What! No RV? ...

There will be a solar eclipse on January 4, 2011

What! No RV?

Well, maybe .. just maybe .. it isn't all about Iraq. Iraq is indeed a major player and, in fact, Iraq could be considered the "lynchpin" that ties everything together, but all Nations need to be on the same page before we see a major change. The change, imo, will be a "Global" change.

In 2002, there was the "The Monterrey Consensus - A New Global Partnership". The meeting was held in Monterrey, Mexico. It was the first of many international meetings where the blueprint for the new partnership was unvieled. The focus was on a shared responsibility between developed and developing countries. A national partnership where nations agree on policies relating to finance, development, and global balance (UNTAD), Trade and Free trade Agreements (WTO), and Global Governance and Oversight (UN - IMF). read here ~MONTERREY CONSENSUS ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT: RESPONSE SOUGHT FROM INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC LAW

In 2008, the beginning of the U.S. financial crisis, was when the G20 first met to discuss the financial meltdown. Plans which had been discussed years prior were to be put to the test. Here is an article to explain and refresh your memory about what happened ~ G20 Meeting - November 2008 - The Toast To - The New Global Financial Order ....

Since then, there have been a multitude of meetings held between the G7, G8, G20, IMF, UN, WTO, and all preparing for the new age and the new global economy. (for reference to the all the meetings held, you can use search engine on this blog - all labled accordingly i.e, G20, G7, IMF, etc..). here are a few posts to look at ~ G20 Statements - 2009-2010 ... and WTO chief wants G20 push on global trade deal ... and *****LINKS - GLOBAL ECONOMY - GLOBAL CURRENCY ...

Some of the best article, imo, are ~ UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2009 and The Financial New World Order: Towards a Global Currency and World Government and World Currencies - Will We Finally See a Global Realignment? and OVERNIGHT GLOBAL REALIGNMENTS? PAST EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS MOMENT - PART 1 ...

Other events which may indicate a change in the new year are:

DECEMBER 30, 2010 ~ IMF SDR RATE REVISION ~ JANUARY 1, 2011 ~ NEW RATE TAKES EFFECT ... and IMF/SDRs ~ JAN. 7th ANNOUNCEMENT AND JAN. 10th EFFECTIVE ~ NEW VALUATION FOR SDR BASKET ~ EXCHANGE RATES AND INTEREST RATES JAN. 10, 2011

January 1st 2011 ~Good News ~ Changes in FDIC Deposit Insurance Coverage

IMO, we will witness a "global realignment" (making currencies more "in line with each other or "on par") in 2011 ( next week) and Iraq will participate as an internationally recognized country.

I could go on .. but, there is way too much information to explain everything. Just know that we are on the cusp of a major event. What and how it all plays out is anyone's guess (as is mine, just a guess). There are other events which cannot be posted or mentioned because it is highly sensitive information.

more articles can be found here - link - Upcoming Conferences, Events, and Financial Meetings for December 2010 and January 2011 with links ... Will Update ...

Sistani’s representative lambastes way of choosing new ministers

Friday, December 31st 2010

Sistani’s representative lambastes way of choosing new ministers

Karbala, The representative of the Shia religious authority Ali al-Sistani in Karbala criticized Friday the new government’s way of choosing the new ministers saying it lacked professional standards to choose the appropriate ministers.

Ahmed al-Safi said during the Friday prayers that the criteria used in selecting candidates for the ministries was not better than the experience of the previous government which he described as a “failure” because non-competent persons assumed ministerial office.

Iraq’s political blocs shared the government posts based on a power-sharing deal. Each bloc that had won ministerial portfolios would send the CVs of three candidates to Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki could study them and choose the best.

http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/207001/

February 28, 2010 ~ Iraqi dinar re-evaluation has to do with economic conditions ...

Bumped ~ remember this?

February 28, 2010 - 04:36:11

PM: Iraqi dinar re-evaluation has to do with economic conditions

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said on Sunday that the process to re-evaluate the Iraqi dinar has to do with economic conditions that have to be strengthened.

“The Iraqi dinar has all the reasons to grow stronger thanks to an increase in revenues and development of the economy,” Maliki said in response to some questions through the National Information Center.

“The government would not rush matters but would rather work on finding all the guarantees to render this measure a success. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) is currently entrusted with drawing up a study on the whole issue and would give its decision soon,” said the Iraqi premier.

The Iraqi dinar’s exchange rate is suffering from low value against foreign currencies as a result of decades of wars and economic embargo that brought the local currency’s exchange rate to the rock bottom from three dinars per dollar in the late 1970s and 1980s to 3,000 dinars per dollar after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, followed by a 13-year crippling sanctions regime.

The exchange rate fell even more after 2003 to reach 1170 dinars per dollar due to the CBI’s policy of daily auction, in effect for more than five years now.

The policy was lambasted by several economists on the grounds that these auctions do not give the real value of the country’s local currency.

AmR (S)/SR

also here

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100301063801/PM%3A%20Iraqi%20dinar%20re-evaluation%20has%20to%20do%20with%20economic%20conditions

Iraq: A Look Back at 2010 - Video

GCC central bank governors said they had already approved the budget of the GCC Monetary Council and will now form executive body ...

25 December, 2010

GCC Monetary Council to form executive body

The central bank governors from six Gulf countries agreed Wednesday to pursue plans to set up an executive body ahead of the creation of the region's first central bank.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) central bank governors said they had already approved the budget of the GCC Monetary Council (GMC) and would hold more talks through 2011 to establish an executive body that will carry out the GMC’s functions.

"The executive body is to be drawn from the four members and will be headed by a CEO, who will pick the administrative staff and devise plans of action," Aleqtisadiah Arabic daily said.

"The GMC will assume a supervisory role while the executive body will chalk out plans and implement GMC’s decisions."

The paper said the GMC should hold at least six meetings every year pending the creation of a GCC central bank, which will in turn launch a single currency.

In press comments Wednesday, GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Al Ateyya urged the other GCC members to rejoin the currency union to ensure full economic merger within the 29-year-old Gulf alliance.

UAE quit the monetary union in early 2009, while Oman quit two years earlier.

Saudi Gazette

This is good ~ Kurdish Parliament May Convene During Recess for Budget Bill ...

Friday, December 31st 2010

Kurdish parliament may convene during recess for budget bill

Erbil, A member of the Kurdistan Regional parliament said parliament convenes to discuss budget bill anytime the bill arrives, even during parliamentary recess.

The Kurdish parliament has four months recess, Jan. to March and July to Sep.

Zakiya Salih told AKnews the lawmakers are requested to gather in parliament anytime the bill reaches the Kurdish parliament.

The Iraqi budget was expected to reach parliament in October. However, the bill may pass first reading in January as a result of the delay in the cabinet formation.

The general budget of the country for 2011 is estimated to be around 78.969 billion U.S. Dollars, up from $71 billion in 2010. The Kurdistan Region is entitled to 17% of the total budget, equal to over $9.184 billion from the proposed fund.

