Iraqi News Saturday AM 11-28-20
Iraqi News Saturday AM 11-28-20
TLM724 Administrator BondLady’s Corner
Next Year, Iraq Joins The World Trade Organization
Author: Ahad8 On 11/27/2020 - 11:33 PM 148 On Friday, the Ministry of Trade announced the preparation of a plan to join the World Trade Organization, stressing that accession will contribute to increasing national production and providing job opportunities.
The ministry said, according to the official agency, that it “has prepared a plan to join the World Trade Organization, which is represented in the restructuring of the National Committee on accession, as well as the sub-committees emanating from it, to complete the accession files, as well as expedite the legislation of laws, and prepare draft laws related to the organization's agreements, such as the law National product protection, consumer protection law, competition and monopoly prevention law, customs tariff law and other laws.
She added that “joining the organization has positive repercussions in the long run. Iraq may not reap its fruits directly, but there will be a strong, integrated Iraqi economy capable of competing with the economies of the member states of the organization in general, and the economies of neighboring countries in particular, as accession will allow Iraq to To enter into fair competition for goods and services with other member states.
She emphasized that "this measure will contribute to increasing national production and providing job opportunities for the unemployed, and thus there will be a noticeable increase in per capita income and total output," noting that "the ministry coordinates with all ministries and private sector entities to complete the joining files, represented by the completion of the implementation plan." Legislative, which includes Iraqi laws and draft laws that affect, directly and indirectly, economic activities. A preliminary draft of this plan has been completed.
The ministry added, "The accession requires the completion of the file of the first presentation of the commodities and the related sub-files, which have been completed based on the customs tariff law, and the CHECKLISTS lists have been updated for each of the health, phytosanitary and technical barriers to trade."
She explained that “the other important file is the trade in services file, as the committees completed the initial draft of financial and banking services commitments, health, education, environment, reconstruction, communications, and distribution,” indicating that “work is underway to complete the draft for the rest of the sectors, in addition to completing a file. Private intellectual property with the rest of the relevant ministries.
She pointed out that "joining the organization at the present time represents one of the most important means of carrying out the economic reforms that must be completed by Iraq at all levels, in order to be relied upon in completing the relevant technical files," noting that "work is now underway by the organization section.
World Trade to complete the update of the memorandum of the foreign trade system of Iraq, after completing the answers related to the member states, about this memorandum, as nearly 300 questions were completed, and it was translated with the update of many of the memo’s details, to be sent as one package, along with the legislative implementation plan to the organization’s secretariat officially".
The ministry indicated that “the initiative by the World Trade Organization Department in the Ministry of Trade was carried out in cooperation and coordination with the Iraqi Department of Facts, to translate approximately 21 important laws, to be attached to the plan upon sending it to the organization,” affirming that “work is underway with all Iraqi ministries on Amending the commercial laws, and the technical committee was formed headed by the legal department and the membership of all ministries, and the first meeting of this committee was held. Technical notes on these laws will be prepared to be discussed in the next meeting.
It warned that “negotiations and agreement have been made with some international organizations, such as the World Bank and the International Trade Center in Geneva, to provide technical assistance to Iraq, as these programs focused on assisting in carrying out economic reforms, on some sectors, especially agriculture, industry, customs, and issues of developing trade policies for Iraq. The plan was developed in cooperation with the Department of the World Trade Organization regarding the implementation of these programs, ”stressing that“ all programs will be implemented early next year. ”Ended 29 / A43
https://alahadnews.net/138234/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA/
Parliamentary Finance For {Al Furat News} The Government Has Set A Date For Sending The Budget And We Addressed It In An Official Letter
Time: 11/28/2020 16:32:42 Read: 2,912 times {Baghdad: Al Furat News} A member of the Parliamentary Committee, Jamal Cougar, revealed, on Saturday, the date for sending a law to the general budget for the year 2021, according to what the government has set, indicating that the committee addressed the government with an official letter in this regard.
Cougar said to {Euphrates News} that "the government has not yet sent to the general budget for 2021, noting that during the session with the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Planning and Governor of the Central Bank, the Minister of Finance confirmed that the budget will reach the House of Representatives either at the end of this month, or Mid-December to next. "
He called on "the authorities concerned to send the budget in a hurry so that the issue of salary disbursement for the month of January is not delayed, under the pretext of not approving the budget," indicating that "we asked the competent authorities face to face as well as notifying them with an official letter to expedite sending the budget."
He stressed that "the response has not yet arrived from the government regarding the law."
