Iraqi News Tuesday AM 8-18-20
Iraqi News Tuesday AM 8-18-20
TLM724 Administrator BondLady’s Corner
MP Iktifa al-Hasnawi: The Government Is Trying To Block Decisions Issued With Appointments By Linking It To The Budget And Approving It
08/18/2020 On Tuesday 18/8/2020, a member of the Health and Environment Committee, MP Iktifa al-Hasnawi, said that the Iraqi government had placed the stick in the appointment wheel and suspended the decisions issued in this regard, through its unfair and arbitrary condition that linked the issue of appointments to the budget and its approval.
Al-Hasnawi said: “We submitted a formal request to the prime minister, asking for the application of the medical graduation law as soon as possible,” noting that it was better for the government to be more equitable and law enforcement without engaging in the open game of procrastination, which we know is intended to circumvent the law.
The member of the Health Committee clarified that the government should know that it is not preferable to graduates, but rather it is their natural right, and no one is blessing them.
House of Representatives Media Department 8/18/2020 LINK
Prime Minister Mr. Mustafa Al-Kazemi Is Heading To The United States Of America At The Head Of A Government Delegation
Aug 18- 2020 The Prime Minister, Mr. Mustafa Al-Kazemi, left the capital, Baghdad, today, Tuesday, heading to the United States of America, at the head of a government delegation, in response to an official invitation.
Al-Kazemi will meet US President Donald Trump on Thursday, and during the meeting, discussions will be held on strengthening bilateral relations between Baghdad and Washington, in addition to discussing current developments on the regional arena, and discussing issues of common interest.
During his visit, Mr. Al-Kazemi will hold talks with senior US officials, which will include discussing bilateral relations between the two countries and enhancing joint cooperation in many fields, foremost among which are security, economy, health, and other sectors.
Media Office of the Prime Minister 18- Aug-2020 https://pmo.iq/press2020/18-8-202001.htm
Al-Kazemi: We Are Determined To Move Forward And Move Forward
Tuesday 18th August 2020 96 Baghdad / morning The Council of Ministers, in its regular session held yesterday, Monday, headed by the President of the Council, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, took a number of decisions related to the health sector, electric power and oil, while Al-Kazemi stressed the need to bypass bureaucracy and red tape, stressing that with them “we will not reach the country To positive results, "he stressed the determination to move forward and move forward.
According to a statement by the Prime Minister's Media Office, received by Al-Sabah, "the council discussed the topics on its agenda and took the necessary decisions regarding them."
The statement added that "during the session, Al-Kazemi made it clear that the bureaucratic challenges facing government and service work in Iraq need bold and courageous decisions, and that the government is determined to take them forward and walk the country in the right way, in a way that serves the Iraqi people." The routine will not reach positive results in Iraq, and everyone will remain in place, and we will retreat, which will reflect negatively on all sectors. "
The Prime Minister said: "There are those who seek to hinder the serious and ambitious work, but we are determined to go and move forward."
The statement pointed out that "the council followed the latest health conditions in the country, and discussed the progress of the measures taken to confront the Corona pandemic, as well as the developments of the work of the committee to strengthen government measures in the areas of prevention and control of health and awareness, regarding limiting the spread of the Corona virus, which is composed according to the Diwaniya Order No. 217 of 2020. '
With regard to appointing medical and health professionals, the Cabinet approved “the recommendations of the committee formed according to Paragraph 2 of Cabinet Resolution No. 73 of 2020 regarding setting mechanisms and controls, and removing obstacles that prevent the appointment of the remaining medical and health professions, contained in the linking of the Ministry of Planning letter of number 73 of 2020. WS / 1/2/547 of August 16, 2020.
The council listened, according to the statement, to "a brief presentation on the reality of the electrical system in Iraq, and took a set of decisions aimed at removing the obstacles facing this sector, in a way that secures providing the best services to citizens."
For the purpose of preparing for the upcoming summer season, and commencing maintenance of production units and transmission and distribution lines, the Board took the following decisions in this regard:
1 - Activating the Council of Ministers Resolution No. 48 of 2019, and that the authority therein is vested in the minister exclusively and for all regions and sectors.
