Party: three options for Al-Maliki either check out slides or retain power at all costs!
On November 26, 2013 In political
Baghdad/Iraq News Network reported a member of the political Bureau of Dawa, a meeting of the party leadership discussed the latest political developments in the country and the electoral mode of the party and rule of law, and the expected divisions in the body of the list, the current differences between the party leaders about the overall performance of the Prime Minister and the party's General Secretary, as well as the delicate situation the party because of the poor performance of the son of Ahmed Al-Maliki's Government. "there are three source options available before Al-Maliki is either leaving Iraq to a friend Or face justice through the thorny and difficult files such as arms deals Russian and Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbian Prime or retain any cost among the options stay the elections be postponed until further notice.
Iraq’s Kurdish Ministers Could Help Solve Baghdad-Erbil Budget Row
By Aso Fishagi
Disagreements over the autonomous Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget resurface annually between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish ministers in the Iraqi cabinet are being recruited to help resolve disagreements between Erbil and Baghdad over next year’s federal budget before it goes to parliament, a Kurdish MP said. Muayyid Tayyib, a member of the Iraqi parliament and spokesman of the legislature’s Kurdistan Alliance coalition, told Rudaw that Kurdish ministers are being asked to use their influence in the Iraqi cabinet to help resolve the serious disputes. “The Kurdistan Alliance has decided to put pressure on Iraq’s Council of Ministers through its Kurdish ministers in order to reach an agreement on the disputed issues ahead of the budget going to parliament,” Tayyib said. Disagreements over the autonomous Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget resurface annually between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The two differ on several major issues: Erbil insists it is owed billions of dollars in payments to foreign oil companies; Baghdad objects to Erbil signing direct oil deals with foreign companies. Erbil also awaits 7 trillion Iraqi dinars in back pay for the Peshmarga armed forces, and the Kurds complain they never get the full 17 percent share of the budget specified under the constitution. Tayyib anticipated that Baghdad might again withhold payment for the oil companies and the Peshmargas. Legally, Iraq’s national budget has to be sent to parliament by October. But the 2014 budget, the largest in Iraq’s history and estimated at some 174 trillion Iraqi dinars ($150 billion dollars), still has not been sent for approval. Iraq’s Shiite Arab Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose relations with Erbil are thorny, is blamed for the forceful passing of the current year’s budget without heed to Kurdish objections and concerns. The Kurdistan Alliance fears that could happen again. “Other than boycotting the sessions of the Iraqi Parliament and Council of Ministers, we have no other means of pressure to prevent the approval of the 2014 federal budget without our consent,” Tayyib explained. “Our position is different than last year because now the Kurdistan Region has its own pipeline to export oil,” he added, referring to the enclave’s first direct oil exports, expected to begin next month through a newly-extended pipeline to Turkey. “Hussein Shahristani, the Iraqi deputy prime minister for energy affairs, has officially asked for a reduction of the budget payment to Kurdistan,” Fazil Nabi, deputy minister of finance in the Iraqi government, told Rudaw. “He is claiming that the KRG has not sent the 2012 oil revenues to the Iraqi government,” Nabi added. But another Kurdish MP rejected that claim, saying it is Erbil that is owed 12 trillion Iraqi dinars by Baghdad.
In Kurdistan’s Booming Economy, Job Fair Proves a Hit By Kira Walker
ERBIL, KURDISTAN Fifty companies more than 2,000 people turned out at the Erbil Job Fair 2013 this week, the largest event of its type in the Kurdistan Region, where a booming economy means that jobs and job seekers are both plentiful. Companies from a range of sectors were present at Monday’s job fair, among them construction, security, engineering, oil and gas, media, communications and development. “The variety of companies was intentional, we didn’t want to just focus on one sector,” said Talan Aouny, founder and CEO of Erbil Manpower Company, a recruiting and business services agency for Iraq that is partially sponsored by Foras, an economic growth program of the US government. “We hope this will become an annual event, and if we get enough support, we would like to hold similar job fairs all over Kurdistan,” Aouny said. Don Henry, Senior Project Director of Foras, said the real work of their organization is to make the local employment marketplace more open. “There are a huge number of youth here who are invisible and we want to make them and their skills visible,” Henry explained, adding that Foras also aims to make the detailed requirements of companies more visible to job seekers. “Forasjobs.com is a virtual marketplace for job seekers and organizations to meet, look at each other’s skills and find jobs,” Henry noted. Babylon Media, a local multimedia company, was at the fair to fill several vacant positions in accounting, human resources, public relations, sales, marketing and sound engineering. “We need sound engineers, but they’re very hard to find in Erbil,” said Kinan Mallouhi of Babylon. Delan Akrawi of the Salahaddin Career Center said five or six workshops are held every month to provide students with soft skills training. “Over 400 students were trained before the job fair,” Akrawi added. While the Salahaddin Career Center primarily connects employers with graduates of Salahaddin University, the center also assists other job seekers. “We’re in contact with private sector companies and they keep us informed of their vacancies, which we fill with graduates – we’re a link,” Akrawi explained. Juan Kasem recently left his job and was at the job fair to search for a better position. “I’m looking for a new, good opportunity, and also to network,” Kasem commented, adding that there were not as many IT companies at the fair as he would have liked. Merna Zaia, a recent electrical engineering graduate, was at the fair in the hopes of finding employment. “I’m searching for a job in my field, and there are many jobs out there, but the problem is that most companies who hire electrical engineers want to hire a boy, not a girl,” Zaia explained. Turnout for the event was expected to be in the hundreds, largely university students from both Erbil and Sulaymani, but as the day drew to a close attendance surpassed 2,000 participants. “We weren’t expecting numbers this high and are very pleased with how many people came out today,” Aouny said.
Finance Minister criticizes the work of government banks and calls for better reality (PFP)
Tomorrow's Press / Baghdad criticized the Minister of Finance Agency Ali Shukri, on Tuesday, the structure of the work of government banks in Baghdad, calling for them to improve their reality to serve the citizens, as he emphasized that Iraq waits for project restructuring of banks for the advancement of the banking business. said Shukri for "tomorrow's Press," on sidelines of his visit to some of the branches of the Rafidain Bank and Rasheed in Baghdad, said that "the reality of structural followed in government banks allowed to branch managers of neglecting a lot of important aspects of the banking business, as well as the deadly routine because of the long procedures surrounding the review of customers, which makes them prefer private banks to its counterpart government" . demanded Shukri employees of those banks to "develop their abilities and improve dealing with customers because these things reflect the image of the citizen about how literal this bank," stressing that "Iraq is waiting for the completion of the restructuring of State-owned banks for the advancement of the banking business." It is noteworthy that the World Bank in collaboration with Iraqi government to prepare a new structure for banks Iraqi government that would raise the quality of banking services offered.
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