The committee's reporter, Ahmed Al-Safar, had previously confirmed to the Euphrates News that the salaries of January would be delayed due to the failure to send a budget law to the specified date. LINK
Approval Of Investment And Tax Collection On The Expressway
Saturday 28 November 2020 77 Baghdad: Rola is confident The Roads and Bridges Department of the Ministry of Construction and Public Municipalities announced the near completion of a study to introduce investment and taxation in the highway.
The Director General of the Department, Engineer Hussein Jassim Kadhim, told Al-Sabah: The department recently contracted with a sober international consultancy office to prepare a study on the introduction of investment and tax collection on the highway, because the cost of its maintenance is burdening the state’s general budget, and for the purpose of improving the level of service for its operational reality. Pointing out that it will start in the western sector of it, to accomplish the majority of the work in the southern sector.
Kazem stressed that this experiment is being carried out for the first time in the country, despite the existence of a global system in this regard, but it is absent, stressing that there are many offers that want to invest in external roads, but that the country cannot enter it unless it is based on something scientific Right.
He added that if this project is implemented, it will lay the correct basis on which one can rely on road investment and use of tax, and what the state or investor has of rights in this project, the amount of benefit and what it spends on building the road, what is the contract period and other details. LINK
Telecom Companies Are Required To Reduce The Prices Of Shipping Cards
Saturday 28 November 2020 29 Baghdad: Mustafa Al-Hashemi The government has continued since the previous budgets, specifically since the approval of the 2015 budget until 2020, by adopting a sales tax on the credit-filling cards, which made the prices rise at additional rates, as a result of the imbalance in the application of the tax imposed on companies, and not content with bearing the burden of the tax, but rather throwing part of it on the citizen's shoulders .
A specialist in economic affairs called for reconsidering the application of this tax and not including it, as a fixed item in the 2021 budget and making it from the due taxes, which do not affect citizens' incomes, especially at the present time, especially after the judiciary refused to renew the work permits of these companies in Iraq.
The specialist in economic affairs, Adnan Al-Fattal, said: “The tax is determined by the tax authority of the Ministry of Finance in accordance with the law, and it is not necessarily imposed by the government as a fixed item in the country's general budget on an annual basis, and it is necessary to expedite the collection of government dues from telecommunications companies, especially after the judiciary refused Last week, it renewed its work.
Government Budget
Al-Fattal explained to Al-Sabah that “one of the duties of the General Tax Authority is to strive to achieve additional revenues to the state treasury, and to develop advanced capabilities and methods of work to serve the citizens, not to negatively affect the family economy as is the case with the sales tax of shipping cartons.”
Al-Fattal explained the possibility of “activating the electronic collection of taxpayers, whether individuals or companies, without the need to include sales taxes, especially packing cards, as an item or material in the annual budget.” Because the price of the card that the company sells to wholesalers is less than 5 thousand dinars, for example, while sellers impose an additional 1500 dinars, so that the price of the card sold to the citizen becomes 6 thousand and 500 dinars.
Financial burdens
For his part, economic researcher Firas Amer expressed his hope that this tax would be reconsidered, as it harmed citizens and carried unnecessary financial burdens, and did not indicate any decline in the revenues of communication companies, despite the increase in the prices of their packing cartons.
Amer said: “This tax was approved by the government after it was approved by the House of Representatives in 2015, due to the decline in oil prices and the occupation of“ ISIS ”terrorist gangs in a number of governorates, which means that telecommunications companies were paying their taxes to the government, without approving it in the general budget, Hence, the prices of the cards were fixed and sold at the official price.
He pointed out that "the 2021 budget has not yet been approved, and a decision can be made or studied not to include a sales tax in the budget, but rather to increase the amount of tax in general for telecommunications companies and withdraw government dues from them, by adding sales tax to them, thus reducing the financial burden on the citizen." , Who suffers hardship in obtaining his financial resources in these circumstances. LINK
Parliamentary Finance: We Do Not Have A Database On The Numbers Of Actual Employees
Pratha News Agency104 2020-11-28 The Parliamentary Finance Committee called, on Saturday, to reveal the number of actual employees in federal government institutions and ministries.
A member of the committee, Representative Shirwan Mirza, said in a statement that "the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives does not have a database of the numbers of real employees." Suspect
He added, "We asked the federal government, during the enactment of the Fiscal Deficit Financing Act, to follow the biometric registration system to know those numbers and also to diagnose the aliens among them."
He added: The government will start the steps of counting the employees through the job code for each employee, because it is not permissible to continue this situation and not knowing the real number of employees.
