BondLady & Tlm724 – News & Comments
Saving Iraq: What Ayatollah Sistani Can Do. By Ranj Alaaldin *
Over the past month, Iraq has been beset by protests as hundreds of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets to express their discontent with the country’s dysfunctional and corrupt political process. The unrest culminated in the storming and occupation of the Iraqi parliament at the end of April by the followers of the radical anti-West cleric Muqtada al-Sadr after he gave a rallying speech in which he advocated for a “major popular revolution to stop corruptors.”
Sadr has become the voice of Iraq’s Shia underclass and has continued the legacy of his father, Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr. The senior Sadr established a significant following and social base during the 1990s, when Iraq’s destitute Shia population suffered both from the repression of the Baath regime and from UN-imposed sanctions.
As his father did against the pre-2003, Baath-controlled state, Muqtada has mobilized hundreds of thousands of his supporters, and indeed many other Iraqis, against the current Iraqi state. And, like his father, he has confronted and challenged the legitimacy of his ruling Shia rivals, whom the Sadrist movement has historically denounced for their elitism.
The firebrand cleric has certainly proved that he is still a commanding figure who can mobilize the masses and who could, potentially, accelerate the reform program that Iraq’s moderate but weak prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, has attempted to implement amid fierce opposition from powerful rivals whose interests are vested in the status quo.
But Sadr is not Iraq’s savior. He is directly responsible for bloodshed, corruption, and dysfunction in governance, which Iraq has suffered from for more than a decade now. His mobilization efforts have more to do with reviving his own political significance, which had waned during the course of the war on Islamic State (ISIS) because of the rise of other Shia actors who have won widespread acclaim for their battlefield success against the jihadists.
Sadr also contributes to Iraq’s problems by continuing to command his own militia, known as the Peace Brigades. The presence of these militia groups not only weaken the rule of law and democratic process that Sadr ostensibly wants to strengthen; they also enable an environment that is conducive to breeding autonomous armed groups and bandits that work against the interests of the Iraqi state and people.
The Peace Brigades are also a rebranded version of the purportedly demobilized Mahdi Army, a militia that was formed by Sadr in response to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and which killed Westerners and Iraqis alike. In other words, Iraq cannot reform until militias like the Peace Brigades are disbanded or integrated into an institutionalized army.
The only man who can save Iraq is Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Unlike the polarizing Sadr, Sistani is widely regarded in Iraq as a reconciler. At 87, the revered and leading clergyman of the Shia Islamic world has functioned as a crucial check on the power of Iraq’s corrupt ruling elite and weak institutions that are paralyzed by ethnic and sectarian divisions.
In Iraq, even as the power of elites, political movements, and ideologies have waxed and waned, grand ayatollahs have been a consistently formidable force. The Shia religious establishment in Iraq presides over an extensive web of local and national institutions that enables it to contest power and politics in unparalleled fashion.
In 1960, for example, Grand Ayatollah Mohsin al-Hakim turned the tide against the Iraqi communists, a powerful force at the time, by issuing a fatwa (religious edict) that forbade membership to the Iraqi Communist Party. That was the beginning of the end for the communists, whose influence waned as a result of the increasingly assertive religious establishment and the repressive policies of the state.
Iraq’s religious establishment also mobilized vast numbers of Iraqis to protest and confront President Abdul Salam Arif in the mid-1960s, who was attacked for his sectarianism and marginalization of the Shia.
These protests did not prompt a revolution (the Shia religious establishment had no appetite for this), but the religious class did establish itself as a powerful mobilizer of Iraq’s traditionally divided Shia community that could contest power and politics in the modern Iraqi state. In 1958, the Shia religious establishment even played a seminal and direct role in establishing the Islamic Dawa Party, Iraq’s first major Shia Islamist sociopolitical group, which today is Iraq’s ruling party. Hakim acted as a patron to the party, and his sons, along with members of the clerical class, were among its founding members.
During the same period, Hakim issued a fatwa that forbade the killing of Kurds. According to my own research, including interviews with Shia clerics and members of the Iraqi armed forces, Shia soldiers in the Iraqi army obeyed the fatwa by intentionally missing Kurdish targets, thereby undermining the Iraqi government, which had given orders to eliminate the Kurdish movement in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The religious establishment also challenged the Baath Party when it came to power in 1968. The Baath regime wanted to suppress the influence of the religious establishment but failed because of the religious establishment’s capacity to function autonomously from the state.
It enjoys financial independence (senior clerics receive donations, known as khums, from their followers at home and abroad) and can generate hundreds of millions of dollars to fund their activities. The Shia religious establishment also presides over an array of religious, educational, and cultural institutions, which allow it to expand its social base and mobilize vast numbers of people for political purposes.
After collectively repressing the Shia community in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and despite dismantling Shia opposition networks, Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime was still confronted by the clerics and their followers as they led mass uprisings in 1977 and 1979, the latter triggered by the Iranian Revolution that year.
During the war with Iran in the 1980s, the regime, as Baath Party records show, tried to intimidate Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, who preceded Sistani, into issuing a fatwa that legitimized the war against Iran. But the attempt failed and, in the end it only hampered the regime’s efforts to mobilize Shia support for a war against their Persian co-religionists across the border.
Sistani’s early interventions after the 2003 war included pressuring the United States and Iraqi officials into ensuring that an elected assembly wrote the country’s new constitution, contrary to the wishes of the United States and others, who sought a closed-door process.
Sistani also convened warring Shia factions in 2005 to ensure that they contested parliamentary elections as a unified bloc in 2005, lest infighting among various Shia groups and militias emboldened a resilient Sunni insurgency composed of Baathists and al Qaeda in Iraq. The Shia bloc won the elections and prevented a Baathist resurrection.
In 2006, Sistani helped contain, although he could not stop, a new wave of sectarian violence in Iraq that erupted after al Qaeda in Iraq bombed the al-Askari Shrine, a sacred Shia mosque in the Sunni-dominated city of Samarra.
Sistani played an important role in curbing the level of bloodshed by calling for unity and moderation. He regularly pressured Iraqi and U.S. officials to end the conflict. This did not prevent Iraq from sliding into civil war, but Sistani’s interventions almost certainly helped to constrain state-backed Shia militias and prevented them from committing genocide against Iraq’s Sunni population. Things would have been much worse in his absence and without his efforts to end the conflict.
