The first package of cabinet decisions in response to the demands of the demonstrators and the general public

The Council of Ministers issued the first package of important decisions at the extraordinary session called by Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, which was held on Saturday evening in response to the demands of demonstrators and the general public and the text of the speech of the Supreme Religious Reference.

The Council of Ministers issued the first package of decisions, as follows:

1. Open the door to apply for residential land allocated to low-income people and other categories in accordance with the decision of the Council of Ministers, and in all governorates.

2. Completing the distribution of (17000) seventeen thousand housing units to the beneficiaries of low income in Basra province within a period not exceeding four weeks.

3. Preparing and implementing a national housing program that includes the construction of (100,000) one hundred thousand housing units distributed among the governorates, giving priority to the poorest governorates and regions.

4. The governors shall form committees to sort out the names of the families most in need in their governorates, from the category of those covered by the social welfare network , in order to cover the distribution of residential land, and to submit the names to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers within two weeks.

5. The Ministry of Finance shall strengthen the balance of the Housing Fund in order to increase the number of borrowers and enable them to build housing units on the plots of land to be distributed to citizens and to include this in the 2020 budget.

6.Giving (150,000) one hundred and fifty thousand unemployed persons who do not have the ability to work monthly grant of (175000) one hundred and seventy- five thousand dinars per person for three months, with a total amount of (78500000000) seventy- eight billion and a half billion dinars.

7. The establishment of modern marketing complexes (kiosks) in commercial areas in Baghdad and the provinces distributed to those referred to in the previous paragraph
during a period of three months at a total cost of (6000000000) sixty billion dinars provided that the owner of the kiosk pledges to employ two unemployed to ensure the provision of Less than (45000) forty five thousand job opportunities for citizens taking into consideration giving priority to those who have been removed stalls.

8. Preparing a program to train and qualify the unemployed who have the ability to work and the number of (150,000) one hundred and fifty thousand young graduates and non-graduates with a financial grant during the training period of (3) three months (175000) one hundred and seventy-five thousand dinars per month Persons, and a total amount of (78.5 billion) seventy-eight billion and a half billion dinars in order to qualify them, and run those who pass the training courses successfully in investment companies operating in Iraq.

9. Granting the successful persons in the above training courses appropriate loans to establish medium or small projects from the profit-making loan fund at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, or granting them loans through the Central Bank’s initiative for youth lending, amounting to one trillion dinars.

10. Include the unemployed participants in the training program above the Industrial Services Law by granting them a piece of land served to establish an industrial project with the enjoyment of all the privileges provided by the said law.

11. The Ministry of Defense will open the door of volunteering for young people (18-25) years through the electronic portal or reception centers in the governorates as of 15/10/2019.

12. The ministries of defense and interior to take the basic procedures to repeal their contracts in all governorates.

13. The Ministry of Education shall take the necessary measures to contract the volunteer lecturers and include the required financial allocations in the 2020 budget according to the need and specialization.

14. The Ministry of Agriculture shall take the basic procedures to exempt farmers from the amounts of lease of agricultural lands resulting from their previous dues until 31/12/2019.

15. The governors, in coordination with the Social Welfare Departments of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, shall prepare lists of disadvantaged families due for the purpose of granting them the salaries of social welfare and the number of (600000) six hundred thousand families.

16. To consider the victims as demonstrators and security services as martyrs, to be covered by the laws in force, and to grant their families the rights and privileges arising therefrom.

17. The Ministry of Health shall provide treatment services to wounded demonstrators and security forces and provide full needs at government expense, including treatment outside Iraq, if requested.

The Council of Ministers directed the ministries and other concerned parties to implement the above decisions according to their competence.

The Council also decided to discuss the second package of decisions related to reforms and the demands of the demonstrators at the next session , and to continue taking the necessary decisions in the subsequent sessions.

Iraqakhbar.com

Deadly civil unrest – what is happening in Iraq?

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Dozens of Iraqis have died in recent days in clashes between protesters and the security forces during street demonstrations that caught the authorities by surprise.

They were the first major deadly protests for more than a year.

WHY ARE PEOPLE PROTESTING?

Iraqis are fed up. Two years after the defeat of Islamic State much of the country’s nearly 40 million population live in worsening conditions despite the country’s oil wealth.

Security is better than it has been in years, but wrecked infrastructure has not been rebuilt and jobs are scarce. Youth blame this squarely on what they see as corrupt leaders who do not represent them.

WHY ARE CONDITIONS SO BAD?

After decades of war against its neighbors, U.N. sanctions, two U.S. invasions, foreign occupation and sectarian civil war, the defeat of the Islamic State insurgency in 2017 means Iraq is now at peace and free to trade for the first extended period since the 1970s. Oil output is at record levels.

But infrastructure is decrepit and deteriorating, war-damaged cities have yet to be rebuilt and armed groups still wield power on the streets.