2 - Complete the signing of contracts related to the budget, and authorize the Ministry of Finance to complete the signing of agreements related to loans granted to the Ministry of Electricity.
3 - Granting the Ministry of Electricity the powers of direct implementation, with the exception of the controls specified by the Ministry of Planning.
In the field of transportation and ports, the Council of Ministers approved the following:
1- A project to unify the customs exit yards of the northern and southern ports of Umm Qasr, and make them one yard under the name (The Great Welcome Square of Umm Qasr Ports).
2 - The commitment of ministries, government agencies, institutions and support departments operating in the ports to unify procedures by working within the unified customs inspection yard, within the project of the Great Welcome Square of Umm Qasr Ports.
In the oil field, the Council took the following decisions:
1- Approving the draft law of the first amendment to the Iraqi National Oil Company law, and referring it to the House of Representatives, based on the provisions of Articles 61 / First and 80 / Second Clause of the Constitution, taking into consideration the opinion of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.
2 - Completing the steps of establishing the company through its board of directors choosing a specialized consulting office to work on setting the administrative structure, classifying tasks and responsibilities, and determining the value of the fixed assets of the owned companies, in preparation for disengaging from the Ministry of Oil, and owning them to the company in question without compensation, in accordance with the provisions of the two articles ( 1/5 and 7/5) of the National Oil Company Law, taking into consideration what was mentioned in the aforementioned draft law.
The Cabinet also directed the Ministries of Agriculture and Trade to be patient in promoting import transactions for biological species from countries affected by the Corona pandemic, which are included in the international (CITES / CITES) agreement, based on initial reports indicating a relationship between the emergence of the disease and animals, and until the end of the crisis.
In addition, the Prime Minister received the girl Naz, who had previously expressed on social media her desire to meet him.
Al-Kazemi welcomed the girl, according to his media office, stressing that he was keen to fulfill her desire to meet, and that he was very happy to meet her. LINK
Integrity Recovers More Than 4 Trillion Dinars For The State Treasury
Tuesday 18th August 2020 153 Baghdad / Hazem Muhammad Habib Acting Chairman of the Federal Integrity Commission (Mazhar Turki Abd) affirmed that the principle that the commission is following in investigating corruption cases is that “corruption is corruption” regardless of its size or the position of the person who commits it, while he called for reviewing, scrutinizing and developing some anti-corruption laws to suit With the current situation of the country, he revealed the recovery of the authority and prevented it from wasting more than 4 trillion dinars during the past two years.
The head of the authority said in an exclusive interview with “Al-Sabah”: “The commission investigates any report or complaint it receives about suspicions of corruption in any state institution, but nevertheless there are priorities that are defined by the nature of some files, such as their association with the services provided to citizens or a case that has become an issue of interest to the opinion. Year, as well as those that threaten the national economy ».
He confirmed that the commission “investigated files that implicated officials, as the number of those accused in criminal cases reached (10143) in 2019, and (13649) charges were charged, among them (50) ministers and those of their rank, they were charged (73), and ( 480) accused of special ranks, directors-general and those of their rank, and they were charged with (711) charges.
And he continued: “As for the lagging projects that are among the prominent files, whose values amounted to (36) trillion dinars, the investigative, audit and coordination work teams set up by the Commission; To monitor the level of government performance, it diagnosed it, as its number reached (2736) projects. The commission opened criminal cases in (644) projects, of which the value was (5,486,303,401,793) dinars and (6,546,142,288) dollars.
Regarding the level of cooperation between the Integrity Commission and the judicial authority, he stressed that “our investigators work under the supervision of the judiciary, and the relationship between the judiciary and the commission in many stages of investigation and referral is very close, which provides an atmosphere of transparency and professionalism in this aspect, while each party maintains its competence that is defined by law.” LINK
Parliamentary Finance: External Borrowing May Reach $ 2 Billion
Tuesday 18th August 2020 76 Baghdad / Omar Abdul Latif The Finance Committee in the House of Representatives expected that the volume of external borrowing of Iraq would reach about 2 billion dollars, warning of an economic and financial collapse in the event of continuing borrowing.