More recently, in June 2014, Sistani issued a fatwa calling on all “able-bodied men to defend their country” after Iraq’s army collapsed and ISIS seized Mosul along with other Iraqi towns and cities. A 100,000-strong force of Shia fighters (and a limited number of Sunnis) banded together to form what is now known as the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Force, or PMF), which helped stop ISIS from expanding further into Iraq.
Sistani has endorsed the popular demonstrations that have been taking place over the past year and had previously backed Abadi’s reform program. But he has ended his active engagement with the reform campaign out of frustration with the government.
Sistani has also demonstrated his discontent with the government by halting his weekly political sermons.
This does not bode well for Iraq’s future. In his absence, polarizing figures like al-Sadr and Iraq’s controversial and authoritarian former prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, will fill the space, as will Shia militia groups like Asaib al-Haq and the Badr Brigade, who have exploited Sistani’s fatwa to establish a mandate for themselves in the messy war on ISIS.
But this does not mean that Sistani has given up. He could still reverse his decision and, as things stands, remains the only actor that is capable of saving the country. Sistani has the know-how and the capacity to save Iraq.
He has presided over and sustained a centuries old institution that is currently considered Iraq’s most effective and influential civil society actor. Contrary to popular wisdom, civil society actors like Sistani and the religious establishment, which are well organized and equipped with sufficient resources and legitimacy, can help improve the behavior of armed nonstate actors and relegate them to the margins.
Sistani has vast social and religious networks that enable local governance, provide services, and support other public programs such as schools, hospitals, and libraries. Harnessed the right way, these networks can help lead the way toward establishing a stronger civil society across Iraq, in partnership with other civic organizations.
Collectively, these can spur grassroots politics and good governance initiatives to sideline the militias, and those who fund them, and strengthen the moderates who have the visions and ideas for reforming Iraq.
Source: Foreign Affairs, May 9, 2016
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/iraq/2016-05-09/saving-iraq
(*) Dr Ranj Alaaldin specializes in Iraq’s Shia and Kurdish movements at the London School of Economic and Political Science, where he obtained his PhD on Shia mobilisation and sectarian conflict in Iraq. He has conducted extensive fieldwork throughout Iraq and the Middle East.
| May 16, 2016 at 4:15 pm | Categories: Current Domestic Issues, Latest Publications | URL: http://wp.me/p4A3k0-UE%5B/ltr%5D
http://iraqieconomists.net/en/saving-iraq-what-ayatollah-sistani-can-do-by-ranj-alaaldin/ [/ltr]
[tlm724] Iraq has been beset by protests as hundreds of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets to express their discontent with the country’s dysfunctional and corrupt political process.
[tlm724] dysfunctional and corrupt political process Suspect
Sadr has become the voice of Iraq’s Shia underclass and has continued the legacy of his father, Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr. The senior Sadr established a significant following and social base during the 1990s, when Iraq’s destitute Shia population suffered both from the repression of the Baath regime and from UN-imposed sanctions.
As his father did against the pre-2003, Baath-controlled state, Muqtada has mobilized hundreds of thousands of his supporters, and indeed many other Iraqis, against the current Iraqi state. And, like his father, he has confronted and challenged the legitimacy of his ruling Shia rivals, whom the Sadrist movement has historically denounced for their elitism.
[tlm724] Muqtada has mobilized hundreds of thousands of his supporters, and indeed many other Iraqis, against the current Iraqi state
[tlm724] indeed he has !
[tlm724] The firebrand cleric has certainly proved that he is still a commanding figure who can mobilize the masses and who could, potentially, accelerate the reform program that Iraq’s moderate but weak prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, has attempted to implement amid fierce opposition from powerful rivals whose interests are vested in the status quo.
[tlm724] who could, potentially, accelerate the reform program
[tlm724] that would be the good thing in all this
[tlm724] but weak prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, has attempted to implement amid fierce opposition from powerful rivals whose interests are vested in the status quo.
[tlm724] Abadi can’t fight everyone but he is trying for sure ! I can’t imagine how the man sleeps at night with such fierce opposition to the reforms ! He is getting it from all sides
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168138-saving-iraq-what-ayatollah-sistani-can-do
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Iraq – Turmoil Between Two Empires. By AMIR TAHERI
If the current turmoil in the Iraqi capital Baghdad contains any message, it is that the majority of Iraqis are quite fed up with the status quo. Their grievance isn’t limited to any one aspect of the nation’s life, being the difficulties of day-to-day survival or the fact that government has passed into the hands of a confederacy of kleptocrats who have transformed corruption from a socio-political ailment to a way of life.
The quixotic raid organized by the Sadrists against the “Green Zone”, a small chunk of territory in Baghdad where government offices are located, the other day showed that the question is no longer whether or not the current administration is doing well; it is about whether or not Iraq has a workable government at all.
Judging by his program, Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi is a well-meaning man trying to lead his nation away from the post-war chaos and towards a measure of stability sustained by democratic institutions. Al-Abadi is one of the few senior Iraqi politicians whom I have never met and cannot evaluate his leadership abilities at a personal level. What matters however, is that, regardless of his personal abilities, Al-Abadi lacks the support base needed for re-orienting the Iraqi ship of state.
At the sectarian level, that is to say within the Shiite community to which he belongs, Al-Abadi is held to ransom by a network of parties and groups, some of which are armed, financed and controlled by Iran. Even within the Ad-Da’awah, the party to which he nominally belongs, he is exposed to sinister plotting by former Prime Ministers Nuri al-Maliki and Ibrahim al-Jaafari as both covet his seat.
As for followers of Muqtada Al-Sadr, they have followed their leader’s opportunistic strategy, initially supporting Al-Abadi’s attempts at reforming the system but then trying to de-stabilize his government. Sadr has tried to give his movement a new seasoning by evoking Arab nationalist themes while maintaining not so secret contacts with Tehran.
