Iraq Reconstruction News
3 April 2007
1. GRD Iraq Reconstruction Weekly Update 03/30/07 https://www.rebuilding-iraq.net/pls/portal/url/ITEM/07251F2EFBCA801DE040A8C00B0741F5
2. Brookings Iraq Index 2 April 2007 http://www3.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf
3. Iraq Weekly Status Report 28 March 2007 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/82522.pdf
4. Oil ministry invites 15 companies to drill 50 new wells - Baghdad, Apr 2, (VOI) – Iraq's oil ministry requested the country's South Oil company to invite 15 international corporations to dig 15 new wells, the ministry spokesman said. http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=40939&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
5. Russia oil producer seeks backing for Iraq oil deal -- MOSCOW: Russia’s top oil producer LUKOIL signed a partnership deal with the foreign ministry on Monday and said it counted on its support as it prepares for talks to revive a giant oil deal in Iraq. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C04%5C03%5Cstory_3-4-2007_pg5_33
6. US oil companies look to invest in riskier regions -- NEW YORK, April 2 (Reuters) - Major oil companies are looking to invest in increasingly risky corners of the world, as high oil prices and tightening access to oil reserves make these regions more attractive. As oil prices have increased, resource-rich countries such as Venezuela and Russia have tightened their grip on oil and gas assets, shrinking the pool of available reserves for companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM.N: Quote, Profile , Research), Chevron Corp. (CVX.N: Quote, Profile , Research), and ConocoPhillips (COP.N: Quote, Profile , Research). http://investing.reuters.co.uk/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=allBreakingNews&storyID=2007-04-02T184340Z_01_N02440894_RTRIDST_0_OIL-RISK.XML
7. Nation-building in Iraq: the good, the not-so-bad, and the ugly http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/2007/04/nationbuilding_in_iraq_the_goo.html
8. 4.7 million dollar sewage project in Nassiriya - Dhi Qar, March 31 (VOI) – A project to treat sewage water for some areas of Dhi Qar province was inaugurated, after experimental operation early last week, at a cost of 6 billion Iraqi dinars (roughly 4.7 million U.S. dollars), a media spokesman for the provincial council said on Saturday. http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=40833&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
9. Wassit environment warns of grave consequences of industrial waste - Kut, Apr 2, (VOI) - Director of the environment department in Wassit province, on Monday, warned of the dire consequences of getting rid of industrial waste in the streets and the Tigris river, considering it an attack on the environment. http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=40991&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
10. Kurdistan region leads the way in Iraq's aviation sector -- LONDON -- The Kurdistan Region’s new international airports were showcased as the leading examples in Iraq during an aviation and security conference held in London this week. International delegates met with Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government officials, airport directors and airline operators to discuss the continued development of Iraq’s airports which are critical to international support, access and investment. http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2007/3/investkurdistan233.htm
11. Basra's Khour Zubair port receives super oil tanker - Basra, March 31 (VOI) – The Khour Zubair port in Basra received for the first time a super tanker carrying Iraqi oil, the port's assistant director said. "Tanker West Star, which anchored in the port on Friday, weighs 70,000 tons and is 243 meters long and 32 meters wide," engineer Mohammed Yousuf told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=40824&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
12. 224.904 billion dinars allocated for investment in Wassit - Kut, Apr 2, (VOI) - A total of 224.904 billion dinars ($176,811 million US dollars) has been allocated to implement an investment plan in Wassit province, central Iraq, during the fiscal year 2007, the largest allocation, compared to other Iraqi provinces, after Baghdad, an official source in the province said on Monday. http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=40999&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
13. Iraq to import refining equipment from Iran -- Iraq will pay $64 million for importing equipment from Iran to upgrade one of its refineries. The equipment will be imported to upgrade Najaf Oil Refinery located in 150 km south of Iraqi capital city of Baghdad, a provincial official of Najaf has said. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=4620§ionid=351020102
14. Generating electricity from solar energy -- Head of the Reconstruction Committee in Baghdad City Council, Ali Al-Attar, said that the Council is doing an extensive study for the endorsement of the project of generating electricity from solar energy. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3549
15. Iraqi cabinet endorses 50 m dinars loans for small projects - Baghdad, Apr 3, (VOI) - Iraqi cabinet on Tuesday endorsed offering loans up to 50 million dinars ($ 40,000) for small projects, the government spokesman said. "The cabinet has agreed to offers loans up to 50 million dinars for small projects through the state-owned banks," Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters after a cabinet meeting. http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=41076&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
16. Iraq eyes future tourism -- BAGHDAD — Thinking about Spring Break in Iraq? Odds are, probably not. But an exhibition organized this past week by Iraq's Tourism Ministry sought to lay the groundwork for one fine day in the future when intrepid tourists might just consider taking a vacation here. At the "Spring Fair," held at a hotel within the concrete blast walls of Baghdad's Green Zone, visitors were treated to displays of silk rugs, antique pistols, daggers decorated with gems, and other locally made arts and crafts. The hallways were lined with photos of Iraqi holy sites. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-03-29-spring-fair_N.htm
END
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Iraq Reconstruction News 1 April 2007
Iraq Reconstruction News
1 April 2007
1. On-the-Record Briefing With Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Leaders on Iraq -- http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/2007/82501.htm
2. Marking Up the Reconstruction: Part 2 -- IraqSlogger.com -- http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/2068/Marking_Up_The_Reconstruction_Part_2
3. Three Iraq state business restarted -- A U.S. program to jump start Iraq's 200 former state-owned factories is beginning to yield fruit, a Pentagon official said Wednesday. A ceramics factory in Ramadi, a Sunni area, a clothing and textiles sewing factory in Najaf, the heartland to Iraq's majority Shiites, and an automotive and metal factory south of Baghdad in a mixed area are all up and running, said Paul Brinkley, deputy under secretary of defense for business transformation. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3514
4. Turkish firms eager to enter Iraqi petrolium market -- Turkish Daily News -- http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=69506
5. Turkish business to drive reconstruction in Iraq – Turkish Daily News --A meeting promoting the second Iraq International Fair in Gaziantep scheduled for May, was auspiciously held on the day of Nevruz Bayram in Istambul. Undaunted by the dismal security and economic situation in Iraq, State Minister for Trade Kürşad Tüzmen spoke enthusiastically of a roadmap involving elements of the private sector and called for cooperation between neighbors. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=68826
6. Kurdistan a safe investment haven in war-torn Iraq -- Dubai: Iraq's Kurdistan region is marketing itself as a safe haven for Arab investors in an otherwise troubled nation beset with insurgent violence and foreign military presence. "The difference between Kurdistan and other parts of Iraq is that we have political stability and safety. We have had a regional government since 1992," said Herish Muharam, chairman of the Board of Investment for the northern Iraqi region. http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Investment/10113224.html
7. Five companies probed in drive against corruption -- FT.com -- British companies in at least five foreign countries are being investigated for alleged bribes in an initiative that the new anti-corruption police unit hopes will result in the first overseas corruption trial getting under way next year. The unprecedented anti-corruption drive is being led by a 10-person investigation unit within the City of London's economic crime department, the elite anti-fraud squad. It is focused on cases that have been referred by the Serious Fraud Office. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3e44c126-d9ac-11db-9b4a-000b5df10621.html
8 Iraq Reconstruction Teams to Receive Needed Support -- WASHINGTON — Ten veteran diplomats and four representatives of the Agency for International Development will depart for Iraq in coming days as the civilian core of 10 new provincial reconstruction teams, the first step in what the Bush administration has promised will be a significant increase in efforts to accelerate local economic and political development. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/24/washington/24reconstruct.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
9. Iraq reconstruction fund meeting ends with donations said lower than expected -- If donations for Iraq end, this would make terrorists stronger, said Iraqi Planning & Development Minister Ali Baban. "Iraq Reconstruction Forum" held within the scope of the 5th meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) Donor Committee (formed by the World Bank and the UN Development Group) ended in Istanbul on Monday. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/15731
10. U.S. General Sees Cause for Optimism in Anbar Province -- Blackanthem Military News, WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the last year, coalition forces have laid the foundation for stability and provincial Iraqi control in Anbar province, the commander of Multinational Force West said today. "Our strategy of clear, hold and build, combined with an energized governmental and tribal engagement, is beginning to bear fruit," Marine Maj. Gen. Walt Gaskin told reporters at the Pentagon via satellite. http://www.blackanthem.com:80/News/International_21/U_S_General_Sees_Cause_for_Optimism_in_Anbar_Province5412.shtmlA
11. World Bank approves $124m credit for Iraq - Reuters - Washington: The World Bank on Thursday approved $124 million in credit for an electricity reconstruction project in Iraq. The project aims to increase generating capacity at the Hartha power station in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, the World Bank said in a statement. http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/03/31/10114830.html
12. 4 companies puts into effect water project -- Muthana water directorate has delivered al-Samawa & Khuther water clearing which financed by international bank, to four companies. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/15897
