Some “Iraq News” Posted by Clare at KTFA 8-26-2024

KTFA:

Clare:  Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani announces the resolution of the dispute over the presidency of Parliament and the majority’s approval of his nomination for the position

8/25/2024- Baghdad

MP Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani announced today, Sunday, the resolution of the dispute over the presidency of the parliament and the majority’s approval of his nomination for the position. Al-Mashhadani said, via the “X” platform: “I am pleased and honored by the approval of the majority of the national spectrum consisting of members of the House of Representatives to nominate me for the presidency of the House of Representatives and the resolution of the dispute over that.”

He added: "I pledge to them that I will preserve this trust and be with them and for all of them according to what the public interest requires." He concluded by saying: "The homeland comes before the component and the component comes before the political entity." LINK

Ryan1216:  Clare is Mahmoud officially the new president of parliament?

Clare:  NOT YET  ... ONLY NOMINATED, BUT THE NOMINATION PROCESS WAS  CAUSING THE DISPUTES & DELAY. I AM PRETTY SURE THIS IS WHO SUDANI WANTS. IMO

Trade: Opening of five central markets and food outlets soon

8/26/2024- Baghdad

The Ministry of Trade will open five central markets and food outlets in Baghdad in the coming few days.

The official spokesman for the ministry, Mohammed Hanoun, said in an interview with "Al-Sabah", followed by "Al-Eqtisad News", that the ministry is close to opening two central markets, one in Al-Bayaa and the other in Al-Salihiya in Baghdad, in addition to three marketing centers affiliated with the General Company for Foodstuffs Trade located in Al-Hurriya, Jamila Market, and Al-Rusafa Marketing Center.

He added that the establishment of these projects was done according to modern designs, and includes all basic marketing commodities at cost price, including meat, chicken, liquid milk, zero flour, and cheese. Hanoun explained that the opening of marketing outlets played an important role in stabilizing the prices of basic food commodities in local markets.

He pointed out that the ministry is working to rehabilitate the central markets in the governorates and make them marketing centers to provide services to the families of martyrs, members of the armed forces, state employees, retirees, and families covered by social care.

Hanoun pointed out the adoption of electronic payment systems, and that employees and retirees can obtain loans ranging between 10 and 25 million dinars for the purpose of purchasing their basic needs from marketing outlets and in installments.  LINK

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Clare:  British company wins contract to supply solar power plant for oil field in Basra

8/26/2024

British company Hydro-C has won a contract to design and supply a solar power plant for the Majnoon oil field in Basra Governorate. According to a statement issued by the Iraq-British Business Council (IBBC), a copy of which was received by Al-Eqtisad News, the project will be implemented for the benefit of the Basra Oil Company (BOC), which is operated by Antonoil Services and KBR.

The plant, which will be imported from the United Kingdom and installed in Iraq, is part of the plan of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, and the Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul-Ghani, to support sustainable energy projects and combat climate change.

After a six-month technical and commercial evaluation process, Hydro-C has officially been awarded the project, which can be developed and replicated in major oil and gas fields in Iraq.

Hassan Hashmat, CEO of Hydro C, said, “This is great news for many people, including our stakeholders, and especially the Iraqi people, as we begin the transition to green energy in the country and provide a much-needed source of electricity,” adding that “this will enable British companies to develop local skills in Iraq and help the country build sustainable green energy projects.”

"IBBC is delighted to see Hydro-C take control of this important and innovative new energy sector. After many months of work and extensive preparation by Mr Hashmat, this project is a model of what is possible for the future and will benefit all those involved in the green transformation,” commented Christophe Michels, Managing Director of the Iraq-Britain Business Council (IBBC), calling it “a win for the UK, IBBC, Iraq and in particular Hydro-C.”   LINK

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Clare:  3 versions raise controversy.. What is the truth about adding 15 trillion to the budget "secretly"?

8/26/2024  Baghdad

More than 80 days have passed since the parliament voted on the Iraqi budget tables for 2024, but the tables are still absent from the pages of the official Gazette of the Ministry of Justice to enter into force. The reason for this is the existence of 3 different versions of the budget tables, which appear to have been discovered only 10 days after the vote on the tables, but the matter remained hidden until it was revealed more than a month later, specifically on July 13.

What does Parliament mean by "amended schedules" after its vote?

On June 3, the House of Representatives voted on the 2024 budget tables, and said at the time that “the estimates of the 2024 general budget tables, its attachments, and the deficit financing tables were approved, and the Council of Ministers was granted the authority to transfer an amount of (2) trillion dinars from the investment budget allocations for the ministries and add it to the regional development allocations for the governorates not organized into a region, and it is distributed according to the population ratios and poverty rates in each governorate.”