Among the Kurds, the pro-Iran faction, still led by former President Jalal Talabani, initially backed Al-Abadi in the hope that the weakness of his base would make him more accommodating to their demands. The Barzani Kurds, now closer to Turkey than to Iran, were also initially favorable to Al-Abadi whom they saw as relatively free from Iranian control. However, they, too, now regard Al-Abadi’s future as rather limited.
The Sunni community is equally divided. One segment sympathizes with the radical groups, including ISIS, that try to overthrow the government or at least seize control of as much territory as possible without necessarily sharing their deadly ideologies.
Another segment still hopes to work out a power-sharing arrangement guaranteed by the United States. A third segment pursues the forlorn hope of enlisting Arab nations in support of the community’s legitimate demands.
Matters are further complicated by the clash of ambitions between the United States and the Islamic Republic in Iran playing a game of imperial rivalry. In this game, the US is the reluctant imperialist that has all the means necessary to impose its agenda but lacks the will to do so.
Washington’s ideal is to find a new, albeit less unsavory, “strongman” in Baghdad and help him to somehow forge a working mechanism. The stratagem didn’t start in President Barack Obama’s sunset phase. President George W Bush, too, looked for such a “strongman” and thought that he had found him in Al-Maliki at a time when the Iraqi politician sang an anti-Tehran song.
Obama’s error is to adopt the same strategy without the kind of clout that Bush had in Iraq. When Bush propped up Al-Maliki, the US had 170,000 troops in Iraq. Now Obama tries to remake that movie, this time with Al-Abadi as the star, but with fewer than 5000 boots on the ground.
For its part, Iran plays the ardent imperialist and, despite its own dire economic situation, is prepared to pour in the necessary resources. Tehran’s aim is the opposite of Washington’s as the mullahs do not wish to see a strong government, let alone a “strongman”, emerging in Baghdad. This is why Tehran has done all it could to prevent Al-Abadi from building up his own image as an effective leader.
The Khomeinist media portray Al-Abadi as a clueless novice who would have been destroyed long ago had it not been for Iranian intervention in his favor. In fact, President Hassan Rouhani has publicly boasted that without Iran, “terrorists” would have been ruling in Baghdad and Damascus today.”Al-Abadi is even denied any credit for driving ISIS out of large chunks of Iraqi territory, including Tikrit, Kirkuk and Amerli.
As far as Tehran is concerned, all credit goes to Major-General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds (Jerusalem) Corps and a master of self-promotion. Each time Iraqi forces kicked ISIS out of a locality, Soleimani published a series of his selfies in various poses claiming that he had just returned from the war front after a great victory.
Tehran’s strategic fear is that Iraq, where Shiites form a majority, could emerge as a model of modern pluralistic government that could seduce many Iranians.
There are fewer political prisoners in Iraq today than in Iran. Iraq enjoys more media freedom than Iran today. In Iraq, all political parties, from monarchist to Marxist, are fee to operate. In Iran all political parties are banned.
Iraq is also where the principal center of Shi’ite theological authority is located, enjoying a measure of freedom unthinkable in the Islamic Republic in Tehran.
Iraq has immense natural resources and could easily build a modern economy; even now it is doing economically much better than Iran. Last year the Iraqi economy grew by just under 4 per cent while Iran registered negative growth. International Monetary Fund forecasts give Iran a 1 per cent growth rate for 2016 compared to 3.7 per cent for Iraq.
Neither the US nor Iran are capable of imposing their agenda on Iraq anytime soon. The US remains relatively popular in Iraq but, thanks to Obama’s pirouetting policies, is no longer trusted.
Even if there is a change of administration in Washington, it would take a long time to repair the damage that Obama has done to US image and prestige.
The Islamic Republic in Iran is clearly unpopular in Iraq, including, or perhaps especially, among Shiites who resent being treated as neo-colonial subjects of a self-styled empire symbolized by a “selfie” snatching general in stone-washed khaki.
Iraq is sure to have many tough days ahead. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This is why I still think it is premature to write new Iraq’s obituary.
Source: Asharq Alawsat May 6, 2016,
http://english.aawsat.com/2016/05/article55350388/opinion-iraq-turmoil-two-empires
(*) Amir Taheri was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications, published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987. Mr. Taheri has won several prizes for his journalism, and in 2012 was named International Journalist of the Year by the British Society of Editors and the Foreign Press Association in the annual British Media Awards.
[ltr]| May 16, 2016 at 4:35 pm | Categories: Current Domestic Issues, Latest Publications | URL: http://wp.me/p4A3k0-UH%5B/ltr%5D
http://iraqieconomists.net/en/iraq-turmoil-between-two-empires-by-amir-taheri/%5B/ltr%5D
[tlm724] If the current turmoil in the Iraqi capital Baghdad contains any message, it is that the majority of Iraqis are quite fed up with the status quo
[tlm724] Their grievance isn’t limited to any one aspect of the nation’s life, being the difficulties of day-to-day survival or the fact that government has passed into the hands of a confederacy of kleptocrats who have transformed corruption from a socio-political ailment to a way of life.
[tlm724] hear hear !
[tlm724] kleptocrats is a term applied to a government seen as having a particularly severe and systemic problem with officials or a ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats) taking advantage of corruption to extend their personal wealth and political power.
[tlm724] kleptocrats is Iraq, thieves – are – us
[tlm724] The quixotic raid organized by the Sadrists against the “Green Zone”, quixotic = exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical
[tlm724] a small chunk of territory in Baghdad where government offices are located, the other day showed that the question is no longer whether or not the current administration is doing well; it is about whether or not Iraq has a workable government at all.
[tlm724] it is about whether or not Iraq has a workable government at all
[tlm724] good question and it has us wondering too
[tlm724] Judging by his program, Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi is a well-meaning man trying to lead his nation away from the post-war chaos and towards a measure of stability sustained by democratic institutions.
[tlm724] I agree with that, he does seem like he is doing the best he can. No one is perfect and most politicians are crooked in some way but Abadi does seem to be a stand guy
[tlm724] lord knows I wouldn’t want his job !
[cat] me either
[tlm724] At the sectarian level, that is to say within the Shiite community to which he belongs, Al-Abadi is held to ransom by a network of parties and groups, some of which are armed, financed and controlled by Iran. Even within the Ad-Da’awah, the party to which he nominally belongs, he is exposed to sinister plotting by former Prime Ministers Nuri al-Maliki and Ibrahim al-Jaafari as both covet his seat.
