Rights: America imposes guardianship over the Iraqi people

Information / Baghdad… The head of the Parliamentary Rights Bloc, Saud Al-Saadi, accused, on Tuesday, the United States of America of imposing guardianship on Iraqi sovereignty, the Iraqi economy and money.

Al-Saadi said in a statement to Al-Maalouma, “What is happening is the imposition of American tutelage on Iraqi sovereignty and on the Iraqi economy and money,” noting that “Iraq came out of Chapter VII, and no one can impose any tutelage on it, and therefore we demanded the restoration and transfer of Iraqi funds in full to Treasury of the Iraqi state.

He added, “Our position is firm, which is not to transfer money from Iraqi oil sold to the US Federal Bank, which controls, together with the US Treasury Department, the procedures for transferring dollars into Iraq.”

Al-Saadi pointed out that “America recently put in place procedures and restrictions that caused a decrease in the percentage of Iraqi funds transferred to Iraq, which caused a shortage in supply and an increase in demand, and thus led to a rise in the exchange rate of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar.”

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Al-Sudani urges the Central Bank to activate steps to sell foreign currency at official rates

Shafaq News / The Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia’a Al-Sudani, urged, on Tuesday, the Central Bank of Iraq to activate steps to sell foreign currency at official rates to the population, with the aim of curbing the rise in the exchange rate of the dollar against the local currency.

This came during his meeting today with the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Mustafa Ghaleb Makhaif, according to a statement issued by the Sudanese media office.

According to the statement, Al-Sudani “listened to a detailed presentation from the bank’s governor regarding the rise in the foreign currency exchange rate, and the most important measures taken by the bank in this field.”

The statement stated that “the Prime Minister urged the Central Bank to achieve general stability of prices and the exchange rate, in accordance with the tasks stipulated in Articles (3 and 4) of the Central Bank of Iraq Law, which stipulate that the Central Bank aims to achieve stability in the local exchange rate, and organize and monitor the work of Banks, enhancing the safety and efficiency of payment systems, and developing the payment system.

Al-Sudani stressed the need for the bank to take the necessary measures to prevent illegal speculation and everything that harms the local market and leads to higher prices.

He also urged activating steps to sell foreign currency at official prices to citizens through purchasing with electronic cards, opening sales outlets for travelers, or clients outside Iraq, or financing foreign trade, in accordance with the fundamentalist contexts and international standards for opening documentary credits and remittances.

The Governor of the Central Bank presented to the Prime Minister the positive position of the financial situation, stressing that the crisis regarding foreign currency is an emergency crisis for technical reasons, and coincided with the work of the new electronic platform and the delay in transfers due to the Christmas holiday.

The governor praised Council of Ministers Resolution No. 352 of 2022 to stop the work of pre-collection of taxes and customs duties on goods entering government ports, prevent double taxation, and collect them according to the approved contexts at border crossings.

And the exchange rate of the dollar continues to rise since days against the Iraqi dinar in the main stock exchange in the capital, Baghdad, and in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, and it rose today to approach the barrier of 160,000 dinars for the category of 100 dollars, and this rise is the first of its kind since 2003 until now.

The rise of the dollar in the Iraqi local markets led to an increase in the prices of foodstuffs in the wholesale markets, which are considered the main artery of the citizen’s life.

In today’s statement, the central bank attributed the dollar’s rise against the dinar to “temporary pressures resulting from internal and external factors, given the adoption of mechanisms to protect the banking sector, customers, and the financial system.”

The bank confirmed that foreign trade requirements (for the purposes of documentary credits or transfers) are fully covered by the official price (1465) dinars to the dollar for documentary credits and (1470) dinars to the dollar for transfers.

Shafaq.com

The Iraqi prime minister is caught between allied pressure and US appeasement

Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani is facing pressure from some forces within the coordination framework to reconsider the strategic framework agreement with the United States, at a time when the latter is trying to maintain good relations with the American administration and avoid any tremors with it.

Iraq and the United States signed a strategic framework agreement in 2008, which included a number of axes, including regulating the presence of US forces in the country, in addition to provisions related to strengthening cooperation in various economic, cultural and political fields.

And after the killing of the commander of the Quds Force, the external wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani, and the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, in an American strike in Baghdad in early 2020, the Iraqi parliament, under pressure from Shiite forces and factions loyal to Iran, issued a resolution obligating the Baghdad government to withdraw the American forces deployed in the country. Within the framework of an international coalition to combat the Islamic State.

Pro-Iranian Shiite forces are trying to take advantage of the existence of a pro-government government to put pressure on the removal of all US forces from Iraq

Indeed, the Al-Kazemi government reached a consensus about a year ago regarding the withdrawal of US forces from the country, and the transfer of the remaining ones to tasks with an advisory and training dimension, in a move that sparked widespread controversy in the Iraqi arena, and rejection by the Shiite forces.

Today, some Shiite forces are trying to take advantage of the presence of a loyal government to pressure the expulsion of all American forces, in a move that observers say would affect the relationship between the two countries, which is what the current Iraqi prime minister is trying to avoid.