13. In letter, Iraq tells IMF inflation is a priority - Reuters- Iraq promised to make tackling high inflation one of its priorities and said it will gradually keep raising domestic prices of fuel products to curb a thriving black market, according to a letter by Iraq’s top finance officials to the IMF published on Friday. ”Inflation has risen to an unacceptable level,” the letter, signed by Iraq’s central banker Sinan al-Shabibi and Finance Minister Bayan Jabor, told the International Monetary Fund. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2007/March/focusoniraq_March165.xml§ion=focusoniraq
14. Discussing investment and reconstruction projects -- Two delegations from Iraq and Kuwait put forth several projects in the fields of reconstruction and investment with which the Kuwaiti private sector can contributed in Iraq, and agreed to prepare dossiers on them and discuss them in future through a meeting between the two delegations at an invitation from the Kuwaiti side. http://www.iraqdevelopmentprogram.org/idp/news/new1541.htm
15. Iraqis Unite Behind "Daughter of Mesopotamia" - IraqSlogger.com -- At least one out of every four Iraqis have voted via cellphone for Shada Hassoun, the Iraqi female finalist who won the vote in the popular Star Academy show – an Arab version of American Idol that features young talented contestants from different Arab countries. http://www.iraqslogger.com:80/index.php/post/2170/Iraqis_Unite_Behind_Daughter_of_Mesopotamia
END
1 April 2007
1. On-the-Record Briefing With Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Leaders on Iraq -- http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/2007/82501.htm
2. Marking Up the Reconstruction: Part 2 -- IraqSlogger.com -- http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/2068/Marking_Up_The_Reconstruction_Part_2
3. Three Iraq state business restarted -- A U.S. program to jump start Iraq's 200 former state-owned factories is beginning to yield fruit, a Pentagon official said Wednesday. A ceramics factory in Ramadi, a Sunni area, a clothing and textiles sewing factory in Najaf, the heartland to Iraq's majority Shiites, and an automotive and metal factory south of Baghdad in a mixed area are all up and running, said Paul Brinkley, deputy under secretary of defense for business transformation. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3514
4. Turkish firms eager to enter Iraqi petrolium market -- Turkish Daily News -- http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=69506
5. Turkish business to drive reconstruction in Iraq – Turkish Daily News --A meeting promoting the second Iraq International Fair in Gaziantep scheduled for May, was auspiciously held on the day of Nevruz Bayram in Istambul. Undaunted by the dismal security and economic situation in Iraq, State Minister for Trade Kürşad Tüzmen spoke enthusiastically of a roadmap involving elements of the private sector and called for cooperation between neighbors. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=68826
6. Kurdistan a safe investment haven in war-torn Iraq -- Dubai: Iraq's Kurdistan region is marketing itself as a safe haven for Arab investors in an otherwise troubled nation beset with insurgent violence and foreign military presence. "The difference between Kurdistan and other parts of Iraq is that we have political stability and safety. We have had a regional government since 1992," said Herish Muharam, chairman of the Board of Investment for the northern Iraqi region. http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Investment/10113224.html
7. Five companies probed in drive against corruption -- FT.com -- British companies in at least five foreign countries are being investigated for alleged bribes in an initiative that the new anti-corruption police unit hopes will result in the first overseas corruption trial getting under way next year. The unprecedented anti-corruption drive is being led by a 10-person investigation unit within the City of London's economic crime department, the elite anti-fraud squad. It is focused on cases that have been referred by the Serious Fraud Office. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3e44c126-d9ac-11db-9b4a-000b5df10621.html
8 Iraq Reconstruction Teams to Receive Needed Support -- WASHINGTON — Ten veteran diplomats and four representatives of the Agency for International Development will depart for Iraq in coming days as the civilian core of 10 new provincial reconstruction teams, the first step in what the Bush administration has promised will be a significant increase in efforts to accelerate local economic and political development. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/24/washington/24reconstruct.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
9. Iraq reconstruction fund meeting ends with donations said lower than expected -- If donations for Iraq end, this would make terrorists stronger, said Iraqi Planning & Development Minister Ali Baban. "Iraq Reconstruction Forum" held within the scope of the 5th meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) Donor Committee (formed by the World Bank and the UN Development Group) ended in Istanbul on Monday. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/15731
10. U.S. General Sees Cause for Optimism in Anbar Province -- Blackanthem Military News, WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the last year, coalition forces have laid the foundation for stability and provincial Iraqi control in Anbar province, the commander of Multinational Force West said today. "Our strategy of clear, hold and build, combined with an energized governmental and tribal engagement, is beginning to bear fruit," Marine Maj. Gen. Walt Gaskin told reporters at the Pentagon via satellite. http://www.blackanthem.com:80/News/International_21/U_S_General_Sees_Cause_for_Optimism_in_Anbar_Province5412.shtmlA
11. World Bank approves $124m credit for Iraq - Reuters - Washington: The World Bank on Thursday approved $124 million in credit for an electricity reconstruction project in Iraq. The project aims to increase generating capacity at the Hartha power station in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, the World Bank said in a statement. http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/03/31/10114830.html
12. 4 companies puts into effect water project -- Muthana water directorate has delivered al-Samawa & Khuther water clearing which financed by international bank, to four companies. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/15897
13. In letter, Iraq tells IMF inflation is a priority - Reuters- Iraq promised to make tackling high inflation one of its priorities and said it will gradually keep raising domestic prices of fuel products to curb a thriving black market, according to a letter by Iraq’s top finance officials to the IMF published on Friday. ”Inflation has risen to an unacceptable level,” the letter, signed by Iraq’s central banker Sinan al-Shabibi and Finance Minister Bayan Jabor, told the International Monetary Fund. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2007/March/focusoniraq_March165.xml§ion=focusoniraq
14. Discussing investment and reconstruction projects -- Two delegations from Iraq and Kuwait put forth several projects in the fields of reconstruction and investment with which the Kuwaiti private sector can contributed in Iraq, and agreed to prepare dossiers on them and discuss them in future through a meeting between the two delegations at an invitation from the Kuwaiti side. http://www.iraqdevelopmentprogram.org/idp/news/new1541.htm
15. Iraqis Unite Behind "Daughter of Mesopotamia" - IraqSlogger.com -- At least one out of every four Iraqis have voted via cellphone for Shada Hassoun, the Iraqi female finalist who won the vote in the popular Star Academy show – an Arab version of American Idol that features young talented contestants from different Arab countries. http://www.iraqslogger.com:80/index.php/post/2170/Iraqis_Unite_Behind_Daughter_of_Mesopotamia
END
Iraq Reconstruction News 30 March 2007
Iraq Reconstruction News
30 March 2007
1. Brookings Iraq Index 29 March 2007 http://www3.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf
2. Iraq Weekly Status Report 28 march 2007 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/82522.pdf
3. GRD Iraq Reconstruction Report 30 March 2007 http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/20070330.pdf
4. Shell VP Confirms Gas Development Talks with Iraq -- Dow Jones Commodities News via Comtex -- Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) confirmed Thursday that it has been in talks with oil officials from the Iraqi government over the development of the country's gas industry. Speaking on the fringes of an oil and gas conference in Aberdeen, Scotland Shell's Executive Vice President for Development and Technology in Exploration and Production Matthias Bichsel confirmed representatives of his company met with Iraqi officials in Oman to explore opportunities for the development of Iraq's largely untapped gas reserves. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=43230
5. DNO: Northern Iraq Well Delivers 9,860 bopd -- DNO ASA on Thursday announced an update on its activities in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=43214
6. The World Bank Supports Electricity Rehabilitation in Iraq -- The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved today a credit of US$124 million for the Republic of Iraq for the Emergency Electricity Reconstruction Project. The total cost of the project is estimated at US$150 million. The World Bank has approved an additional US$6 million from the World Bank-administered Iraq Trust Fund; and the Government of Iraq is contributing US$20 million of its own resources. http://www.harolddoan.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4114
7. Why You Should Care About the World Bank and Iraq - Bank Information Center - Reports that a World Bank staffer was shot at an Iraqi checkpoint surfaced in late February. The Bank apparently suppressed the news for several days, presumably in an effort to quell concerns about Bank President Paul Wolfowitz's recent push to re-open a World Bank office in Baghdad. What should the Bank be doing in Iraq? Following is an overview of current Bank involvement in the country, and some reasons why you should be concerned. http://www.just-international.org/article.cfm?newsid=20002051
8. Non-Iraqis allowed to trade in Iraq Stock Exchange -- official http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3421
9. Poll: Despite violence only 26% preferred life under Saddam -- One in four (26%) Iraqi adults have had a family relative murdered in the last three years, while 23% of those living in Baghdad have had a family/relative kidnapped in the last three years. These are among the findings released today from the largest poll into Iraqi opinion ever to be published. Carried out by UK research firm ORB, which has been tracking public opinion in Iraq since 2005, the poll shows that despite the horrendous personal security problems only 26% of the country preferred life under the previous regime of Saddam Hussein, with almost half (49%) preferring life under the current political system. As one may expect, it is the Sunnis who are most likely to back the previous regime (51%) with the Shias (66%) preferring the current arrangements. http://www.opinion.co.uk/Newsroom_details.aspx?NewsId=67
10. New dam constructed in restive Anbar Province -- Azzaman -- Work is progressing on the construction of a new dam in the restive Province of Anbar to help nomads find enough pasture and water for their herds. Anbar is the largest Iraqi province in area. Though River Euphrates passes through its territory most of the province is barren desert. The dam will cost 14 billion dinars (one dollar is worth 1,300 dinars) and rise to a height of 17.5 meters, according to Raad Abduljaleel, head of the state-run Directorate for Dams and Reservoirs. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-03-20\kurd.htm
