Zig’s Place Chat and News Tuesday Morning 9-5-23

Zig’s Place Chat and News Tuesday Morning 9-5-23

Sah   Al-Sudani is preparing a "road map" on Kirkuk with important parties

Policy  | Baghdad today – Baghdad, the leader of the Al-Fateh Alliance, Raad Al-Tamimi, confirmed that Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani will meet with "important" parties in Kirkuk Governorate in order to develop a "road map" after the recent events.

Al-Tamimi told "Baghdad Today" that "Saturday's events are unfortunate and almost got out of control had it not been for the rapid intervention of the federal government in taking a series of urgent decisions to contain the situation and prevent clashes that lead to more bloodshed," pointing out, "All A drop of blood is a loss for all Iraqi components in Kirkuk."

He added, "The prime minister will meet important parties of political forces and currents in Kirkuk in the coming period for a road map that prevents the recurrence of Saturday's scenes and achieves a state of reassurance for all components without exception," stressing that "security and stability are a red line."

He pointed out, "All parties in Kirkuk are aware of the danger of any explosion in a city that constitutes a mini-Iraq," pointing out that "calm efforts and positive messages from many forces contributed to pushing things to a state of stability, and this prompted the lifting of the ban, the opening of roads, and the return of normal life." Back to town after difficult hours.

And last Saturday, the Kirkuk governorate witnessed unprecedented security tensions since 2017, when unknown persons opened fire on protesters who blocked the road linking Kirkuk and Erbil, killing 4 people and injuring 15 others, according to the Kirkuk police, and as a result, the security forces imposed a curfew. which was uploaded earlier Sunday morning.

Sah   And Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a al-Sudani ordered to wait to hand over the forward headquarters for operations to the Kurdistan Democratic Party, after which the Federal Supreme Court issued a state order not to hand over the headquarters to the Democratic Party.

In the cabinet session yesterday, Sunday, Al-Sudani stressed his directives, which he issued last Saturday, to the competent authorities not to hesitate, to hold all those responsible for the casualties and the wounded accountable according to the law, after completing the investigations and revealing the circumstances of the unfortunate events.   LINK

Sah   Al-Iqtisad News" publishes the text of the decisions of the early session of the Council of Ministers

Economy News – Baghdad   Al-Eqtisad News publishes the text of several decisions in its thirty-sixth regular session, which was held today, Sunday.

Al-Sudani’s office stated in a statement, “Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’a Al-Sudani chaired today, Sunday, the thirty-sixth regular session of the Council of Ministers, during which the overall developments in the country’s general conditions were discussed, and the main files included in the government’s priorities were also dealt with, in addition to discussing issues.” on the agenda and make their own decisions.

According to the statement, "At the outset of the session, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the need for all political parties in Kirkuk to be committed to preserving civil peace, avoiding falling into any strife, and not relying on the logic of violence and clashes that negatively affect the general situation in Iraq."

Al-Sudani stressed, "his directives that he issued yesterday to the competent authorities not to hesitate, to hold all those responsible for the deaths and injuries accountable according to the law, after completing investigations and revealing the circumstances of the unfortunate events."

The statement added, "Within the framework of the procedures for the Arbaeen visit, the governorates, ministries, and entities not associated with a ministry were excluded from the provisions of Article (7/First) (purchase paragraph only) indicated in the third section of the instructions to facilitate the implementation of the General Budget Law for the fiscal years (2023-2024). – 2025) to purchase the basic necessary supplies, for the success of the rituals of the Arbaeen visit of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), based on the provisions of Article (34) of the previously mentioned instructions, and the aforementioned parties bear the integrity and accuracy of contractual procedures.

Sah   The statement indicated, “In the field of energy, the recommendation of the Energy Ministerial Council No. (23067 I) for the year 2023 regarding the final settlement with Exxon Mobil was approved, according to the following: The Ministry of Oil’s approval of the final settlement agreement between (Basra Oil Company

and ExxonMobil) to resolve the outstanding contentious issues that arose from the service contract for the West Qurna field project, with the exception of the paragraph (tax disputes) indicated in paragraph (1-14) of the settlement agreement.

