Iraq PM curbs powers of Iran-backed armed groups

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi issued on Monday a decree heavily curbing the powers of mostly Iran-backed Shiite armed groups and forcing them to further integrate into the country’s formal armed forces.

The groups have a lot of influence in Iraqi politics.

Abdul Mahdi’s decree integrates paramilitary units into the military and forces groups to pick between political or military activity. Groups have until July 31 to abide by the new regulations, the decree said.

Following the announcement, the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr announced on Monday the dissolution of his armed wing — Saraya Al-Salam — and ordered the closure of its headquarters, cancellation of its names and its re-association with the Iraqi official security establishment.

What was issued by the prime minister relating the Shia militias is an important decision and a correct step towards building a strong state, Al-Sadr said in a statement.

“What I care about is that Saraya Al-Salam — which I established — would be the first one to apply this decision, hence, I announce that I completely disassociate myself from it,” he added.

Thebaghdadpost.com

Budget amendment will include taking a pledge from Abdul Mahdi

Information / Baghdad … The deputy MP for the alliance of Abbas Abbas Aliawi, Monday, pass the amendment of the budget law and special special grades to end during tomorrow’s session, noting that the amendment of the budget includes taking a pledge from Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to resolve the positions of proxy by the date.

“The House of Representatives is determined to pass the amendment of the budget law during tomorrow’s meeting after the agreement of the political blocs to give the government the required period.”

He added that “granting the government a new opportunity to end the file of the degrees of the Agency will be the last and does not include any amendment to the future,” noting that “failure to resolve private positions by Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, a negative point against his government.”

“The amendment of the budget law and the grades will include the taking of a pledge by the Prime Minister to resolve the file within the deadline of October 1.” Ending / 25 d

Almaalomah.com

Saadawi to the “Covenant”: four months is not enough to resolve the positions of special grades

Al Ahd News – Special: MP for the coalition of construction Abdul Hadi al-Saadawi that the extension of the deadline for the resolution of special grades by the three presidencies does not violate the Constitution.

Saadawi said in an interview with “Covenant” that the four-month period is not enough to resolve the positions of special grades.

“The presidency of the parliament ordered the extension of the legislative term to complete voting on important laws.”

Alahadnews.net

Member of the House of Representatives Abdullah al-Kharbit for (Tigris): The government failed to resolve the file of special grades

A member of the House of Representatives Abdullah Kharbit, on Sunday, that the government failed to resolve the file of special grades.

Kharbit told (Tigris) that the parliament will grant the government to extend the legal period forced to fear the state freeze and the silence of the latter, indicating that the delay comes to the inefficiency of the government in the performance of its role.

He pointed out that the Integrity Commission is a network to protect the corrupt to ensure that they do not fall into the hands of the judiciary.

Dijlah.tv

World Bank President Urges Reforms to Attract Investment amid Commercial Ambiguity

Economy News Baghdad – World Bank President David Malpas said the uncertainty caused by trade tensions and slowing global growth increases the need for developing countries to implement reforms that make them more attractive to private investment.

“He will urge countries to take bolder steps to improve the business climate in order to allow private companies to compete better with state-owned enterprises and generate more profitable growth and innovation,” Malbas, who is attending the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, was quoted as saying by Reuters. And jobs.

The World Bank forecast in its annual global economic outlook earlier this month that a slowdown in trade and investment flows would cut global growth this year to 2.6 percent, 0.3 percentage points lower than previously forecast.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted a similar slowdown, mainly driven by a sharp increase in tariffs between the United States and China.

Malpas, who took over as head of the World Bank in April after spending two years in the Trump department as the Treasury’s secretary for international affairs, said he also focused on the internal development of countries and ways to grow internal trade between cities and regions.

Malpas said he would meet leaders from several developing countries including Brazil, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa and Turkey during the G20 summit.

Economy-news.net

UN Security Council delegation lands in Baghdad for first time in nearly 30 years

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A delegation from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) arrived in Baghdad for the first time in nearly three decades.

The visit comes in response to an invitation made by Baghdad.

UNSC delegations to Iraq have been suspended since the invasion of Kuwait in the 1990s and ensuing sanctions against Baghdad.

A spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmad al-Sahhaf, said the one-day visit was part of Iraq’s support for “stability and reconstruction,” and would be done in a way that “confirms the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Iraq.”

No accompanying visit to the Kurdistan Region was announced, but could not be ruled out.

The UNSC is made up of five permanent member states – China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US – and ten non-permanent member states which serve two-year terms. Currently, those are Belgium, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Indonesia, Kuwait, Peru, Poland, South Africa.

According to Sahhaf, the international delegation and Iraqi officials will discuss the latest developments in the country as well as the growing concern in the region due to current US-Iranian tensions.

Two days before the delegation landed, A large gathering of demonstrators, some appearing to be wearing military uniforms, stormed the Bahraini embassy in Baghdad late Thursday to protest the American so-called “deal of the century” Middle East peace proposal.

The attack came as Jared Kushner, senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, is in the Bahraini capital of Manama, presenting the plan.

A political source in Baghdad told Kurdistan 24 that the event was organized with the support of notorious Iran-backed militia group Kata’ib Hezbollah, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the US in 2009.

Kurdistan24.net

Vice: Monday session will be allocated to pass education and Abdul-Mahdi will be the candidate in isolation from the blocks

Information / Special … MP for the coalition of construction Fadel Jaber, Saturday, that the House of Representatives will be allocated next Monday to pass the candidate of the Ministry of Education, among that Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi will submit the name of the new candidate in isolation from the political blocs.

Jaber said in a statement to the “Information”, “The parliament session next Monday will be allocated to pass the Ministry of Education without delay to another date,” pointing out that “Abdul Mahdi will present the name of the new candidate in isolation from the political blocs as it failed to provide a candidate receives the confidence of the House of Representatives For more than once. ”

He added that “the curriculum vitae of the new candidate will reach the House of Representatives on Sunday to see it,” noting that “Monday’s session will be the deadline for the completion of the file cabinet cabins .”

He attributed the MP for the alliance of conquest Hassan Salem, on Thursday, rejected the candidate of education Zahida al-Obeidi during the session of the parliament for a variety of reasons, most notably the discontent of the political blocs of the head of the Arab Project Party Khamis Khanjar.

The House voted on Thursday not to grant confidence to the candidate of the new ministry of education, Zahida Abdullah al-Obeidi.

The House of Representatives voted in the session last Monday not to grant confidence to the candidate of the Arab project bloc headed by Khamis Khanjar Ministry of Education Safana Hamdani

Almaalomah.com

Suron: postponement of the resolution of special grades will complicate the work of the government and Abdul-Mahdi bear the delay

Political – Kalkamz Press; confirmed the leadership of the alliance of Alaa al-Rubaie, on Saturday, that postponement of the resolution of special grades will complicate the work of the government and Abdul-Mahdi bear the delay.

“The meeting of the three presidencies, which discussed several issues, including the limitation of arms to the state, the protection of diplomatic missions and the need to support the government in selecting the best for the management of institutions, was not successful in discussing the amendment of Article 58 of the Budget Law,” Rubaie said in a statement. Through the submission of a bill to amend the article by granting more time to the government until 24-10-2019, (the end of the year of the life of the government).
Adding that “the agreement to amend this article a political desire will lead to more quotas and secret agreements to obtain special grades of some blocks that try by various means to delay this file at the moment.”

“The prime minister is responsible for the delay,” al-Rubaie said. “He has embarrassed himself, although the postponement is correct and necessary, but we have to know the reasons for the delay in ending this important file.”

“The prime minister should issue an official clarification to explain the reasons for the failure to control the time-bound map,” he said.

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Iraqi prime minister under more pressure to deliver reforms

Now, Abdul-Mahdi, in office for only eight months, is facing the threat of being toppled even before his term is over.

LONDON – Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi is under increasing pressure to deliver on the range of reforms he promised despite his success to fill three key ministerial positions that had been vacant since his appointment last October.

The Iraqi parliament voted on June 24 to approve naming Yassin al-Yassiri as interior minister, Najah al-Shammari as defence minister and Farouq Amin Othman as justice minister. The post of education minister, however, remained unfilled.

Influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose al-Islah (Reform) bloc is the largest in parliament, had recently threatened to withdraw his support for Abdul-Mahdi if the prime minister did not come up with acceptable ministerial candidates within ten days.