[tlm724] At the sectarian level, that is to say within the Shiite community to which he belongs, Al-Abadi is held to ransom by a network of parties and groups, some of which are armed, financed and controlled by Iran.
[tlm724] ah Iran
[cat] uh huh
[tlm724] Even within the Ad-Da’awah, the party to which he nominally belongs, he is exposed to sinister plotting by former Prime Ministers Nuri al-Maliki and Ibrahim al-Jaafari as both covet his seat.
[tlm724] can’t stand those 2 bozo’s !
[tlm724] throw Allawi in the mix and set off a *bomb*
As for followers of Muqtada Al-Sadr, they have followed their leader’s opportunistic strategy, initially supporting Al-Abadi’s attempts at reforming the system but then trying to de-stabilize his government. Sadr has tried to give his movement a new seasoning by evoking Arab nationalist themes while maintaining not so secret contacts with Tehran.
Among the Kurds, the pro-Iran faction, still led by former President Jalal Talabani, initially backed Al-Abadi in the hope that the weakness of his base would make him more accommodating to their demands. The Barzani Kurds, now closer to Turkey than to Iran, were also initially favorable to Al-Abadi whom they saw as relatively free from Iranian control. However, they, too, now regard Al-Abadi’s future as rather limited.
[tlm724] Sadr started out in support but things went a bit astray
[tlm724] he did take a side trip to Iran, remember ?
[cat] yes
[tlm724] oh wait its in there
[tlm724] Sadr has tried to give his movement a new seasoning by evoking Arab nationalist themes while maintaining not so secret contacts with Tehran
[tlm724] so now Iraq is at another crossroads, so many I am losing track Rolling Eyes but I hope that this current government sticks and the reforms go through but only time will tell. There are so many variables working in the background that it’s a crap shoot at this point
[tlm724] will they have to start over with a new government ? anyone’s guess at this point
[tlm724] Iraq has immense natural resources and could easily build a modern economy; even now it is doing economically much better than Iran. Last year the Iraqi economy grew by just under 4 per cent while Iran registered negative growth. International Monetary Fund forecasts give Iran a 1 per cent growth rate for 2016 compared to 3.7 per cent for Iraq.
Neither the US nor Iran are capable of imposing their agenda on Iraq anytime soon. The US remains relatively popular in Iraq but, thanks to Obama’s pirouetting policies, is no longer trusted. Even if there is a change of administration in Washington, it would take a long time to repair the damage that Obama has done to US image and prestige.
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168139-iraq-turmoil-between-two-empires
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Iraq Sees $15 Billion in Aid Through 2017 as IMF Deal Looms
Iraq’s possible loan accord with the International Monetary Fund may unlock at least $15 billion in aid this year and next, central bank chief Ali al-Allaq said, helping OPEC’s second-biggest producer repair finances battered by cheap oil and the war with Islamic State militants.
Allaq said in an interview in Beirut he expects Iraq to receive $10 billion in IMF and World Bank assistance. A further $5 billion pledge may come from the Group of Seven meeting in Tokyo this month, he said.
“They will discuss supporting Iraq, but that’s linked to how convinced they are of the commitments” the country is undertaking under the IMF accord, he said. “So in total, we will receive $15 billion, possibly more, in 2016 and 2017.”
IMF officials are holding talks with the government this week in Jordan over a standby loan deal. If successful, Iraq will be the first major oil producer in the Middle East to secure a loan accord with the Washington-based lender.
Oil producers from Venezuela to Riyadh have slashed spending to counter the plunge in crude prices. For Iraq, the challenge was compounded by a costly war against IS militants, who captured swathes of the country’s territories to set up a so-called Islamic caliphate.
Treasury Bills
Under the tentative agreement with the IMF, the government would need to issue 13 trillion dinars ($10.9 billion) in treasury bills that the central bank would buy to finance the budget deficit, assuming that the price of oil remains at $31.75 per barrel.
“But if the price of oil hits $40 then we probably don’t need that amount to cover the deficit,” Allaq said.
The country is also mired in political turmoil. Hundreds of demonstrators pulled down blast walls and forced their way into Baghdad’s Green Zone — which houses embassies, the Iraqi parliament and government ministries — on April 30 to demand more efforts to fight corruption and to protest what they regard as sectarianism in cabinet appointments.
Allaq said he has seen “no signs” that the unrest could affect talks with the IMF.
Iraq is rated B- at S&P Global Ratings, six levels below investment grade. The yield on the country’s $2.7 billion Eurobonds due in 2028 has declined 33 basis points this year to 10.4 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Source: Boomberg, May 15, 2016
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-15/iraq-sees-15-billion-in-aid-through-2017-as-imf-deal-looms
| May 16, 2016 at 4:43 pm | Categories: Reports & News | URL: http://wp.me/p4A3k0-UK%5B/ltr%5D
http://iraqieconomists.net/en/iraq-sees-15-billion-in-aid-through-2017-as-imf-deal-looms/%5B/ltr%5D
[tlm724] IMF Deal Looms
[tlm724] “They will discuss supporting Iraq, but that’s linked to how convinced they are of the commitments”
[tlm724] Iraq prove yourself !!
[tlm724] anyone that says there aren’t conditions to these loans is a fool and so many have spoken out in the Iraqi news saying that, they are clueless ! There are ALWAYS conditions !
Treasury Bills Under the tentative agreement with the IMF, the government would need to issue 13 trillion dinars ($10.9 billion) in treasury bills that the central bank would buy to finance the budget deficit, assuming that the price of oil remains at $31.75 per barrel. “But if the price of oil hits $40 then we probably don’t need that amount to cover the deficit,” Allaq said.
[tlm724] I would think they would have a contingency plan in place even if oil goes up *slap* ya dummies thats why it hurt you so bad in the first place, no plan !
[tlm724] “But if the price of oil hits $40 then we probably don’t need that amount to cover the deficit,” Allaq said.