According to the wording of the Council’s statement using the phrase “the estimates of the tables were approved”, the statement can be read as “the tables were approved as received from the Council of Ministers”, but the statement carried the phrase “the tables of the Federal General Budget Law No. (13) of 2024, as amended, were voted on”, and it is not known what Parliament means by the term “amended”, and whether it was amended by Parliament after it was received from the Council of Ministers, or does it mean amended by the Council of Ministers compared to the 2023 budget tables, considering that it is a three-year budget?

"The bomb explodes" after 40 days.. 15 trillion were added "secretly"

Only a week later, on June 11, local media outlets reported statements by the spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, Ahmed Laibi, stating that “the Ministry of Justice has addressed the Council of Representatives to send the budget tables for publication in the Official Gazette.” At the same time, sources reported that the tables were returned from the Council of Ministers to the Council of Representatives “for the purpose of conducting an audit of some articles and paragraphs of the law.”

A month later, specifically on July 11, statements were issued by MP Baqir Al-Saadi, in which he said that there were some minor comments on the budget, so it was returned to Parliament, and amendments would be made to it by a specialized committee after the tenth of Muharram and sent to the Council of Ministers again.

Then, only two days later, on July 13, came the first official revelation of the manipulation of the budget tables, through the member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Moeen Al-Kadhimi, who confirmed that the budget had been returned to the House of Representatives to make some amendments, after the Council of Ministers discovered a difference in the version of the budget sent from the House of Representatives to the Council of Ministers, despite the fact that the House of Representatives voted on the tables as they were received from the Council of Ministers without amendment, indicating that the difference raised the budget from 211 trillion dinars to 226 trillion dinars.

It is clear from Al-Kadhimi's statement that 15 trillion dinars have been added to the budget expenditure schedule, but it is not known under which headings these amounts were added, which raise the size of expenditures by 7%.

However, leaked information indicates that the additions included increasing the amount of the ration card by an additional 5 trillion dinars, and financial increases for the Ministry of Electricity and some governorates.

Original government copy.. and two parliamentary copies

Meanwhile, the government was not completely silent, but it delayed sending a letter of inquiry to the House of Representatives until about a month had passed. While the budget was voted on on June 3, and the budget was sent to the Council of Ministers on June 10, Al-Sudani’s office sent a letter of inquiry to the House of Representatives on July 1, but this letter was not leaked to the media until July 20.

The book included that the House of Representatives’ decision states that the budget tables were voted on as received from the government, but the paper copy attached to the House of Representatives’ book, which confirmed “voting on the tables as received,” differs from the tables that were actually sent from the government to the House of Representatives. The electronic copy on the CD also differs from the government’s version and the paper copy sent by the House of Representatives.

Accordingly, this means that there is a government version of the budget tables that is supposedly voted on by Parliament as is, as well as two versions, “paper and electronic,” coming from Parliament, both of which differ from the original government version that is supposedly voted on by Parliament as is.

Leaking... a means of pressure for a late response?

The day after the leak of the government’s letter to the parliament speaker, specifically on July 21, the speaker of parliament sent a response to the government, even though the letter of inquiry was issued by the government on July 1, and it appears that the parliament speaker did not respond during this period, which raises the possibility that the government deliberately leaked the letter after 20 days to pressure the parliament speaker for the purpose of a late response.

The Parliament Presidency’s response letter confirmed that the tables sent to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers are the same as those sent by the government, after approving the tables as received from the government without any change.

About 4 MPs were shot...and then Al-Mandlawi

Since July 20 until now, the talk about the story of tampering with the budget tables has been going on and on, and some pages have accused MP Mustafa Sand, Adi Awad, and Mohammad Nouri of tampering with the tables. Sand responded by denying his interference in this matter, indicating that what happened is that some MPs may have written “their own tables and made transfers by adding money to their governorates or other sections as suggestions,” but the decision of the parliament speaker was to vote on the tables as they came from the government, and this closes the door to any other additions by the MPs, considering that “the matter has no effect and the government has exaggerated the issue.”

In contrast, MP Basem Khashan considered that the proven manipulation of the budget may end the membership of the acting Speaker of Parliament, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, by filing a lawsuit before the Federal Supreme Court, as he is the one who signed the Parliament’s voting decision and the tables sent to the government.

Meanwhile, MP Sarwa Abdul Wahid spoke about a difference in the budget tables worth 8 trillion dinars, and this number contradicts what was initially revealed by the member of the Finance Committee, Moeen Al-Kazemi, but it may be the difference number in the paper or electronic version, and the other number of 15 trillion is in one of the two versions as well, as there are 3 versions as confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office in its letter sent to Parliament.