A member of the committee, Abdul Hadi Al-Saadawi, said in an interview with Al-Sabah: The committee has set a higher ceiling that cannot be exceeded for external borrowing in the law amounting to $ 5 billion, indicating that the volume of foreign loans will range from $ 1.5-2 billion after many countries have shown their willingness To lend. Al-Saadawi promised external borrowing that it was the worst for long periods until now, pointing out that the Finance Committee was able to stop borrowing in the 2019 budget.
Meanwhile, Hoshyar Abdullah, a member of the committee, confirmed, in an interview with Al-Sabah, that the government started negotiations with countries, organizations and personalities, whether from inside or outside, in order to lend them immediately after the law was enacted. LINK
The President Of The Republic Stresses The Control Of Border Crossings
Tuesday 18th August 2020 92 Baghdad / morning The President of the Republic, Barham Salih, stressed the importance of supplying the state budget with the revenues of the border crossings and developing resources, by strengthening the control and auditing procedures, and following the internationally approved means at the ports in a way that contributes to increasing trade exchange.
A presidential statement, a copy of which was received by Al-Sabah, added that Saleh stressed, during his meeting with the head of the Border Ports Authority, Omar Al-Waeli, “the necessity of controlling border crossings, unifying the mechanisms of work in them, and combating forms of corruption by applying the laws and regulations in force for the work of the commission, as well as strengthening measures to protect Domestic product. "
In turn, Al-Waeli presented, according to the statement, "an explanation of the authority's efforts in raising the revenues of the ports, advancing the status of its infrastructure and coordination with the concerned authorities to facilitate services for travelers and workers in the commercial field." LINK
The Stability Of The Iraqi Dinar
Tuesday 18th August 2020 92 Samir Al-Nasiri Central banks in the countries of the world mainly aim at achieving economic stability by achieving stability in the monetary system and the financial system through their programs and strategies aimed at maintaining stability in the exchange of their local currencies against other foreign currencies and building sufficient foreign cash reserves to cover their local currency in Circulation.
According to special international standards issued by the International Monetary Fund, banks are evaluated based on other criteria related to facing crises, challenges, economic, political and security shocks, and natural and epidemic disasters in their countries, controlling stable rates of inflation and interest rates, and applying compliance and anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations and rules that are internationally established.
And since for ten months, all countries of the world have been going through two economic and epidemic crises due to the global drop in oil prices, economic stagnation and slowing economic growth due to the Corona pandemic. And that the above conditions suffered from Iraq and neighboring regional countries such as Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria, as well as the economic, political and security conditions and challenges that all these countries shared with Iraq in them.
One of the results of that was the devouring of the US dollar of the local currencies of the above regional countries and their collapse in very large proportions, for example. Currencies decreased against the dollar, so the Turkish lira became 7.30 pounds per dollar, and in Iran one riyal corresponds to 0.000024 dollars, the Lebanese pound is 8500 pounds, and the Syrian pound is 2250 pounds against the dollar, while the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar has stabilized within its rates for the past two years.
So why was the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar not affected except by a slight relative rise in the dollar exchange rate and a decrease in the purchasing power of the Iraqi dinar, and the Central Bank took quick monetary measures to return the exchange rate according to what was targeted before the events.
In order for the economic analyzes to be accurate and not extreme of the reality of monetary stability in Iraq and the effects of the new and expected economic and epidemic shock on the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar, which has stabilized for more than two years and is still strong and maintains its stability and will continue as well despite international and local political shocks.
In order not to take the expectations of media exaggeration and create a state of fear among the public and the banking sector, I assert, through an economic and analytical view of the state of stability in the exchange rate of the dinar, and from a neutral and transparent point of view, we note that the positive stems from the independence and balanced management of the central bank and the availability of foreign cash reserves at the rate. As for that which determines its sufficiency to cover the cash mass in circulation and to cover imports, as the foreign cash reserve is fully insured and Iraq ranks fourth in the Arab world.