The leader in the coordination framework, Turki Al-Atbi, called for the need to reconsider the strategic framework agreement with Washington. Al-Atbi said in a press statement, “In light of the challenges and painful events that Iraq has gone through during the past years, it has become necessary to reconsider the strategic framework agreement with Washington, which did not achieve any of its general goals, and Iraq is directly affected by it.”

Al-Atbi added, “We have five important observations regarding the provisions of the strategic agreement, the most prominent of which is Washington’s exploitation of some of its provisions in flying military aircraft without any inspection, which means a major security problem that must be paid attention to, in addition to issues related to the economy, money, and repeated violations of aircraft and drones and their bombing of targets in depth.”

The leader in the framework that represents the political umbrella of the Sudanese government indicated that “Iraq’s current situation requires a revision of all agreements with the United States and others and making them according to a path that serves national security and directly preserves its sovereignty.”

The demands of leaders in the coordination framework to reconsider the American presence come with the return of attacks attributed to ISIS. Since the beginning of this December, seven attacks have been recorded on Iraqi security forces in the regions of Kirkuk, Diyala and Tarmiya, killing nineteen people and wounding fifteen others.

Observers of Iraqi affairs rule out the success of the current pressures in pushing the Iraqi prime minister to go towards reconsidering the strategic framework agreement, or working to end the US military presence, especially since he realizes the extent of Iraq’s need for US support, both on the security and even political level.

Al-Sudani stresses the importance of continuing joint work, especially in the field of advising and training the Iraqi forces, which are fighting the confrontation against terrorism effectively and professionally.

Observers point out that Al-Sudani will try to convince the forces objecting to the American presence of the need to postpone the opening of this file, at least in the foreseeable future, and to focus on priority issues at the internal level.

The Iraqi Prime Minister, who also holds the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, stressed the importance of cooperation and coordination with the United States earlier this month, during his meeting with the Commander of the US Central Command, General Michael Korella.

During the meeting, Al-Sudani stressed “the importance of continuing joint work, especially in the field of providing advice and training to the Iraqi forces, which are fighting the confrontation against terrorism effectively and professionally,” stressing that “the Iraqi forces are determined to continue working in order to stabilize stability and preserve the successes achieved in the war on terrorism.” “.

The number of American forces in Iraq is estimated at about two thousand soldiers, deployed in three main locations, which are the “Ain al-Assad” base, located 130 km from the city of Ramadi, the center of Anbar Governorate, in western Iraq, and the “Victoria” camp, adjacent to Baghdad International Airport, which There is a mission and intelligence analysis unit in it, along with the “Harir” base, located north of Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.

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Economist: The government’s measures will contribute to devaluing the dollar within two weeks

Information / Baghdad … The economist, Bassem Antoine, confirmed that government measures will contribute to a decrease in the exchange rate of the dollar within two weeks, while he identified two main reasons behind the continuous rise.

In a statement to Al-Maalouma, Antoine said, “The set of measures taken by the government of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’a Al-Sudani and the Central Bank by reducing the price of the dollar and limiting imports will contribute to the return of the exchange rate of the dollar to what it was and within two weeks.”

He added, “The high exchange rate of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar stands behind it for two reasons: the first is the failure to legislate the budget law by determining the exchange rate, while the other factor is the transfer of corrupt money from the Iraqi dinar to the dollar, which led to an increase in demand for the dollar.”

The Finance Committee in the House of Representatives attributed earlier the reasons for the high price of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar to the pressure exerted by the US Federal Bank on the Central Bank of Iraq.

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Because of the rise in the dollar.. a parliamentary threat to interrogate Al-Sudani and the governor of the Central Bank

Information / Baghdad… The House of Representatives is heading to interrogate the Prime Minister and the Governor of the Central Bank after the end of the House of Representatives recess in the event that the measures taken fail to restore the exchange rate to its normal state.

A member of the Legal Committee, Raed al-Maliki, said in an interview seen by /information/, that “the government has begun working to restore the exchange rate by taking some measures.”

Al-Maliki added, “Parliament, by virtue of its oversight work, has monitored the government’s work, and two points or two violations have been diagnosed so far: the failure in fiscal policy and the exchange rate, a failure that demonstrated the government’s inability to control the issue of the exchange rate and fiscal and monetary policy.”

He explained, “Parliament is monitoring the government’s actions during this period, and will await the results of these measures until the end of the legislative recess,” waving, “to demand the interrogation of the prime minister and the governor of the central bank, if no results are reached in this regard and the exchange rate returns to its previous state.”

Almaalomah.me

A parliamentarian reveals the date of the decline in the dollar exchange rate

Information / special… A member of the House of Representatives, Baqir Kazem, revealed the new measures taken by the Central Bank in order to reduce the exchange rate in the local markets, while stressing that the rise in the price of the dollar will decrease within a month from now.

Kazem said in an interview with “The Information” that “the central bank is working to form a new appropriation department for the import of goods in order to control the parties that used to monopolize the dollar in the local markets,” noting that “these measures came after the escalation of smuggling operations in the previous period, which led to to the height it is now.

And he continued, “The high exchange rate these days will not last more than a month after the new procedures that are being implemented by the Central Bank,” noting that “the latter will work to sell the dollar to merchants in the circle of new credits, at subsidized prices, directly.”