The continued talk about “manipulating the budget tables” and the mention of Al-Mandlawi’s name in the story prompted the latter to issue a statement on the official website of the House of Representatives, and he returned to confirm that the tables were voted on as they were received from the government, while the statement carried clear anger, stressing through it that he “is following all the inaccurate talks published and broadcast by some media outlets,” threatening that “any party that tries to mislead public opinion by concealing the facts and dishonestly transmitting the events, to achieve illegitimate goals far from the honesty of neutral transmission and objectivity that it should possess, will be subject to legal accountability.”

The Three Copies.. The Birth Stage of Non-Identical Twins

The Ministry of Finance provides the original budget tables that the government sent to the House of Representatives and which were voted on, amounting to 211 trillion dinars, while there is no published or announced version of the other modified versions that include adding 15 or 8 trillion dinars for the purpose of matching the tables, but all the talk revolves around adding money to the ration card allocations, in addition to increasing the allocations of some governorates, especially those that objected to reducing their shares in the budget, most notably Basra Governorate.

But in conclusion, and from a realistic perspective, the difference in budget tables is worthless after the government published and approved the budget tables sent by it according to the allocations specified by it, with a total expenditure of 211.8 trillion dinars, although the Al-Waqa’i newspaper has not yet published the budget tables for the year 2024.

The explanations in the conclusion indicate that MPs appear to have “tried to deceive the government” by including in their papers the amendments they had made in order to allocate more money to their governorates or “ministries”, using the stages and stations of the budget’s passage in parliament after the vote. Those who were able to access the version that was prepared to be sent to the Council of Ministers in its paper form, replaced a table related to governing expenditures, for example, in order to raise the share of the food budget, while the other; He included his own paper after modifying the numbers that include increasing the shares of certain governorates.

As for those who were unable to access the paper copy, they were able to access the electronic section in the House of Representatives through their connections or in another way, in order to change certain numbers in the budget table on the computer before they were placed on a CD. It seems that each representative may not know what his colleague did, in order to send it to the government and try to deceive it, to spend the money according to the tables it received. It is not known what the plan is after that.

Does it intend to raise the allocations for the governorates or the relevant ministries in order to empower them, or does it aim to take and share the surplus funds that may be sent to the governorates and ministries according to the manipulated tables, and grant the governorate or ministry only the funds that the government was planning to allocate to this governorate or that ministry.   LINK

FRANK26…..8-21-24…….WHITE

KTFA

Wednesday Night Conference Call

FRANK26…..8-21-24…….WHITE

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

What Frank’s suit color’s mean…. FRANKS SUIT COLORS FOR CC'S..... WHITE = NEW INFO…. SILVER = INTEL FROZEN…. RED= HIGH ALERT… PURPLE=GUEST WITH US…. BLUE = AIR FORCE…. BLACK = GROUND/FF’S…. GREEN= MR OR FAB 4 ... GOLD = CHANGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bSwrMo9r8A

Some “Iraq News” Posted by Clare at KTFA 8-21-2024

KTFA:

Clare:  Controls

August 21, 2024

♦ Regulatory controls for the classification of domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs) .. For more, click here

♦ Supervisory work guide for risk management controls in Islamic banks .. For more click here

https://cbi.iq/news/view/2649

Clare:  Commerce holds virtual meeting with WTO to discuss ways of cooperation and joint coordination

8/21/2024

The Department of Economic Relations at the Ministry of Trade held a virtual meeting with the Secretariat and the Accession Department of the World Trade Organization, in the presence of the competent employee from (the Ministry's Permanent Representative) in Geneva to discuss prospects for cooperation and joint coordination in light of the outcomes of the third working group meeting held last July in Geneva, and to complete the requirements for Iraq's accession to the World Organization.

The ministry stated in a statement that "the meeting witnessed a discussion of the work plan for the next stage, which includes updating technical files, such as the legislative plan file, the memorandum of the foreign trade system, and the agricultural file, as well as discussing the files of accession of goods and services to the Iraqi market in accordance with the standards and agreements of the World Trade Organization."

The statement indicated that "the meeting shed light on the mechanism of coordination and cooperation between the Department of Foreign Economic Relations and the World Trade Organization, in addition to international organizations supporting Iraq's accession."