[tlm724] Alak is an azz, just sayin…
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168140-iraq-sees-15-billion-in-aid-through-2017-as-imf-deal-looms
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Badri: Kurds are demanding to give them half of Mosul in exchange for attending parliament sessions
16/05/2016 05:56 | Direction Press / Agencies MP for the Reform Front parliamentary Ali al-Badri, on Monday, the requirement for the Kurds by giving them half of Mosul and the implementation of Article 140, as well as other conditions for attending parliament sessions.
Al-Badri said in a press statement that “the Kurds haggling other blocs and trying to deliver the message that there is no solution but to our decisions, and can not hold a hearing, but our presence not only prepare to meet our demands and our desires.”
“The Kurdish conditions are the implementation of Article 140 with the annexation of Kirkuk to the Kurdistan region, as well as the formulation and modification of oil and gas law in line with their interests, in addition to granting half of Mosul to Kurdistan.”
“The Kurds are betting on the ongoing dispute between the components and there is no agreement, but their presence,” adding that “the entry of demonstrators took to the Green Zone, a major victory for the province to raise the ceiling of their demands.”
http://aletejahtv.org/index.php/permalink/111761.html
Bondlady ADMINISTRATOR are u serious??? wow the countries being torn apart literally from the inside out and the outside in. and the kurds who always and I mean always thrive when crisis happens and a lot of times their the foundation of the crisis,
and when things are at there worst the kurds pull out every single ultimatum there is, and this case to show up to parliament their demands are so extreme its shocking…
***the requirement for the Kurds*** by giving them half of Mosul ***and the implementation of Article 140,*** as well as other conditions for attending parliament sessions
****((as i’ve said many times, its the kurds whey or the highway, they don’t care about any one but the kurds an only the kurds))
***”the Kurds haggling other blocs and trying to deliver the message*** that there is no solution but to our decisions
****and can not hold a hearing, but our presence not only prepare to meet our demands and our desires.
“***”The Kurdish conditions are the implementation of Article 140 with the annexation of Kirkuk to the Kurdistan region, as well as the formulation and modification of oil and gas law in line with their interests, in addition to granting half of Mosul to Kurdistan.
“***BLANK STARE***The Kurds are betting on the ongoing dispute between the components and there is no agreement, but their presence,” *** BL
[tlm724] side note, they need the kurds to complete the quorum
[tlm724] thanks BondLady, the kurds Rolling Eyes blackmail
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168143-badri-kurds-are-demanding-to-give-them-half-of-mosul-in-exchange-for-attending-parliament-sessions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
World Bank loans require financial control over Iraq and opponents they consider “a derogation of national sovereignty.”
Baghdad / Zahraa Hamid I went back to the parliamentary Committee of Economy and Investment, on Monday, the demands of the International Monetary Fund of Iraq to agree to lend as “do not constitute conditions” but a vision to address the economic crisis being includes a reduction in spending and focus on productive sectors to enhance budgetary resources.
The external borrowing , which imposes conditions most notably the “international financial control over Iraq” experts opposed, and its enemy , “detraction of national sovereignty”, specialists stressed that ” it is essential” to cope with the economic fallout. ”
The Iraqi delegation , headed by Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari, and the membership of the prime minister advisor financial Affairs appearance of Mohammed Saleh, the Governor of the Central Bank and the agency on the Keywords, and a large group of specialists in the ministries of oil, finance, planning and electricity, as well as the central bank, is negotiating with the international Monetary Fund is currently in Amman , Jordan, to get soft loans.
the chairman of the Committee on economy and investment parliamentary Jawad al – Bolani, said in an interview to the (long – Presse), ” the IMF did not impose conditions on Iraq in return for lending , as some believe, but gave a vision to address the significant problems faced by the national economy as a result of its dependence on oil only , ” noting that ” the Fund wants the Iraqi government to reduce spending and focus on productive sectors to enhance budgetary resources.”
Bolani added that “the Prime Minister Haider al – Abadi, said that state resources sufficient to cover the salaries only,” returned ” the solution is that government departments rely on imports , and to be producing country, as well as edit taxes and activating the industrial and agricultural sectors. ”
He acknowledged chairman of the Committee to” the existence of points of mistakes taking advantage of the survival of Iraq under the financial and economic pressure, and that the budget did not achieve its goals of being political , “adding that” the international economic institutions want to be offset Iraq of an economic goal and that is the pressure on certain aspects to improve performance. ”
for his part, economist Ahmed Rehn said in an interview to the (long – Presse),” the loans that Iraq sought to obtain it from the international Monetary Fund and major industrial countries is limited compared to the size of spending local , “pointing out that” the international Monetary Fund imposed by the custom requirements on countries that lend may not be consistent with Iraq ‘s economic and financial situation. ”
Rehn said that” Iraq should be planned on not to resort again to international financial institutions, “but he also said , ” but what Unfortunately, the government is determined to deal with those institutions since 2003 , and so far, although they dictate its terms to the state that deal with it. ”
he declined an economist , ” the imposition of any international financial control over Iraq , “he returned that” it constitutes a derogation of national sovereignty. ” in
turn, the economic expert on behalf of Anton in an interview said to (long – Presse), said that “Iraq ‘s oil exports three million barrels of oil has exceeded a day, and that there are expectations of an increase of the price of crude allowing salaries of state employees insurance.”
said Anton that ” the Iraqi government ‘s obligations and deficits approximately 16 percent of GDP , worsening economic hardships , “and expressed regret that” the Iraqi government has not been able to transform the economy from a yield of oil to the agricultural industry. ”
he stressed the economic expert on” Iraq ‘s need for international loans , “noting that it was” natural that puts Fund international Monetary conditions are watching any country lend to the economy, and that this does not constitute a violation of the rule , as some believe. ”
said Anton that” the imposition of taxes and the application of the tariff law may believe resource plus oil, “but he also said , ” but the economic crisis remain valid in light of population growth and the requirements of infrastructure, which requires orientation to get soft loans from both the international Monetary Fund or from the Islamic development Bank , or from the inside. ”
for his part, chairman of the Iraqi economists Association Abdul Hussein al – Yasiri said in an interview to the (long – Presse),” the international Monetary Fund sets conditions on any country lends a guarantee of his money, “adding that those” conditions that balancing the country concerned should be transparent, and that the disposal of money on things are very necessary, and to be financial decisions taken by the Government that a reasonable state. ”
he pointed Yasiri that” Iraq has begun the achievement of those conditions , “and expressed optimism that” Iraq overcome the current economic crisis as working to increase the production of wheat , a substance that believes in the economic situation and food. ”
, promised Prime Iraqis economists Association that” the conditions of the international Monetary Fund is not a dilemma, despite the arbitrariness sometimes, as long as Iraq was developing his economic policy , “stressing that” the delegation of Iraq , which is negotiating Fund includes important economic expertise keen interest of the country, and will not accept any arbitrary conditions. ”
he was the financial advisor to the Prime Minister and the appearance of Mohammed Saleh, announced on Saturday (14th May 2016 ), that Iraq sought to borrow $ 16 billion through the preliminary meetings with the international Monetary Fund.