He noted that “the reason for the increase is that many merchants transfer millions of dollars to money exchangers and fake companies working to smuggle it out of Iraq,” stressing that “the exchange rate after the new procedures will settle at 146,000 Iraqi dinars for 100 dollars.”

The Prime Minister called for “opening the file of the currency auction, the exchange rate and the state of chaos in the markets within the agenda of the next cabinet session and taking immediate and urgent measures to address this file, which has become an unacceptable door to corruption and waste of public money.”

The Finance Committee in the House of Representatives attributed earlier the reasons for the high price of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar to the pressure exerted by the US Federal Bank on the Central Bank of Iraq.

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Leadership in the framework: Al-Halbousi’s change is possible and there are 3 steps to achieve it

The information / Baghdad... The leader in the coordination framework, Turki Al-Atbi, confirmed, on Saturday, that the change of Parliament Speaker Muhammad Al-Halbousi is possible, indicating that there are 3 steps to achieve this.

Al-Atbi said in a statement to Al-Maalouma, “The change of Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi is possible, and it is now up to the Sunni forces to determine their position regarding any future steps,” noting that “more than 3 forces agree on the change so far.”

He added, “The change of Al-Halbousi must be preceded by 3 important steps, which is the consensus of the Sunni house and agreement on an alternative, with the reasons for the change being presented in order to achieve political support for the rest of the parties in the House of Representatives,” stressing that “any change is incoming and the political circumstances are the ones that press in this direction.” .

Al-Atbi pointed out that “the ball is now in the court of the Sunni forces if they want change and movement in this direction through the readings available to us. They are powerful and heading towards achieving them in the coming period.”

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Al-Halbousi may lose his position in the coming days

Information / Special… The political analyst Sabah Al-Aqili suggested that Al-Halbousi would lose his position and be excluded from the presidency of Parliament after the sectarian talk that he presented in the past days, pointing out that the fate of Al-Halbousi became in the hands of the coordination framework after trying to win over the masses by raising the file of the absent.

Al-Aqili said in an interview with Al-Maalouma, “Al-Halbousi takes advantage of his position in the presidency of Parliament and speaks on behalf of the Sunni community, but he has lost support from this component, and there are disagreements and refusal to continue in this position.”

He added, “Al-Halbousi’s fate has become in the hands of the coordination framework, and there may be a presence in the coming days in order to replace him and remove him from the position of Speaker of Parliament, especially after an attempt to fuel sectarianism and promote the so-called absentees.”

And he indicated that “Al-Halbousi, after his influence receded and he felt the unwillingness of the Sunni forces to continue in the position, he went towards simulating the feelings of the masses to obtain support in order to continue in power.”

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Does the informant about corruption or theft receive a reward from the state?

Information / special… The legal expert Ali Al-Tamimi clarified the legal procedures that guarantee the rights of the informant about corruption or theft in any other case, pointing out that the state grants a reward of a certain percentage to the informant.

Al-Tamimi said in an interview with Al-Maalouma, “In order to encourage those who provide news or information that lead to the recovery of state-owned funds, arrest the perpetrators of crimes, take legal measures against them, and encourage those who provide information in the event of financial and administrative corruption, we note that Law 33 of 2008 was issued.”

He added, “The provisions of this law apply to state and public sector employees, and it also includes those who provide information that leads to the recovery of stolen Iraqi antiquities, as well as news about administrative and financial corruption. This law indicates that the minister or head of an entity not associated with a ministry gives a financial reward to those covered by the provisions of this law, which is Percentages ranging between 3-5% of the value of the recovered money, as these funds are granted after settling the lawsuits and recovering the money, and this law obligates the investigation court or the investigation court to resolve the lawsuit urgently.

And he indicated that “the law indicated that there is a financial reward of up to (500) thousand dinars that is granted quickly by the competent minister in the case of someone who gives information about the existence of these cases, and the law obligated that authority to present the matter to the Council of Ministers to disburse the percentages of the reward, whether on the amount of The crime or the investigative committee that made efforts to resolve the case and refer it to the competent court, and the law required that the investigation of these crimes be strictly confidential in order not to leak information that might affect the case or its course.

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Al-Sadr comments on the emergence of a “political Mahdism movement” in Iraq

Shafaq News / The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, called, on Friday, to boycott a Shiite religious movement in Iraq that claims Mahdism and the Imamate, with a political, economic, social, and hawza cover, stressing that whoever joins this movement among the supporters of the movement “is expelled.”

This came in response to a question addressed to him by a group of students of the practical seminary about this movement, and Al-Sadr replied, “These are cunning and corrupt tyrants who have no inner knowledge except the lowest. Rather, they are students of this world and lovers of money, and they have no luck at all from the hereafter.”

And he added in his statement, speaking of the president and members of this movement, that they “have wreaked havoc … since the time of his father (Muhammad Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr), and he expelled them and debauched some of them, so it is necessary to boycott them and move away from them,” calling for the competent official authorities to be informed about them.

Al-Sadr continued by saying that “whoever joins them from (the Sadrist movement) is expelled immediately.”

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