On the economic side, the Council approved the "recommendation of the Ministerial Council for Economy (230185 s), which included approval of amending the price of the vacuum distillation waste product (VR) to be at (65%) of the price of the fuel oil product, which is supplied to the oxidized asphalt coefficient calculated at (35%) ) from the price of the global bulletin, according to what was stated in the letter of the Ministry of Oil dated July 1, 2023.

According to the statement, the Council approved "the recommendation of the Ministerial Council for Human Development (23023 b) regarding the Iraqi Legislation Day, according to the following:

Amending paragraph (1) of the recommendation of the Ministerial Council for Human Development (8 of 2022) to be: Adopting the date of January 15 from Every year (Iraqi Legislation Day), which corresponds to the issuance of the first issue of Al-Waqa’i Al-Iraqi newspaper on January 15, 1922, in which ministries and entities not associated with a ministry and all governmental institutions, the Iraqi Bar Association and the Iraqi Jurists’ Union celebrate, and conferences and seminars are held dealing with the beginnings of legal legislation.

Sah   In the world, starting from Mesopotamia more than (4000 years ago) to the present day, hosting and honoring the pioneers of legal personalities in Iraq and university professors, experts or general managers, who have an impact on the legislation issued and in force, and honoring distinguished legal employees.

The Council voted, “to approve the amendment of Paragraph (1) of Cabinet Resolution (23299 of 2023), to become according to the following:

Oblige ministries and entities not associated with the Ministry and the security and military agencies to donate colored metals, weapons, and out-of-service military equipment to the Military Industrialization Authority without a price, with the exception of the companies of the Ministry of Industry and Minerals with regard to copper, and with regard to iron scrap, work will continue according to the decision of the Council of Ministers (42 of 2017).

And the statement continued, "In the field of supporting Iraq's hosting of football tournaments, the Council of Ministers decided to amend its decision No. (23215) for the year 2023, according to the request of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, by adding: (and the upcoming football tournaments for the year 2023)   LINK

Sah   Depositing about 60 billion dinars in the account of the Kurdistan Ministry of Commerce Economy News _ Baghdad

58 billion Iraqi dinars have been deposited in the account of the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the Kurdistan Region, financial dues to farmers for marketing the wheat crop for the year 2023.

Nawzad Sheikh Kamel, Director General of Trade, said in a statement followed by "Al-Iqtisad News", that an additional 58 billion dinars of financial dues to farmers have been deposited in the account of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which is the financial entitlement of farmers for the year 2023.

He explained that the amount of money for the farmers of the Kurdistan Region is as follows: Sulaymaniyah 27 billion, Erbil 18 billion, Dohuk 13 billion.

He added that after completing the financial and administrative procedures, the amounts will be distributed, according to the day the wheat was delivered to the silos. https://economy--news-net.translate.goog/content.php?id=35579&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

Sah   Kurdistan oil companies are challenging the center: We will not export even if Baghdad and Ankara agree

Economy News-Baghdad   Today, Thursday (August 31, 2023), the Kurdistan Petroleum Industries Union announced its refusal to resume production and pumping of oil from the region, even if the government reached an agreement with the Turkish authorities.

The union, which includes a group of foreign and local companies working in the field of oil production, said, according to statements to the American newspaper, "The Cradle," that "oil-producing companies refuse to return to work again within the region," stressing that "the production and export of oil will be stopped completely, even if they reach The Iraqi government has reached an agreement with the Turkish side to re-pump through the port of Ceyhan until the conditions are fully implemented."

And the Federation of Companies, according to what the newspaper showed, called on the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq to "provide guarantees that fully protect the rights of companies, including financial rights," stressing that they were "significantly affected" by the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq's breach of the official agreements governing the export of oil and the resulting suspensions. For export, it caused damages worth “billions” to companies, according to its description.