11. Iraqi Engineers Learn New Skills to Better their Country http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR07-03-17.pdf
12. British firms face fraud allegations over 'phantom' armoured vehicles -- Three British companies are facing accusations that they engaged in large-scale fraud in Iraq after it emerged they were paid for "phantom" armoured vehicles destined to protect Iraqi government employees. The vehicles were never delivered, but the companies were paid anyway. One company, headed by a former deputy assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard and a colourful ex-army officer, received $5.7m (£2.93m), even though the vehicles never left the factory in Russia where they were due to be manufactured. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2038097,00.html
13. Shortage of safe water risks cholera in Iraq: U.N. - AMMAN (Reuters) - United Nations agencies working in Iraq warned on Thursday a chronic shortage of safe drinking water risks causing more child deaths and an outbreak of waterborne disease such as cholera during the summer. Four years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, millions of Iraqi children still find that safe water is no easier to access, said a statement issued by leading U.N. aid agencies operating in Iraq. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=AFF272815FA63358420D88A9C6D37B91
14. Iraqi water minister calls for transparency - ISTANBUL – Turkish Daily News - Sharing information between neighbors, coordination and consultation are the key to collaboration, Iraqi Minister for Water Resources Dr. Abdullatif Jamal Rashed told the TDN in an interview. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=68824
15. Shada's Singing Lifts Iraqi Spirits -- Morning Edition, March 30, 2007 -- Through war and intense sectarian violence, one person has united many Iraqis. Shada Hassoon is a 25-year-old singer, one of four finalists on Star Academy, a Lebanese TV program. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9237388
END
30 March 2007
1. Brookings Iraq Index 29 March 2007 http://www3.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf
2. Iraq Weekly Status Report 28 march 2007 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/82522.pdf
3. GRD Iraq Reconstruction Report 30 March 2007 http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/20070330.pdf
4. Shell VP Confirms Gas Development Talks with Iraq -- Dow Jones Commodities News via Comtex -- Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) confirmed Thursday that it has been in talks with oil officials from the Iraqi government over the development of the country's gas industry. Speaking on the fringes of an oil and gas conference in Aberdeen, Scotland Shell's Executive Vice President for Development and Technology in Exploration and Production Matthias Bichsel confirmed representatives of his company met with Iraqi officials in Oman to explore opportunities for the development of Iraq's largely untapped gas reserves. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=43230
5. DNO: Northern Iraq Well Delivers 9,860 bopd -- DNO ASA on Thursday announced an update on its activities in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=43214
6. The World Bank Supports Electricity Rehabilitation in Iraq -- The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved today a credit of US$124 million for the Republic of Iraq for the Emergency Electricity Reconstruction Project. The total cost of the project is estimated at US$150 million. The World Bank has approved an additional US$6 million from the World Bank-administered Iraq Trust Fund; and the Government of Iraq is contributing US$20 million of its own resources. http://www.harolddoan.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4114
7. Why You Should Care About the World Bank and Iraq - Bank Information Center - Reports that a World Bank staffer was shot at an Iraqi checkpoint surfaced in late February. The Bank apparently suppressed the news for several days, presumably in an effort to quell concerns about Bank President Paul Wolfowitz's recent push to re-open a World Bank office in Baghdad. What should the Bank be doing in Iraq? Following is an overview of current Bank involvement in the country, and some reasons why you should be concerned. http://www.just-international.org/article.cfm?newsid=20002051
8. Non-Iraqis allowed to trade in Iraq Stock Exchange -- official http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3421
9. Poll: Despite violence only 26% preferred life under Saddam -- One in four (26%) Iraqi adults have had a family relative murdered in the last three years, while 23% of those living in Baghdad have had a family/relative kidnapped in the last three years. These are among the findings released today from the largest poll into Iraqi opinion ever to be published. Carried out by UK research firm ORB, which has been tracking public opinion in Iraq since 2005, the poll shows that despite the horrendous personal security problems only 26% of the country preferred life under the previous regime of Saddam Hussein, with almost half (49%) preferring life under the current political system. As one may expect, it is the Sunnis who are most likely to back the previous regime (51%) with the Shias (66%) preferring the current arrangements. http://www.opinion.co.uk/Newsroom_details.aspx?NewsId=67
10. New dam constructed in restive Anbar Province -- Azzaman -- Work is progressing on the construction of a new dam in the restive Province of Anbar to help nomads find enough pasture and water for their herds. Anbar is the largest Iraqi province in area. Though River Euphrates passes through its territory most of the province is barren desert. The dam will cost 14 billion dinars (one dollar is worth 1,300 dinars) and rise to a height of 17.5 meters, according to Raad Abduljaleel, head of the state-run Directorate for Dams and Reservoirs. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-03-20\kurd.htm
11. Iraqi Engineers Learn New Skills to Better their Country http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR07-03-17.pdf
12. British firms face fraud allegations over 'phantom' armoured vehicles -- Three British companies are facing accusations that they engaged in large-scale fraud in Iraq after it emerged they were paid for "phantom" armoured vehicles destined to protect Iraqi government employees. The vehicles were never delivered, but the companies were paid anyway. One company, headed by a former deputy assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard and a colourful ex-army officer, received $5.7m (£2.93m), even though the vehicles never left the factory in Russia where they were due to be manufactured. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2038097,00.html
13. Shortage of safe water risks cholera in Iraq: U.N. - AMMAN (Reuters) - United Nations agencies working in Iraq warned on Thursday a chronic shortage of safe drinking water risks causing more child deaths and an outbreak of waterborne disease such as cholera during the summer. Four years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, millions of Iraqi children still find that safe water is no easier to access, said a statement issued by leading U.N. aid agencies operating in Iraq. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=AFF272815FA63358420D88A9C6D37B91
14. Iraqi water minister calls for transparency - ISTANBUL – Turkish Daily News - Sharing information between neighbors, coordination and consultation are the key to collaboration, Iraqi Minister for Water Resources Dr. Abdullatif Jamal Rashed told the TDN in an interview. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=68824
15. Shada's Singing Lifts Iraqi Spirits -- Morning Edition, March 30, 2007 -- Through war and intense sectarian violence, one person has united many Iraqis. Shada Hassoon is a 25-year-old singer, one of four finalists on Star Academy, a Lebanese TV program. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9237388
END
Iraq Reconstruction News 29 March 2007
Iraq Reconstruction News
29 March 2007
1. Operation Iraqi Freedom: Preliminary Observations on Iraqi Security Forces' Logistics and Command and Control Capabilities. GAO-07-503R, March 28.http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-503R
2. DoD New Briefing On Reconstruction In Iraq With Brigadier General Michael Walsh And Deputy Mayor Ibrahim Mustafa Hussain In The Pentagon Briefing Studio, Arlington, Virginia http://www.defenselink.mil:80/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=3919
3. In Iraq, an Army Officer Battles to Open a Bank -- WSJ -- BAGHDAD, Iraq -- For Lt. Col. Dale Kuehl, one of the keys to bringing some semblance of order to the restive area that his troops patrol has been a small, squat bank branch. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117513386782152797.html?mod=special_page_iraq_1
4. Iraq needs money to spend money, official says -- Reuters -- WASHINGTON — Iraq's government has left about $12.5 billion in rebuilding funds from its 2006 budget unspent because it lacks the tools and expertise to allocate the money, the State Department's Iraq coordinator, David Satterfield, said Tuesday. Satterfield argued that a recent request to Congress for an additional $4 billion in U.S. funding would help address the problem. http://www.latimes.com:80/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-spend28mar28,1,1558266.story?coll=la-headlines-world
5. Satterfield: Iraq oil law will pass -- (UPI) -- The Bush administration remains optimistic Iraq will approve a law governing its oil and natural gas despite growing opposition. Ambassador David Satterfield, senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the State Department's Iraq coordinator, said a deal reached last month on the framework for the draft hydrocarbons law meets two of three points necessary for the military "surge" to be successful. http://www.upi.com/Energy/satterfield_iraq_oil_law_will_pass/20070328-095649-4969r/
6. Pentagon Supply Needs Help Revitalize Iraqi Economy -- AP -- WASHINGTON — In an Iraq jobs program, the Pentagon has helped reopen three factories shuttered after the 2003 invasion, seeding the ground by buying uniforms and armored vehicles from two of them. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,262108,00.html
7. Analysis: Unions could sway Iraq oil law -- WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Iraqi parliamentarians are set to debate a law governing oil and natural gas resources, though backroom negotiations on the measure haven't concluded yet. Both the deliberation and the deal may be futile, however, if Iraq's oil unions don't give their consent. And the blessing of the more than 26,000-strong workers is far from guaranteed. http://www.upi.com/Energy/view.php?StoryID=20070328-011829-3353r
8. Analysis: Iraq oil union has storied past -- WASHINGTON, March 29 (UPI) -- Hassan Jumaa Awad wants Iraq's oil to stay under state control, and the unionists, who have long worked the rigs, to be supported in developing the national resource. But this is no request from the president of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions. It's a demand. http://www.upi.com/Energy/
9. Infrastructure Rebuild Costs Seen Over $100 Bln-General -- LONDON (Dow Jones)--The costs of rebuilding existing power plants and water treatment facilities in Iraq and constructing new infrastructure is expected to exceed $100 billion, the top U.S. official leading the reconstruction efforts in Iraq said Wednesday. Higher costs of labor and inputs such as raw materials like steel and cement are driving the around 40% rise in the figure since 2003, Brig. Gen. Michael J. Walsh of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in an interview by telephone from Baghdad. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidDN20070321010136/SecMain/pagHomepage