The Kurdish parties have objected to the budget and above all to the condition that binds the Kurdistan share to its oil export volume.

http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/2/206963/

IMF may replace yen with yuan in SDR basket ...

2010-12-31

IMF may replace yen with yuan in SDR basket

The International Monetary Fund may begin an examination on its Special Drawing Rights (SDR) valuation basket at the beginning of next year, and new currencies from emerging economies may be included in the basket, Securities Times reported Friday, citing a Japanese report.

The IMF has set new currency weights for SDR valuation basket in its November review. The SDRs, currency units developed by the IMF based on a basket of major currencies, currently is comprised of the US dollar, euro, British pound and Japanese yen.

With the development of emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil, voices calling for a reformed monetary system have become louder. The report said IMF may consider enlarging the basket and candidate currencies may include Chinese yuan and Brazilian real as emerging markets' influence increasing. And the Japanese yen may be replaced by the currency of an emerging economy.

link

Iraq and U.S. Federal Budget for 2011 ~ The budget did not pass this year, the first time since 1974 (hmmm when Nixon went off of the gold standard?)

Maybe a coincidence? 1974 close to the time U.S. went off of the gold standard and maybe we will return? Rumors are flying about returning to the gold/metal backed currencies. And ... another thought ... Iraq hasn't passed their budget yet .. is it possible that other countries are waiting for them before they can balance their own country's budget? Federal Reserve holds foreign currencies (for example, the dinar) just a thought, kel ...

Main article: United States federal budget - The budget did not pass this year, the first time since 1974.

The United States Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 2011, is a spending request by President Barack Obama to fund government operations for October 2010–September 2011. Figures shown in the spending request do not reflect the actual appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011, which must be authorized by Congress.

The budget did not pass this year, the first time since 1974,[1] and on September 30, 2010, the Congress voted on a continuing resolution, to keep the government running until December 3, 2010. On December 22, 2010, the Congress voted on another continuing resolution, to keep the government running until March 4, 2011, [2].

____Gold Standard

After Nixon chose to go off the gold standard, foreign countries increased their currency reserves in anticipation of currency fluctuation, which caused deflation of the dollar and other world currencies. Since oil was paid for in dollars, OPEC was receiving less value for their product. They cut production and announced price hikes and an embargo targeted at the United States and the Netherlands, specifically blaming U.S. support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War for the actions.

Lines for the purchase of gasoline and stations with empty tanks became common sights; "Sorry, No Gas Today" read signs in front of many stations. The crisis required rationing and cultural changes by the American public. The Embargo became a resounding lesson of "living within limits" for many Americans. Throughout the 1970s, this recognition began to define the modern environmental movement's ideas concerning the need of conserve natural resources. In terms of world power, the equation had been permanently altered. Even following the Embargo, a stable supply of crude oil had been placed undeniably within "matters of national interest."

On January 2, 1974, Nixon signed a bill that lowered the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 miles per hour in order to conserve gasoline during the crisis. This law was repealed in 1995, though states had been allowed to raise the limit to 65 miles per hour in rural areas since 1987.

With the US actions seen as initiating the oil embargo, the long-term possibility of embargo-related high oil prices, disrupted supply and recession, created a strong rift within NATO; both European nations and Japan sought to disassociate themselves from the US Middle East policy. Arab oil producers had also linked the end of the embargo with successful US efforts to create peace in the Middle East, which complicated the situation. To address these developments, the Nixon Administration began parallel negotiations with both Arab oil producers to end the embargo, and with Egypt, Syria, and Israel to arrange an Israeli pullback from the Sinai and the Golan Heights after the fighting stopped. By January 18, 1974, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had negotiated an Israeli troop withdrawal from parts of the Sinai. The promise of a negotiated settlement between Israel and Syria was sufficient to convince Arab oil producers to lift the embargo in March 1974. By May, Israel agreed to withdraw from the Golan Heights.

http://theenergylibrary.com/node/10625

Iraq wants to lead oil world - Great Article ...

related article ~ OPEC basket price up to USD 90.22 Per Barrel ...

Iraq wants to lead oil world

BAGHDAD, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Iraqi oil production is increasing to the point that it will dominate oil policies on the global stage, a deputy prime minister for energy said.

Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul-Karim Elaibi claimed Monday that output had increased 100,000 barrels a day to 2.6 million bpd and will hit higher targets "sooner than expected."

Iraq plans to boost production to as much as 12 million bpd by 2017, which would put the Iraqis near Saudi Arabia's current capacity.

Hussain al-Shahristani, who left the post of oil minister to become the deputy prime minister for energy in the new Iraqi government, said his country would be at the forefront of world oil producers when production hits 12 million barrels of oil per day within the next six year, Iraqi news agency Azzaman reports.

"Iraq shall dominate international oil policy in terms of distribution, prices and marketing," he said.

Iraq has signed 15 oil and gas production contracts with major international energy companies to boost production.

Iraq gets most of its revenue from oil sales, though rich natural gas deposits have drawn international interest. The country aims to sign off on gas deals with Royal Dutch Shell and Mitsubishi by the end of January.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/12/30/Iraq-wants-to-lead-oil-world/UPI-90381293712780/

Turkey Flexes Economic, Political Muscle In Iraq ...

December 31, 2010

Turkey Flexes Economic, Political Muscle In Iraq

Turkey is stepping up its role in Iraq, vying with Iran as a regional power. These powerful neighbors use investments and building projects to ensure long-term influence. The competition is heating up as the U.S. prepares to withdraw troops from Iraq by the end of next year.

Northern Iraq is the staging ground for Turkey's bid for economic dominance, and the Marina restaurant in Irbil is the kind of place that businessmen come to make deals. The food is pricey, and the live entertainment is in Turkish, a sign of Turkey's growing role. In the central market, Turkish products are available in every shop stall.

Local university professor Birzo Abdul Qhader surveys the goods on display.

"These baskets are Turkish, the plastic flowers, towels, the children's clothes," he says.

Turkish builders are active, too. A Turkish firm designed and built Irbil's new international airport. Turkish companies have invested in new five-star hotels and housing estates. And in the energy sector, state companies are exploring for oil in the south, while private oil companies are staking claims to discovered oil near Irbil.

"They've basically traded the stick for the carrot," says Greg Gause, who teaches about the politics of the Middle East at the University of Vermont.

"The Turks have predominant influence of any foreign power, even rivaling the U.S., and they've done it through a clever and low-key strategy," he says.

The economic boom in the north is due to the relative stability in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. It is also due to a dramatic shift in Turkish policy.

"The Turks are a very serious player in the Kurdish economy, which is doing much better than the rest of Iraq," Gause says. "But they've also gained a lot more day-to-day influence than they've ever had in the past."

Turkey's Historic Shift Toward Iraq

For years, Turkey opposed Kurdish autonomy in Iraq and did not recognize the Kurdish regional government, preferring to deal exclusively with Baghdad. Turkey has long feared that Kurdish aspirations for independence would incite Turkey's own Kurdish minority. The Turkish army conducted cross-border raids against the PKK, separatist Kurdish rebels who are fighting for an ethnic homeland for Kurds.