In addition to that, the strength and recovery of the Iraqi dinar, and deal with responsibility and independence by the Central Bank
The application of the monetary policy adopted by the Central Bank, which achieved stability in the exchange rate for more than two years, represents the real guarantees to protect the local currency from collapse and face the new shock, and it will be bypassed. The economic and security shocks that the Iraqi economy suffered from during previous years have also been overcome. The Iraqi dinar will remain stable and maintain its purchasing power despite the challenges.
• An economic and banking advisor LINK
Agreement Between Baghdad And Erbil On Oil Policy And Debts, And Standardization Of Port Procedures
POSTED ON 2020-08-17 BY SOTALIRAQ Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi discussed, on Saturday evening, with the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, the outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil. According to a statement by the region’s prime minister, “The Prime Minister of Kurdistan, Masrour Barzani, during a phone call with Federal Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi,
He stressed that the Iraqi constitution should be the basis for resolving all existing disputes or any agreement reached, taking into account the specificity of the Kurdistan region and the general interest of the Iraqi people. The two sides also indicated, according to the statement, to "move forward in the negotiations and the results achieved in the past months that the delegations of the two parties fought."
The two sides affirmed that, "on the basis of these understandings and to resolve the issue of those who receive salaries in the region, and based on the current financial situation in Iraq, it was decided that Baghdad would send an amount of 320 billion dinars as part of the salaries to the Kurdistan region as soon as possible."
He also stressed "the continuation of negotiations with the aim of resolving all outstanding problems."
The agreement to send the amount sparked an argument in the political corridors and on social networks as well.
On the other hand, a senior source in the Kurdistan Regional Government revealed information about the agreement. The source said, in a press statement, that "the last meeting that took place between representatives of the Kurdistan region and representatives of the federal government reached the approval of the regional government to unify procedures in all border crossings and customs in the outlets located within the administrative borders of the region, to be in conformity with customs procedures in all Iraqi ports."
The source, who was briefed on the course of the last meeting, added that "the two parties agreed to collect the imports of the region's outlets in accordance with the Federal Financial Management Law."
According to the source, "It has also been agreed to unify import instructions regarding the materials permitted to be imported and the materials prohibited from import to protect the national product, and a regulation in this regard will be unified that all border outlets adhere to."
With regard to oil policy, the two parties agreed, according to the source, to "adhere to the rates specified for Iraq in accordance with the OPEC + agreement, as the two parties are obligated to control production according to the agreement."
The issue of the region’s debts was also discussed, and it was agreed to set a timetable to start paying the region’s debts in favor of the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI). As for the region’s previous debt file, the Erbil government is obligated to provide any additional information required to ensure final treatments for this file are put in place.
He continued, "The agreement between the two parties will be under the supervision of a committee formed by representatives of the two parties to ensure the implementation of all that has been agreed upon." LINK
crazydonk64: Is that an HCL im smelling???? Lol Great work Timmy
TLM724: Hey CD maybe !! check this out: After the government granted an amount of 320 billion dinars to Kurdistan ... Al-Kaabi calls on the government to assume legal responsibility towards the people, and affirms: Kurdistan must hand over its revenues to Baghdad LINK
https://www.bondladyscorner.com/t208808-after-the-government-granted-an-amount-of-320-billion-dinars-to-kurdistan-al-kaabi-calls-on-the-government-to-assume-legal-responsibility-towards-the-people-and-affirms-kurdistan-must-hand-over-its-revenues-to-baghdad
American Experts Evaluate The Goals Of Al-Kazemi's Visit To Washington And The Chances Of Its Success
Time: 08/18/2020 13:59:18 Read: 3,068 times {International: Al Furat News} A busy agenda characterizes the important visit that Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi begins today to the American capital, in which he is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday evening, in addition to holding a new round of strategic dialogue between Washington and Baghdad that will start tomorrow, Wednesday.
Today, Tuesday, Al-Kazemi left the capital, Baghdad, heading to the United States of America, at the head of a government delegation, in response to an official invitation.
