Iraq Reconstruction News 21 January 2007

Iraq Reconstruction News
21 January 2007

1. Iraq's unlikely saviours. What has survived from Saddam's era that is still in good shape and could help towards rebuilding the country and tackling the insurgency? The answer is disused factories. Most have their machinery more or less intact and some could be up and running within weeks, Germany's Der Spiegel reports. After the U.S. intervention in Iraq, the plan was simple: close the government-subsidised factories and let the vibrant free markets that would spring up afterwards do their bit. This didn't happen. Factories producing everything from tomato paste to ceramics ground to a halt and the "vibrant free markets" remained conspicuously absent. http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/1265/2007/00/19-203317-1.htm

2. Iraq Occupation and Oil. ALARAB ONLINE. The British media have started unveiling the real objectives of waging war on Iraq and later occupying it. In the beginning, the pretext was weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be non-existent in Iraq. A few days before the war, Bush stated explicitly that his next objective was ousting the dictatorship and installing the basis for democracy. http://english.alarabonline.org/display.asp?fname=2007%5C01%5C01-19%5Czopinionz%5C961.htm&dismode=x&ts=19/01/2007%2012:23:53%20%C3%A3

3. Iraqi Draft Law on Oil Revenue Appears Close. BAGHDAD, Jan. 19 — After months of tense bargaining, a cabinet-level committee has produced a draft law governing Iraq’s vast oil fields that would distribute all revenues through the federal government and grant Baghdad wide powers in exploration, development and awarding of major international contracts. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/19/world/middleeast/19cnd-oil.html?hp&ex=1169269200&en=4f5fb9465fa66a71&ei=5094&partner=homepage

4. Dems plan Iraq contract hearings in first oversight step. CongressDaily In a sign that the Bush administration is entering a period of intense scrutiny from the new powerbrokers on Capitol Hill, a leading Democrat with oversight responsibility will announce next week a wide-ranging probe of government contracts for rebuilding Iraq. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0107/011907cdpm1.htm

5. The Kuwait Exhibition Company began marketing to the second exhibition of reconstructing Iraq. Kuwait International Fair Company http://www.kif.net/ said today that it began marketing to the second exhibition of reconstructing Iraq scheduled next November.

6. Private Banks in Iraq; broken hopes because of the security situation. The private banking sector in Iraq is still marking time within a modest financial work despite the fact that it had started in 1991. These banks had their real start after the collapse of the former regime in Iraq; there were several high hopes during the era that came after that event, but those hopes quickly evaporated with the emergence of a significant number of new banks with new titles like the agricultural, industrial or service. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=2915

7. Ministry launches police purge. Azzaman, January 12, 2007. The Ministry of Interior says it has sacked 6,000 employees as part of a campaign to purge the police force of the militias that have infiltrated its ranks. The purge comes as U.S. and Iraqi troops are poised to mount large-scale military operations to regain control of Baghdad. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-01-12\kurd1.htm

8. Mosel airport staffs abstain from work due to the presence of an American base at the airport. http://www.wna-news.com/inanews/news.php?item.2756.15

9. Najaf provides land for displaced. Many of the internally displaced Iraqis live in old government buildings. BAGHDAD, 9 Jan 2007 (IRIN) - Local authorities in Iraq’s southern city of Najaf, 200 km south of the capital, Baghdad, are allotting pieces of land to displaced families from outside the province as well as to some residents. http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56964&SelectRegion=Middle_East&SelectCountry=IRAQ

10. Iraqi universities launch major training initiative on International Auditing Standards. Ten universities in Iraq - in collaboration with seven local chapters of Iraq's leading professional association for accounting professionals - are launching a major education initiative to introduce International Auditing Standards to Iraq. Approximately 800 students and accountants throughout Iraq will participate in the seminar over a two-month period beginning early this month. http://www.portaliraq.com/news/Iraqi+universities+launch+major+training+initiative+on+International+Auditing+Standards__1112421.html

11. High-Tech Healthcare in Iraq, Minus the Healthcare. http://corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14290

12. Iran, Iraq to jointly establish shipping company. http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-236/0701169643171906.htm

13. Iraq Calls to Reactivate Tripartite Committee on Water. DAMASCUS, (SANA) - Iraq called on Tuesday to reactivate the tripartite committee on water including Syria, Iraq and Turkey as it urged to benefit from the Syrian companies expertise to bolster the process of development in Iraq, Iraqi minister said. http://www.sana.org/eng/21/2007/01/16/97021.htm

14. Al-Sunaid expects rise in the Iraqi dinar price during the middle of 2007. The deputy on the United Iraqi Alliance list, Hassan Al-Sunaid, expected during a meeting of the Iraqi Parliament that the Iraqi dinar exchange rate will reach 1200 dinar to the dollar at mid-year, while the price of one dollar hit 1480 IQD last November. http://edinarfinancial.net/news/?nn=475

15. 12 Trillion Iraqi dinar, Iraq's Budget This Year. In a press statement Baban said that the mentioned amounts delivered as 3 trillion iraqi dinar for oil ministry projects to rehabilitation oil sector, while electric ministry specifics amounted 1 trillion and 745 billion dollars for proving electric energy in the state. http://edinarfinancial.net/news/?nn=477

16. Iraqi director gives voice to his nation. Associated Press. NEW YORK - If the Oscar for best foreign-language film were awarded to the filmmaker who overcame the greatest hardships and faced the biggest risks to bring his vision to the screen, then Iraqi director Mohamed Al-Daradji would be the odds-on favorite to take home the golden statuette for his debut feature film, "Ahlaam." http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/people/16446396.htm More onformation is at http://www.arabfilmfestival.nl/directors/Mohamed%20Al-Daradji.htm and http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1865534/ and http://www.alwanforthearts.org/05_06/ahlaam.html