He explained: "This cooperation aims to provide the necessary support and technical assistance to complete the requirements for accession, Iraq's full membership in the organization, and the efforts of the Ministry of Trade to enhance Iraq's position at the international and economic levels."  LINK

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Clare:  Leader in the Framework: America is obstructing Baghdad’s resort to the “currency basket” to maintain the dollar’s ​​dominance

 8/21/2024   Baghdad

The leader of the Coordination Framework, Issam Al-Kriti, confirmed on Wednesday that America is obstructing Baghdad’s resort to a basket of currencies to maintain the dominance of the dollar.

Al-Kriti said in an interview with Al-Maalouma, “America’s resort to exploiting the dollar in drawing up rules for pressuring countries to achieve an agenda that protects its interests has pushed many capitals to diversify the currency basket in order to avoid sanctions and create flexibility in paying external supplies without any obstacles, which is a correct economic procedure.”

He added, “Washington is obstructing Baghdad from proceeding with steps to diversify the currency basket, especially the Chinese one, in order to maintain the dominance of the dollar, which was exploited by America as a pressure card by reducing the financial liquidity supplies for oil exports in order to pressure the government through the economic card.”

He pointed out that “America is restricting the Iraqi economy through the dollar, stressing the importance of proceeding with a roadmap to liberate the economy and push it towards more stable paths away from any tremors, especially since the American financial situation is likely to suffer major setbacks with the rise of public debt to record levels, which has begun to raise the concerns of countries and push them to take early preventive steps.”

It is noteworthy that America controls the revenues of Iraqi oil through the Federal Reserve, which sends funds to the Central Bank in exchange for selling crude oil.

almaalomah.me

Clare:  Saleh explains the reason for the rise in foreign dollar remittances and its impact on the national economy

8/21/2024

The financial advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, explained the reason for the increase in sales of foreign currency remittances {dollars}.

Saleh told Al Furat News Agency, "The phenomenon of increasing sales of foreign currency transfers is due to the results of the important change that occurred in the policy of the Central Bank of Iraq in dealing with foreign transfers and intervening in the monetary market through the transformation of the mechanisms for financing foreign trade for the private sector from the compliance platform to new mechanisms represented by strengthening the accounts of correspondents of Iraqi banks abroad in foreign currency at studied and sufficient levels that are consistent with the requirements for financing foreign trade for the private sector in foreign currency."

He added, "After the compliance platform had previously rejected nearly 85% of foreign transfer requests during the past months, the policy of strengthening the accounts of Iraqi banks with their correspondents from solid international banks, as an alternative policy, has become so easy, simple and flexible that it has made the implementation of daily foreign transfer requests available and achieved through foreign correspondent banks directly without going through the platform, at a high rate of nearly 85% of the total demand for these daily foreign transfers."

Saleh explained that "this high change in the flexibility of transfers has been reflected positively on the national economy, especially in the stability of the functions of supply and demand within the national economy in two directions, the first of which is {the supply side} and is represented by the availability of a wide supply of goods and services in the local market through flexible imports financed by the fixed official exchange rate of 1320 dinars per dollar."

He explained that "the other direction is {the demand side}, which refers to the process of exchanging the Iraqi dinar for the dollar for the purposes of financing foreign trade through the transfers mentioned above, which means that meeting the demand for the dollar represents a direct meeting of the demand for (foreign goods, services and benefits) for the benefit of the local market." 

He pointed out that "meeting the demand for foreign currency represents an important pillar of the monetary policy of the Central Bank of Iraq, and achieving its operational objectives in confronting the levels of local liquidity surplus from the dinar and controlling them, which constitute what is called {surplus demand}, as this control over local liquidity represents a positive intervention by the Central Bank's monetary policy in the money market and controlling the levels of that liquidity."

Saleh continued, "This control leaves positive effects in achieving a balance between the real flow in the overall economy of goods, services and benefits and the monetary flow within the economy itself," indicating that "such a balance between supply and demand achieves stability in the general level of prices and welds growth levels in inflation rates, which is positively reflected in the stability of the purchasing power of the dinar and the general monetary income."

Raghad   LINK

FRANK26….8-19-24….TEN YEARS

KTFA

Monday Night Conference Call

FRANK26….8-19-24….TEN YEARS

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

What Frank’s suit color’s mean…. FRANKS SUIT COLORS FOR CC'S..... WHITE = NEW INFO…. SILVER = INTEL FROZEN…. RED= HIGH ALERT… PURPLE=GUEST WITH US…. BLUE = AIR FORCE…. BLACK = GROUND/FF’S…. GREEN= MR OR FAB 4 ... GOLD = CHANGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4nRJk-3aPk

More News, Rumors and Opinions Monday PM 8-19-2024

KTFA:

Clare:  Central Bank: Iraq is far from the "gray list"

8/19/2024   Baghdad

The Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Office revealed that Iraq is far from being included in the gray list.

