"Tidbits From TNT" Monday 9-26-2022

Sep 26

TNT:

Tishwash: Legal: The idle parliament cost the state budget billions of dinars

Legal expert Ahmed Shahid Al-Shammari confirmed, on Monday, that the Iraqi parliament in its fifth session has cost the state budget more than 150 billion dinars so far, while describing the parliamentary performance as shy and does not rise to the level of responsibility.

Al-Shammari said in an interview with the "Information" agency, "The House of Representatives has passed only two orphan laws during the nine months since the constitutional oath of the House of Representatives was taken," noting that "Parliament is not serious in addressing the crises that the country is experiencing and does not have the ability to hold the corrupt accountable and monitor the corrupt." .

He pointed out that "the House of Representatives, in its current session, costs billions from the state treasury in return for a timid performance that does not rise to the level of ambition," stressing that "Parliament has contributed significantly to deepening the crisis and disrupted many bills."

And the deputy of the Sadiqoun Parliamentary Bloc, Zainab Al-Moussawi, considered in a previous interview with / the information / the disruption of parliament sessions constitutes an explicit violation of the internal system of the House of Representatives. link

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Kaseyko1: Well, looks like this week should be interesting on articles I've been reading. Also appears Sadr has given an extension to mid-Oct before the demonstrations start. Framework's acting like they'll have their govt this coming week. I haven't heard about the UN's stance on this extension by Sadr, though. Hmmmm...............

Doc: All they ever go is postpone and delay is there any end??

JCNoble: Doc delay is Iraq's national pastime.

KaseyKo1: From what I've read, this is why Sadr is not canceling the demonstration but only extending it out, to see if the Framework is going to get serious with meeting his demands.

KaseyKo1: On a positive note, everything I've been reading seems to be pointing to a resolution of this govt issue this week. I don't believe they feel the UN is bluffing with them at this point. Perhaps this is why Sadr has delayed the protesting, knowing the UN is getting ready to step up & do what needs to be done if he can't get the Framework to do some compromising. We'll see. As Vinterv says, "Positivity abounds"!!!

KaseyKo1: Also keep in mind that Iraq is in the "doghouse", so to speak, over losing the $28 billion contract with Total. They've ticked off a lot of people over this happening.

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Tishwash: Oil falls due to the strong dollar and fears of economic recession

Oil prices fell after rising in early trading on Monday, affected by the rise of the US dollar and fears that sharp increases in interest rates worldwide will lead to a recession and harm the demand for fuel.

The dollar index rose to a 20-year high on Monday, capping gains in oil prices.

Brent crude futures fell 53 cents, or 0.62%, to $85.62 a barrel at 04:16 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 45 cents, or 0.57%, at $78.29 a barrel, and both contracts fell. By about 5% on Friday.

Analysts said that crude oil should find some support as Russia builds up its forces for the war on Ukraine and European Union sanctions on Russian oil are due to take effect in December.

With prices lower, attention will turn to what the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies led by Russia, the so-called OPEC+ community, might do when they meet on Oct. 5, after agreeing to modestly cut production at their last meeting.

Nigeria's Oil Minister, Timber Silva, said in comments that OPEC would consider production cuts because current prices hurt the budgets of some members.

But given that OPEC+ is producing well below its target production, it is unlikely that any announced cut will have a significant impact, if any, on actual supply.

Data last week showed that OPEC+ backed off its production target by 3.58 million barrels per day in August, a larger shortfall compared to the previous month. link

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Tishwash: Iraq and the European Union... a joint program in 5 sectors

Today, Sunday, the European Union confirmed its endeavor to achieve the decentralization file in Iraq, while revealing a program that enhances the activity of 5 sectors in cooperation with the government.

The European Union representative, Barbara Ecker, said in a press conference for the national dialogue on decentralization: "We are interested in the issue of decentralization in Iraq, and it is one of the topics that we are working on with Iraqi officials in partnership with the Ministry of Planning and many relevant ministries and all the governorates of Iraq."

She pointed out that "Iraq has enormous oil wealth, and on the other hand, people in all provinces have not been provided with the appropriate service that should be provided to them by their provinces," noting that "Since 2005, Iraq has taken a very clear course that has changed from the central model to the federal model. In 2009, within Law 21, a focus was placed on 8 concerned ministries, which are very important in providing services.

She added, "During the past years, we have worked with our partners, including our partners in the United Nations Development Agency, and we have been supporting capacity building at the governorate level and supporting the implementation of projects in the governorates. What we lack is to lead forward and implement Law 21 as we focus on decentralization and focus on other ministries."

And she continued, "We have a common goal that includes educating the Iraqi people, providing them with health services, preserving their rights, and owning their rights that help them lead a decent life," noting that "decentralization is a very long road, and we have the expertise to implement it."

She indicated that "all decentralized services allow high quality education, health insurance, quality work and employment, and provide the best services to citizens."

She stressed, "We have global experiences and we want to do decentralization in Iraq, as it is a very important opportunity and an opportunity to discuss challenges and discuss future opportunities," explaining that "we are with the Iraqi government to develop a policy that helps the provinces and for the government to be closer to the citizens and understand their needs, provide and present them to them, and today represents the beginning of For a very important and fruitful discussion to the future, and today's discussion will be solutions for tomorrow." link

Mot: ... Yet More Thingies that Keep me Awake at Night!! ~~~