10. Foreign firms want to develop Missan oil fields, official -- March 28, 2007 -- The authorities in the southern province of Missan say they have received several requests from foreign firms to develop the province’s gigantic oil fields. The officials refused to name the firms but said the relative stability which the province currently enjoys was luring both foreign and Iraq entrepreneurs to invest. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-03-28\kurd.htm
11. Fuel shortages cripple Mosul -- Azzaman -- Fuel shortages have almost brought life to a standstill in the northern city of Mosul. The severe crisis started with the suspension of fuel imports from Syria since March 22. We now receive less than 10% of the province’s fuel needs,” said the commission in charge of fuel distribution in northern Iraq in a statement. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-03-26\kurd1.htm
12. FIGHTING CORRUPTION IN IRAQ - AN UPHILL BATTLE -- MSNBC -- A few months ago, the watchdog group Transparency International published its yearly Corruption Perceptions Index. Out of 163 countries surveyed in 2006, only two, Myanmar and Haiti, were found to be more corrupt than Iraq. This country was described as "one of the greatest corruption nightmares on the planet." "That has to change" was the message delivered earlier this week by Boots Poliquin, the American director of the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) in Baghdad. "We want to try and develop [a] sense of accountability and transparency within the system of Iraq." http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85910.aspx
13. Kurdistan adopts Dubai plan to boost development -- Gulf News -- A visiting Kurdish official from Iraq yesterday said the regional government of his province decided to follow Dubai's development model after evaluating a variety of plans from around the world. Othman I. Shwani, Minister of Planning in the Kurdistan Regional Government, told Gulf News that Dubai's plan was found to be the most appropriate for Kurdistan and his government will go ahead with it. "We need to modify the Dubai Strategic Plan to suit Kurdistan's requirements before putting it into force. We are convinced that the plan being adopted by the Dubai Government fits our ambitions and objectives compared to plans proposed to us from Europe or from Asia," he said. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidGN_17032007_10111684/SecMain/pagHomepage
14. Iraq to control more of its foreign aid -- The fund representing foreign donors to Iraq will now include an Iraqi co-chairman who will help decide how to allocate aid money, an additional step towards getting Iraqis to assert more control over their own country's development, the outgoing fund chairman said Tuesday. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3455
15. Christians, targeted and suffering, flee Iraq-- BAGHDAD — In between messages of love and faith, Mushtaq Zanbaqa, priest of the Holy Virgin Chaldean Catholic Church in east Baghdad, has a weekly plea for his Christian flock: Don't leave. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-03-22-christians-iraq_N.htm
END
29 March 2007
1. Operation Iraqi Freedom: Preliminary Observations on Iraqi Security Forces' Logistics and Command and Control Capabilities. GAO-07-503R, March 28.http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-503R
2. DoD New Briefing On Reconstruction In Iraq With Brigadier General Michael Walsh And Deputy Mayor Ibrahim Mustafa Hussain In The Pentagon Briefing Studio, Arlington, Virginia http://www.defenselink.mil:80/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=3919
3. In Iraq, an Army Officer Battles to Open a Bank -- WSJ -- BAGHDAD, Iraq -- For Lt. Col. Dale Kuehl, one of the keys to bringing some semblance of order to the restive area that his troops patrol has been a small, squat bank branch. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117513386782152797.html?mod=special_page_iraq_1
4. Iraq needs money to spend money, official says -- Reuters -- WASHINGTON — Iraq's government has left about $12.5 billion in rebuilding funds from its 2006 budget unspent because it lacks the tools and expertise to allocate the money, the State Department's Iraq coordinator, David Satterfield, said Tuesday. Satterfield argued that a recent request to Congress for an additional $4 billion in U.S. funding would help address the problem. http://www.latimes.com:80/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-spend28mar28,1,1558266.story?coll=la-headlines-world
5. Satterfield: Iraq oil law will pass -- (UPI) -- The Bush administration remains optimistic Iraq will approve a law governing its oil and natural gas despite growing opposition. Ambassador David Satterfield, senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the State Department's Iraq coordinator, said a deal reached last month on the framework for the draft hydrocarbons law meets two of three points necessary for the military "surge" to be successful. http://www.upi.com/Energy/satterfield_iraq_oil_law_will_pass/20070328-095649-4969r/
6. Pentagon Supply Needs Help Revitalize Iraqi Economy -- AP -- WASHINGTON — In an Iraq jobs program, the Pentagon has helped reopen three factories shuttered after the 2003 invasion, seeding the ground by buying uniforms and armored vehicles from two of them. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,262108,00.html
7. Analysis: Unions could sway Iraq oil law -- WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Iraqi parliamentarians are set to debate a law governing oil and natural gas resources, though backroom negotiations on the measure haven't concluded yet. Both the deliberation and the deal may be futile, however, if Iraq's oil unions don't give their consent. And the blessing of the more than 26,000-strong workers is far from guaranteed. http://www.upi.com/Energy/view.php?StoryID=20070328-011829-3353r
8. Analysis: Iraq oil union has storied past -- WASHINGTON, March 29 (UPI) -- Hassan Jumaa Awad wants Iraq's oil to stay under state control, and the unionists, who have long worked the rigs, to be supported in developing the national resource. But this is no request from the president of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions. It's a demand. http://www.upi.com/Energy/
9. Infrastructure Rebuild Costs Seen Over $100 Bln-General -- LONDON (Dow Jones)--The costs of rebuilding existing power plants and water treatment facilities in Iraq and constructing new infrastructure is expected to exceed $100 billion, the top U.S. official leading the reconstruction efforts in Iraq said Wednesday. Higher costs of labor and inputs such as raw materials like steel and cement are driving the around 40% rise in the figure since 2003, Brig. Gen. Michael J. Walsh of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in an interview by telephone from Baghdad. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidDN20070321010136/SecMain/pagHomepage
10. Foreign firms want to develop Missan oil fields, official -- March 28, 2007 -- The authorities in the southern province of Missan say they have received several requests from foreign firms to develop the province’s gigantic oil fields. The officials refused to name the firms but said the relative stability which the province currently enjoys was luring both foreign and Iraq entrepreneurs to invest. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-03-28\kurd.htm
11. Fuel shortages cripple Mosul -- Azzaman -- Fuel shortages have almost brought life to a standstill in the northern city of Mosul. The severe crisis started with the suspension of fuel imports from Syria since March 22. We now receive less than 10% of the province’s fuel needs,” said the commission in charge of fuel distribution in northern Iraq in a statement. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-03-26\kurd1.htm
12. FIGHTING CORRUPTION IN IRAQ - AN UPHILL BATTLE -- MSNBC -- A few months ago, the watchdog group Transparency International published its yearly Corruption Perceptions Index. Out of 163 countries surveyed in 2006, only two, Myanmar and Haiti, were found to be more corrupt than Iraq. This country was described as "one of the greatest corruption nightmares on the planet." "That has to change" was the message delivered earlier this week by Boots Poliquin, the American director of the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) in Baghdad. "We want to try and develop [a] sense of accountability and transparency within the system of Iraq." http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85910.aspx
13. Kurdistan adopts Dubai plan to boost development -- Gulf News -- A visiting Kurdish official from Iraq yesterday said the regional government of his province decided to follow Dubai's development model after evaluating a variety of plans from around the world. Othman I. Shwani, Minister of Planning in the Kurdistan Regional Government, told Gulf News that Dubai's plan was found to be the most appropriate for Kurdistan and his government will go ahead with it. "We need to modify the Dubai Strategic Plan to suit Kurdistan's requirements before putting it into force. We are convinced that the plan being adopted by the Dubai Government fits our ambitions and objectives compared to plans proposed to us from Europe or from Asia," he said. http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidGN_17032007_10111684/SecMain/pagHomepage
14. Iraq to control more of its foreign aid -- The fund representing foreign donors to Iraq will now include an Iraqi co-chairman who will help decide how to allocate aid money, an additional step towards getting Iraqis to assert more control over their own country's development, the outgoing fund chairman said Tuesday. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3455
15. Christians, targeted and suffering, flee Iraq-- BAGHDAD — In between messages of love and faith, Mushtaq Zanbaqa, priest of the Holy Virgin Chaldean Catholic Church in east Baghdad, has a weekly plea for his Christian flock: Don't leave. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-03-22-christians-iraq_N.htm
END
Iraq Reconstruction News 28 March 2007
Iraq Reconstruction News
28 March 2007
1. Brookings Iraq Index 26 March 2007 http://www3.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf
2. Amid security risks, China may lead way for Iraqi oil -- AP -- DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — China has sat out the Iraq war, but it could be the first to take advantage when the Iraqi government finishes a law opening up its oil fields to international companies. The Iraqi oil legislation, expected to be approved by July, will open the door for the government to sign contracts for exploration and production of the country's vast untapped reserves, a top U.S. priority. But since few Western companies are prepared to send equipment or crews into the war zone, it could take five years or more before they begin extracting big shipments of Iraqi crude. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4661852.html
3. Analysis: Unions could sway Iraq oil law -- WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Iraqi parliamentarians are set to debate a law governing oil and natural gas resources, though backroom negotiations on the measure haven't concluded yet. Both the deliberation and the deal may be futile, however, if Iraq's oil unions don't give their consent.