Previous candidates for the key posts were rejected by the Islah bloc in parliament because they were viewed as corrupt or too close to Iran. These candidates were suggested by the pro-Iran al-Binaa (Construction) bloc, the second largest in parliament, led by militia leader Hadi al-Amiri.

“Now Abdul-Mahdi can catch his breath until the next crisis,” Abdul Wahid Tuama, a political analyst, told Arab News. “The performance of the government will not change and the problems facing the prime minister will not be resolved.”

Iraqis have long complained of a lack of basic services, including electricity and drinking water, as well as job opportunities. They also accuse all branches of the state of being rampant with corruption and want a government that is willing to root it out.

Mass anti-government protests demanding anti-corruption reforms, job provisions and improvement in services rocked Basra province last year and occasionally spread to other areas in the country’s southern region.

Observers said public discontent with the government played a part in the electoral defeat of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi when he sought a second term in 2018. After failing to meet protesters’ demands, Abadi lost the tacit backing of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as well as the political support of al-Sadr. His bloc is the third largest in parliament.

Now, Abdul-Mahdi, in office for only eight months, is facing the threat of being toppled even before his term is over. Abdul-Mahdi does not head his own parliamentary bloc; he was the consensus candidate of al-Sadr and Amiri. On June 14, Sistani criticised government shortcomings.

Al-Sadr took to Twitter on June 23 to renew his demands from the government and parliament. They include appointing government officials based on merit, not ethnic or sectarian background; improving public services; refraining from giving themselves raises, bonuses or perks; ensuring government policies are set by Iraqis for the interest of Iraq and do not come from across the border, in a reference to Iran; protecting peaceful protesters; keeping the promise of fighting corruption; protecting the country’s borders from terror and smuggling; and strengthening the country’s security forces to prevent armed sectarians from imposing their will on the people, in a reference to the country’s militias.

Having failed to appoint key ministers over seven months, it is unlikely that Abdul-Mahdi would be able to meet al-Sadr’s demands anytime soon.

In addition to pressure to deliver reforms from the Iraqi street, al-Sadr and Sistani, Abdul-Mahdi is now also facing a new opposition bloc in parliament. Abadi’s al-Nasr (Victory) Alliance and Ammar al-Hakim’s Hikma (Wisdom) Movement recently announced that they are forming an opposition to the government.

Members of the Sairoon (Marchers) Alliance, which is loyal to al-Sadr, said they are contemplating joining that opposition bloc should Abdul-Mahdi fail to deliver on his promises.

“Sairoon Alliance will carry out the questioning of the prime minister on his government programme and the reform plans set by al-Sadr. If he has valid justifications [for his actions], we will continue to support him; otherwise, we will take a different stance vis-a-vis the government, which we will announce later on,” Ghaib al-Amiri, a member of parliament for Sairoon, told Al-Monitor.

In media circles, Abadi is already being discussed as possibly being Iraq’s next prime minister should Abdul-Mahdi step down.

“Sairoon and other political groups have asserted that Abadi might be the most likely successor should Mr. Adel Abdul-Mahdi resign from the premiership,” Ihsan al-Shammari, a political pundit who has worked as a media adviser to Abadi, told Rudaw English.

The opposition bloc, however, has itself come under criticism. The Hikma Movement is reportedly lobbying for government posts while declaring itself as an opposition party. It already has one governor in office as well as five director-generals in a number of ministries.

Thearabweekly.com

UN Security Council members urge Iraq to implement Article 140 of the permanent constitution

The members of the UN Security Council on Saturday urged the federal government to apply Article 140 of the permanent Iraqi constitution.

“The council supports the international team to investigate the crimes committed by a sympathetic organization in Iraq,” members of the council delegation told a news conference in Baghdad today.

Members of the UN Security Council voted to support the Security Council to rebuild the areas freed from the grip of the militant group, as evidenced by grants and loans at the Kuwait conference.

The members stressed the need to preserve the security and stability of Iraq and to play its role in the region and the world.

On Article 140 of the Constitution, members of the delegation said that “this subject was discussed with a number of Iraqi officials, as well as with the United Nations mission in the country.”

“We support the implementation of the country’s permanent constitution, and we encourage adherence to it.”

Shafaaq.com