The representative of the office at the Central Bank, Hussein Al-Maqram, said, "After the completion of the international mutual evaluation by the international team of experts that Iraq recently underwent, which lasted 14 months, the technical commitment to the legal framework, regulations, instructions, and controls for combating money laundering and terrorist financing was evaluated."

He added, "The effectiveness of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing systems was also evaluated, by providing statistics, in addition to practical cases, to prove the extent of implementation of the legislative framework, in addition to the field visit."   LINK

Clare: Parliamentary Finance Committee prepares to question the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq after the Arbaeen visit

8/19/2024

 Member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Mustafa Al-Karawi, revealed on Monday that a request was submitted to the Presidency of the Council of Representatives to set a date to question the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq regarding several files, most notably the exchange rate of the dollar against the local currency.

 Al-Karawi told Shafaq News Agency, "Members of the Parliamentary Finance Committee had previously submitted a request to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to question the Governor of the Central Bank, Ali Al-Alaq."

 He added, "The interrogation relates to several files, the most important of which are the dollar exchange rate, its sale to travelers, the currency buying and selling window, financial transfers abroad, cash financing, US sanctions, and negotiations with the US Federal Reserve."

 He stressed, "We were previously seeking to host the Governor of the Central Bank, but then a request was submitted by some members of the House of Representatives to question the Governor in the House according to legal procedures and to activate the oversight role to question government officials."

 Al-Karawi said, "After the Arbaeen visit, there will be a move to the Presidency of the House of Representatives to set a date to question the Governor of the Central Bank in Parliament."

 On August 8, Hadi Al-Salami, a member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, revealed that his committee had been following up for more than a year on the file of terminating the assignment of the Central Bank Governor, Ali Al-Alaq, from his position.

 Al-Salami explained to Shafaq News Agency that the committee addressed the Prime Minister several times to pressure him to end Al-Alaq's assignment, due to the existence of many violations against him.

 He added that the government program announced by the Prime Minister when forming the government includes the necessity of ending the management of positions by proxy after six months of forming the government, noting that Al-Alaq is still managing the position by proxy without any action to cancel his assignment so far.

 Al-Salami pointed out that there are many files and violations related to the Central Bank, which have been referred to the Integrity Commission and the Public Prosecution, indicating that these violations include issues related to the lack of control over the exchange rate in the market, in addition to millions   of dollars and interest received by Arab and foreign banks, including Jordanian banks.   LINK 

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Courtesy of Dinar Guru:  https://www.dinarguru.com/

Militia Man  Article: "Government advisor explains the possibility of using the dinar instead of the dollar in oil sales" Saleh...is educating the people...They're keeping it fresh in the citizens minds as there's a likelihood there's going to be a big change coming.  That will likely reflect the flexible exchange rate system.

MarkZ   [via PDK]  Comment:  Many pundits are saying the 20th and 21st could be our big day.  MarkZ:  yes – a lot of the pundits say this…and I am getting the same from top bond contacts, group leaders –you name it.  It certainly makes me feel a little excited…but going to stay grounded ...There are still great expectations from everyone...and I know some people who are heading to their locations on Monday for preparations…So I am hoping Tuesday actually means something.

US Companies Boost Iraq's Energy Sector… Forbes Released Article Today

Edu Matrix:  8-19-2024

US Companies Boost Iraq's Energy Sector Forbes Released Article Today 8/19/24 Forbes Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dipkabhambhani/2024/08/19/us-companies-government-to-boost-iraq-energy-sector-to-temper-iran/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ftORZIEauI

LIVE! ECONOMY COMING APART FASTER... LOAD-UP ON COMMODITIES! STOCK MARKET GOING HIGHER.

Greg Mannarino:  8-19-2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Z9aeT6uFw

Some Thursday “Iraq News” Posted by Clare at KTFA 8-15-2024

KTFA:

Clare:  The Central Bank of Iraq organizes an awareness workshop on illicit gains

August 15, 2024

The Central Bank of Iraq, Human Resources Directorate/Women's Affairs Division, organized an awareness workshop on illicit gains in cooperation with the Integrity Commission.

The workshop addressed the laws, legislation and penalties related to illicit gains and the importance of applying e-governance in state departments and institutions to reduce them.

The workshop reviewed the role and efforts of the Central Bank of Iraq in responding to the requirements of the Integrity Commission, especially in implementing the National Strategy for Integrity and Combating Corruption (2021-2024).

It is noteworthy that the Central Bank of Iraq has organized many seminars and workshops for its employees in the field of combating corruption during the past months.