And the blessing of the more than 26,000-strong workers is far from guaranteed. http://www.upi.com/Energy/analysis_unions_could_sway_iraq_oil_law/20070328-011829-3353r/
4. Iraq hopes to eliminate electricity shutoffs in 2010 -- Iraqi Minister of Electricity said that his country intends to put an end to electricity shortages by mid-2010, and talks are under way with investors, hoping to complete planned annual investments at the value of $ 2 billion. Electricity sector in Iraq needs to be rebuilt after years of war, sanctions and sabotage; electricity shuts off daily and only few areas in Baghdad gets a few hours of electricity a day. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3488
5. Some Democrats Oppose Forcing Iraq To Accept Foreign Investment in Oil -- The wartime spending measure passed by the House last week and a related bill being taken up in the Senate put pressure on the Iraqi government to open its oil resources to foreign investment -- just what critics contend was the real purpose of the U.S. invasion. The spending bill ties continued support for the war in Iraq to specific benchmarks that the Iraqi government must meet by certain dates. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3318.html
6. Iraq to supply Jordan with oil at preferential prices: Minister -- The Iraqi government has taken the necessary security precautions for supplying Jordan with crude oil at "preferential prices" in accordance with an agreement reached earlier between the two countries, a senior Iraqi official was quoted Tuesday as saying in Jordan. http://jurnalo.com/jurnalo/storyPage.do?story_id=25797
7. Iraq's Illiquid Assets -- Why is the Bush administration asking Congress for $4 billion in emergency economic assistance for Iraq? Simple. Because Baghdad doesn’t know how to spend its own money, according to a Bush administration official. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/03/27/iraqs-illiquid-assets/
8. The New Iraqi Oil Law -- MEES -- Iraq today is an occupied country in a state of chaos with sectarian violence rife, hundreds of people killed and maimed daily, police and security forces infiltrated by militias and warlords’ henchmen. The infrastructure of society is destroyed; hospitals lack equipment and medicines and, indeed, doctors, as so many have fled from the everyday brutality that is Iraqi life today. In order to gain the participation of all groups in the political process it was agreed that the constitution should be amended. This has still not been done. Petrol in an oil rich country is in short supply. And in this maelstrom of unrest and violence the Iraqi government has passed a draft oil law which many Iraqis, experts in economics and the petroleum industry, look on with horror, considering it to be passing over the wealth of Iraq to foreign companies, and thus its ability for present and future generations to rebuild the country. Is it right that in such an atmosphere a law is being enacted which will affect the future livelihood of the Iraqi people for generations to come? http://www.mees.com/postedarticles/oped/v50n13-5OD01.htm
9. Sharing petroleum resources only path to Iraqi unity and stability -- London, UK (KRG.org) – At a seminar in London on Thursday, experts on Iraq and the oil industry discussed Iraq’s draft federal oil and revenue sharing laws. One of the speakers, Dr Ashti Hawrami, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) natural resources minister, said, “sharing Iraq’s oil and gas revenues fairly and transparently is the only path to a united and stable Iraq”. http://www.krg.org/articles/article_detail.asp?ArticleNr=16912&LangNr=12&LNNr=28&RNNr=70
10. Iraq to build two refineries in the north -- BAGHDAD, March 26 (UPI) -- Two 10,000-barrel-per-day refineries will be built in northern Iraq in an attempt to ease bottlenecks and address the fuel shortage. The Iraqi newspaper Azzaman reports the Iraq Oil Ministry signed contracts with state and private Iraq firms to build the refineries. The projects, worth $60 million, will be located in Irbil and Sulaimaniya. http://www.upi.com/Energy/iraq_to_build_two_refineries_in_the_north/20070326-104158-2282r/
11. Dems want GAO in Iraq to monitor funds -- Twenty-two Democratic senators yesterday petitioned the State Department to allow Government Accountability Office (GAO) employees to spend several months in Iraq analyzing how reconstruction funds are being used. “GAO’s longer-term presence in Baghdad is essential to providing Congress with direct and continuing oversight over U.S. programs and activities,” the senators wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-want-gao-in-iraq-to-monitor-funds-2007-03-12.html
12. Saudi company to establish electricity station http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/15701
13. Kuwaiti diplomat underscores committment to Iraq's re-construction process -- ISTANBUL -- (KUNA) -- Kuwait's Ambassador to Turkey Abdullah Thuwaikh on Tuesday underscored the significance of the 5th Iraq International Conference of Donor Countries which is currently held here. Thuwaikh, who leads Kuwait's delegation to the conference, told KUNA that Kuwait was always keen on participating in such events, noting that Kuwait has presented a USD 1.5 billion of cash in support of Iraq and that there is USD 500 million more for the reconstruction of Iraq to be executed in cooperation with the Iraqi government. http://www.kuna.net.kw:80/home/story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=963552
14. Marking Up The Reconstruction: Part 1 -- One day, not so long ago, the US State Department handpicked Texas-based DynCorp for an $800-million contract to train over 100,000 Iraqi police officers, a top-priority project of the Bush administration’s effort to stabilize the war-torn country and strengthen the fragile civilian government there. But State Department wanted a contractor with strong ties in Iraq, so DynCorp obligingly teamed up in 2004 with a company known as Corporate Bank Financial Service, a Washington-based business better known as The Sandi Group. http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/2054/Marking_Up_The_Reconstruction_Part_1
15. Tax on materials for domestic industry slashed -- Azzaman -- The Tax Department has slashed the tax on materials for the domestic industry by 50%. The department’s head Saib Abdulsattar said the reduction covers raw materials whether produced locally or imported from abroad. He said it includes all kinds of materials for the country’s industry. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-03-16\kurd1.htm
END
28 March 2007
1. Brookings Iraq Index 26 March 2007 http://www3.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf
2. Amid security risks, China may lead way for Iraqi oil -- AP -- DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — China has sat out the Iraq war, but it could be the first to take advantage when the Iraqi government finishes a law opening up its oil fields to international companies. The Iraqi oil legislation, expected to be approved by July, will open the door for the government to sign contracts for exploration and production of the country's vast untapped reserves, a top U.S. priority. But since few Western companies are prepared to send equipment or crews into the war zone, it could take five years or more before they begin extracting big shipments of Iraqi crude. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4661852.html
3. Analysis: Unions could sway Iraq oil law -- WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Iraqi parliamentarians are set to debate a law governing oil and natural gas resources, though backroom negotiations on the measure haven't concluded yet. Both the deliberation and the deal may be futile, however, if Iraq's oil unions don't give their consent.
