Iraq Reconstruction News 3 January 2007

Iraq Reconstruction News
3 January 2007


1. DNO Ups Working Interest in Kurdistan PSA. DNO ASA said that it has reached an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Northern Iraq that will give the company responsibility for 100% of the funding obligations of the production sharing agreements (PSAs). In exchange, DNO will pick up an additional 15% working interest. The deal has been finalized and signed. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=39552

2. Guns and Gas: Baghdad Price Update. In eastern Baghdad's majority Shia district of Shaab, those seeking to purchase arms and ammunition often turn to the police. Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army militia dominates the police and the streets in Shaab and has been engaging in sectarian attacks there for over two years, targeting Sunnis. In Early December, bullets for Kalashnikovs were selling at a cost of 750 Iraqi Dinars each, or over fifty cents, whereas a month before, prior to a devastating attack in Sadr City bullets were 250 Dinars each. http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/topic/21

3. Shahrastani: Iraqi oil exports in 2006 amounted to 1.65 million barrel a day. Iraqi Oil Minister said on Thursday that his country exported on average of 1.65 million barrels a day of crude oil this year at an increase about 150 thousand barrels per day up to the expectations of Transport sources and sources from the oil sector. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=2854

4. Christoph Bangert photos of Iraq. See http://www.christophbangert.com/index.htm for a collection of fascinating photos of Iraq. An online multimedia display of photos ia at http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/weekinreview/20051106_BANGERT_AUDIOSS/blocker.html His German language CV is at http://www.christophbangert.com/cv_german.php

5. Canadian International Development Agency in Iraq. The activities of the Canadian International Development Agency (the equivalent of USAID and UK DFID) in Iraq are described at http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/iraq Their projects are at http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/cidaweb/cpo.nsf/vWebRTCProjByCntryEn?OpenView&RestrictToCategory=IQ

6. Risk, Opportunity, and the Future of Iraq. By now we all know that Iraq is a disaster, a quagmire, the worst foreign policy mistake in US history. It's hopeless and doomed and destined only to get worse. Hell, Iraq isn't even a country anymore, it's just one big civil war with everyone fighting everyone else and bodies piling up in windrows too fast to even be buried. According to The Lancet so many people died in our first three years there that the entire country must have been excavated and turned into one mass grave. And now we've called in all the crusty old architects of past foreign policy failures to tell us how best to run away with our tail between our legs, because there is no hope and there are no other options. http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/12/28/093442.php

7. UNDG Iraq Trust Fund Newsletter (November 2006) This issue features thematic issues in the Agriculture, Food Security, Environment and Natural Resource Management Cluster (A). As of end November, the implementing UN agencies have legally committed $677 million (78%) and disbursed $570 million (66%) of total approved projects amounting to $869 million.
http://www.irffi.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/IRFFI/0,,contentMDK:21161111~pagePK:64168627~piPK:64167475~theSitePK:491458,00.html

8. Children Work Amidst the Violence Plaguing Iraq. NPR. Morning Edition, December 27, 2006 · The war in Iraq has taken a toll on that nation's children. Poor families are forcing their children to work. Sometimes child labor is a family's only source of income. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6684829

9. Iran to offer Iraq $1b loan to complete projects of mutual interest. TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (MNA) – Iran is going to offer Iraq a loan for one billion USD to implement the projects of mutual interest in that country and help complete reconstruction projects there. http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=428721

10. Iraq Security, Technolgy & Communications Summit. The presentations at the Iraq Security, Technolgy & Communications Summit 12-13 September 2006, in Sharjah, UAE are at http://www.iraqdevelopmentprogram.org/idp/istc/istcreport06.htm

11. Locomotives of Iraq State Railways. http://cgi.ebay.com/IRAQ-Locomotives-of-Iraq-State-Railways_W0QQitemZ180068990916QQihZ008QQcategoryZ86695QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

12. Iraq allocates $2 billion for Ministry of Electricity next year. http://www.portaliraq.com/news/Iraq+allocates+%242+billion+for+Ministry+of+Electricity+next+year__1112397.html

13. Old Iraq Strategy Lives On In Weekly Progress Reports. Washington Post. A year ago, President Bush announced a new plan for Iraq framed around "eight pillars" of U.S. policy for victory. In the past month, the president and his national security team have been busily working on a new recipe for success in Iraq, having declared the previous plan a failure.But never mind what the politicians are doing. The bureaucracy churns on. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/25/AR2006122500513.htm

14. THE BOOM OUTSIDE BAGHDAD. UMQASR, IRAQ. WHILE the American political elite is using Iraq as an ex cuse for fighting internal political wars, a different reality is taking shape in parts of this war-torn nation. Wherever some measure of security is assured - that is to say in more than 80 percent of Iraq - towns and villages long left to die a slow death are creeping back to life. http://www.nypost.com/seven/12262006/postopinion/opedcolumnists/the_boom_outside_baghdad_opedcolumnists_amir_taheri.htm

15. 50 Billion Yen as easy loans to develop oil ports in south. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/12946

16. The dollar exchange rate is stable for the first time in two months. The dollar exchange rate stabilized against the Iraq dinar. The conclusion of the Iraqi Central Bank sessions last Thursday for the past week, recording 1325 dinar, which is the same exchange rate last Wednesday, for the first time in more than two months. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=2859

17. Exchange rates. The rates for Monday, 1st January 2007:
- 1 USD = 1382.8 IQD; One IQD = 0.0007 USD
- 1 EUR = 1825.67 IQD; One IQD = 0.0006 EUR
- For conversion rates see http://www.oanda.com/ and go to "Quick Converter" at the top of the page.

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