 Central Bank of Iraq
Media Office
August 15, 2024

https://cbi.iq/news/view/2641

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Clare:  Parliamentary Finance Committee to US Delegation: The Triennial Budget Represents an Important Message to Foreign Companies

8/14/2024  Baghdad

The head of the parliamentary finance committee, Atwan Al-Atwani, confirmed to the delegation of the US embassy in Baghdad, on Wednesday, that the three-year budget represents an important message to foreign companies.

The media office of the head of the parliamentary finance committee said in a statement, seen by "Al-Eqtisad News", that "the head of the parliamentary finance committee, Atwan Al-Atwani, received a delegation from the US embassy in Baghdad, headed by the Minister Plenipotentiary for Economic and Commercial Affairs, Julie Jules."

The statement added that "Al-Atwani reviewed - during the meeting - the financial and monetary situation in the country, and the role of the finance committee in monitoring the implementation of the general budget law, especially the paragraphs related to maximizing non-oil revenues or those supporting the private sector and investment."

It pointed out that "Al-Atwani addressed the most important challenges facing financial policy in Iraq, most notably the restrictions and procedures of the US Treasury, which have had a significant impact on the work of the banking sector and caused the continued crisis of fluctuations in the dollar price."

The head of the finance committee - according to the statement - touched on "the importance of the private sector entering as a major partner with the government in implementing and financing projects and providing services," stressing "his committee's determination to approve the law on partnership between the public and private sectors, in addition to amending the tax law in a manner that keeps pace with the development taking place in the work of the tax system, whether in providing services or collection." 

The statement added that "the meeting discussed ways to enhance joint bilateral cooperation between Iraq and the United States within the framework of the Strategic Framework Agreement, and to activate its economic contents related to developing capabilities and helping to reform the financial and banking system."

For its part, the US embassy delegation praised "the experience of the three-year budget for its tangible positive repercussions in terms of improving the living conditions of Iraqis and enabling the government to perform its duties," stressing "its readiness to cooperate and work together with the Finance Committee to solve the existing problems between the US Treasury and Iraqi banks."

Al-Atwani stressed - according to the statement - that "the three-year budget represents an important message to foreign countries and companies that Iraq's financial situation is good and there is no obstruction or halt in contracts and implementation," explaining that "Iraq is rich in its wealth and energies and all it needs is wise management of money."

He continued, "We suffer from the problem of unfair US Treasury sanctions against 14 Iraqi banks without prior warning," indicating that "obligating Iraq to cover its foreign transactions through the platform and punishing a large number of its local banks are among the most important reasons for the continuation of the dollar crisis and the creation of the parallel market."

Al-Atwani expressed his "hope that this meeting will be a starting point for a new phase of cooperation, understanding and assistance in addressing the problem of US Treasury restrictions and procedures on the financial and banking sector."  LINK

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Clare:  Italian company begins work on updating Mosul's basic design

8/15/2024

The cadres of the Italian company in charge of the project to develop and modernize the basic design of the city of Mosul began, today, Wednesday, the geographical survey work in the city.

Nineveh Deputy Governor for Reconstruction Affairs, Abdul Wahab Sultan, told Shafaq News Agency, "The cadres of the Italian company (SGI), which is responsible for the project to update the basic design of the city of Mosul, have started their work in the field geographical survey in the city, in the first steps aimed at implementing the project to develop the basic design of Mosul."

Sultan stressed that "the Nineveh Governorate administration is proceeding with all its energy and determination to develop Mosul and change its reality for the better, which can only be achieved through implementing the city's basic design expansion project."

Last March, the governor of Nineveh announced the signing of a contract to update and expand the basic design of the city of Mosul, after the last expansion of the city since the year 2000.

The expansion of Mosul includes a distance of 7 km in all directions from Mosul, and the new design is supposed to secure 160 thousand dunums of land that will be allocated to establish large projects and infrastructure that will serve the city and all components in Nineveh.

Over the past years, the project has been met with objections from some components in the Nineveh Plain, while political forces from the Shabak component that have an armed faction announced their refusal to allow the implementation of the expansion project towards eastern Mosul, under the pretext of fear of demographic change.   LINK

Clare:  Al-Sudani concludes his visit to Karbala.. This is what it included

8/15/2024 Baghdad

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani concluded his visit to the holy Karbala Governorate today, Thursday, which included the opening of several projects.

The Prime Minister's media office stated in a statement received by "Al-Eqtisad News" that "Al-Suwani returned to the capital, Baghdad, after concluding his visit to the holy Karbala Governorate, which included:

■ Follow up on work in the facilities and installations of Karbala International Airport.

■ Launching the implementation works for three power station projects:

● Combined cycle of Karbala gas station with a capacity of (132 megawatts).

