" The Dinar Daily ", Saturday, 28 June 2014
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  1. #1

    " The Dinar Daily ", Saturday, 28 June 2014

    It is EVICT MALIKI DAY + FIFTY - NINE ( 59 ) or " E - M DAY + 59 "

    PREVIOUSLY AND CONTINUING

    "..... despite the superiority of Maliki’s electoral coalition, the competing Shiite forces, the Kurds and the Sunnis, are together able to form a comfortable majority to prevent Maliki from remaining in office. "...................... Maliki likely fears that if he rushes to do business with parties outside the Shiite alliance, his Shiite rivals would do the same and that they may have a better chance to win over the Kurdish and Sunni forces, because there is a general consensus among them to not keep Maliki in power.

    At the same time, the rest of the Shiite groups fear that this consensus is not solid enough to withstand discussing the details, and that going alone to the Kurdish and Sunni forces may put them in a weak bargaining position and make them appear responsible for breaking Shiite unity.

    An important factor here are the choices that the Sunni and Kurdish forces will make. If the Sunnis and Kurds rush to form ethnic and sectarian alliances, then the Shiite alliance may do the same.

    Some are proposing scenarios such as replacing Maliki with another figure from the State of Law Coalition as a compromise to ensure the continuation of the Shiite alliance.

    [* a source said in a statement to the Agency ((eighth day)) that there is an agreement semi-final between the U.S. and Iran to take on Ahmed Chalabi as prime minister for the next government as a compromise candidate.]

    https://8th-day.com/?p=53272


    Yet, such a solution may come at a later stage, after the favored options by most parties have been exhausted.


    What is certain now is that a harsh negotiating season will [ * HAS ] begin [ * BEGUN ] as the conflict moves from its electoral aspect into the closed negotiating rooms and deals among the elite. - - from al Monitor

    Generally, all are " waiting for the National Alliance to name its candidate, formally , to start negotiate with him. "

    Citizen Coalition: National Alliance did not discuss formally so far any candidate to lead the next government

    26/06/2014 09:22:00

    The recent period has witnessed a number of statements to many MPs about the nomination of a number of personalities to fill the post of Prime Minister, among them (Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Ahmed Chalabi, in addition to State of Law's candidate, the current Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

    https://www.ninanews.com/english/News...ar95_VQ=HFEHME

    and

    Turfi: INA's nominee for PM Post to satisfy all sides

    Thursday, 26 June 2014 11:14

    Baghdad (AIN) –MP, Habib al-Turfi, of the Citizen bloc, stated that the nominee of the Iraqi National Alliance for the Prime Minister Post will satisfy all sides.

    He stated to AIN "The next Prime Minister that will be from the INA will be elected by all the sides of INA and will satisfy all the political sides."

    https://www.alliraqnews.com/en/index....sfy-all-sides-

    and

    Sistani calls for agreement on "a new prime minister" before Tuesday's session

    BAGHDAD - Iraq Press -27 June:

    called religious authority Ali al-Sistani, on Friday, the political parties to agree on the next prime minister prior to the first session of the lawmakers next Tuesday.

    Sistani also called for agreement on the next head of the House of Representatives as well as the President of the Republic before the opening session of the Council.

    The representative of the reference, Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai during Friday prayers, in the city of Karbala, said that the choice of the three before the House of Representatives represents a "prelude to a political settlement, which seeks to everyone at the moment."

    And exposed Iraq's political leaders to mounting pressure to form a government representative of all communities in the country, from the United States, the biggest supporter of Iraq, which hopes to undermine such a government, the support received by the gunmen.

    It was al-Sistani called on June 13 to volunteer Ulkipaúa and defend the country and sanctuaries prompting tens of thousands to volunteer to join the security forces and support

    https://www.iraqpressagency.com/?p=71482&lang=ar

    Sunday, June 15th, 2014 20:58

    Legal: forming the next government will not take more than two months

    BAGHDAD / Baghdadi News / .. saw legal analyst, on Sunday that once the Federal Court approval on the results of the parliamentary elections will form the next government, expected to be formed within two months.

    He said legal analyst Tariq Harb said in an interview with / Baghdadi News /, that "the formation of the next government will not take more than two months," adding, that "everyone is awaiting the approval of the Federal Court on the results of the elections, which will be announced during the next two days." He added, "The first session of the House of Representatives will be the end of June or the first of next July," noting, that it is "as soon as the issuance of a presidential decree on the Vice President of the Republic calls its new deputies to hold a meeting in the House of Representatives." He continued, the war that "the real political movement will begin after the swearing in of constitutional Algesh first to the House of Representatives," adding, "The election of the Speaker of the House and the President of the Republic in the second session of the House of Representatives."


    Presidency of the Republic calls the new Parliament to convene on next Tuesday 1, July

    26/06/2014 11:00:00

    BAGHDAD / NINA / Presidency of the Republic issued a decree calling the elected MPs to convene next Tuesday.

