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Butterfly  Parliamentary Finance: 3 proposals regarding the budget for the next three years

04/21/2021 02:56:22   Parliamentary Finance - 3 proposals regarding the budget for the next three yearsThe Parliamentary Finance Committee unveiled a proposal to approve the 2021 budget for the next three years.

Al-Hajja member Muhammad Al-Shabky said in a press statement, “The holding of parliamentary elections in October next and the approval of their results, and the formation of the government, which may be delayed until April or June of next year, this matter will cause a delay in approving the budget next year and thus will affect the exchange mechanism in the provinces.” Ministries and contractors’ obligations.

He added that “there are 3 proposals to implement a mechanism for implementing the budget next year, the first of which is the adoption of data and accounts for the 2021 budget for the 2022 budget, while the second proposal included the approval of this year’s budget for the next three years, which is an opinion submitted by MPs and political blocs.”

And he added, “The third proposal is to adopt a 12/1 disbursement mechanism in order to implement the Financial Management Law by relying on the 2021 budget for any reason if it is not possible to legislate the 2022 Budget Law.”

Al-Shbaki confirmed that “the Finance Committee and the House of Representatives are studying many proposals that lead to the approval of next year’s budget smoothly and easily.”   alforatnews.com

Dave   The holding of parliamentary elections in October next and the approval of their results, and the formation of the government, which may be delayed until April or June of next year,

Dave   my translation.....nodda.....?

Butterfly   Correcting America's Grand Strategic Failures in Iraq 21st April 2021 in Politics, Security

By Anthony H. Cordesman, for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

[Please note that this report was issued on 1st April 2021, several days before the Strategic Dialogue between the United States and Iraq.]

Correcting America's Grand Strategic Failures in Iraq

Press reports indicate that the U.S. is soon to have yet another meeting with Iraq on establishing some kind of future strategic relationship.

Unless this meeting makes a dramatic break with the past, it will be a dismal failure and do more to empower Iraq's divisions and Iranian influence than to serve U.S. and Iraqi interests or to help bring any kind of security and stability to the MENA region.

There are twelve reasons why the U.S. may fail, and all of them are issues that the U.S. has so far failed to address at the grand strategic level.

butterfly   UK's $4m support for Iraq's fight against COVID-19

21st April 2021 in Healthcare The United Kingdom has committed GBP 3 million (approximately US$ 4.1 million) to support the Government of Iraq's response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

With this contribution, the United Kingdom joins 12 international partners in supporting UNDP's COVID-19 rapid health emergency response in Iraq. UNDP's response aims to strengthen Iraq's health sector in response to the pandemic, improve access to isolation wards and medical equipment, increase public awareness of COVID-19 symptoms and prevention measures, and provide personal protective equipment to healthcare workers.

Since launching its response in March 2020, UNDP has established 13 purpose-built COVID-19 isolation wards in Anbar (Fallujah and Ramadi), Babil, Basra, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Dohuk, Karbala, Kirkuk, Missan, Najaf, Ninewa and Salah al-Din governorates. Additional wards are being built in Diwaniya, Erbil, Muthanna and Wasit, bringing the total number of supported medical facilities to 17.

UNDP Resident Representative Zena Ali Ahmad, said:

"Containing the coronavirus outbreak is the Government of Iraq's top priority, particularly with the second wave of infections country-wide. UNDP is on the front line, supporting Iraq's national healthcare system to tackle the outbreak. The United Kingdom's generous contribution enables us to boost our support even further as we collectively fight this pandemic."

butterfly Her Majesty's Ambassador Stephen Hickey (pictured) said:

"The United Kingdom supports the Government of Iraq in its fight against COVID-19, which continues to cause such challenges in both of our countries. We are pleased to make available this unding through UNDP to strengthen Iraq's national health response and help manage the ongoing outbreak."

The United Kingdom joins Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States of America in supporting UNDP's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq.

(Source: UN)

butterfly  Chinese Company to Develop Iraq's Mansuriyah Gas Field 21st April 2021 in Iraq Oil & Gas News The Chinese company Sinopec (China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation) has won a contract to develop the Mansuriyah gas field in Diyala.

The field, near the Iranian border, is expected to produce 300 million standard cubic feet (Mmscf) per day of gas, which will be used for electricity generation.

In 2010, an agreement had been signed for the field to be developed by Turkish Petroleum (TPAO) (37.5%), Iraqi Oil Exploration Company (25%), Kuwait Energy (KEC) (22.5%), and Kogas (15%). This consortium stopped development in 2014 due to security concerns, and the agreement was reportedly cancelled in 2020.

Under the new 25-year deal agreed on Tuesday, Sinopec will have a 49-percent interest in the field, with Iraq's state-owned Midland [Middle, Central] Oil Company having 51 percent.

The contract may be extended for an additional five years.

According to the Ministry of Oil, Sinopec's bid was he lowest submitted.

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

butterfly  https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/04/no-plans-full-us-withdrawal-iraq-top-general-says No plans for full US withdrawal from Iraq, top general says The United States may be leaving Afghanistan but troops will remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future, the CENTCOM commander told Congress. April 21, 2021

The top commander of US forces in the Middle East told lawmakers that he does not foresee a full US withdrawal from Iraq amid continued dialogue with officials in Baghdad.

“That move is not contemplated,” head of US Central Command Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie told members of the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Tuesday.

“I don’t see us withdrawing completely from Iraq in the future,” he said.

McKenzie’s response was prompted by a question posed by Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) about the potential consequences of removing the roughly 2,500 US troops who remain in Iraq as the core of the multinational campaign against the Islamic State.