And the blessing of the more than 26,000-strong workers is far from guaranteed. http://www.upi.com/Energy/analysis_unions_could_sway_iraq_oil_law/20070328-011829-3353r/
4. Iraq hopes to eliminate electricity shutoffs in 2010 -- Iraqi Minister of Electricity said that his country intends to put an end to electricity shortages by mid-2010, and talks are under way with investors, hoping to complete planned annual investments at the value of $ 2 billion. Electricity sector in Iraq needs to be rebuilt after years of war, sanctions and sabotage; electricity shuts off daily and only few areas in Baghdad gets a few hours of electricity a day. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3488
5. Some Democrats Oppose Forcing Iraq To Accept Foreign Investment in Oil -- The wartime spending measure passed by the House last week and a related bill being taken up in the Senate put pressure on the Iraqi government to open its oil resources to foreign investment -- just what critics contend was the real purpose of the U.S. invasion. The spending bill ties continued support for the war in Iraq to specific benchmarks that the Iraqi government must meet by certain dates. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3318.html
6. Iraq to supply Jordan with oil at preferential prices: Minister -- The Iraqi government has taken the necessary security precautions for supplying Jordan with crude oil at "preferential prices" in accordance with an agreement reached earlier between the two countries, a senior Iraqi official was quoted Tuesday as saying in Jordan. http://jurnalo.com/jurnalo/storyPage.do?story_id=25797
7. Iraq's Illiquid Assets -- Why is the Bush administration asking Congress for $4 billion in emergency economic assistance for Iraq? Simple. Because Baghdad doesn’t know how to spend its own money, according to a Bush administration official. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/03/27/iraqs-illiquid-assets/
8. The New Iraqi Oil Law -- MEES -- Iraq today is an occupied country in a state of chaos with sectarian violence rife, hundreds of people killed and maimed daily, police and security forces infiltrated by militias and warlords’ henchmen. The infrastructure of society is destroyed; hospitals lack equipment and medicines and, indeed, doctors, as so many have fled from the everyday brutality that is Iraqi life today. In order to gain the participation of all groups in the political process it was agreed that the constitution should be amended. This has still not been done. Petrol in an oil rich country is in short supply. And in this maelstrom of unrest and violence the Iraqi government has passed a draft oil law which many Iraqis, experts in economics and the petroleum industry, look on with horror, considering it to be passing over the wealth of Iraq to foreign companies, and thus its ability for present and future generations to rebuild the country. Is it right that in such an atmosphere a law is being enacted which will affect the future livelihood of the Iraqi people for generations to come? http://www.mees.com/postedarticles/oped/v50n13-5OD01.htm
9. Sharing petroleum resources only path to Iraqi unity and stability -- London, UK (KRG.org) – At a seminar in London on Thursday, experts on Iraq and the oil industry discussed Iraq’s draft federal oil and revenue sharing laws. One of the speakers, Dr Ashti Hawrami, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) natural resources minister, said, “sharing Iraq’s oil and gas revenues fairly and transparently is the only path to a united and stable Iraq”. http://www.krg.org/articles/article_detail.asp?ArticleNr=16912&LangNr=12&LNNr=28&RNNr=70
10. Iraq to build two refineries in the north -- BAGHDAD, March 26 (UPI) -- Two 10,000-barrel-per-day refineries will be built in northern Iraq in an attempt to ease bottlenecks and address the fuel shortage. The Iraqi newspaper Azzaman reports the Iraq Oil Ministry signed contracts with state and private Iraq firms to build the refineries. The projects, worth $60 million, will be located in Irbil and Sulaimaniya. http://www.upi.com/Energy/iraq_to_build_two_refineries_in_the_north/20070326-104158-2282r/
11. Dems want GAO in Iraq to monitor funds -- Twenty-two Democratic senators yesterday petitioned the State Department to allow Government Accountability Office (GAO) employees to spend several months in Iraq analyzing how reconstruction funds are being used. “GAO’s longer-term presence in Baghdad is essential to providing Congress with direct and continuing oversight over U.S. programs and activities,” the senators wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-want-gao-in-iraq-to-monitor-funds-2007-03-12.html
12. Saudi company to establish electricity station http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/15701
13. Kuwaiti diplomat underscores committment to Iraq's re-construction process -- ISTANBUL -- (KUNA) -- Kuwait's Ambassador to Turkey Abdullah Thuwaikh on Tuesday underscored the significance of the 5th Iraq International Conference of Donor Countries which is currently held here. Thuwaikh, who leads Kuwait's delegation to the conference, told KUNA that Kuwait was always keen on participating in such events, noting that Kuwait has presented a USD 1.5 billion of cash in support of Iraq and that there is USD 500 million more for the reconstruction of Iraq to be executed in cooperation with the Iraqi government. http://www.kuna.net.kw:80/home/story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=963552
14. Marking Up The Reconstruction: Part 1 -- One day, not so long ago, the US State Department handpicked Texas-based DynCorp for an $800-million contract to train over 100,000 Iraqi police officers, a top-priority project of the Bush administration’s effort to stabilize the war-torn country and strengthen the fragile civilian government there. But State Department wanted a contractor with strong ties in Iraq, so DynCorp obligingly teamed up in 2004 with a company known as Corporate Bank Financial Service, a Washington-based business better known as The Sandi Group. http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/2054/Marking_Up_The_Reconstruction_Part_1
15. Tax on materials for domestic industry slashed -- Azzaman -- The Tax Department has slashed the tax on materials for the domestic industry by 50%. The department’s head Saib Abdulsattar said the reduction covers raw materials whether produced locally or imported from abroad. He said it includes all kinds of materials for the country’s industry. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-03-16\kurd1.htm
END
Iraq Reconstruction News 26 March 2007
Iraq Reconstruction News
26 March 2007
1. GRD Iraq Reconstruction Weekly Update 03/20/07 https://www.rebuilding-iraq.net/pls/portal/url/ITEM/07251F2EFBCA801DE040A8C00B0741F5
2. Protecting Iraq's oil supply - The Guardian - The frigate HMS Cornwall is on patrol as the lead ship of Combined Task Force 158, whose UN-backed mission is to protect Iraq's oil platforms and exports against pirates, smugglers, and terrorists. The platforms are critical to the economic and political reconstruction of Iraq, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday. They pump out oil that accounts for 90% of the country's GDP. An attack in 2004 led to a two-day shutdown costing up to $28m (£14.2m), the MoD said. The knock-on effect was a spike on the world oil market, causing a further loss of some $6bn. http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2041694,00.html
3. Kurdish leader demands control of Iraq oil hub -- ARBIL, Iraq (AFP) - The prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan raised fresh calls on Thursday for a referendum to decide the future of the country's crucial oil hub of Kirkuk, warning that Kurdish patience had limits. "Our people are committed to Iraq, but their patience is not unlimited. We as leaders are finding it difficult to convince our people as to why our demands are not being met," Nichirvan Barzani told dignitaries in Arbil.
http://fe19.news.re3.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070322/wl_mideast_afp/iraquskurdsoil_070322153131
4. What's happened to Iraq's oil? - BBC World Service - Iraq's descent into violence, coupled with paralysis and corruption in government, has stymied efforts to rebuild the infrastructure of roads, schools, hospitals and industry. In many cases, there is little to show for the billions of dollars spent on reconstruction since the American-led invasion in 2003. The oil sector is a good example of what has gone wrong. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6461581.stm
5. Japan Courts Iraq for Strategic Partnership to Secure Energy Supply - Kyodo News - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi agreed Friday on the importance of developing a "long-term strategic partnership" between the two countries and expressed hopes to strengthen economic as well as political relations, Abe's spokesman Hiroshige Seko said. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=42954
6. Iraqi, Coalition Forces Partner to Protect Iraq's Economic Future: Oil -- KIRKUK -- Iraq’s economic future depends on producing, refining and selling its most valuable natural resource, oil. As such, Iraq’s most valuable human resource is arguably the Soldiers who protect that oil. The Iraqi Army’s 1st Strategic Infrastructure Brigade ensures that both crude and refined oil flows through critical pipeline infrastructure in the northern Kirkuk Province of Iraq, and military transition team Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division’s 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment are charged with training those Iraqi Soldiers. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1790996/posts
7. U.S. narrows financial focus to aid Iraqi small businesses. Barbers, grocers, others apply for grants to expand --USA TODAY -- BAGHDAD — Mohamed Raheem saw fliers posted all over his neighborhood offering money to Iraqis who wanted to expand their small businesses. He called a phone number listed on the flier and set up an appointment with the Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "I explained to them that I have a shop and I want to expand my work," said Raheem, 44, who owns a small grocery store in the Kadhamiya district of Baghdad. He applied for a $10,000 grant. As U.S. military and civilian officials try to help Iraq's economy rebuild, they are placing a new emphasis on small businesses like Raheem's. Through grants and loans — often for a few hundred dollars each — they're trying to stimulate job growth and eventually improve Iraq's security. http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070306/a_iraqeconomy06.art.htm
8. Iraq's Jobs-for-Peace Mirage -- As the wisdom of President Bush's proposed “surge” of US troops is debated across the US and around the world, another question about the US President's new policy to avert all-out civil war there is coming to the fore. Can using US funding to reopen Iraqi state-owned enterprises get young men to abandon the insurgency and sectarian militias? The idea sounds logical: a man with a good job that enables him to build a decent life won't want to fight Americans or his fellow Iraqis, right? http://www.rand.org/commentary/021107PS.html
9. Iraqi roads get facelift -- TIKRIT — As the decision making for construction projects fall more to the local and regional governments throughout Iraq, Provincial Reconstruction Development Committees are stepping up to the challenge. Eleven concrete road paving projects - at a cost of $3 million - were recently awarded in the Ninewa Province to 10 municipalities. These 11 projects were recommended by the local PRDC. http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10206&Itemid=128