Saleh said in an interview to the (long – Presse), in the (26th January 2016), that Iraq has agreed with the international Monetary Fund for a long soft loans term, for the implementation of development projects, noting that the fund is among other conditions, the government expenses, and adjusted some of the procedures relating to economic policies, while counting economist that ” the most important” of those loans is to know the amounts that will be obtained during the year 2016.
it is Iraq announced in the (13th January 2016), the approval of the international Monetary Fund to finance the budget deficit through clouds of hard currency reserves, indicating that this means reducing the reserves of $ 59 billion October 2015 the last end, to 43 billion during the year Present. LINK
[tlm724] World Bank loans require financial control over Iraq *wolfwhistle*
[tlm724] the demands of the International Monetary Fund of Iraq to agree to lend as “do not constitute conditions” but a vision to address the economic crisis being includes a reduction in spending and focus on productive sectors to enhance budgetary resources.
[tlm724] vision my butt Razz , it’s control
[tlm724] if the IMF gives you a vision then it’s a plan and if you want money from them you best be following that plan !
[tlm724] ” the Fund wants the Iraqi government to reduce spending and focus on productive sectors to enhance budgetary resources.”
[tlm724] chop chop
[tlm724] the existence of points of mistakes taking advantage of the survival of Iraq under the financial and economic pressure, and that the budget did not achieve its goals of being political
[tlm724] that” the international economic institutions want to be offset Iraq of an economic goal and that is the pressure on certain aspects to improve performance. ”
[tlm724] pressure !!
[tlm724] Shredd what say you ?
[Shredd] queue “Under Pressure” song lol
[tlm724] perfect lol
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168198-world-bank-loans-require-financial-control-over-iraq-and-opponents-they-consider-a-derogation-of-national-sovereignty
Parliamentary Finance: The government pays 5 trillion dinars per month as salaries and financial condition critical
Baghdad / Press-term Ibrahim Ibrahim
Finance Committee in the House of Representatives, confirmed on Sunday that the government is paying between 4-5 trillion dinars per month for the salaries of the staff, as described the financial situation of the country as “very critical”, the financial advisor to the Prime Minister announced the appearance of Mohammed Saleh, Iraq sought to borrow 16 billion during the preliminary meetings with the international Monetary Fund , which began in the Jordanian capital Amman.
Committee chairman Hassan force in a speech during the presidency of the parliament meeting with heads of political blocs , which gave a detailed presentation on the general budget of the country for this year, and followed up (range Press) ” The financial situation of the country is very critical and less dangerous than the security situation.”
He said in effect, ” The government pays between 4-5 trillion dinars for the salaries of the staff , ” stressing that ” the international Monetary Fund stipulated that a general review and reduce budget expenditures to provide financial support for Iraq “.
And the holding of Parliament Speaker Salim al – Jubouri, on Sunday, meeting with the heads of parliamentary blocs and committees , financial security and defense to discuss security and economic situation and the resumption of parliamentary sessions.
For his part , Economic Adviser (range Press), said that “preliminary meetings between Iraq and the International Monetary Fund, began today in the Jordanian capital, Amman, and lasts for a week , said the appearance of Mohammed Saleh, in an interview , ” noting that ” The purpose of these meetings to get a loan worth $ 16 billion, in the form of payments received during the three years. ”
Saleh added,” the discussions focused on the economic situation in Iraq in general , “he said , adding that” the meetings were not discussed up to now identify disbursement of the loan or the amount of your payments. ”
in turn, economic expert Uday Abdul Ameer Amer in an interview for the “long”, ” the government is geared towards external borrowing does not represent a solution strategically long – term to control the lack of financial liquidity experienced by the country,”
and added that ” the provision of approximately $ 15 billion over 3 years of foreign loans will be concentrated on securing employees and pensions for a process that does not exceed the end of this year.
said Amer that” the government ‘s duty to sustain the financial momentum for these loans by investing in the creation of service projects and profitable return more money on in accordance with the timeline specified does not exceed a period of lending. ”
He said the ” conditions set by the donors that will determine the course of the Iraqi economy in line with the lack of financial resources, so must the federal government to move Petrhik operating expenses within the economic scheme center corresponds to the reality of declining for nearly two years the economy. ”
conducted Monetary Fund international in Amman , Jordan, Saturday (14 May 2016), talks with the goal of Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari , the Iraqi delegation and advisor to the Prime Minister for financial Affairs appearance of Mohammed Saleh, Governor of the Central Bank on the Keywords and a large number of leading cadres in the ministries of oil and the Central Finance and the World Bank, planning , and electricity, will continue those talks until next Wednesday.
She stressed the US, at the (20 April 2016), that the economic reforms the Iraqi government began its effects appear to increase non – oil imports, while suggesting that the Iraqi government ‘s success in reducing the budget deficit would mean obtaining a loan from the Fund international Monetary billions of dollars.
it was the appearance of Mohammed Saleh, said in an interview with the (long – Presse), in the (26th January 2016), that Iraq has agreed with the international Monetary Fund for long – term soft loans for the implementation of development projects, noting that the Fund under , among other conditions, the government expenses, and adjusted some of the procedures relating to economic policies, while counting economist that ” the most important” of those loans is to know the amounts that will be obtained during the year 2016.