●Karbala Solar Power Plant Investment Project with a capacity of (300 megawatts),

● Karbala Banks Secondary Transformation Station 400 kV, with a capacity of (1500 MVA), as part of a package of projects to resolve bottlenecks in the transmission of electrical energy.

■ Announcing the largest project to produce (10) thousand megawatts of electric power.

■ Inauguration of Karbala Industrial City, and launching of executive works for four industrial projects/first phase, in the city, which are:

● Industrial gases plant with a capacity of (1000 tons/day).

 ● White oil factory with a capacity of (1000 cubic meters/day).

 ●Vacuum distillation plant with a capacity of (2500 tons/day), and organic solvent plant with a capacity of (1000 cubic meters/day).  LINK

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Clare:  Al-Sudani announces readiness to launch the "largest" electricity production project in Iraq

8/15/2024

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on Thursday that his government is ready to launch the "largest" electricity production in Iraq at a rate of 10,000 megawatts.

Al-Sudani said in a speech during the ceremony to launch the executive works of the projects of three power stations in Karbala Governorate, that this project is a strategic project in electrical energy, which will be implemented according to a new economic model and a new vision that will be announced to the private sector, after it has been studied by a team of consultants specializing in electricity.

He stressed that the stability of energy sources is an encouraging factor for investment and development, and pushes for the development of sources of income by activating all other economic sectors, in addition to the ongoing work to improve the transportation and distribution sector, to deliver electricity service in a sustainable manner to the citizen, without it being a burden on the state and its financial budget.

Al-Sudani also pointed out that the combined cycle projects and solar energy projects are part of the government's plans to reform the electricity system, indicating that the launch of the solar energy project in Karbala and Babylon will continue with the rest of the governorates, which is happening for the first time in Iraq.

He stressed the importance of supporting the private sector, which represents a support for the government in facing crises, emphasizing the special nature of Karbala Governorate, which is visited by millions of visitors throughout the year from inside and outside Iraq.

The three projects launched by Al-Sudani in Karbala are: the combined cycle of the Karbala gas station with a capacity of (132 megawatts), the Karbala investment solar energy station with a capacity of (300 megawatts), and the Karbala secondary transformer station, 400 KV, with a capacity of (1500 megawatts).

It is worth noting that the three station projects will achieve an increase in the production of electrical energy, as the combined cycle of the Karbala gas station contributes to adding (132) megawatts to the currently operating station, with a total design capacity of (250) megawatts, while the Karbala solar energy investment station project is one of several important contracts concluded by the government in the field of renewable energy projects with a number of specialized international companies, including signing a contract to implement a solar energy station with a private sector company with a capacity of (300) megawatts.

As for the Karbala Banks Secondary Station 400 KV, with a capacity of (1500) megawatts, it is being implemented within the second phase of the electrical energy transmission projects, under the contract with the German company Siemens, and is the first transformer station of its kind in Karbala, and will contribute to relieving bottlenecks in the network, thus raising the level of stability and meeting the needs of the various sectors in the Middle Euphrates region.    LINK

FRANK26….8-14-24……IT WON’T STOP

KTFA

Wednesday  Night Conference Call

FRANK26….8-14-24……IT WON’T STOP

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

What Frank’s suit color’s mean…. FRANKS SUIT COLORS FOR CC'S..... WHITE = NEW INFO…. SILVER = INTEL FROZEN…. RED= HIGH ALERT… PURPLE=GUEST WITH US…. BLUE = AIR FORCE…. BLACK = GROUND/FF’S…. GREEN= MR OR FAB 4 ... GOLD = CHANGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mHcpwKHfsY

FRANK26…8-12-24……M R EXPLOSION

KTFA

Monday Night Conference Call

FRANK26…8-12-24……M R EXPLOSION

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

What Frank’s suit color’s mean…. FRANKS SUIT COLORS FOR CC'S..... WHITE = NEW INFO…. SILVER = INTEL FROZEN…. RED= HIGH ALERT… PURPLE=GUEST WITH US…. BLUE = AIR FORCE…. BLACK = GROUND/FF’S…. GREEN= MR OR FAB 4 ... GOLD = CHANGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-ErwP3ngX4

FRANK26….8-7-24……ALAK

KTFA

Wednesday Night Conference Call

FRANK26….8-7-24……ALAK

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

What Frank’s suit color’s mean…. FRANKS SUIT COLORS FOR CC'S..... WHITE = NEW INFO…. SILVER = INTEL FROZEN…. RED= HIGH ALERT… PURPLE=GUEST WITH US…. BLUE = AIR FORCE…. BLACK = GROUND/FF’S…. GREEN= MR OR FAB 4 ... GOLD = CHANGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUHf5x4My_s