But the government in Ankara, dominated by the AKP, or Justice and Development Party, has made a historic shift, symbolized by an official visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu and the opening of a Turkish consulate in Irbil. Turkey's overall trade with Iraq has jumped to more than $6 billion a year, and Ankara's goal is to raise trade to $25 billion in five years, making Iraq its top trading partner. With Iraq's vast oil reserves, Turkey aims to be a major energy bridge from the Middle East to Europe.

Eric Davis is a Middle East specialist at Rutgers University. He notes that the Turkish chamber of commerce and industry has been lobbying the government not to allow the military to attack PKK forces whenever it wants, because that threatens investments in the north.

Indeed, stability in the north has led to a housing demand, which opened opportunities for Turkish contractors. Turkish laborers are building thousands of housing units in Irbil. Success in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq has led to bids farther south.

"Maybe we will go further down to Basra," says construction manager Serdar Kutsal, who has plans for a project in Karbala, south of Baghdad. "We will — but most likely we will go with our Kurdish friends."

In Baghdad, a Turkish consortium outbid an Iranian group for an $11 billion project to renovate Sadr City, the capital's largest Shiite neighborhood. Turkey is contesting Iran's economic dominance in southern Iraq with a consulate in Basra that focuses on trade.

"Different kind of influence — I know what Turkey is trying to do, and it is definitely a win-win policy," Kutsal says.

This is a historic rivalry, says Davis of Rutgers University. "This is like going back to the Ottoman Empire and the Safavids ... in the 1500s. This is the old struggle for Iraq between the Turks and the Iranians," he says.

Building Ties In Kurdistan And Baghdad

In the modern contest, carried out in business suits rather than military uniforms, Turkey appears to have Arab and American backing to keep Iran in check. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited Ankara to get Turkish support for his bid to form the new government. He also sought approval in many more visits to Tehran.

"I think that's the long-term Turkish goal here, and in many ways, the long-term Iranian goal is to so tie the business and economic elements that their influence becomes so pervasive that it's unquestioned," says Gause of the University of Vermont.

Iran has historic political ties to Iraq's Kurds and Shiite Arabs and used those connections to press for an Iraqi government in line with Iranian interests. Turkey flexed political muscles, too, says Joost Hiltermann with the International Crisis Group.

"The regional states absolutely had an influence — but none of them was able to impose the solution it wanted," he says.

With so much at stake, Turkey continues to build ties to the leadership in the Kurdistan regional government as well as Baghdad. In a telling piece of political symbolism, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan, the leader of a predominantly Sunni Muslim nation, attended the Shiite commemoration of Ashura, one of the most important holidays on the religious calendar. It is a gesture that will likely be noted by the dominant Shiite leaders in Baghdad. The Turks have shown that religion can be good for business.

In an office in Irbil, Turkish businessman Ardel Ahiska explains that it is good to be a Turk in Kurdistan.

"It is a big market for the Turkish businessmen, Turkish trade man," he says. "We will be rich together."

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/31/132475910/turkey-flexes-economic-political-muscle-in-iraq?ft=1&f=1010

Iraq will join the GCC Trade Union Gulf ~ post includes more on Iraq and GCC

Bumped ~

29/12/2010

Jaafar al-Hamdani: Iraq will join the Trade Union Gulf
ا
واع/بغداد/ح ب Conscious / Baghdad / h b

The head of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce Jaafar al-Hamdani said Wednesday that Iraq is soon to join the Federation of GCC Chambers during a meeting of the heads of the Federation of GCC which will be held soon.

Hamdani said in a statement to the reporter (and the Iraqi News Agency Information / INA) that he will be in Union meeting next change the name of the Federation of Chambers of the GCC to the Federation of GCC Chambers, pointing out that the drop that occurred in 1990 shot down Iraq's membership of this union, but returned today to be in the General Secretariat of the Council and the president in his works, pointing out that the reconstruction of Iraq to the Union gives him a huge advantage in the global economic circles and works to encourage investment companies to get into Iraq.

The name of the Union has been around from the Federation of GCC Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Chambers of the Gulf Cooperation Council after the toppling of Iraq's membership by the Federation in 1990.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&u=http://al-iraqnews.info/new/economic-news/41347.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dnahrain%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Dbh9%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Iraq restored to GCC Chambers Union

The GCC Chambers Union informed the GCC General Secretariat that it has agreed to restore the membership of Iraq and endorsed the membership of Yemen in the Union.

This came at the end of the joint meeting of the 24 officials of the GCC General Secretariat and the heads and members of the GCC Chambers Union, which was held at Barr Al Jissah resort in the presence of HE Maqbool Bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry, on Monday.

Diversification of income, human development, inflation, food security and financial crisis are some important areas among them, he said.

He called for combined efforts of public and private sectors in GCC countries to address these challenges.

---------
Iraq restores its membership in GCC

IRAQ Directory.com - 3/11/2009

The Union of Commerce and Industry Chambers for the Gulf Cooperation Council had agreed on restoring Iraq's membership in the Union.

According to Oman News Agency reported that the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council agreed to restore Iraq's membership as well as involving of Yemen.

This came at the conclusion of the twenty fourth joint meeting among the officials of the General Secretariat of Cooperation Council for the heads and members of GCC, which was held at Bar al Jasa resort in Muscat.

The Omani minister of Commerce and Industry, Maqbool Bin Ali Bin Sultan had delivered a speech at the meeting and reviewed the challenges that facing the Gulf private sector in the coming period.

---------
Iraq restored to GCC Chambers Union

Muscat The GCC Chambers Union informed the GCC General Secretariat that it has agreed to restore the membership of Iraq and endorsed the membership of Yemen in the Union.

This came at the end of the joint meeting of the 24 officials of the GCC General Secretariat and the heads and members of the GCC Chambers Union, which was held at Barr Al Jissah resort in the presence of HE Maqbool Bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry, on Monday.

In his speech, Maqbool reviewed the challenges to be faced by the private sector throughout the Gulf countries in the coming years.

Diversification of income, human development, inflation, food security and financial crisis are some important areas among them, he said.

He called for combined efforts of public and private sectors in GCC countries to address these challenges.

Oman News Agency

link from 09 - doesn't work but this was it ...
www.omantribune.com/index.php?page=news&...071&heading=Oman

Adel Abdul Mahdi to be Iraqi vice president ... Their baaack ...

2009 Presidential Council - Barzani, Maliki, Talibani and Mahdi

Thursday, December 30th 2010

Adel Abdul Mahdi to be Iraqi vice president

Baghdad, A member in the Supreme Council of the National Coalition, said on Thursday, that the Vice-President position was reserved for Adel Abdul Mahdi, pointing out that the president Jalal Talabani insisted on this.

Abdul Hussein Abtan, told AKnews that Mahdi will have the position of the Iraqi vice president as a candidate of the National Coalition.

Abtan mentioned that Mahdi was chosen by the presidnet, becuase he was recognized for beeing a hardworder as the vice president during the past period.

