."  The American official emphasized that the Emirati-Israeli agreement is seen as very successful regionally.  He pointed out that the leadership of the United Arab Emirates can pave the way for other countries.

On Wednesday, Pompeo visited Bahrain and the UAE, where the Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa confirmed to Pompeo that Manama adheres to the Arab Peace Initiative to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Pompeo's tour to a number of Middle Eastern countries falls within the framework of encouraging Arab countries to normalize their relations with Israel, similar to the historic peace agreement with the United Arab Emirates.  LINK

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Samson:  Exposing hundreds of fake offices to employ foreign workers in Iraq

27th August, 2020

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs spotted fake and unlicensed offices claiming to employ foreign workers in Iraq

The Director General of the Department of Labor and Vocational Training in the Ministry, Raed Jabbar, said that the ministry is coordinating with "the National Security and Intelligence Service and a number of ministries to conduct a database for foreign workers in the country, while a campaign has started to refer unlicensed employment offices to the judiciary," according to the official Al-Sabah newspaper

He explained, "Coordination has been made with representatives of the national security and intelligence agencies, the ministries of transport, electricity, commerce, health, and the investment authority for the purpose of establishing a national database for foreigners working in the country," noting that "the number of foreign workers in the country will be restricted by granting them special entry permits and attributes." Companies and projects of the Ministry of Oil. He added, "The ministry granted 20 licenses to offices distributed in Baghdad and the provinces

He pointed out that "hundreds of fake and unlicensed offices and companies have been monitored for the employment of national and foreign workers, working through social networking sites, as well as forming committees from the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs and the Intelligence Service to hold accountable the owners of unlicensed companies and offices and refer them to the courts

Jabbar pointed to "the ministry’s endeavor to build the capabilities of national workers and job-seekers by holding training courses in oil specialties, which are free of charge in order to put them in oil field projects and industries that need workers with experience and specialization such as those possessed by foreign workers  LINK