KTFA:

Samson:  Governmental banks are closed during the holidays, and salaries are paid after the holiday

23rd May, 2020

An official source at Rafidain Bank said on Friday that the bank, along with other government banks, including Al-Rashid Bank, will resume its operations after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday.  

The source said, told Twilight News, he said that "there is no appeal or direct attendance at the Rafidain Bank or other government banks, including good during the official holiday bank," noting that "always disabled during the days of Eid."

The source pointed out that "the banks will resume their work hours and pay the salaries of state employees after the Eid holiday," explaining that "employees with electronic payment cards can receive their salaries from the network of bank branches scattered in Baghdad and the provinces after the Eid holiday."

The Iraqi government has set the days for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, from next Sunday to Thursday, with a total curfew imposed.  LINK

Samson:   Iraq is discussing four files with the World Bank

23rd May, 2020

On Saturday, the Ministry of Planning revealed the most prominent files discussed with a representative of the World Bank

Planning Minister Khaled Battal said, according to the official news agency, "The meeting with the representative of the World Bank did not address the new borrowing, but rather was devoted to discussing the activation of development projects funded by the World Bank before the current financial and health crisis," noting that "the meeting also witnessed a discussion of available funds By the World Bank, Iraq

Battal added that "he also discussed with the representative of the World Bank some of the current problems between the bank and some sectoral ministries benefiting from the projects and how to solve them in light of the lack of approval of the budget law, which represents the legal cover for these projects   LINK

****************

Samson:  Al-Shammari: Al-Kazimi's envoy's visit to Saudi Arabia is a sound step towards activating Iraq’s agreements with its regional environment

05/23/2020 11:51:50

 Member of the Political Bureau of the National Wisdom Stream, Fadi Al-Shammari, confirmed on Saturday that Al-Kazemi’s envoy’s visit to Saudi Arabia is a sound step towards activating Iraq’s agreements with his regional environment.

Al-Shammari said in a tweet on Twitter, "The visit of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi's envoy to Saudi Arabia is a sound step towards activating the Iraqi agreements with his regional environment." 

Al-Shammari added, "We need partnerships for prosperity and stability, partnerships for security, and partnerships for energy supply and sustainable development." He added that "this step should be baptized by agreement with the countries of the region that share with us interests".   LINK

************

Samson:  From Saudi Arabia .. Allawi announces the abandonment of importing gas and electricity from Iran

23rd May, 2020

Finance Minister Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi announced, on Saturday, that he would give up importing gas and electricity from Iran

Allawi said in a tweet on Twitter, "In implementation of the decisions of the US Treasury, we have decided to abide by not extending the exemption granted to Iraq from the sanctions imposed on the import of gas and electricity from Iran

This tweet was written by Allawi during the visit to Saudi Arabia, and comes hours after he announced an agreement to activate the electrical connection between Iraq and Saudi Arabia   LINK

Samson:  Allawi arrives in Kuwait and delivers a message from Al-Kazemi

23rd May, 2020

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi's envoy and Finance Minister Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi arrived on Saturday from Kuwait from Kuwait

The Kuwaiti News Agency KUNA stated that "Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister received today at the Seif Palace, the envoy of the Prime Minister in the brotherly Republic of Iraq, Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Oil Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi and his accompanying delegation

During the meeting, he received a written message from the Prime Minister In the Republic of Iraq, brother Mustafa Al-Kazemi includes ways to support relations between the two countries and the prospects for developing them and exchange views on regional and international issues

She added, "The distinguished bilateral relations between the two countries and the two brotherly peoples were also reviewed, in addition to discussing issues of common concern

She noted, "The meeting was attended by the Oil Minister, Acting Minister of Electricity and Water Khaled Ali Al-Fadil, Finance Minister Barak Ali Al-Shitan and Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah   LINK

************

Samson:  Five files to be presented by Baghdad during its dialogue with Washington

22nd May, 2020

Member of the Foreign Relations Committee in Parliament, Ala Talabani, confirmed that five files will be raised from Baghdad during its dialogue with Washington, stating that any agreement with the United States of America must maintain the balance of relations between Washington and Tehran in a way that serves the Iraqi interest.

Talabani said in a press statement followed by Alsumaria News, that Iraq will present five files during his dialogue with Washington in the middle of next June, indicating that "these files are the military and security coordination, the future of the American presence in Iraq, the arming and training of the Iraqi army, and the economic side, as well as Cultural issues, explaining that the understandings between the two countries will be military, economic and cultural."

he added, "The idea of ​​a strategic dialogue between Baghdad and Washington is not new, but dates back to the period before the popular movement began in October 2019, which saw visits by high-level American officials to Iraq and their meeting with Iraqi officials, and presented them with the idea of ​​holding joint meetings and writing a new agreement based on mutual cooperation. In several areas, in order to organize the post-salvation phase of terrorism."

Talabani added, "However, some political circumstances, regional tensions and possibly differences caused the postponement of the issue that was raised again before the formation of the current government, when the American ambassador in Baghdad delivered an official message from the US administration requesting the start of negotiations."

She drew a member of the Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee that "there are controversial points that may accompany the dialogues, especially with regard to the previous decision of Parliament to remove all foreign forces from the country, stressing the difficulty of agreeing on some issues."

She indicated that "the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not able to negotiate with the Americans alone without cooperating with the relevant authorities, because the ministry is in charge of implementing the policy that is drawn in the Council of Ministers," explaining that "the current Iraqi policy does not bias to a state against another, but seeks to maintain balance with everybody".

And she added that "any agreement with the United States of America must preserve the balance of relations between Washington and Tehran in a way that serves the Iraqi interest," stressing the need not to deal with this file with affection.   LINK

************

Samson:  A deputy talks about 4 agencies that "loot" the state treasury, which the previous governments did not address!

23rd May 2020

Member of Parliamentary Finance Committee Jamal Kujer revealed, on Saturday, 5/23/2020, the presence of 4 parties, who said that they are looting Iraq’s treasury, pointing out that they are facades for some countries.

Cougar said in an interview with (Baghdad Today), that "the Minister of Finance's recent talk about the presence of pockets in the state, out of control, spending billions annually, is not a secret but rather a known and known matter to public opinion," stressing that "the problem in Iraq is diagnosed from a period that is not Few, but we need to adopt solutions to confront corruption with vigor and firmness and stop wasting money.”

Cougar added, "The most important files of corruption in the Iraqi countries are represented by border outlets, oil, currency sales, collection, economic offices, space and fictitious projects." The amount of money stolen because of the corrupt.”

Cougar pointed out that "there are 4 sides that plunder the treasury of Iraq, they are people, militias, parties and mafias, most of them are fronts for some of them from neighboring countries, and this explains the inability to address them by previous governments." Easier.”

The Finance Minister, Ali Allawi, said in a televised interview, that "there is supposed to be a unified account for all the state's funds, but there are pockets that are out of control with billions", confirming the existence of "trillions accounts for some ministries."

On a related front, a member of the House of Representatives revealed the alliance of Saireon, Riyad Al-Masoudi, about countries from which smuggled Iraqi money was transferred

Al-Masoudi said in an interview with him (Baghdad today), that "corruption in the country has reached an unbearable level, even if some people have built palaces of the Iraqi people's money

He pointed out that "Iraqi funds that have escaped from the country over the past years fill the UAE, Jordanian, Egyptian, and Turkish banks," stressing that "the recovery of these funds will contribute to building large infrastructure projects   LINK