It is noteworthy that the threats of the companies coincide with continuous announcements from the Iraqi and Turkish government hinting that they are close to signing an agreement that guarantees the export of oil from the Kurdistan region of Iraq through the port of Ceyhan without problems, as the American newspaper confirmed that the companies’ implementation of their threat will mean the continuation of the current crisis even if Baghdad and Ankara reach an agreement agreement.

Sah   It is noteworthy that a responsible source in the Kurdistan region revealed, on (August 18, 2023), an arrangement for a meeting between Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani and the Kurdish oil companies, with the mediation of the American Ambassador in Baghdad, Elena Romanowsky, for the purpose of ensuring her fate and financial dues after the entry of the oil sector in Kurdistan into an unknown tunnel.

The source told "Baghdad Today" that "the reason for the meeting is for Al-Sudani to preserve the financial dues of these companies and their wages in the new agreement between Baghdad and Erbil on oil."

The source confirms that "the Kurdish oil companies in the region have not received their financial dues as well as their monthly wages since September of last year."

He pointed out that "the work of these companies is distributed in the regions of Kurdistan by filtering, extracting, investing and selling oil, and they used to receive their wages from the regional government, but the wages stopped with the cessation of oil export business and the reduction of extraction, while they are now trying to guarantee the payment of their dues and wages in the event that the oil and gas law was enacted and also in If the oil export through Turkey resumes, or if the suspension continues for a longer period.

The official of the Foreign Relations Office of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Sven Dizyi, said on Tuesday, August 29, that Turkey supports the export of Kurdistan's oil, noting that the suspension of the region's oil exports "caused financial losses of more than $5 billion to the government.   LINK

Sah   IMO the sooner that the agreement to pump oil thru Turkey to the port is reestablished, Kurdistan will get on board or lose more money not selling there extra oil they pump over what is required 400 barrels a day to the Iraqi government. As long as this is not resolved they will fight the fight on the oil and gas law. As soon as the oil export resumes thru Turkey they will jump on board and the oil and gas law will pass.

butterfly   Has Iraq been removed from Chapter 7?

In December 2010, the UNSC "voted to return control of Iraq's oil and natural gas revenue to the government on 30 June and to end all remaining activities of the [OFFP]". Iraq's Chapter VII obligations "concerning the return of Kuwaiti and third-State nationals" were rescinded in June 2013 by Resolution 2107.

butterfly   Is Iraq still under sanctions?

Most sanctions against Iraq were lifted by the adoption of Resolution 1483 on May 22, 2003, with the exception of an embargo against weapons and a prohibition on dealing in stolen Iraqi cultural property. Jun 19, 2023

Butterfly   Iraq announces completion date for multibillion-dollar oil and gas projects

July 18, 2023  An official Iraqi news agency revealed that TotalEnergies aims to complete the four multi-billion-dollar oil, gas, and renewables projects in Iraq in 2029.

According to Nusair Jabbar, the Studies and Planning Director at the Iraqi Oil Ministry, Phase 1 of these gas projects is expected to boost Iraq’s gas production by nearly 300 million cubic feet per day. During Phase 2, this quantity is set to double. The projects fall under a $27-billion agreement signed with TotalEnergies on July 10, with Iraq contributing $1.4 billion towards their realisation.

Jabbar confirmed that TotalEnergies is committed to completing these projects by 2029 in accordance with the agreement made with the Oil Ministry. However, he pointed out that the gas produced from these projects wouldn’t suffice to make Iraq self-sufficient in gas supplies.

The gas projects are estimated to cost around $1.6 billion, while an additional planned solar power plant is projected to require nearly $700 million in investment. Over the next 20 years, it is anticipated that the overall investment in all the projects will reach an approximate total of $13 billion.     LINK

Sah   butterfly I heard the first gas company would be done by summer of next year.

butterfly   That one I posted goes until 2029     That is six yrs out.

Sah   I am glad they are starting on it. They have to wean their dependency of Iran. On their other side of the coast Jordan is putting in a cable to sell and transfer electricity to them that has already been started. I have not heard anything yet about start date for desalination of ocean water yet or is that a different contract. The need more water to pump more oil and need to leave there fresh water supply alone. They should build a few just to use for drinking water. The ones for oil do not have to be as pure.