A culture of corruption has persisted since the era of dictator Saddam Hussein and has become entrenched under the rule of sectarian political parties that emerged after his fall.

WHAT SPARKED THE LATEST PROTESTS? WHO ORGANIZED THEM?

The protests do not appear to be coordinated by a particular political group. Social media calls for protests gathered pace early this week. The turnout appeared to take security forces by surprise.

The inadequacy of state services and the lack of jobs are the principal reasons for public anger. A series of political moves by the government has contributed, especially the demotion of a popular wartime military officer for reasons that have not been fully explained. Some at the demonstrations were protesting over the commander’s removal.

ARE MASS PROTESTS RARE IN IRAQ?

Major protests took place mainly in the southern city of Basra in September last year. Nearly 30 people were killed.

Since then, sporadic demonstrations have taken place but not on the scale of this week’s events. These were the first large demonstrations against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government, which took office in October last year.

WILL THEY SPREAD? WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

It depends how the government and security services handle the protests. More deaths – so far more than 80 people have been killed – will fuel anger. But a heavy-handed crackdown could also scare protesters into staying home.

Many Iraqis believe powerful paramilitary groups backed by Iran were behind violent crackdowns in Basra last year. Turnout for protests since then has been small.

If tribal or factional armed groups get involved the situation could deteriorate. Gunfights broke out in southern cities this week between unidentified gunmen and police.

WILL THE GOVERNMENT MEET PROTESTERS’ DEMANDS?

The government has promised better employment opportunities for Iraqis.

This week Abdul Mahdi promised jobs for graduates and instructed the oil ministry and other government bodies to include a 50% quota for local workers in subsequent contracts with foreign companies.

Similar promises and pledges to improve healthcare, electricity and services were made last year by the previous government.

IS THE UNREST SECTARIAN?

No. Most Iraqis have sought to avoid sectarian rhetoric after the brutal experience of Sunni hardline Islamic State – although sectarian tension still exists. These protests are about worsening economic and living conditions and are taking place mostly in Baghdad and the Shi’ite Muslim-dominated south, but cut across ethnic and sectarian lines. Anger is directed at a political class, not a sect.

That contrasts with protests in 2012 and 2013 that Islamic State exploited to rally support among Sunnis.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE GOVERNMENT?

Because no political party or group is publicly involved in these demonstrations – not even the so-called opposition parliamentary grouping of firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who has orchestrated some unrest in the past – the government might struggle to control them.

If they spread, it is unclear what options the government has. There is no mention so far of reshuffles or resignations. Parties that agreed to bring Abdul Mahdi to power, and which control the weak premier, are likely to want to keep him there.

Reuters.com

Abdul Mahdi officials agree with the demonstrators to end the demonstrations

Officials in Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s office have agreed with representatives of demonstrators to end the protests, state media reported on Wednesday.

The official Iraqi news agency INA, in a news broadcast today, that officials in the office of Abdul-Mahdi, met today, representatives of the demonstrators to discuss their demands, noting that they ended their demonstrations.

There have been angry demonstrations since yesterday evening and renewed this morning to demand reform.

Protesters burned tires on major streets in several areas of Baghdad and a number of provinces, as security forces cut off the main roads linking the provinces with the capital.

Alsumaria.tv

Al-Madar publishes the demands of the demonstrations

Orbit Agency – Baghdad (Which means “Sky News”)

‘orbit’ demands a demonstration tomorrow , Tuesday (October 1, 2019) which will be launched Bhashtak ‘# Nazl_lakhz_haka’
demands are:

1. declare a real war on corruption and open all the files of corruption and with the help of specialized international bodies to issues of corruption
and the enactment of the law where you (got) This.

2. Preventing the interference of political parties and blocs in government work, separating political entitlement from government positions and establishing the Federal Service Council.

3 – Formation of the Construction Council, which consists of specialists to be responsible for all projects and future plans of the country.

4. Really support the private sector, protect the domestic product to eliminate unemployment, move the local economy, maintain foreign currency within the country and open the door for real domestic and foreign investments.

5 – Cancellation of the currency auction and the adoption of free market policy.

6. To confine arms to the State in a genuine manner and to abolish all armed manifestations and the militarization of society.

7- Restructuring all government sectors, especially the service ones, to be real productive sectors.

8 – Restructuring and organization of the institution of education and fast and urgent in order to produce a successful educational sector according to international standards.

9. Amending the Electoral Law to be a fair law and preserving the rights of all.

10. Repeal and amend all laws and legislations that contravene the Constitution and immediately apply the disabled paragraphs of the Constitution and abolish all special privilege laws.

■ Give an opportunity not more than 15 days to start the implementation of the above or else the ceiling of our demands next time will be higher and bigger

Almadarnews.org

Arab Monetary Fund adopts the indices of the Iraq Stock Exchange

Baghdad: The Arab Monetary Fund included the indexes of the Iraq Stock Exchange to its data from the current month of September, and this is the first time that the indicators are displayed within the fund data.