Turkmen lawmaker in the parliament demanded to have the vice president position and some service ministries, yet President Talabani expressed his desire to elect a third deputy for him; noting that the constitution did not state on this but it could be issued as a law.

http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/206820/

Could it Be ~ Speculation that China’s policy makers will allow the currency to gain in an effort to tame inflation

Policy makers “recognize the usefulness of a stronger currency in curbing inflation,” said Cohen. “The yuan, like other Asian currencies, has very strong fundamentals and the country has a very large current account surplus.”

December 31, 2010

Yuan Set for Fifth Weekly Gain as China Seeks to Tame Inflation

The yuan headed for its fifth weekly gain, trading near a 17-year high, on speculation China’s policy makers will allow the currency to gain in an effort to tame inflation

The renminbi climbed 0.33 percent in the past five days, reaching 6.6008 per dollar yesterday, the strongest level since China unified official and market exchange rates at the end of 1993. The People’s Bank of China set the reference rate at the strongest level since ending a dollar peg in July 2005. The yuan will continue to gain, advancing 6 percent next year, said David Cohen, an economist at Action Economics Ltd. in Singapore.

Policy makers “recognize the usefulness of a stronger currency in curbing inflation,” said Cohen. “The yuan, like other Asian currencies, has very strong fundamentals and the country has a very large current account surplus.”

The yuan was little changed today at 6.6049 per dollar as of 10:35 a.m. in Shanghai, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System. Twelve-month non-deliverable forwards advanced 0.17 percent to 6.4500, reflecting bets the Chinese currency will gain 2.3 percent in a year.

The PBOC set its daily reference rate higher for the ninth day, at 6.6227 per dollar today compared to 6.6229 yesterday. The yuan is allowed to trade by up to 0.5 percent either side of the so-called central parity rate. The U.S. Dollar Index, a gauge of the greenback’s strength, retreated for the seventh day.

China’s consumer prices climbed 5.1 percent from a year earlier in November, the biggest gain in 28 months, the statistics bureau said on Dec. 11. The yuan is a denomination of China’s currency, the renminbi.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-30/yuan-set-for-fifth-weekly-gain-as-china-seeks-to-tame-inflation.html

January 10th, Parliament Returns and Work Begins ~ Nat'l Policy Council Begins its Work Next February

Tenth of January, next month, the end of the holiday Parliament

30/12/2010

Iraq: Policy Council begins its work next February

بغداد ـ الصباح Baghdad morning

The Iraqi List, said that the Law on the National Council of the Supreme policies was completed in all its aspects no longer be any differences with the National Alliance and will be submitted to a vote in parliament after the tenth of next month, the end of the holiday Parliament ».

Advisor list Hani Ashour said in a press statement: The «Dr. Iyad Allawi will begin after the vote on the law of the Council, its composition and will exercise its beginning next February.

It was now since work on the rules of procedure ».

Ashor noted that the «differences were small and had some of the paragraphs of the law, has been exceeded and agreed upon, will be the Council's independence in its work, in order to facilitate the implementation of the tasks, and will be President Allawi, the same value of legal persons for the Prime Minister in accordance with what was agreed upon» he says.

He ruled out Ashour said the chairman shall have a number of MPs, but will be the prerogative of the President of the National Council of the policies the Supreme choose from acting for him to perform his duties in his absence, as stated in the draft law, pointing out that «the month of February next will see the beginning of the National Council of the policies the Supreme , and its decisions will be taken to vote and will have the right invitation of the Chairman of the Board deems necessary from the officials when considering any decision in its area of competence.

He also stressed that the work of the Council will be supportive of the Government in the formulation of Iraq policy in the areas of high economic, security and political, social and external relations ».

He also denied a member of a coalition of state law Abdullah Iskandar, there are differences between the leaders of the National Alliance and the leader of the Iraqi List, Iyad Allawi on the Law of the National Council for the strategic policies, expected to open the question of the powers of the Council early next year.

Iskandar said in a statement quoted by news agency Nina: It «There are no real differences about the powers of the National Council for the strategic policies, but there was controversy on the issue of protocol at the beginning it was agreed to find a special formula to resolve recent».

He pointed out that «the matter of protocol relating to the fact that the Prime Minister and his deputies and the President of the Republic and his deputies are empowered executive, will own the chairman of the National policies of strategic executive authority, or is it issued guidance to the executive authority to implement them», noting that «things are going in the right direction, and I think that the day of the ninth January will see the enactment of this Council in the House of Representatives and then ends this dilemma

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&u=http://www.alsabaah.com/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dwww.alsabaah.com%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dmozilla%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:unofficial

Iraq Council will begin its work early next February ~ Law Policy Council equal legal value between Allawi and Maliki ...

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Iraq: Law Policy Council equal legal value between Allawi and Maliki

BAGHDAD: Iraqi List led by Iyad Allawi, on Wednesday, that the law of the National Council of policies completed and submitted to parliament for a vote at its next meeting after the resolution of differences with the National Alliance, indicating that the Council will begin its work early next February, as confirmed that Allawi will have the same value that legal enjoyed by al-Maliki.

The adviser said the Iraqi List, Hani Ashour said in a statement issued by his office, said that "the Iraqi List, completed the law of the National Council of politicians high in all its aspects, after the resolution of differences with the National Alliance on some paragraphs of the law," noting that "the Council will be independent in its work to be able to carry out its tasks easily. "

The number of deputies from the National Alliance have expressed opposition to the bill of the National Council for the strategic policy because it puts the Council's executive powers to make it over the prime minister and the House of Representatives, which may raise a conflict of terms of reference of the executive branch, as the new National Alliance more than once on the lips of a number of deputies call to make the Council an advisory, without executive powers.

Ashour added that "Iraqi law will be submitted to the House of Representatives for a vote at its next meeting to be held on the tenth of next January after the end of recess," noting that "the Council President Iyad Allawi will begin the formation of the council after the vote".

Ashour and continued that "Iraq began developing rules of procedure of the Council to begin the exercise of his duties early next February," pointing out that "Iraq agreed that the President of the Council enjoy the same legal value enjoyed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki," he says.

The adviser to the Iraqi List, "Allawi would have authority to choose his deputy in his absence as stated in the draft Council Act," unlikely "to be President of the National Council a number of deputies."

He predicted Ashour "The council departments specialized according to functions to draw high-level policy in the areas of competence and a budget with a general secretariat to oversee the organization of work based on the experiences and competencies higher in the country," pointing out that "the Council will begin to make decisions early next February, will have the right boss invitation of the officials deem necessary when considering any resolution in their respective fields. "

And Ashour stressed that "the work of the Council would be supportive of the Government in the formulation of Iraq policy in the areas of high economic, security and political, social and external relations," he says.

The MP for the Iraqi List, said Ahmed al-Alwani, said Tuesday that "there is disagreement within the House of Representatives on the budget to be allocated to the Political Council of the strategic policy level.