10. Stabilizing Iraq: Factors Impeding the Development of Capable Iraqi Security Forces, by Joseph A. Christoff, director, international affairs and trade, before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Armed Services. GAO-07-612T, March 13.http://www2.blogger.com/ Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07612thigh.pdf
11. Nasiriyah Drainage Pump Station turned over to Iraqi Govenrment http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR07-03-05-2.pdf
12. Iraqi Women Strive To Rebuild Country Despite Obstacles - Washington – Iraqi women have made great progress in recent years, but still face obstacles while working to achieve full equality, two Iraqi women activists said March 7. Wide participation of women in the political process is something new for Iraqi society, said Sundus Abbas, executive director of the Women’s Leadership Institute in Baghdad. Iraq. "For more than 35 years Iraqi women were absent from the decision making process,” she told USINFO. “Now Iraqi women participate. In spite of this, there is suffering for Iraqi women." http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=March&x=20070307152118hmnietsua0.1575739
13. Former Iraq minister denies theft of millions -- A former Iraqi defence minister whose 10 months in office coincided with the disappearance of more than $800m (£400m) from the ministry’s coffers is living openly in Amman and London despite a warrant for his arrest. Hazem Shaalan, a small businessman in London until Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003, rose in a year to one of the most important jobs in the interim government that ran Iraq from 2004 to 2005. He left Baghdad before the next government discovered that a fortune had been looted from his ministry’s account in what one senior investigator has called “one of the largest thefts in history”. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1497038.ece
14. Guarding Iraq's oil platforms, and its income -- IN THE PERSIAN GULF — A Ukrainian cargo ship that inadvertently sailed into protected waters around Iraqi oil platforms in the Persian Gulf ignited a rapid security crackdown Wednesday morning, displaying some of the measures coalition forces take to protect the platforms. Ships rushed to intercept the cargo vessel. http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=43972
15. Helping Baghdad's youngest residents get well http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR07-03-01.pdf
16. Security, reconstruction efforts improve -- BAGHDAD — A press conference discussing the status of security and the ongoing reconstruction efforts in Iraq was held at the Combined Press Information Center in the International Zone Wednesday. Ambassador Daniel Speckhard, U.S. Embassy Baghdad charge d’affaires, and Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesperson, , talked about the progress that has been made and the continuing efforts that will make Iraq a safer country. http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10614&Itemid=128
17. Iraqi Leader Fears Ouster Over Oil Money -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki fears the Americans will torpedo his government if parliament does not pass a law to fairly divvy up the country's oil wealth among Iraqis by the end of June, close associates of the leader told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The legislature has not even taken up the draft measure, which is only one of several U.S. benchmarks that are seen by al-Maliki as key to continued American support, a crucial need for the survival of his troubled administration. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/03/13/ap3513218.html
18. Despite danger, kebab stands keep grills going -- BAGHDAD — It's a long-held Baghdad tradition: police officers sidling up to neighborhood kebab stands and restaurants, eating lunch, leisurely sipping cups of tea and gossiping with owners. The tradition has become deadly for many of the restaurateurs. Insurgents targeting Iraqi police have repeatedly triggered devastating blasts near the sidewalk food stands. Last month, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb near a popular kebab stand in Baghdad's al-Jadriyah district, even after the owner had begged police to stop visiting the place. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-03-15-iraqweek_N.htm
END
26 March 2007
1. GRD Iraq Reconstruction Weekly Update 03/20/07 https://www.rebuilding-iraq.net/pls/portal/url/ITEM/07251F2EFBCA801DE040A8C00B0741F5
2. Protecting Iraq's oil supply - The Guardian - The frigate HMS Cornwall is on patrol as the lead ship of Combined Task Force 158, whose UN-backed mission is to protect Iraq's oil platforms and exports against pirates, smugglers, and terrorists. The platforms are critical to the economic and political reconstruction of Iraq, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday. They pump out oil that accounts for 90% of the country's GDP. An attack in 2004 led to a two-day shutdown costing up to $28m (£14.2m), the MoD said. The knock-on effect was a spike on the world oil market, causing a further loss of some $6bn. http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2041694,00.html
3. Kurdish leader demands control of Iraq oil hub -- ARBIL, Iraq (AFP) - The prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan raised fresh calls on Thursday for a referendum to decide the future of the country's crucial oil hub of Kirkuk, warning that Kurdish patience had limits. "Our people are committed to Iraq, but their patience is not unlimited. We as leaders are finding it difficult to convince our people as to why our demands are not being met," Nichirvan Barzani told dignitaries in Arbil.
http://fe19.news.re3.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070322/wl_mideast_afp/iraquskurdsoil_070322153131
4. What's happened to Iraq's oil? - BBC World Service - Iraq's descent into violence, coupled with paralysis and corruption in government, has stymied efforts to rebuild the infrastructure of roads, schools, hospitals and industry. In many cases, there is little to show for the billions of dollars spent on reconstruction since the American-led invasion in 2003. The oil sector is a good example of what has gone wrong. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6461581.stm
5. Japan Courts Iraq for Strategic Partnership to Secure Energy Supply - Kyodo News - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi agreed Friday on the importance of developing a "long-term strategic partnership" between the two countries and expressed hopes to strengthen economic as well as political relations, Abe's spokesman Hiroshige Seko said. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=42954
6. Iraqi, Coalition Forces Partner to Protect Iraq's Economic Future: Oil -- KIRKUK -- Iraq’s economic future depends on producing, refining and selling its most valuable natural resource, oil. As such, Iraq’s most valuable human resource is arguably the Soldiers who protect that oil. The Iraqi Army’s 1st Strategic Infrastructure Brigade ensures that both crude and refined oil flows through critical pipeline infrastructure in the northern Kirkuk Province of Iraq, and military transition team Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division’s 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment are charged with training those Iraqi Soldiers. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1790996/posts
7. U.S. narrows financial focus to aid Iraqi small businesses. Barbers, grocers, others apply for grants to expand --USA TODAY -- BAGHDAD — Mohamed Raheem saw fliers posted all over his neighborhood offering money to Iraqis who wanted to expand their small businesses. He called a phone number listed on the flier and set up an appointment with the Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "I explained to them that I have a shop and I want to expand my work," said Raheem, 44, who owns a small grocery store in the Kadhamiya district of Baghdad. He applied for a $10,000 grant. As U.S. military and civilian officials try to help Iraq's economy rebuild, they are placing a new emphasis on small businesses like Raheem's. Through grants and loans — often for a few hundred dollars each — they're trying to stimulate job growth and eventually improve Iraq's security. http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070306/a_iraqeconomy06.art.htm
8. Iraq's Jobs-for-Peace Mirage -- As the wisdom of President Bush's proposed “surge” of US troops is debated across the US and around the world, another question about the US President's new policy to avert all-out civil war there is coming to the fore. Can using US funding to reopen Iraqi state-owned enterprises get young men to abandon the insurgency and sectarian militias? The idea sounds logical: a man with a good job that enables him to build a decent life won't want to fight Americans or his fellow Iraqis, right? http://www.rand.org/commentary/021107PS.html
9. Iraqi roads get facelift -- TIKRIT — As the decision making for construction projects fall more to the local and regional governments throughout Iraq, Provincial Reconstruction Development Committees are stepping up to the challenge. Eleven concrete road paving projects - at a cost of $3 million - were recently awarded in the Ninewa Province to 10 municipalities. These 11 projects were recommended by the local PRDC. http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10206&Itemid=128
10. Stabilizing Iraq: Factors Impeding the Development of Capable Iraqi Security Forces, by Joseph A. Christoff, director, international affairs and trade, before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Armed Services. GAO-07-612T, March 13.http://www2.blogger.com/ Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07612thigh.pdf
11. Nasiriyah Drainage Pump Station turned over to Iraqi Govenrment http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR07-03-05-2.pdf
12. Iraqi Women Strive To Rebuild Country Despite Obstacles - Washington – Iraqi women have made great progress in recent years, but still face obstacles while working to achieve full equality, two Iraqi women activists said March 7. Wide participation of women in the political process is something new for Iraqi society, said Sundus Abbas, executive director of the Women’s Leadership Institute in Baghdad. Iraq. "For more than 35 years Iraqi women were absent from the decision making process,” she told USINFO. “Now Iraqi women participate. In spite of this, there is suffering for Iraqi women." http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=March&x=20070307152118hmnietsua0.1575739
13. Former Iraq minister denies theft of millions -- A former Iraqi defence minister whose 10 months in office coincided with the disappearance of more than $800m (£400m) from the ministry’s coffers is living openly in Amman and London despite a warrant for his arrest. Hazem Shaalan, a small businessman in London until Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003, rose in a year to one of the most important jobs in the interim government that ran Iraq from 2004 to 2005. He left Baghdad before the next government discovered that a fortune had been looted from his ministry’s account in what one senior investigator has called “one of the largest thefts in history”. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1497038.ece