The Executive Director of the Iraqi market for securities Taha Ahmed Abdul Salam in a statement seen by the “economic news”, that “as a result of the joint cooperation between the Iraqi Stock Exchange and the Securities Commission with the Arab Monetary Fund, has been completed the experimental stages of work in the download of trading data and indicators for the market Iraq during the month of August successfully by the Department of Electronic Systems.

As of the beginning of September, trading data within the Arab Monetary Fund’s database became among the 17 financial markets registered in the Fund, and the price index has become within the Fund’s composite index for Arab capital markets, for the first time in the history of Iraqi financial markets.

He pointed out that “the number of companies listed on the Iraqi market for securities 102 joint-stock companies constitute the sectors of banking, insurance, remittance, investment, industry, agriculture, communications, hotels, and the total capital of these companies 12130 billion shares.”

“This achievement is a positive step towards enhancing the confidence of investors in the Iraqi market and achieving the objectives of disclosure and transparency in accordance with international best practices,” Abdul Salam said.

Economy-news.net

SENIOR IRAQI OFFICIAL: SOON MANY OF THE OUTSTANDING PROBLEMS WITH THE KURDISTAN REGION WILL BE RESOLVED

The Secretary General of the Council of Ministers Naim Hamid al-Ghazi on Saturday resolved to resolve many of the differences and outstanding issues between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government soon.

Al-Ghazzi said in a statement to reporters today, that “there is a negotiating delegation to resolve the outstanding problems with the region with regard to the issue of oil and border ports and disputed areas as well as Kirkuk other topics,” stressing that these are the most prominent points of disagreement between the federal government and the regional government.

“Joint delegations between the two sides are continuing dialogues to solve these problems and soon many will be resolved,” he added.

Shafaaq.com

The Central Bank announces amendments to the controls on the declaration of funds entering and leaving Iraq

For the sake of the Central Bank of Iraq to clarify the instructions and regulations for the declaration of funds entering and leaving across the Iraqi border.

The Central Bank of Iraq / Council for Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism, would like to announce the first amendment to the rules for the declaration of funds when they are entered or taken out across the Iraqi borders, published in the Iraqi Fact Sheet No. 4551 dated 19/8/2019, before they enter into force in February 2020, to spare citizens and travelers legal accountability for the irregularities stipulated in those controls during the transfer of funds across the border .

Central Bank of Iraq
information Office

Cbi.iq

Washington – Ready to build advanced banking system in Iraq and fight corruption

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is ready to help Iraq build an advanced banking system and contribute expertise to fight corruption during a meeting with House of Representatives Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi and US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Toller, US Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorist Financing Marshall Billingsley said Thursday.

The Information Office of the President of the House of Representatives in a statement, that Halbousi “discussed during the meeting political, economic and security developments in Iraq,” stressing “the role of the House of Representatives in the adoption of legislation guaranteeing the development and stability in the country.”

The statement added, “The Speaker stressed the importance of the United States and the international community to make more efforts to combat terrorism and dry up its sources and financing,” noting “the need to reduce the escalation in the region and the encirclement of crises and the call for dialogue and peace.”

The statement continued, “Halbousi called for encouraging American companies to invest more in Iraq in all industrial and commercial areas.”

The US Assistant Secretary of Treasury, for his part, stressed his country’s keenness on the security and sovereignty of Iraq, and the protection of democracy in Iraq and the gains achieved after the victory in the war on terrorism, pointing out that Washington is ready to provide assistance Expertise to fight corruption. ”

Glgamesh.com

The Central Bank issues a decision to cover the market need of small monetary categories

Economy News _ Baghdad – The Central Bank of Iraq, on Monday, to cancel the fine shortage of deposits of small categories of banks, attributing the decision to cover the market need of new notes for small cash groups.

“In order to cover the market need of new banknotes for small cash denominations” 250, 500 and 1000, “it was decided to cancel the shortage that may appear in bank deposits of small cash denominations for a limited period,” the bank said in a statement received by the Economy News. , Indicating that “it comes to achieve the desired goal of withdrawing the damaged cash currency in circulation.”

He added that “the counting and sorting of banknotes damaged for these categories require time and effort from the competent staff for the difficulty of counting in the counting machines.”

Economy-news.net

The Central Bank eliminates the fine shortage of deposits of small categories of banks

September 23, 2019

In its endeavor to cover the market need of new banknotes for small cash categories (250, 500, 1000), the Central Bank of Iraq decided to cancel the fine that may appear in the deposits of banks licensed by this bank of small cash categories and for a limited period, in order to achieve the desired purpose of withdrawing the currency Damaged in circulation

The bank would also like to show that the counting of banknotes damaged for these categories requires time and effort from the competent staff for the difficulty of counting in the counting machines.

Central Bank of Iraq
information Office
2019/9/23

Cbi.iq