Frank26…..8-5-24,,,,,,,MOVE OVER

KTFA

Monday Night Conference Call

Frank26…..8-5-24,,,,,,,MOVE OVER

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

What Frank’s suit color’s mean…. FRANKS SUIT COLORS FOR CC'S..... WHITE = NEW INFO…. SILVER = INTEL FROZEN…. RED= HIGH ALERT… PURPLE=GUEST WITH US…. BLUE = AIR FORCE…. BLACK = GROUND/FF’S…. GREEN= MR OR FAB 4 ... GOLD = CHANGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD41-LtraVY

Some Friday “Iraq News” Posted by Clare at KTFA 8-2-2024

KTFA:

Clare: Iraq Stock Exchange trades more than 60 billion dinars in shares during July

8/1/2024

The Iraq Stock Exchange announced on Thursday that it will hold 21 trading sessions in July 2024, at a rate of five sessions per week. The sessions were not held on the first and tenth of Muharram, which fell during the month. 

According to the trading indicators for the month of July, the number of traded shares reached (61,327,427,127) shares, an increase of (80%) over the month of June, with a financial value of (60,199,416,955) dinars, an increase of (76%) over the month of June.

According to the index, the number of executed contracts reached (11,309) contracts, an increase of (26%) over the month of June.

The ISX60 index closed at 896.25 points in the last session of July 2024, up 1.6% from its June closing of 882.03 points.

The ISX15 free float index closed at (1008.30) points in the last session of July 2024, achieving an increase of (0.2%) from its closing in June (1005.49) last.   LINK

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

Clare:  The House of Representatives publishes the agenda of its sessions for next Saturday and Sunday

8/2/2024 Baghdad – 

The Iraqi News Agency (INA) publishes the agenda of the sessions of the House of Representatives next Saturday and Sunday, according to what was announced by the media department of the Council.

TRANSLATION:

Republic of Iraq House of Representatives

The fifth electoral session, the third legislative year, the second legislative term

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful

Republic of Iraq House of Representatives

Agenda for session No. (4), Saturday, August 3, 2024

Reading verses from the Holy Quran

Public Affairs Department No. (27) of 2016. (Committee First:

 First reading of the draft law on the Second Amendment to the Legal Amnesty Law, Security and Defense Committee, Human Rights Committee), (2) Articles.)  the light

Second: First reading of the draft arbitration law. Legal Committee, Finance Committee (47 articles).

Third: Report and discuss the second reading of the draft law on compensation for the properties of those affected by the former regime.

Committee of Martyrs, Victims and Political Prisoners).

The session begins at one o'clock in the afternoon

House of Representatives   LINK

Clare:  Arab currencies top the list of the strongest in the world.. Is the Iraqi dinar among them?

8/2/2024

Four Arab currencies top the list of the 10 most powerful currencies in the world out of 180 currencies recognized by the United Nations. The US dollar comes in tenth place globally. The following is a list of the most powerful currencies in the world:

1. Kuwaiti Dinar: equivalent to 3.27 dollars  

   The Kuwaiti Dinar is the most valuable currency in the world. Since its introduction in 1960, the Kuwaiti Dinar has continued to top the list of the most valuable currencies thanks to Kuwait's economic stability and oil reserves.

2. Bahraini Dinar: equivalent to 2.65 dollars  

   The Bahraini Dinar is the second strongest currency in the world. The Bahraini Dinar is pegged to the US Dollar and is used exclusively in Bahrain, which has a large expatriate community, including a large number of Indians.

3. Omani Rial: equivalent to 2.60 dollars  

   The Omani Riyal is the third most valuable currency in the world. It was introduced after Oman stopped using the Indian Rupee. The economy of the Sultanate of Oman is heavily dependent on the oil sector.

4. Jordanian Dinar: equivalent to 1.41 dollars  

   The Jordanian dinar has been the official currency of Jordan since it replaced the Palestinian pound in 1950, with fixed exchange rates and a diversified economy.

5. British Pound: equivalent to 1.26 dollars  

   The pound sterling is used in Great Britain and has an important place in global finance, thanks to London's status as a financial centre and intense commercial activity.

 6. Gibraltar Pound: equivalent to 1.26 dollars

 7. Cayman Islands Dollar: equivalent to $1.20 

8. Swiss Franc: equivalent to 1.14 dollars

9. Euro: equivalent to 1.08 dollars

10. US Dollar: Equivalent to $1.00

These currencies continue to play a major role in the global economy, as their strength reflects the economic and financial stability of the countries that issue them.   LINK