KTFA:

Samson:  GFP: Iraq's reserve of hard currency amounts to $48bn

2nd August, 2020
Iraq's hard currency reserves reached 48 billion US dollars, according to the Global GFP Ranking Corporation, which indicated that China ranked first with the world's highest reserves.

The institution said, according to its latest classification, "Iraq's reserves of hard currency, including foreign exchange and gold, amounted to 48 billion and 880 million dollars", adding, "Iraq ranked 40th with the most reserves among the 138 statistically listed countries".

"Iraq ranked sixth in the Arab world after Saudi Arabia (496 billion and 400 million dollars), Algeria (97 billion and 890 million dollars), the United Arab Emirates (95 billion and 370 million dollars), followed by Libya (74 billion and 710 million dollars) and Lebanon (55 billion and 420 million dollars), the corporation added.

"China ranked first, with reserves of 3 trillion and 236 billion dollars, followed by Japan with one trillion and 264 billion dollars of reserves".

It is noteworthy that the Central Bank of Iraq reported, in April 2019, a rise in Iraq's foreign exchange reserves to $ 62 billion.   LINK

Samson:  Customs achieved more than 76 billion dinars during the month of July

08/2/2020 09:48:01

The General Authority of Customs announced that its total revenues earned during the month of July, which amounted to more than (76) billion dinars.

She added in a statement received by {Al Furat News} that “this number was achieved despite the yellowing of customs duties on a lot of goods and the lack of imports due to the closure of most border ports due to the Corona pandemic.”

The authority said that "and in light of the difficult economic and health conditions that pass through our dear country, its cadres working in all districts and customs centers continue to contribute effectively to help us to their people and their country, united with all challenges and obstacles to work to advance their work and achieve the highest revenues, boosted by the state treasury billions of dinars per day." 

She continued, "It contributed to facilitating the entry of thousands of shipments of medicines, medical supplies and foodstuffs around the clock, day and night, and through direct efforts and follow-up by the higher management in the authority in order to facilitate the smooth flow of consignments into the country for basic and food materials, especially human medicines, to be delivered to the consumer in light of the current crisis."   LINK

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Samson:  Iraq determines three bases of the relation with the international coalition

2nd August, 2020

The Iraqi Armed Forces identified what they described as the "basics" of their relationship with the international coalition"

The relationship between the Iraqi armed forces and the international coalition is based on three principles", the spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Major General Yehia Rasool, said.

Rasool explained that these basics are, "training, armament, equipping", assuring that, "We will continue to work together according to the strategy set by the Iraqi government".

The international coalition, led by the United States, confirmed on July 23, that the Iraqi government still needs support in its war against ISIS, which has recently begun operating in several areas of the country.

About 5,000 US soldiers remain in Iraq, most of them are carrying out advisory missions, despite the withdrawal from several military bases. 

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Samson:;  British newspaper: Kuwait's relations with Iraq are still lacking confidence

12:11 - 02/08/2020

The British National newspaper confirmed in its report, Sunday, that despite the passage of 30 years since Saddam's regime's invasion of Kuwait, rebuilding relations between Iraq and Kuwait is still facing obstacles.

The report, translated by "The Information," stated that "the consequences of the invasion of Saddam's regime were economic sanctions and compensation amounting to 52.4 billion dollars for the losses caused by the invasion and occupation of Kuwait in addition to cutting ties and restoring relations between the two countries after the overthrow of the regime in the wake of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003."

The first Iraqi ambassador to Kuwait, Faisal al-Istrabadi, said, "Kuwait quietly welcomed the regime change, which contributed to improving relations." He added, "We have built a good working relationship between the two missions, but despite some positive developments in the relationship over the past 17 years, There are still remnants of mutual distrust between the two sides, indicating that “Kuwait did not play the subversive role that some of Iraq's neighbors played , but Kuwait also did not contribute positively, especially in the efforts to rebuild Iraq after 2003″.

Al-Estrabadi, who is currently director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Indiana American University, added that “other Gulf countries, for example, have forgiven or substantially reduced Iraq’s debt during Saddam’s era, but Kuwait has categorically refused to give up its debt to Iraq.” What was considered under a mandate of the United Nations Security Council debts to Kuwait due to the invasion not to mention the reduction of the basic debt.

For his part, Director of the Iraq Initiative in the Atlantic Council, Abbas Kazim said that “while Kuwait was determined to receive all the compensation granted to it by the United Nations, it accepted the new government in Iraq , and despite the difficult history between them, the Kuwaitis decided to turn the separation and it was a pleasure that He knows that Saddam and the ideology that Kuwait is part of Iraq is gone.

And Kazim explained that “the relations between the two countries received a big boost with the visit of the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah to Iraq in early 2012, while Kuwait offered to host a donors conference for the reconstruction of Iraq in 2018, shortly after Baghdad announced its victory over the terrorist organization ISIS.”

The report noted that "Iraq addressed some key issues that Kuwait was concerned about them, and specifically what it wanted Nations United to abide by Iraq to to pay some war compensation and the issue of the remains of Kuwaiti prisoners of war, but the most important outstanding issues between the two countries focus on border control and maritime borders and access to fishing And common oil fields. ”    LINK

Samson:  The Iranian terrorist regime is toppling ... massive strikes by oil and gas workers in southern Iran

2nd August, 2020

A new gathering of Iranian protests and strikes, in protest against the deteriorating economic situation, employees and workers in the economic and petrochemical areas, the Parsian refinery and Lamard Petrochemicals in southern Iran went on the job, due to delays in the payment of their salaries, according to the Mujahideen Khalq Organization.

The organization said in a statement, that strikes by workers at the Abadan refinery, Barsian and Lamard Petrochemicals, and the South Pars refineries, and Kankan, and their employees come to protest against the non-payment of wages, amid the determination of the workers to continue their strike until their demands are met. 

The organization added, that the workers in the economic and petrochemical areas in the south and the organization continued, that the workers work in non-human conditions, where companies and refineries force them to work for long hours despite warnings of high temperatures, which led to the death of a worker in the warehouse and storage facility in the port of Mahshahr Iran entered a comprehensive strike until wages are paid on time, and working conditions are improved, especially as they work at temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius.

These strikes coincide with the strike of the sugar cane company "Haft Taba", whose strike entered the 48th day to protest against the non-payment of their salaries. 

Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the Iranian opposition, praised the workers’ movements for obtaining their rights, and said in a tweet: “A salute to the workers in Haft Tabbah for the sugar cane in Shoush who have been continuing the protest and strike for nearly 50 days ..

The regime left the Iranians in the siege of disease and unemployment and does not pay the rights of hard-working nurses .. The only way to salvation is to achieve democracy and rule the people."  LINK