The future of the US military presence in Iraq is the core of the visit files, which were considered by American experts to go beyond the two-state relations, to include important regional files, especially those related to the US-Iranian confrontation in Iraq and the Gulf region.
Al-Kazemi's visit to Washington comes weeks after an important visit to Tehran, during which he met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which garnered great attention in the American capital.
It is expected that the file of completing the withdrawal of the American forces - the number of 5,200 soldiers - from Iraq will top the agenda of the visit of Al-Kazemi and his accompanying delegation.
Commenting on this, Kenneth Katzman, an expert on Iraq and Iran affairs at the Congressional Research Service Center, suggested, in a press statement, that "the two parties agree to reduce Washington's forces in Iraq without announcing a complete US withdrawal."
For his part, Michael Rubin, an expert on Iraqi affairs at the American Enterprise Center, and a former official in the US Department of Defense (Pentagon), considered that "a complete withdrawal from Iraq is not the goal of the two countries at the present time."
Rubin added that the most important question is: How can the two countries continue the partnership at a time when the challenges that Iraq faces today differ from those it faced before, when comprehensive negotiations and discussions were held between the two parties at this level on the future of their relations more than a decade ago.
Michael Brigent, a researcher at the American Hudson Institute, took a more rigid stance towards the idea of a complete withdrawal of his country's forces from Iraq, and told Al Jazeera Net that "if the Americans were asked to leave and leave Iraq, the United States would leave Iraq on the brink of economic collapse."
For his part, the military expert at the Center for the Near East and South Asia of the American National Defense University, David de Roch, ruled out that the meeting between Trump and Al-Kazimi would come out with an agreement on a complete withdrawal.
De Roch said, "There will be a statement of the conditions that must be met if there is a withdrawal, and it is possible that the United States will not be able to withdraw."
De Roche said it is likely that the meeting will strengthen Al-Kazemi's call for early elections, but he also expected that there will be strong American condemnation of "corruption, election fraud and external disturbance."
Most American experts questioned Al-Kazemi's electoral fortunes, as Katzman believes that "the prime minister does not have a strong sectarian, tribal or partisan constituency in Iraq. I do not think that a strategic dialogue with the United States will increase his chances of winning the upcoming elections."
But Katzman believes that "if the powerful Shiite factions cannot agree on the person of a new consensual prime minister after these elections, they may agree to Al-Kazemi and allow him to remain prime minister, but it will not be his decision, but rather the decision of the powerful factions."
Robin agrees with the previous proposal, asserting that “Al-Kazemi’s visit to Washington and his meeting with President Trump has nothing to do with his electoral fortunes. Simply, after there is an election date, Al-Kazemi must begin to achieve tangible results and achievements on the ground, because he has very little tangible success until Now, since his accession to the post of prime minister. "
"Al-Kazemi calls for early elections, which are dominated by the coalition of some parties, and he would not have allowed them to take place if it was not in their interest," says Brigent.
He added that "the United States and the international community should press for the adoption of a new election law."
Multiple reports indicated that Iraq and Al-Kazemi enjoy all that is required to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran, as the prime minister has lines of communication with the various conflicting capitals in the region, which Washington can benefit from during the visit.
Michael Rubin believes, "Most Iraqi leaders focus on their own interests instead of focusing on playing a mediating role," noting that "Oman and Switzerland have always bridged this gap well, and therefore there is no need or desire for Iraq to play this role."
De Roch asserts that "the Trump administration wants to remove all US forces from Iraq, but this will not happen if it means that we will have to return if the influence of ISIS escalates again."
During a meeting with the US Institute of Peace a few days before Al-Kazemi’s visit, the Commander of the US Army’s Central Command, Kenneth MacKenzie, affirmed that his country's military presence in Iraq "will change in coordination with the Iraqi government," adding that Al-Kazemi is likely to move in the right direction and the United States should support it. LINK
News About The Bombing Of A Camp In The US Embassy With Two Missiles
Time: 08/18/2020 12:12:07 Read: 3,523 times (Baghdad: Al Furat News) It was reported, today, Tuesday, that a camp in the US embassy in the Green Zone in Baghdad was bombed with two missiles.