Sah   butterfly That is for four separate plants for 2029. I did not think it would go that long. I read the first one would be up and running next year.

Chattels     Sah, you are well read and Iraqi news conscious. My compliments. I used to do a lot of that myself.

Chattels   Norv, is us not possible that a “lop” could be a beginning point for a gradual increase in the value of the Dinar?

Sah   Chattels I hope there is no lop. When it happens it usually causes very high inflation in the country which would not be good for our investment. I am hoping for a controlled float to begin with that can only go up or down 3 percent a day. Until the can keep their currency stable there is no chance of it.

Sah   Chattels Thanks for the compliment. I research all investments I put my money in before I jump in. I have an portfolio in other things besides this. My friends back home got me into this years ago and they ran mostly on conspiracy theories and I am more into fact. I bought some after taking a look in a few different currencies and talked to them about holding reserves with a company that did not have a license to deal in futures. That is why a lot of Dinar dealers were arrested that had lay away plans and reserves. They had no futures license to deal in it that way. It should of been through a licensed broker.

Chattels   Sah, I foolishly took a beating on buying reserves at one time. Moreover, it all may be a “pipe dream”. Certainly it is not an overnight event, to wit the passage of time already.

Chattels   I am now invested for the long term or maybe my children rather.

Sah   Chattels I was given 4 million in reserves for my birthday for three months and then if I wanted to keep it I had to continue to pay $40 a month. At that time I bought some instead along with some other currencies that I thought might go up.

Chattels   I would have done far better to have invested my money in the stock market.

Chattels   I am a confessed macroeconomic moron.

Sah   For what it would cost me at $500 a year, I would of spent more than $6000 and had no currency to show for it and what happens if the company did not have any in reserve as it was not licensed.

Sah   I took economics classes in college as a minor, experimenting around till I found what interested me.

Chattels   Clearly, the reserves were a scam. BGG was a friend at the time and he was connected with one of the scammers somehow.

Chattels   Mea culpa.

Sah   It was better to buy some and sit on it. The investment interested me so I kept up on them, reading about the countries. I was a moron in high school with history. Boring as hell. I like to read romantic novels based on historic facts that got me interested after college in history and countries. If there was a love story based in it I read about it thru wars and destruction. It stayed with me so reading about different places now and how they run their governments and country interested me. Who knew!

Chattels   Kap/Norv has been very active posting at “X”. He posted “…….. redenominate LOP the dinar making 1,000 dinar equal to 1 dinar which is a neutral event and you'll make little to no profit.“

Chattels   At this point I may prefer a neutral event and start from “even” in hopes of rising from there.

Chattels   It occurs to me that one person’s rebellion can be another’s struggle for freedom and independence. “ I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.” Thomas Jefferson

Dave    butterfly On June 19, 2023, the Regulations Implementing the United Nations Resolutions on Iraq were amended to allow the provision, processing or payment of funds, other financial assets or economic resources or the provision of goods and services that are necessary to ensure the timely delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance or to support other activities related to basic human needs, if provided by specified groups. These changes are the result of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2664 (2022), which created a carve-out for the delivery of humanitarian assistance in all current UN sanctions regimes that impose asset freezes.

Dave  UNAMI comes to mind.....

Butterfly   John P. Flannery@JonFlan  LABOR DAY. If workers can't organize, they're like slaves, at a disadvantage with predator employers. Recently, the NLRB in Cemex Construction Materials Pacific, LLC, ruled for an organizing and recognition process to balance labor and capital.  https://prospect.org/labor/2023-08-28-bidens-nlrb-brings-workers-rights-back/

Dave   Arms Embargo and cultural property yet remain https://sanctionsmap.eu/#/main

Dave   https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/international_relations-relations_internationales/sanctions/types.aspx?lang=eng

Dave   Check that date stamp

 

 Zig   If you access this chat via https://my.cbox.ws/ZIGPLACE   You can make the box much bigger by clicking this link  ZIGPLACE - Cbox

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