Under the draft to be bound by decisions of the Council unanimously adopted in the event, but in the absence of unanimity in the strategic issues the Supreme Council shall take decisions by two thirds of its members and be in this case binding on the authorities concerned as well.

The draft law also stipulates that the Council take decisions in matters other than the usual strategic matters Supreme absolute majority of its members, and in the case of an equality of votes shall prevail to the side on which its President, also gave the draft to the Council the right to pursue the good execution of its decisions binding.

And I knew the draft of the National Council of the policies the Supreme that the Council act in accordance with the Constitution and consists of a President and the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic and President of the Council of Representatives and the President of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and have a financial and administrative independence with The candidate to the presidency of the National Council of the policies the Supreme Council of Representatives for a confidence vote by an absolute majority of its members It conducts its work after the constitutional oath before the House of Representatives.

The draft that the work of the Council and its President and its members continue for one cycle to form a government of the session following the establishment of the Council, and the Congress may extend the work of the new Council for a second session with the consent of an absolute majority of the members of the new Council of Representatives

According to the draft objectives of the Council in contributing to dissolve the contract, which opposed the political process in Iraq and to develop policy guidelines the Supreme Assembly of the State and all the authorities and make recommendations and proposals on legislation and laws and on the reform of the judicial system

The areas in which it operates by the Council are nine areas include ensuring that ensure compliance with the constitution, drawing up foreign policy, and establish strategic military and security, and policy development of economic, financial, monetary and energy policies, investment and development, reforming the judicial system and to achieve national reconciliation in addition to developing strategies for the organization of environmental services, health, and human rights, culture, human development, and education

http://www.alrafidayn.com/2009-05-26-22-07-53/28000-2010-12-29-20-06-24.html

Maliki's Troop Mistake

December 31, 2010

Maliki's Troop Mistake

A continued American troop presence is good for Iraq, and the combustible Persian Gulf region.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in his first interview since forming a new government in Baghdad this month, left himself little wiggle room to keep U.S. troops in Iraq beyond 2011. "The last American soldier will leave" next December, he told the Journal Tuesday. "This agreement is not subject to extension, not subject to alteration. It is sealed."

Mr. Maliki is reputed to be canny, but his better instincts abandoned him here. A savvy politician gives himself an escape hatch, just in case. For the sake of Iraq and the combustible Persian Gulf region, the Prime Minister and the Obama Administration should find a way to walk back from his intemperate demarche.

The Prime Minister was no doubt playing the nationalism card for his domestic audience, and we can understand the impulse to send Americans home after the long fight for liberation from Saddam and al Qaeda. He may also think that America's departure will mark a coming of age for the new Iraq.

Progress has been undeniable—the too little reported good news story of 2010. This year saw the lowest number of civilian casualties since the 2003 invasion, and terrorism no longer poses a mortal threat to the state. The coalition formed after a close election in March has also brought Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds under the same tent. The economy is booming. Fewer than 50,000 American troops are left, based outside the cities and no longer engaged in combat. By the terms of the current status of forces agreement, all will leave within 12 months.

Iraq's own 700,000-strong security forces have matured to the challenge of keeping peace in the country. But the U.S. military now plays a different role as a guarantor of stability in Iraq and the neighborhood. The sectarian groups still compete fiercely over the division of spoils and power. Iraqis know that America has no designs on Iraq territory or resources, which is why it is trusted as an honest broker.

Iraq's north around Mosul is a particular sore point. Sunnis, Kurds and smaller ethnic groups are facing off over control of oil resources below Kurdistan. Nearly 10,000 U.S. troops, a fifth of the remaining force, help keep the peace in the province of Neneveh, manning checkpoints, while U.S. officials help work out a political solution. The disputes are unlikely to be solved in a year.

Sunni terrorist groups are busy exploiting the existing tensions. The Iraqi police commander in Mosul was killed Wednesday in a multiple suicide bomb attack on his headquarters. Shamel Ahmed Ugla, the commander, had led the fight on al Qaeda in Iraq in the region.

The formation of a unified government showed the resilience of Iraq's political system, but the nine months of infighting leading up to it were a reminder of its fragility. The presence of the anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's party in the coalition makes Sunnis nervous. At least the Sadr group has no say over security forces. Mr. Maliki's political rivals think the Prime Minister harbors an authoritarian streak and enjoys too much control over a Shiite-dominated military. U.S. forces would have an especially reassuring effect on the Kurds, a long-suffering minority that doesn't trust Baghdad.

The presence of U.S. forces in Iraq can also have a stabilizing impact in the region, much as U.S. troops in Japan and South Korea have had in Asia nearly 60 years after the end of the Korean War. The U.S. can help to shield Iraq from undue Saudi or Iranian pressure with troops on the ground, while making Iran think twice about regional adventures. With the right atmospherics and conditions, this insurance policy need not be controversial in the U.S. or Iraq.

The Obama Administration has known the 2011 deadline was coming, and it's a blunder not to have been quietly negotiating with Mr. Maliki for a new forces agreement. Little time remains to sort out a compromise or get a new deal. The U.S. military doesn't travel light, and it needs to know as soon as possible if troops are to stay in Iraq. We hope Mr. Maliki's comments this week haven't shut the door on a partnership that would benefit both countries.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703909904576051683293264462.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

December 2009 ~ Gulf Petro-Powers to Launch Currency in Latest Threat to Dollar Hegemony

(Traders at the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange)

The Arab states of the Gulf region have agreed to launch a single currency modeled on the euro, hoping to blaze a trail towards a pan-Arab monetary union swelling to the ancient borders of the Ummayad Caliphate.

15 Dec 2009

“The Gulf monetary union pact has come into effect,” said Kuwait’s finance minister, Mustafa al-Shamali, speaking at a Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait.

The move will give the hyper-rich club of oil exporters a petro-currency of their own, greatly increasing their influence in the global exchange and capital markets and potentially displacing the US dollar as the pricing currency for oil contracts. Between them they amount to regional superpower with a GDP of $1.2 trillion (£739bn), some 40pc of the world’s proven oil reserves, and financial clout equal to that of China.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar are to launch the first phase next year, creating a Gulf Monetary Council that will evolve quickly into a full-fledged central bank.

The Emirates are staying out for now – irked that the bank will be located in Riyadh at the insistence of Saudi King Abdullah rather than in Abu Dhabi. They are expected join later, along with Oman.

The Gulf states remain divided over the wisdom of anchoring their economies to the US dollar. The Gulf currency – dubbed “Gulfo” – is likely to track a global exchange basket and may ultimately float as a regional reserve currency in its own right. “The US dollar has failed. We need to delink,” said Nahed Taher, chief executive of Bahrain’s Gulf One Investment Bank.

The project is inspired by Europe’s monetary union, seen as a huge success in the Arab world. But there are concerns that the region is trying to run before it can walk.

Europe took 40 years to reach the point where it felt ready to launch a currency. It began with the creation of the Iron & Steel Community in the 1950s, moving by steps towards a single market enforced by powerful Commission and European Court. The EMU timetable was fixed at the Masstricht in 1991 but it took another 11 for euro notes and coins to reach the streets.

Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Kalifa, Bahrain’s foreign minister, told the FIKR Arab Thought summit in Kuwait that the project would not work unless the Gulf countries first break down basic barriers to trade and capital flows.

At the moment, trucks sit paralysed at border posts for days awaiting entry clearance. Labour mobility between states is almost zero.

“The single currency should come last. We need to coordinate our economic policies and build up common infrastructure as a first step,” he said.

Mohammed El-Enein, chair of the energy and industry committee in Egypt’s parliament, said Europe’s example could help the Arab world achieve its half-century dream of a unified currency, but the task requires discipline. “We need exactly the same institutions as the EU has created. We need a commission, a court, and a bank,” he said.

The last currency to trade in souks from Marakesh, to Baghdad and Mecca, was the Ottomon Piaster, known as the “kurush”. It suffered chronic inflation as the silver coinage was debased.

There is a logic to an Arab currency. The region speaks one language, has the unifying creed of “Umma Wahida” or One Nation from the Koran, and has not torn itself apart in savage wars – ever – in quite the way that Europe has in living memory.

Yet hurdles are formidable even for the tight-knit group of Gulf states. While the eurozone is a club of rough equals – with Germany, France, Italy, and Spain each holding two votes on the ECB council – the Gulf currency will be dominated by Saudi Arabia. The risk is that other countries will feel like satellites. Monetary policy will inevitably be set for Riyadh’s needs.

Hans Redeker, currency chief at BNP Paraibas, said the Gulf states may have romanticised Europe’s achievement and need to move with great care to avoid making the same errors.

“The Greek crisis has exposed the weak foundations on which the euro is built. The gap in competitiveness between core Europe and the periphery has grown wider and wider. The obvious mistake was to launch EMU without a central fiscal authority and political union, as the Bundesbank warned in the 1990s,” he said.

“The euro was created for political reasons after the fall of the Berlin to lock Germany irrevocably into Europe. It was not done for economic reasons,” he said.

Ben Simpfendorfer, Asia economist for RBS and an expert on the Middle East, told the FIKR conference that the rise of China had paradoxically disrupted the case for pan-Arab economic integration.

There was a natural fit ten years ago between rich oil state and low-wage manufacturers in Egypt and Syria, but cheap exports from China have forced poorer Arab states to retreat behind barriers to shelter their industries. “The rationale for a single currency has become weaker,” he said.

The GCC also agreed to create a joint military strike force – akin to the EU’s rapid reaction force – to tackle threats such as the incursion of Yemeni Shiite rebels into Saudi territory earlier this year.

This is a major breakthrough after years of deadlock on defence cooperation.

The Sunni Gulf states are deeply concerned about the great power ambitions of Shiite Iran and its quest for nuclear weapons, to the point where the theme of a possible war between Iran and a Saudi-led constellation of states has crept into the media debate.

They nevertheless repeated on Tuesday that “any military action against Iran” by Western powers would be unacceptable.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/e...-hegemony.html

Venezuela Devaluing Currency to Revive Economy Starting January 1, 2010

December 30, 2010

Venezuela Devaluing Currency to Revive Economy

Venezuela is devaluing its currency again and setting a single exchange rate for the U.S. dollar in an effort to revive the sluggish economy.

Finance Minister Jorge Giordani said Thursday that Caracas will have the single exchange rate starting Jan 1, 2011, fixing it at 4.3 bolivars per dollar.

Venezuela has been using a higher rate of 2.6 bolivars per dollar for selected imports, including food and medicine.

Giordani said the move should help the country's economy grow in 2011.

This past January, President Hugo Chavez announced a devaluation of the bolivar, the first since 2005. He also introduced the dual exchange rate at that time in an attempt to propel non-oil exports. The country's economy, however, has continued to falter.

New data from the country's central bank shows Venezuela failed to pull out of recession in 2010, with the economy shrinking 1.9 percent, led by a 2.2 percent decline in the oil sector. Venezuela's economy shrank 3.3 percent in 2009.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/americas/Venezuela-Devaluing-Currency-to-Revive-Economy-112675209.html

Maybe a year too early? ~ The seeds were planted years ago ... all over the world ...we are about to see results ...

2009 ~ last year december 28th, 2009 ~ Remember everyone believed that this was about to happen ... everyone ... imo, the dinar is like a mustard seed ...

The Parable of the Mustard Seed ~

"It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it." -- The Bible, Luke 13:18-9

On CNBC's "Kudlow & Company," Larry Kudlow is fond of bringing the financial world's attention to the mustard seed parable, which, in a religious context, is often interpreted as being a prediction of Christianity's growth around the world. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. The parable is that mustard is the least among seed, yet grows to become a huge mustard plant that provides shelter for many birds.

In an economic context, Larry believes the mustard seed parable has some merit, as the "shock and awe" from the recent policy moves geared toward stimulating the economy could sow some good economic results in 2009. Given the painful market action over the past six months and the extremely negative sentiment, which seems almost antithetical to investors' enthusiasm a year ago, Larry feels a rich investment harvest might be reaped.

Larry's Market File - Mini Boom? Airtime:

Mon. Dec. 28 2009 7:25 PM ET CNBC's Larry Kudlow discusses the top market and business headlines of the day.

Video ~ Listen to what he says at the end ...
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1371665263&play=1


Script ~

The Yield Curve Is Signaling Bigger Growth

Why? For one, the Senate health bill is less tax-punitive than the House version.

By Larry Kudlow

What’s a yield curve and why is it so important?

Well, the curve itself measures Treasury interest rates, by maturity, from 91-day T-bills all the way out to 30-year bonds. It’s the difference between the long rates and the short rates that tells a key story about the future of the economy.

When the curve is wide and upward sloping, as it is today, it tells us that the economic future is good. When the curve is upside down, or inverted, with short rates above long rates, it tells us that something is amiss — such as a credit crunch and a recession.

The inverted curve is abnormal, the positive curve is normal. We have returned to normalcy, and then some. Right now, the difference between long and short Treasury rates is as wide as any time in history. With the Fed pumping in all that money and anchoring the short rate at zero, investors are now charging the Treasury a higher interest rate for buying its bonds. That’s as it should be. The time preference of money simply means that the investor will hold Treasury bonds for a longer period of time, but he or she is going to charge a higher rate. That is a normal risk profile.

The yield curve may be the best single forecasting predictor there is. When it was inverted or flat for most of 2006, 2007, and the early part of 2008, it correctly predicted big trouble ahead. Right now it is forecasting a much stronger economy in 2010 than most people think possible.

So there could be a mini boom next year, with real GDP growing at 4 to 5 percent, perhaps with a 6 percent quarter in there someplace. And the unemployment rate is likely to come down, perhaps moving into the 8 percent zone from today’s 10 percent.