He pointed out that "the statistics of each government department and institution lag behind the other, such as the retirement department and other departments, so there must be a database that shows the real number of employees and the detection of the aliens among them and the amount of sums paid as salaries to the employees." http://burathanews.com/arabic/news/381402
OPEC + Calls For Last-Minute Talks Amid Iraq's Complaints
Pratha News Agency110 2020-11-28 Saudi Arabia and Russia summoned a small group of OPEC + countries for last-minute talks on Sunday, amid Iraq's complaints, before deciding whether to delay increasing production in January.
According to US Bloomberg Agency, a clear majority of OPEC + observers expect the group to maintain supply restrictions at current levels for a few months longer due to the continuing uncertainty about the strength of demand. However, the decision is by no means certain, amid public complaints from Iraq and Nigeria, and a private row with the United Arab Emirates.
The two key members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman, have requested an informal video conference with their counterparts from the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee that includes Algeria, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Nigeria and the UAE.
One of the delegates said that the hastily called meeting will be tomorrow, Sunday, and the talks will take place the day before the full OPEC ministerial meeting on November 30, followed by the OPEC + meeting on December 1.
The 23-nation alliance, known as OPEC +, has made major production cuts during the depths of the epidemic to offset the historic collapse in fuel demand. The coalition had been planning to ease some restrictions at the beginning of 2021 in anticipation of the global economic recovery, and to revive about 1.9 million barrels per day of stalled production, after it managed to resume similar over the summer.
But with the virus recently re-emerging, leading to new lockdowns, and worsening demand outlook early next year, OPEC + indicated it may delay the next increase instead.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ali Allawi criticized OPEC just days before the organization made a decisive decision on increasing production, saying that OPEC should take the members ’economic and political conditions into consideration when determining production quotas instead of adopting a" one size fits all "approach.
"We have reached the limit of our capacity and our willingness to accept a one-size-fits-all policy," he said during a hypothetical conference hosted by the Chatham House Institute of Intellectual Property in the United Kingdom held last week.
"It has to be more precise and it has to be related to per capita income, and the existence of sovereign wealth funds, of which we do not have any."
While Allawi said he was not speaking on behalf of the Oil Ministry, which is making a decision on OPEC affairs, his comments are another manifestation of disagreements within the organization ahead of its next meeting on November 30.
Iraq, the group's largest producer after Saudi Arabia, is suffering from the oil price collapse caused by the Corona virus. While all members have suffered, the situation in Iraq is the worst, with the government struggling to pay the salaries of teachers and civil servants, and protesters taking to the streets in droves.
http://burathanews.com/arabic/economic/381395
Al-Araji Discusses With Toller The Political And Security Developments In The Region
Time: 11/28/2020 16:25:07 Read: 1,131 times (Baghdad: Al Furat News) The National Security Adviser, Qassem Al-Araji, discussed, on Saturday, with the American Ambassador in Baghdad Matthew Toller, the political and security developments in the region.
A statement of his office, a copy of which (Al Furat News) received, stated that "during the meeting, the latest political and security developments in the region were discussed, and the importance of exchanging intelligence information was emphasized, to eliminate what remained of the terrorist organization ISIS."
The American ambassador emphasized that "the United States of America looks forward to a strong and prosperous Iraq that positively affects its regional and international environment," expressing his "hope that Iraq will take its active role in the security and stability of the region."
The statement added, "Al-Araji also discussed with Toller the humanitarian file, the Sinjar agreement and the return of the displaced to their areas, after the Iraqi government had prepared the reasons for their safe return." LINK
Al-Rafidain Directs To Continue Opening Accounts For Citizens To Deposit Their Money
Time: 11/28/2020 09:39:35 Read: 2,782 times {Baghdad: Al Furat News} Al-Rafidain Bank directed, on Saturday, all its branches in Baghdad and the governorates to continue to receive customers wishing to open accounts of all kinds.
The bank’s media office said in a press release that "many citizens have a great desire to open accounts for the purpose of depositing their money in the bank and obtaining interest." And he called the bank’s employees to "the necessity of providing the necessary facilities for those who intend to deposit their money in the banking system and benefit from the services provided by the bank through those deposits." LINK
Foreign Minister: The Relationship With Washington Will Be Smoother During The Biden Administration
Time: 11/28/2020 00:57:44 Read: 2,912 times (Baghdad: Al Furat News) Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein expected that the relationship between Iraq and America would be "smoother" between the two countries during the administration of President-elect Joseph Biden.