Iraq had announced (13th of January 2016 ), the international Monetary Fund approval for financing budget deficit through clouds of hard currency reserves, indicating that this means reducing those reserves from $ 59 billion the end of October 2015 the past, to 43 billion during the current year. LINK
[tlm724] confirmed on Sunday that the government is paying between 4-5 trillion dinars per month for the salaries of the staff
[tlm724] Bondlady says staff = family members of the politicians and the IMF is saying cut that sh.. out Evil or Very Mad enough already !
[tlm724] The government pays between 4-5 trillion dinars for the salaries of the staff , ” stressing that ” the international Monetary Fund stipulated that a general review and reduce budget expenditures to provide financial support for Iraq “.
[tlm724] the IMF knows !!
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168199-parliamentary-finance-the-government-pays-5-trillion-dinars-per-month-as-salaries-and-financial-condition-critical
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Pictures : the protection of parliament , ” Peshmerga ” assaulting an employee to ” brutal beating “
17/05/2016 13:38 BAGHDAD / tomorrow Press : the oldest one of the elements of the regiment to protect the parliament, on Tuesday, the beating of a staff member in the House of Representatives, which has resulted in wounds and was taken to the hospital .
The reporter said ” tomorrow Press ” , that element of the regiment Protection Council Representatives, who are Peshmerga have been assigned by the head of parliament Saleem al – Jubouri, after presenting an application to the General commander of the armed forces , Haider al – Abadi, ( according to spokesman Abadi Saad al – Hadithi Office ) , following the incident of breaking into the green logic by the demonstrators, the oldest of today, beating ” severe ” , one of the parliamentary committee of the regions the staff .
he reporter, said that the reason for the attack was the result of an altercation occurred between the employee and the element of Peshmerga about uniforms, after the protection regiment tightening the noose on all employees . LINK
tlm724 the reason for the attack was the result of an altercation occurred between the employee and the element of Peshmerga about uniforms, after the protection regiment tightening the noose on all employees . Lord help us
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168179-pictures-the-protection-of-parliament-peshmerga-assaulting-an-employee-to-brutal-beating
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Baghdad operations: the bombing of the people dual proceeds 48 dead and wounded
Author: AR, HH Editor: AR, HH 5.17.2016 12:53 Long-Presse / Baghdad, Confirmed the Baghdad Operations Command, said Tuesday that the explosion witnessed in Shaab district, northeast of Baghdad, was caused by an explosive device and a woman as a suicide bomber, and the killing and wounding 48 people.
A spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command, Brigadier General Saad Maan in a statement received (range Press) copy of it, that “the terrorist attack near the 4000 market in the Shaab district, northeast of Baghdad, was caused by an explosive device and a woman as a suicide bomber.”
Maan said that “the outcome of the preliminary bombing was 11 dead and 37 injured, according to the Ministry of Health operations,” likely “because of the high toll the intensity of the bombing.”
A source in the Interior Ministry said earlier on Tuesday (17 May 2016), that 16 people had been killed and wounded in the explosion did not specify its nature at the time near the 4000 market in the Shaab district, northeast of Baghdad.
The security situation in the capital, Baghdad, have been tense since mid-2013, it announced that the United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), in (the first of May 2016), killing and injuring 2115 Iraqis as a result of acts of violence in the country during last April, down “significantly “from its predecessor, a renewed emphasis on the capital, Baghdad, was the” most affected “, while the head of the mission, Jan Kubis, expressed” deep concern “about the violence does not stop. LINK
tlm724 outta control !
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168170-baghdad-operations-the-bombing-of-the-people-dual-proceeds-48-dead-and-wounded
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Parliament meets next week and waiting for the Federal Court decision to resolve the legitimacy of his presidency
Author: BS, MJ Editor: BK, BS 5.17.2016 12:11 Long-Presse / Baghdad He favored a coalition of state law, on Tuesday, the possibility of a session of parliament held the first half of next week if the parties of Kurdistan and the Liberal bloc accepted its presence to complete the quorum, while between that everyone is waiting for the court’s decision to resolve the dispute over the legitimacy of the presidency of the parliament, it was revealed proposals to resolve the crisis, including the commissioning President of the Republic of Representatives for a chair of the presidency put to a vote.
The leader of the coalition, Jassim Mohammed Jaafar, in an interview to the (long-Presse), “The House of Representatives will not be able to hold a hearing full quorum during the current week,” expected to “be done in the first half of next week, provided that the Kurdish forces approval of the bloc Liberals to attend to complete the quorum. ”
The leader of the coalition headed by Nouri al-Maliki, that “the protesters deputies are waiting for the Federal Court decision to resolve the issue of the presidency of parliament and the legitimacy of its meeting, which saw the vote on changing five ministers,” adding that “the court’s decision allows the pressure on the protesters of Representatives to return to the meetings of the Council with the implementation of some of their demands. ”
He revealed Jaafar, for “there are other solutions to end the parliament crisis handled by the parties concerned, including that chooses the president, a House of Representatives for the presidency of the Council meeting and ask the Presidency to vote,” noting that “the parliamentary committees exercised its work pending the resumption of meetings of the Council.”
On the invitation of President of the Republic to extend the work of the House of Representatives last month, confirmed Jaafar, that “the constitutional and legal norms allow the President of the Republic that,” likely to “be voted to extend the work of the parliament for another month at the earliest meeting of the Council.” LINK
tlm724 He favored a coalition of state law, on Tuesday, the possibility of a session of parliament held the first half of next week if the parties of Kurdistan and the Liberal bloc accepted its presence to complete the quorum,
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168166-parliament-meets-next-week-and-waiting-for-the-federal-court-decision-to-resolve-the-legitimacy-of-his-presidency
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Parliamentary demanding the Interior Minister to clarify the reasons for cancellation Hashemi name from the wanted list of Interpol
17/05/2016 08:47 | Direction Press / Baghdad Demanded an MP for the Reform emotions grace the interior minister to clarify the reasons for cancellation Tareq al-Hashemi name from the red list of international wanted list / Interpol / police front.
Said in a statement received “direction Press”, a copy of the day: “The Iraqi people and all the families of the martyrs and victims of terrorism were shocked by the news of cancellation terrorist Tareq al-Hashemi to hear from the Red List own wanted list of international / Interpol / police, although he sentenced to five death sentences for committing terrorist crimes.” ,
indicating: “Iraq is in the Interpol member and director of the Iraqi Center of the Interior Ministry Maj. Gen. Hadi is Hammoudi, and the duty to renew the wanted bulletin Iraqi judiciary annually and submit it to the government to send it to Interpol.”