The normalization of the Treasury curve is corroborated by the rising stock market and a normalization of credit spreads in the bond market. I note that as the curve has widened in recent weeks, gold prices have corrected lower and the dollar has increased somewhat. So the edge may be coming off the inflation threat. If market investors expect the economy to grow, inflation at the margin will be that much lower as better growth absorbs at least some of the money-supply excess created by the Fed. My hunch is that inflation will range 2 to 3 percent next year.
It also could be that the health-care bill about to pass in the Senate is less onerous from a growth standpoint — and certainly less onerous than the House bill. For example, the Senate bill does not contain a 5.4 percent personal-tax-rate surcharge, which also would apply to capital gains. So if the Senate bill becomes the final bill, it will be less punitive on growth. That could explain the fall in gold and the rise in the dollar. We’ll still be stuck with a tax hike from the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, but at least we won’t have a tax hike on top of that. That’s the optimistic view, at any rate.

But really, pessimists have missed the big rise in corporate profits, the resiliency of our mostly free-market capitalist economy, and the monetarist experiment from the easy-money Fed. The optimal policy mix on the supply-side is low tax rates and King Dollar. We don’t have that. So as good as 2010 may be, with investors moving to beat the tax man, it could be a false prosperity at the expense of 2011.

But let’s cross that bridge when we get there. Right now, rising stocks and a wide and positive yield curve are spelling strong economic growth in the new year. (listen to what larry says at the end of the video !!)

Larry's Market File - Mini Boom?
Airtime:
Mon. Dec. 28 2009 7:25 PM ET

CNBC's Larry Kudlow discusses the top market and business headlines of the day.

Video ~
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1371665263&play=1

2011 will be a turning point for U.S. military in Iraq ...

December 30, 2010

2011 will be a turning point for U.S. military in Iraq

Next year at this time, the United States is to withdraw all of its troops from Iraq, the scheduled end of a turbulent chapter in American and Iraqi military history.

Even though the war is winding down, unrest there is persisting, with civilians and troops still dying in attacks -- and the steady violence raises the question about whether U.S. deployment could possibly continue into 2012 and beyond.

"What is important is the long-term relationship," said Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, spokesman for U.S. Forces-Iraq. "It's not dependent on the presence, the full-time presence of U.S. troops here, but I think that our partnership with Iraq and in particular, the Iraqi military, is critical to our interests, the U.S. interests in the region."

"The security agreement mandates complete withdrawal of U.S. forces and the end of U.S. Forces-Iraq's mission by the end of 2011," he said. "We have lived up to every part of the agreement and we fully intend to live up to the complete withdrawal as well."

The security agreement mandates complete withdrawal of U.S. forces and the end of U.S. Forces-Iraq's mission by the end of 2011.

--U.S. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan.

At present, Iraqi leaders haven't endorsed extending the bilateral pact. U.S. and Iraqi officials appear confident that American troops -- who barreled into Iraq in March 2003 and have been there ever since -- will be able to depart an Iraq secure enough to defend itself.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who grabbed another term as prime minister following a bruising political fight for power after the March elections, acknowledged that the government could choose to reach a new agreement with the United States.

But in a recent Wall Street Journal interview, he dampened speculation about a possible extension of a troop presence.

"This agreement is sealed and at the time we designated it as sealed and not subject to extension," he said. Many observers agree that al-Maliki is staunchly against an extension because of his political alliance with anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

One key issue over the next year is whether Iraqi troops will be able to handle security without U.S. forces. The U.S. military has steadily drawn down its forces and ended its combat mission in Iraq on August 31.

The U.S. military's current mission in Iraq is training, advising, assisting and equipping Iraqi forces. It will begin shifting some operations, such as police training, to the U.S. State Department.

Under other bilateral agreements outside the security pact, the United States will have "a very robust security agenda," said U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey. The embassy in Baghdad will have an office for security cooperation with about 80 to 90 military personnel who would handle the current military training program, he said.

Buchanan is "very optimistic" about the Iraqi forces the American troops -- now numbering under 50,000 -- will leave behind.

"I am thankful about where they are because they are doing a great job across the board with internal security, but I am also optimistic about the future, because I have watched them grow and develop over the years," Buchanan said.

One good sign of future stability is that the deadly eruptions of violence -- like the suicide bombings recently in the Iraqi city of Ramadi -- are fewer.

The number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq this year as of Thursday totals 60, by far the lowest yearly toll of the war, according to a CNN count.

Iraqi Body Count, a group that tracks and analyzes civilian casualty trends in Iraq, said the 2010 civilian death toll in Iraq "is the lowest since the war began" -- at least 3,976 deaths as of December 25.

The group said the end of the U.S. combat mission "was followed by an immediate halving in the number of civilian deaths between August and September, and lowered levels have continued into the winter months (with December so far showing the lowest toll of the year)."

"The within-year trend for 2010 is somewhat more hopeful," IBC said, adding that "it remains to be seen whether this improvement will persist into 2011."

At the same time, the report presents a troubling scenario.

"Taken as a whole and seen in the context of immediately preceding years, the 2010 data suggest a persistent low-level conflict in Iraq...," the report said.

Joost Hiltermann, deputy program director of the Middle East and North Africa for the International Crisis Group, agrees that the political situation is influencing al-Maliki, who is not "showing any great enthusiasm" for a follow-up agreement with the United States.

"The reason clearly is that it would be very difficult for him to mobilize political support for it. It is a scenario opposed by Iran and the Sadrists, and is fully embraced only by the Kurds, while everyone else will tell you one thing in private while saying the opposite in public," Hiltermann said.

Hiltermann thinks the two sides might decide to negotiate a follow-on agreement that "would cover the activities of and protections for U.S. troops, which could number from 10,000 to 25,000, judging from noises emanating from the Pentagon."

"Because of the difficulty in gaining parliamentary approval, I think the more likely way forward for Maliki now is to forgo such a follow-on agreement and instead work out a military partnership with the United States that does not involve ground forces. This is the challenge during the coming 12 months," he said.

Iraq's political stability is better now than it has been throughout the year, when quarreling lawmakers weren't able to form a government after the March elections. In recent weeks, that stalemate ended.

Noting that an inclusive government in Iraq would signal political stability, Hiltermann says it appears that Iraqi forces will be able to handle internal threats "at least as long as there is no breakdown in the political process."

"As for external threats, there are none on the horizon, and this gives Iraqi forces the opportunity to build out, with U.S. support, so that over time they will be able to defend airspace and borders," he said.

The IBC cites Mosul and Baghdad as Iraq's two most violent cities. On the streets of Baghdad, only a few people would tell CNN that they are worried that the United States is leaving -- despite the fact that many have been relieved by the close proximity of U.S. troops.

"The American troops are only here to protect us now," a man named Ali told CNN.

"The situation isn't stable. You don't know what will happen tomorrow or the day after. I feel that if U.S. troops leave, things will go back to what they were before, massacres and killings."