The administration of President Joe Biden has moved to reduce the US military's presence in the Middle East as it seeks to counter China’s rise in East Asia. All US and NATO forces, in addition to military contractors, have been ordered to leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is also leading an internal Pentagon review of the wider distribution of US forces across the globe. The inquiry is scheduled to be completed by this summer.

The Biden administration held the latest round of so-called strategic dialogue with Iraqi officials earlier this month but has thus far avoided publicly stating any clear decision about the future of US troops in the country.

butterfly   A joint statement released by the two governments on April 7 said only that the US-led coalition’s pivot to an advisory role in Iraq has enabled the eventual “redeployment of any remaining combat forces” out of the country. The timing of that move is to be determined in future bilateral discussions, the statement read.

But the US-led coalition has long insisted its mission is strictly advisory. Thousands of American military personnel departed Iraq last year as the coalition pulled out of eight bases around the country in order to focus on mentoring Iraqi commanders at headquarters in Anbar, Baghdad and Erbil.

With the exception of US infantry units conducting on-base security and elite JSOC operators in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, there are almost no American troops left in the country who could be characterized as “combat forces,” according one current and one former official familiar with the matter.

Moreover, the expansion of NATO’s advisory mission in Iraq is likely to require additional US logistical and security support, according to the former official. The US military “will contribute its fair share” to the expansion of NATO’s mission, Pentagon spokesperson Jessica McNulty told Al-Monitor via email in February.

At least some of the mixed messaging out of Washington appears to be aimed at relieving pressure on Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ahead of Iraq's October elections. Kadhimi is warding off increased hostility from pro-Iran militias who have sought the expulsion of US forces from the country.

“He’s under death threat. His family is under death threat,” said the former US official, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.

butterfly  A convoy of Shiite militiamen armed with automatic weapons and RPGs paraded through central Baghdad ahead of this month's round of strategic dialogue, openly threatening to cut off Kadhimi's ear.

So far, the assurance of further US troop reductions appears to have found at least some audience among pro-Iran factions in Baghdad.

“Provided that their numbers, missions and whereabouts are known, there is no objection to the presence of advisers for training and development purposes,” said Mahmoud al-Rubai, spokesperson for a political wing of the pro-Iran Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, in a statement earlier this month.

“We leave the matter to be determined by the competent authorities,” said al-Rubai.

“The militias seem to be taking the win,” said Michael Knights, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

“They don’t actually want a fight with the US, nor does Iran,” Knights told Al-Monitor.

Biden administration officials are in no hurry to pull US forces from Iraq, a risky move that could destabilize the country amid continued coalition pressure on IS and international negotiations with Iran, according to two former officials familiar with recent discussions.

“They’re very hesitant to fully draw down,” the first former official said.

The return of Barack Obama-era veterans of the campaign against IS such as Brett McGurk, now Middle East coordinator at the National Security Council, and Christopher Maier, now the Pentagon’s acting top civilian official overseeing special operations, is likely to help bolster that stance, the former official said.

butterfly  Meanwhile, projectile attacks on coalition positions in Iraq have continued in recent months. Last week an unmanned drone laden with explosives damaged a warehouse at Erbil Air Base, but no injuries were reported.

Two foreign contractors and three Iraqi personnel were wounded on Sunday when rockets hit Balad Air Base, home to Iraq's F-16 fleet.

On Tuesday McKenzie attributed the recent attacks to Iran’s failure to rally political pressure to expel US forces from Iraq following the Donald Trump administration's killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad last year.

“They failed in doing that,” McKenzie said.

“As a result, we’re beginning to see attacks from their Shia groups in the region ramp up, and I think that’s going to continue," the commander predicted.

Sparky   ... Shia meaning Iranian influence ... as most Shia's live in Iran ...

Sparky  ... Shia's, Sunni's and Kurds are the deal ...

butterfly  This says a lot about the failure of DJT..........actually caused more chaos...............On Tuesday McKenzie attributed the recent attacks to Iran’s failure to rally political pressure to expel US forces from Iraq following the Donald Trump administration's killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad last year.

 “They failed in doing that,” McKenzie said.

Sparky  ... hard to train camel jockeys ...

butterfly  Sunni and Shia reminds me of our political parties...........never....I say never agree on anything the other side wants to do/help the citizens.

Sparky  butterfly ... yes ...

butterfly  Sparky our country is no different than the rest of them out there.............as I see it.

Sparky  ... Suadi wants to blow up Iran, Iran wants to blow up Israel ... and so it goes ...

Sparky  butterfly ... yup ...

butterfly  Iran is going to help Iraq............really? Russia going to help Iraq...........really? and it goes on and on.

Sparky   ... what a cluster ...

butterfly   oil oil oil....give me your oil....

Butterfly   2021-04-21 07:54   Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, ordered revoking the licenses of more than 1000 lagging projects.

Al-Kadhimi embarked today, Wednesday, on a visit to the Commission of Investment to keep tabs upon the hurdles constraining the investment sector in the country.

A statement of al-Kadhimi's office to the Prime Minister instructed the Commission to revoke the licenses of any project with a completion rate less than 35%, which amounts to 1128 projects.

Al-Kadhimi instructed the Commission to send warnings to the lagging projects in accordance with the provisions of Article 28 of the Iraqi Investment law.

Sparky  ... https://youtu.be/K1ijcpo1Ep8 ...

butterfly   Another "Article" mentioned.

Sparky   butterfly ... another country woke up hahahahaha ...

Sparky   ... I smell Russia ...

butterfly   Sparky Yuppers........give me your oil.

Sparky   ... submersive agents living in the lurks ...

butterfly   This article is extremely long so I will just post the url and title......but very interesting: https://apnews.com/article/immigration-phoenix-iraq-extradition-united-states-96066b1f2ec59692f308d38a0254d475  Feds push to extradite Phoenix driving school owner to Iraq  

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