She explained: “The list may be added to it every year new names or written off thereof provided that obtaining the approval of the independent Iraqi judiciary names, the government is empowered to act and modify existing without the consent of the judiciary, which makes us wonder about who is responsible for the deletion of the name of this terrorist from the wanted list.”
She stressed the blessing: “that Iraq must seek to protest against the decision to remove al – Hashimi of thewanted list and find out who is responsible for this disastrous action which represents the disappointment of the Iraqi street big setback in achieving justice for the killers of the Iraqi people, indicating that the history will not have mercy on those who misused with terrorists and those who covered up their crimes against innocent people “.
http://aletejahtv.org/index.php/permalink/111788.html
tlm724
Clarification on the deletion of the accused Tariq al-Hashimi name from the red list of Interpol
Topic has been read 8 times 05/17/2016 16:16 A reference to the throughput of some of the media on the subject of deleting the accused convicted Tareq al-Hashemi name of the Red Notice would like the Ministry of Interior to explain to public opinion the following facts:
1. Central Investigating Court in Karkh issued an international arrest warrant and against the Iraqi Information Bulletin accused Tariq Ahmed Bakr al-Hashemi and contained to the Interior Ministry by the Presidency of the public prosecution.
2. The Ministry of the Interior and by Arab and International Police Directorate approached the Arab Criminal Police Office and the General Secretariat of Interpol under the request for a radio station for the purpose of issuing international research and publication red Moumi against him.
3. issued against the accused red bulletin International numbered (2012-5 / 3261- A ) and that on 05.07.2012.
4. We were informed by the Interpol General Secretariat / Oversight Committee that the above-mentioned Apply a complaint by agents of lawyers based on Article 18 of the treatment of the data, which states (the right of persons subject of international police cooperation to see the data) on the subject of international publication red issued based on the law request of the Iraqi authorities and asked for their answer to the questions contained in their message was a notice of the Supreme Judicial Council – presidency of the public prosecutor’s Central Criminal Court, it has been provided to the Secretariat of Interpol – control Commission with the information requested.
5. General Secretariat of Interpol – the Office of Legal Affairs, under its letters inform us on 09.10.2013 that on the recommendation of the Committee on the Control of INTERPOL files, cancel the red bulletin and delete information on the accused subject of research of the organization’s database.
6. The Ministry of Interior – Arab and International Police Directorate shall notify the Supreme Judicial Council – Presidency Prosecutors letters research topic paragraph (5) under No. book 9916 at 10.10.2013 and the presidency asked the public prosecution statement whether Canla entitled International Organization deleted and deleted information from the database and the abolition of the red bulletin on its own without a request from the requesting State.
7. The Arab and International Police Directorate in the Ministry of Interior approached the Interpol General Secretariat of the reasons for the abolition of the International Bulletin of the red in spite of its compliance with the conditions and controls all specific to the version and provide the Secretariat all inquiries about the case.
8 General Secretariat of Interpol replied to her letter dated 214/3/2 that information with the accused in question has been removed on the recommendation of the Oversight Committee on Interpol’s history.
9. meeting between Major General Chairman of the National Central Arab Bureau of Interpol in Baghdad, the Iraqi Interior Ministry with the Oversight Committee during the tenth conference of the heads of national offices and inquire about the reasons for cancellation of the Red Notice, which was issued in accordance with standards accredited to the organization and a statement ((to cancel the red notice does not eliminate the role of Iraqi judicial authorities and remains charged unless waived in his charges by the Iraqi judiciary))
and the possibility of requesting the issuance of new red notice, according to new data provide evidence against the accused and asked the Oversight Committee to provide new evidence to condemn the right of the accused in question.
10. The Ministry of the Interior approached the Interpol General Secretariat under the book Arab and International Police Directorate No. 11001 on 10/26/2014 in order to reconsider issuing red notice, the General Secretariat of Interpol responded under its letter of 03.02.2015 that it has not issued a red bulletin International again.
11. The Interior Ministry wishes to clarify that the abolition of the Red Notice against the accused does not eliminate the above being accused wanted by the Iraqi judicial authorities and law enforcement agencies in accordance with the provisions issued against him.
http://moi.gov.iq/ArticleShow.aspx?ID=15567
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168144-parliamentary-demanding-the-interior-minister-to-clarify-the-reasons-for-cancellation-hashemi-name-from-the-wanted-list-of-interpol
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Put out a fire broke out on the ninth of the Central Bank building floor
Local Since 17.05.2016 at 10:15 (Baghdad time) BAGHDAD – balances News
Spokesman said Baghdad Operations Command, Brigadier General Saad Maan, on Tuesday, all put out a fire broke out on the ninth of the Central Bank building floor.
http://www.mawazin.net/uploads/files/2016/May-5/17-5/32.jpg
Maan said in a statement received / balances News / copy of it, that “civil defense teams managed to extinguish the fire broke out within minutes in the ninth character in the Central Bank building (floor that contains the bank Cafeteria) due to an electrical fault.”
He added, “it was to control the fire without damage.” Ended 29/4 e LINK
[tlm724] civil defense teams managed to extinguish the fire broke out within minutes in the ninth character in the Central Bank building (floor that contains the bank Cafeteria) due to an electrical fault.
[tlm724] bank Cafeteria whew
[tlm724] where bubbies when I need him lmao
Central Bank: No damage from the fire Remember the ninth floor
Baghdad -arac Press -17 May / May: The Central Bank of Iraq, on Tuesday, to control the fire that broke out in the ninth match it, confirming the absence of any damage.
The bank said in a brief statement, “The fire broke out this morning, in the cooling system of the Central Bank restaurant on the ninth floor of the electric board,” stressing that “it was to control the fire within minutes and without any damages to remember” .anthy (1)
http://www.iraqpressagency.com/?p=199976&lang=ar
http://www.bondladyscorner.com/t168192-put-out-a-fire-broke-out-on-the-ninth-of-the-central-bank-building-floor