    A statement from the presidency cited " a presidential decree was issued to invite the new parliament to convene next Tuesday, 1 July, adding that the oldest member will preside the session ."

    https://www.ninanews.com/english/News...ar95_VQ=HFEIEJ

    He noted, that "the person's choice of prime minister will be the largest parliamentary bloc in the number of seats in the House of Representatives, which will select the president."

    The previous parliamentary elections which were held on 7 / March 2010 to form her government took more than eight months until 17 / November 2010.

    The Iraqi Supreme Court Certifies the 30 April General Election Result

    Posted by Reidar Visser on Monday, 16 June 2014 19:54

    It’s official: The provisional result of Iraq’s 30 April general election, published last month, has been certified by the federal supreme court.

    In the IHEC statement to this effect, there is a caveat. 4 seat winners have not been approved, and won’t be approved until they have been cleared of charges relating to serious crime cases against them. Pending settlement of the court cases, their membership in parliament will remain pending, and no replacement deputies will be appointed. Whereas this may sound somewhat messy, it is actually what happened also in 2010, when 2 seat winners were provisionally excluded. Back then, it took longer for parliament to reconvene than for the judicial authorities to settle one of the cases (and one candidate was voluntarily substituted by another candidate from his bloc), so no procedural problems emerged.

    With the general political climate in Iraq approaching boiling point, questions will inevitably pertain to the political affiliations of those 4 that were excluded. 3 of them come from a single list, the Sunni, pro-Nujayfi list that ran in Diyala province: Salim al-Jibburi, Raad al-Dahlaki and Umar al-Humayri. They have all been in various forms of conflict with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, and Jibburi (once an Iraqi Islamic Party member who cooperated with the first Maliki government) and Humayri (ex governor of Diyala ousted by Maliki allies) most bitterly so.

    Urgent .. Federal Court ratified the call candidates [Jubouri and Aldhlki]

    Wednesday, June 26, 2014 12:20

    [Baghdad - where]
    The Federal Supreme Court ratified the names of candidates for the [Diyala identity] [Salim al] and [Raad Aldhlki].
    A spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Authority Abdul Sattar Bayrakdar told all of Iraq [where] on Thursday that "the court has ratified today the names of the candidates [Jubouri and Aldhlki after resolving lawsuits filed against them and Nbarothma of the charges followed ..
    https://translate.googleusercontent.c...chW-a1wAz23wkw

    Still, before running to conclusions about another politicized court decision in Iraq, consider the fourth excluded candidate: Abbas Jabir al-Khuzaie, a seat winner in Qadisiyya province for Maliki’s own State of Law list. Khuzaie is a local politician from the Qadisiyya council who was once with the secular Iraqiyya before defecting to State of Law in 2011. He was then with the Independents bloc of Hussein al-Shahristani and may still be a member of that bloc subunit. Still, despite ongoing internal rivalry in State of Law, it seems unlikely that Maliki would fabricate an exclusion from his own rank in a situation where the loyalty of every new single Iraqi deputy is meticulously being monitored in the contest to form the biggest parliament bloc and supply the next premier candidate.

    The certification of the election result opens the door for government formation: The Iraqi president (or his acting deputy) must issue a call for the Iraqi parliament to convene within 15 days, i.e. at the end of June. Theoretically, parliament will then elect its speaker, and, within a month, a new president who will then charge the candidate of the largest bloc in parliament to form a government.

    For Iraqi politicians, despite the current crisis, the parliamentary government formation process is likely to remain the main political track going forward. It is a problem, therefore, that much US rhetoric on conditions for aid to the Iraqi government seem focused on ideas about some sort of national reconciliation initiative that would precede the delivery of further assistance. It is very hard to see how that would fit in with the Iraqi government formation logic. Whereas there has been much talk among Americans about imposing conditionality on future military assistance in Iraq, US rhetoric has been disconcertingly void of specific proposals for measures that would satisfy them. On the other hand, there is no lack of American suggestions for favourite cabinet line-ups that could be imposed, possibly even with Iranian support. Some of this thinking seems to belong to the era of the CPA in 2003–04, rather than in today’s situation.

    Meanwhile, ISIS continues its savagery, the Kurds consolidate their quasi-independence, and Maliki for once actually has an excuse for drumming up state-of-emergency rhetoric.

    https://gulfanalysis.wordpress.com/20...ection-result/

    and / BUT

    Maliki's coalition and the Kurdistan does not expect the formation of a new government soon, and the latter rejects the "National Salvation"

    Tue Jun 17 2014 23:19 | (Voice of Iraq)

    ong-Presse / Baghdad

    Ruled out a coalition of state law and the Kurdistan Alliance, on Tuesday, to be able to political blocs to agree on forming a new government through the constitutional deadline to hold the first session of the elected parliament, while attributed first to preoccupation with the crisis of the current security, announced the second "non-support" for the government of "national salvation ".