Hussein said in a press statement, "The change in Washington is important. Those who come to power and handle foreign relations have knowledge of the Iraqi file. Biden, who will be president of America, has been holding the Iraqi file for nearly eight years while he was Vice President Obama, and he is familiar with the situation in Iraq in detail." And, for several times, he visited Iraq and the Kurdistan region, whether in his capacity as Senator or Vice President.
He added, "And whoever holds the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs is a personal friend who is aware of the situation in Iraq and the region in general, as well as the National Security Adviser."
Hussein said, "In short, all those who will carry out their duties are aware of the situation in Iraq and the region, so I say that it is not unlikely that relations will be smoother. The policy of the democrats is known in the Middle East and we are ready to strengthen relations with Washington." LINK
The Chinese Ambassador To Iraq Talks About Big Projects ... And Calls The Chinese Agreement A New Name
Time: 11/28/2020 10:42:40 Read: 3,692 times (Baghdad: Al Furat News) The Chinese ambassador to Iraq, Zhang Tao, talked today, Saturday, about large projects in Iraq, while describing the Iraqi-Chinese agreement as "oil for reconstruction."
"In the coming period, China will continue to adhere to the principle of consultation, cooperation and benefit all, and strengthen coordination with Iraq in cooperation, sharing development opportunities and promoting common prosperity," the Chinese ambassador said in a statement conveyed by the Beijing Embassy in Baghdad.
He added, "His country will take cooperation in the field of energy as the main axis to further consolidate cooperation between the two countries in traditional fields such as oil trade and investment."
The Chinese ambassador said, "China will seize the 1,000 schools project as an opportunity to advance oil-for-reconstruction cooperation to achieve substantial progress as soon as possible."
He pointed out that "his country will actively pursue road projects, bridges, power stations and other major strategic projects in Iraq, and close communication with the Iraqi side regarding participation in the Faw Grand Port project."
"Work will be done to complete the Chinese library project as soon as possible, and actively contribute to introducing online Chinese language education into the classrooms of Iraqi universities, as a close friend and dear partner," Tao said.
He stressed that his country is ready to make joint efforts with the Iraqi side to continuously explore and expand the meeting point of the interests of the two countries, transform the superiority of Chinese-Iraqi cooperation represented in the high level of economic integration into tangible cooperation results, and create more opportunities and platforms for cultural exchanges between the two sides, in order to push forward the partnership relations The Chinese-Iraqi strategy is to constantly move forward. LINK
US Report: Trump Threatens A Crushing Response If Any American Is Killed In Iraq
Reports| 02:41 - 28/11/2020 BAGHDAD - Mawazine News The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying that President Donald Trump has threatened immediate and "crushing" retaliation if any Americans were killed in Iraq.
This threat, revealed by the Washington Post, coincides with the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh near Tehran on Friday. Iran has vowed to "harsh retaliation", which could spark a confrontation between it and its opponents, if it or its militias in the region target Western targets.
The newspaper says that Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi is under pressure from US officials to escalate his government's campaign against the pro-Iranian Iraqi militias, whose missiles have repeatedly targeted diplomatic and military sites used by the Americans.
Last October, a group of Iraqi factions announced the suspension of missile attacks, provided that the Iraqi government provided a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces, but it returned to launch missiles at the Green Zone, near the US embassy in Baghdad two weeks ago.
Reuters quoted a US official as saying that Trump requested, during a meeting with senior advisers in the Oval Office that coincided with the recent attack in the Green Zone, options to attack Iran's main nuclear site, Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
The Washington Post, citing a senior official, reported that US officials had advised Trump not to launch a preemptive strike on Iran.
But Trump told his advisers he was prepared to issue devastating response orders if any Americans were killed in the attacks attributed to Iran.
Days after this meeting, an Iranian government spokesman said that any US move against Iran would be met with a "crushing" response. Then, Ismail Qaani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, visited Baghdad to urge the militias to exercise restraint.
Qaani warned his Iraqi factions against any escalation of attacks on American targets before Trump leaves office on January 20, according to the Washington Post, citing individuals familiar with the matter.
One of those present at the Revolutionary Guard’s meeting with the armed factions quoted Qaani as saying, "Just wait until he gets out of the picture."
A spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful factions, said that restraint is the best course, especially as the Trump administration is about to withdraw some US forces from Iraq.
Washington, which is slowly reducing its forces in Iraq, had threatened to close its embassy in Baghdad if the Iraqi government did not curb the Iranian-backed factions.
US officials say the number of troops will drop from 3,000 to 2,500 by mid-January.
Last January, Trump ordered an American air strike by a drone that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad Airport. https://www.mawazin.net/Details.aspx?jimare=132090
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