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/12/30/iraq.us.future/

Iraq’s Deputy PM reiterates U.S. role’s support for Iraq in prelude to its withdrawal:

December 29, 2010

Iraq’s Deputy PM reiterates U.S. role’s support for Iraq in prelude to its withdrawal:

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraq’s new Deputy Prime Minister, Saleh al-Mutlaq, has reiterated in a reception given to the Commander of the U.S. Forces in Iraq, General LLoyd Austin on Thursday, the significance of continuation of the technical role of the U.S. forces, to raise the potentials of the Iraqi security forces to impose their control on the security situation in the country.

A statement, issued by the Council of Ministers, copy of which landed in Aswat al-Iraq news agency, quoted Mutlaq as saying during his reception of General Austin and a number of high-ranking U.S. Army officers as having reiterated “the signifcance of the continuation by the American side to render technical sppport in order to raise the potentials of the Iraqi security forces, to enable them control the security situation in the country, in prelude to the complete withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Iraq.”

“We are striving to build a new and strong Iraq, possessing security forces that cope with its regional and international bulk, that will actively share in boosting the platform of security and stability for its people and the whole Region,” Mutlaq said.

General Austin, on his part, expressed the U.S. firmness to “implement the Security Agreement concluded between Washington and Baghdad, and to withdraw the American troops from Iraq, in to their scheduled time.”

Noteworthy is that the U.S. combat troops have already withdrawn from Iraq at the end of August last, according to the said Security Agreement signed at the end of 2008, whilst the remaining 50,000 American troops shall withdraw from the country by the end of next year.

MA (A) / SKH

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=140179

Thought for the day ....

Thought the article below was interesting since we see and experience this every day. There are people on the internet who are constantly pushing their agendas (mostly selling something, directly or indirectly) under the pretex of being "Christian". It seems that being "Christian" makes them more trusting. Just remember this (Gospel of Matthew, 7:15 - King James Version) "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves"

Aren't Christians just hypocrites? Yes and No

I was reading on the Internet today someone claiming that the rock band Radiohead are a bunch of hypocrites, because although they campaign against the injustice and exploitation of the third world carried out by multinational companies, they are themselves signed to a record label that is part of a multinational company. Needless to say, the criticism came from a rival band.

A hypocrite is someone who says one thing and then does another. That is, it is someone who doesn't practice what they teach, they talk the talk but they don't walk the walk. And Jesus saved some of his most scathing and cutting criticism for the religious hypocrites of his day. That can be found in Matthew 24.

So, it's a serious charge. Are Christians hypocrites?

Firstly: YES

Here's why: Christians fail to live the way they know they should.

Please note, I'm not talking about people who pretend to be Christians and aren't, we all know they're hypocrites. I'm talking about genuine followers of Christ. Ask a Christian how it is God wants them to live, or ask them what is the right way to live and they might tell you all sorts of things. But their answers could probably be summarised with two statements:

Love your neighbour as yourself. That is, love everyone the way you already love yourself. Even your enemies. That's what God commands of his people.

Love the LORD your God with all you heart, soul, mind and strength. That is, love God with everything that there is about you and your life, honour, love, worship him with every single scrap of who you are and what you do.

And there isn't a single Christian you can meet who could honestly say that they've done that. That they've even done that successfully and consistently for a whole day even.And yet, ask them what's right and wrong and they'll tell you this sort of thing, what God says. They know what's right and wrong. But they don't do it. They fail. I fail. And that's not a good thing. It's a very sad thing. Yes, they believe one thing and do another. Christians are Hypocrites.

But I also want to answer: NO

Here's why: Christians admit that they have failed to live God's way.

Christians don't pretend that they're anything but failures.

By definition a Christian is someone who has admitted that they are a failure and they can't live up to God's standards. They realise that they're failures and there's no way they could ever live their way into God's good books. But, and this is key, really key to understanding Jesus and Christianity; Christianity isn't about us succeeding and being good enough for God. It's about God forgiving us.

Jesus came for failures. He came to die and take the consequences of their failure. People who trust him can be forgiven their failures and rescued from the ultimate consequence of their failure, hell. A Christian is someone who stops pretending they can be good enough and admits they're not. And asks for forgiveness. And looks to God for help to not fail again.

This doesn't excuse Christians from getting things wrong. God calls us to live by his rules. The difference is he forgives us for getting it wrong and works on us, gradually changing us to be the people he wants us to be. So Christians will always be a work in progress. That is until Jesus returns and we go to be with him forever in a perfect world, where we'll also be made perfect.

So if you know any Christians who are hypocritical, remember, part of what Christianity teaches is that Christians are just forgiven failures, and Christians are also a work in progress. It's like John Newton, slave trader who turned to Christ, once said towards the end of his life:

'As I look back on my life, I realise I am not what I should be, I am not what I could be, I am not what I will be, but, I am not what I was, and by the grace of God I am what I am!'

And someone once said, 'if you find that Churches are full of hypocrites, remember, there's always room for one more'. There's a lot of truth in that statement. None of us live perfectly by our own standards, never mind God's. But thank God, he forgives and changes hypocrites. Don't let the faults and mistakes of Christians keep you away from that forgiving love of God.

http://www.christchurchcentral.co.uk/toughquestions/hypocrites

Iraq will present the formation of an organization of trade (like the WTO) at the Arab Summit ...

30/12/2010

Government adviser: Iraq will present the formation of an organization of trade in the Arab Summit

Baghdad, The adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for Economic Affairs, on Thursday, that Iraq will demand the participating countries in the Arab Summit in Baghdad need to form an organization for Arab trade like the WTO to promote economic cooperation and trade between the countries.

Salam al-Quraishi, a Kurdish news agency (Rn), said that "Iraq will demand the leaders of Arab countries who will attend the Arab summit due to be held next March in Baghdad, the necessity to form the Organization of Arab trade is working on activating the role of trade and economic cooperation between Arab countries."

The Quraishi that "the formation of the Organization of Arab trade deal will enhance trade and economic cooperation between Arab countries and will contribute to providing a positive atmosphere to support the purchasing power of the States that the organization shall be composed of the oil, industrial, and commercial."

The leader of the National Alliance, said Hassan Sinead, for (Rn) yesterday, said that the government had received formal notification from the Arab League confirmed that the Arab summit will be held in Baghdad, its timing is specified and there is no intention to postpone or move the venue to any other country.

The security and diplomatic sources said according to Arab media, referring to the impossibility of convening the next Arab summit in Baghdad in light of the current security conditions and more likely to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Iraqi government has formed a special committee composed of the Office of the Adjutant General of the Armed Forces, and the Ministries of Defense, Interior, and National Security, the secretariat of Baghdad, in order to supervise all security preparations and service that precedes the date for convening the Arab summit.

It is hoped that the Arab summit held in 23 of next March, amid security and political crises facing the country, but the Baghdad government describes the holding of the Arab summit national achievement and evidence of Iraq's return to foster Arab and regional levels.

And the Baghdad government plans to spend $ 300 million for the rehabilitation of the six largest hotels in Baghdad in preparation for the Arab summit.

Iraq did not Istdv Arab summit since late May / Bavaria 1990 because economic and political blockade imposed on it at the time.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://www.aknews.com/ar/aknews/2&rurl=translate.google.com