14. Guarding Iraq's oil platforms, and its income -- IN THE PERSIAN GULF — A Ukrainian cargo ship that inadvertently sailed into protected waters around Iraqi oil platforms in the Persian Gulf ignited a rapid security crackdown Wednesday morning, displaying some of the measures coalition forces take to protect the platforms. Ships rushed to intercept the cargo vessel. http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=43972
15. Helping Baghdad's youngest residents get well http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR07-03-01.pdf
16. Security, reconstruction efforts improve -- BAGHDAD — A press conference discussing the status of security and the ongoing reconstruction efforts in Iraq was held at the Combined Press Information Center in the International Zone Wednesday. Ambassador Daniel Speckhard, U.S. Embassy Baghdad charge d’affaires, and Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesperson, , talked about the progress that has been made and the continuing efforts that will make Iraq a safer country. http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10614&Itemid=128
17. Iraqi Leader Fears Ouster Over Oil Money -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki fears the Americans will torpedo his government if parliament does not pass a law to fairly divvy up the country's oil wealth among Iraqis by the end of June, close associates of the leader told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The legislature has not even taken up the draft measure, which is only one of several U.S. benchmarks that are seen by al-Maliki as key to continued American support, a crucial need for the survival of his troubled administration. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/03/13/ap3513218.html
18. Despite danger, kebab stands keep grills going -- BAGHDAD — It's a long-held Baghdad tradition: police officers sidling up to neighborhood kebab stands and restaurants, eating lunch, leisurely sipping cups of tea and gossiping with owners. The tradition has become deadly for many of the restaurateurs. Insurgents targeting Iraqi police have repeatedly triggered devastating blasts near the sidewalk food stands. Last month, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb near a popular kebab stand in Baghdad's al-Jadriyah district, even after the owner had begged police to stop visiting the place. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-03-15-iraqweek_N.htm
END
Iraq Reconstruction News 25 March 2007
Iraq Reconstruction News
25 March 2007
1. World Bank Iraq Data Sheet March 2007 http://siteresources.worldbank.org/IRFFI/64168382-1092419012421/21250509/DATASHEETIRAQFeb2007Final.pdf
2. Opportunities and Challenges for Economic Growth in Iraq -- CSIS hosted Frank Lavin, United States Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, on March 1. Under Secretary Lavin gave a speech entitled "Opportunities and Challenges for Economic Growth in Iraq" and shared with the CSIS audience the presentation he gave in Erbil to Iraqi Government officials and private sector leaders to launch the U.S.-Iraq Business Dialogue. http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_events/task,view/id,1218/
3. KRG Transport Ministry Plans Rail Links Between Kurdish Provinces -- Kurdistan, (KTV), PNA. Companies from Poland and the Netherlands are currently on a visit to Kurdistan to examine various key projects including rail links and oil refineries. http://kurdistanobserver.servehttp.com/Mar-2007/12-3-07-krg-rail-links.html
4. Iran Playing a Growing Role in Iraq's Economy - TEHRAN (Fars News Agency) - While the Bush administration works to stop Iran from having any constructive role in Iraq, Iranian air-conditioners fill Iraqi appliance stores, Iranian tomatoes ripen on the windowsills of kitchens here and legions of white Iranian-made Peugeots sit in Iraqi driveways. http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8512260206
5. LIFE Partners with UNICEF to Rehabilitate Schools in Iraq -- For more than a quarter century, Iraqi society has suffered through wars and a severe economic embargo, which in turn have caused a serious education crisis in the country. Along with the destroyed and dilapidated schools, the violent and chaotic security situation in Iraq is greatly hindering the repair and re-construction efforts. http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=7930
6. Licenses to export Iraqi products and import goods from abroad http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3379
7. Maliki's Most Potent Weapon - TCS contributor Peter Schaefer served in Vietnam as an American military intelligence officer, then in the mid-1970s became deeply involved in economic development analysis and property right issues. A former adviser to Peruvian economist Hernando De Soto, Schaefer is now working on a business project that involves "commercial scale" property registration in the developing world. Austin Bay explains why this work matters for Iraq. http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=030707C
8. Iraqi Navy Sunk By Corruption -- The Iraqi navy is trying once more to build up its navy. It hasn't been easy, Corruption and bureaucracy have made life difficult. Not that the old, Saddam era, navy was anything to boast about. http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htworld/articles/20070320.aspx
9. Iraq Navy on Its Way to Independence -- The Iraqi Navy will soon add 21 vessels to its fleet, putting it another step closer to being operationally independent, officials said during a Baghdad news conference Sunday. With a contract on the verge of completion, the Iraqi Navy is the first of the Iraq's forces to use the Ministry of Defense's procurement process with Iraqi money in purchasing major capital programs from foreign governments and commercial ventures. http://newsblaze.com/story/20070320122519tsop.nb/newsblaze/IRAQ0001/Iraq.html
10. Sailors pump up Iraq oil terminal -- ABOARD AL BASRA OIL TERMINAL — Much of Iraq’s financial hope for the future rests on a $59 million coalition-funded upgrade. Buoyed some 60 miles south of the war-torn nation in the Persian Gulf sits an oil platform that provides Iraq with an estimated 85 percent of the struggling country’s revenue. http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=44002
11. VeriSign launches PrePayIN service In Iraq -- (MENAFN) The Chairman of the Iraq-based Al-Mazaya Telecommunications said that the company will launch a new repay service, PrePayIN, supported by VeriSign Inc. in the first half of this year, Portal Iraq reported. http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?storyid=1093144329
12. My Iraq: Basra business trainer -- Najah trains women at a business development centre in Basra. The kind of NGO I work for didn't exist under Saddam Hussein's rule. helped establish an association for women's education. We encourage them to set up small businesses.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6451199.stm
END
25 March 2007
1. World Bank Iraq Data Sheet March 2007 http://siteresources.worldbank.org/IRFFI/64168382-1092419012421/21250509/DATASHEETIRAQFeb2007Final.pdf
2. Opportunities and Challenges for Economic Growth in Iraq -- CSIS hosted Frank Lavin, United States Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, on March 1. Under Secretary Lavin gave a speech entitled "Opportunities and Challenges for Economic Growth in Iraq" and shared with the CSIS audience the presentation he gave in Erbil to Iraqi Government officials and private sector leaders to launch the U.S.-Iraq Business Dialogue. http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_events/task,view/id,1218/
3. KRG Transport Ministry Plans Rail Links Between Kurdish Provinces -- Kurdistan, (KTV), PNA. Companies from Poland and the Netherlands are currently on a visit to Kurdistan to examine various key projects including rail links and oil refineries. http://kurdistanobserver.servehttp.com/Mar-2007/12-3-07-krg-rail-links.html
4. Iran Playing a Growing Role in Iraq's Economy - TEHRAN (Fars News Agency) - While the Bush administration works to stop Iran from having any constructive role in Iraq, Iranian air-conditioners fill Iraqi appliance stores, Iranian tomatoes ripen on the windowsills of kitchens here and legions of white Iranian-made Peugeots sit in Iraqi driveways. http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8512260206
5. LIFE Partners with UNICEF to Rehabilitate Schools in Iraq -- For more than a quarter century, Iraqi society has suffered through wars and a severe economic embargo, which in turn have caused a serious education crisis in the country. Along with the destroyed and dilapidated schools, the violent and chaotic security situation in Iraq is greatly hindering the repair and re-construction efforts. http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=7930
6. Licenses to export Iraqi products and import goods from abroad http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3379
7. Maliki's Most Potent Weapon - TCS contributor Peter Schaefer served in Vietnam as an American military intelligence officer, then in the mid-1970s became deeply involved in economic development analysis and property right issues. A former adviser to Peruvian economist Hernando De Soto, Schaefer is now working on a business project that involves "commercial scale" property registration in the developing world. Austin Bay explains why this work matters for Iraq. http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=030707C
8. Iraqi Navy Sunk By Corruption -- The Iraqi navy is trying once more to build up its navy. It hasn't been easy, Corruption and bureaucracy have made life difficult. Not that the old, Saddam era, navy was anything to boast about. http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htworld/articles/20070320.aspx
9. Iraq Navy on Its Way to Independence -- The Iraqi Navy will soon add 21 vessels to its fleet, putting it another step closer to being operationally independent, officials said during a Baghdad news conference Sunday. With a contract on the verge of completion, the Iraqi Navy is the first of the Iraq's forces to use the Ministry of Defense's procurement process with Iraqi money in purchasing major capital programs from foreign governments and commercial ventures. http://newsblaze.com/story/20070320122519tsop.nb/newsblaze/IRAQ0001/Iraq.html
10. Sailors pump up Iraq oil terminal -- ABOARD AL BASRA OIL TERMINAL — Much of Iraq’s financial hope for the future rests on a $59 million coalition-funded upgrade. Buoyed some 60 miles south of the war-torn nation in the Persian Gulf sits an oil platform that provides Iraq with an estimated 85 percent of the struggling country’s revenue. http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=44002
11. VeriSign launches PrePayIN service In Iraq -- (MENAFN) The Chairman of the Iraq-based Al-Mazaya Telecommunications said that the company will launch a new repay service, PrePayIN, supported by VeriSign Inc. in the first half of this year, Portal Iraq reported. http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?storyid=1093144329
12. My Iraq: Basra business trainer -- Najah trains women at a business development centre in Basra. The kind of NGO I work for didn't exist under Saddam Hussein's rule. helped establish an association for women's education. We encourage them to set up small businesses.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6451199.stm
END
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