It was reported that "a missile attack took place on the American military base at the US embassy with two 107 mm missiles at 4:23 am." It indicated that "the C_RAM defense system repelled the missiles. LINK
Parliamentary Finance Warns Of An Economic Collapse And Excludes Authorizing The Government To Borrow Abroad
Time: 08/18/2020 10:59:49 Read: 4,992 times {Baghdad: Al Furat News} The Parliamentary Finance Committee expected that the volume of foreign borrowing for Iraq will reach about two billion dollars, warning of an economic and financial collapse in the event of continuing borrowing.
Committee member Abdul Hadi Al-Saadawi said, in a press statement, that "the committee has set a ceiling that cannot be exceeded for external borrowing in the law amounting to $ 5 billion, indicating that the volume of foreign loans will range from $ 1.5-2 billion after many countries have expressed their willingness to lend."
Al-Saadawi promised that "external borrowing is the worst for long periods until now," noting that "the Finance Committee was able to stop borrowing in the 2019 budget."
For its part, a member of the committee, Ikhlas Al-Dulaimi, said that many reasons led to countries objecting to lending to Iraq during the previous period.
Al-Dulaimi explained, "The blurring of the economic vision, the resignation of the government, the continuation of demanding demonstrations and the occurrence of a partial collapse in the country, led some countries to refuse to lend to Iraq, but the relative stability that occurred after the formation of the government of Mustafa Al-Kazemi led to the extension of a helping hand by many countries ready to lend.
Iraq, especially since it is able to pay for being an oil country. "
Al-Dulaimi added that it is illogical that employees and other groups in Iraq bear the delay in the date of salaries or social aid due to the financial crisis, which led to the preparation of a law for external borrowing under strict conditions.
Meanwhile, Hoshyar Abdullah, a member of the committee, confirmed that "the committee approved the loan law because it cannot sign a blank document for the government in this regard."
Abdullah added, "The government started negotiations with countries, organizations and personalities, whether from inside or outside, regarding its lending directly after the law was enacted, indicating that the most important body that can be relied upon is the Central Bank of Iraq.
And Abdullah indicated that the committee members agreed not to sign" a blank document. "To the government in the issue of borrowing, but it must be according to mechanisms and determinants, pointing out that the interest rate, the concerned party that lends to Iraq and some other details are the conditions that set the conditions for this.
Abdullah ruled out taking a decision to renew authorizing the government to borrow during the next year, noting that in The overturning of every financial crisis is an opportunity for reform by improving the country's economic situation and moving away from the wrong policies that were adopted in past years. " LINK
An American Oil Company Plans To Invest In A Giant Field In Iraq
Time: 08/18/2020 00:16:17 Read: 3,679 times {International: Al Furat News} The American "Chevron" company is holding talks with the Iraqi government to invest in one of the giant oil fields in the south of the country, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the "Wall Street Journal".
The newspaper said, "Chevron's discussions with Iraq focus on carrying out exploration work in the Nasiriyah field, which is estimated to contain about 4.4 billion barrels of crude oil."
The newspaper stated that "the American company and the Iraqi government are tentatively planning to sign a memorandum of understanding to develop the huge field, provided that the initial agreement, if completed, will be announced later this week, during a planned visit by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to Washington this week."
She pointed out that "investment of this kind requires complex technologies that can be provided by major international oil companies such as Chevron."
A spokeswoman for Chevron said that the company does not comment on matters of a commercial nature, while a spokesman for the Iraqi Oil Ministry did not respond to the newspaper's requests for comment.
The southern Nassiriya field, whose reserves are estimated at more than four billion barrels, was previously offered in several bids. In 2009, a Japanese consortium was chosen to invest in the field, but negotiations broke down.
After that, the Oil Ministry said that American Chevron, Italian Eni and Japan's JX Nippon had expressed interest in developing the field, but no development had taken place since then.
Chevron has since acquired stakes in the Kurdistan region, which prompted Baghdad to prevent it from carrying out activities in the rest of Iraq. LINK
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