    Maliki's coalition: the security crisis will delay the formation of new government

    And saw a coalition of state law, which is headed by Nuri al-Maliki, that the political blocs "will not agree" on the formation of the new government through constitutional deadline to hold the first session of the elected parliament to concern the current security crisis.

    He ruled out an alliance member, Mohammed Chihod, in an interview to the (long-Presse), that "you can political blocs agree to form a new government within a period of 15 days set for the holding of the first session of parliament-elect," attributing it to "busy all the security file and fighter Daash especially after Fatwa religious authority Ulkipaúa jihad. "

    He predicted Chihod, that "witnessing the next phase address people and national working for the interest of Iraq," pointing out that "the president of a coalition of state law, Nuri al-Maliki, had announced before the crisis, the current security, collecting 175 votes to form a new government, and that the dialogues were in full swing to discuss the matter, but now that things have changed because of the complexity of the security landscape. "

    The Constitution requires the President to invite new parliament to convene within 15 days of the ratification of the election results, with the possibility to extend this invitation for once.

    *** Article 54: The President of the Republic shall call upon the Council of Representatives to convene by a presidential decree within fifteen days from the date of the ratification of the general election results. Its eldest member shall chair the first session to elect the speaker of the Council and his two deputies. This period may not be extended by more than the aforementioned period. ***

    https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=230001

    QUERY : Can the time for the seating of the next Parliament be extended ?

    *** Reidar Visser said on Sunday, 22 June 2014 11:10 at 11:10 as follows : Yes, there could be another 15 days. ***


    Article 55 of the Iraqi Constitution, that "the House of Representatives shall be elected at the first session its president, then a first deputy and second deputy, by an absolute majority of the Council members by direct secret ballot."

    In addition, Article (70 / I) of the Constitution, that "elected by the House of Representatives from among the candidates President of the Republic, by a majority of two-thirds of its members, and if none of the candidates received the required majority, the rivalry between the two candidates who obtained the highest number of votes, and declared president of the gets a majority of votes in the second ballot. "

    Kurdistan Alliance: do not support the government of national salvation

    In turn, the Kurdistan Alliance, "did not support" calls on the formation of a government of national salvation, preferring to be done according to the Constitution.

    The MP said the pro-Tayeb said in an interview to the (long-Presse), "The formation of the new government will have to wait for more than 15 months ( sic ? days ) ," noting that there are "several opinions on the form the next government, and whether to save the national or under the Constitution."

    The good, that "Iraq is a democratic country has a constitution that explains the mechanism of forming the government, during a meeting of Parliament within a period of 15 days from the approval of the results of the elections to elect a president and two vice presidents as well as the President of the Republic by the political blocs."

    The MP from the Kurdistan Alliance, that "the Coalition supports the formation of a government under the Constitution and not a government of national salvation, of the difficulty of forming the last, and the lack of a mechanism thereon or handled," stressing the need to "accelerate the negotiations to form a government."

    The Federal Supreme Court, ratified, on Monday, (the 16th of June 2014 the current) on the results of the parliamentary elections that took place in (the thirtieth of April 2014).

    and

    Citizen commends the Federal Court for the ratification of the names of the new deputies and expects to hold a hearing early next month

    Tue Jun 17 2014 23:08 | (Voice of Iraq)

    Read more: https://translate.googleusercontent.c...#ixzz34xkN7GaZ

    and

    MP Hassan calls not to hold the first session of parliament without the presence of all the House of Representatives

    Thu Jun 19 2014 16:19 | (Voice of Iraq)

    Sumerian News / Baghdad

    He called for a coalition of state law, Mahmoud Hassan, on Thursday, the presidency not to call parliament to hold first session without the presence of all deputies.

    Hassan said in an interview for "Alsumaria News", "The meeting of the Council of Representatives in the presence of 324 members, and the expense of a quorum on the basis of this number, contrary to article 11 of the electoral law that made ​​the House of Representatives consists of 328 members, which can not be with him any decision."

    Hassan called the presidency "not to call a session until the count is completed." *

    The parliamentary legal committee emphasized, in (18 May 2014), that the age of the current parliament ends on June 14, 2014, and can not extend the session for "one minute", as pointed out the possibility of extending the current session for the purpose of "budget approval" only.

    https://translate.googleusercontent.c...#ixzz356geDy6C

    and / but

    Legal Expert: Parliament session can be held without attendance of all MPs

    Saturday, 21 June 2014 19:21

    Baghdad (AIN) –The Legal Expert, Tariq Harb, stated that the parliament session can be held without the attendance of all the MPs. He stated in a press statement received by AIN "Some sides stated that the parliament session cannot be held due to not approving four MPs by the Federal Court and I assured that Article 23 of the interior system of the parliament states that more than half of the MPs which is 165 MPs can achieve the quorum to hold the session."

    Article 59:

    First: The Council of Representatives quorum shall be achieved by an absolute majority of its members.

    Second: Decisions in the sessions of the Council of Representatives shall be made by a simple majority after quorum is achieved, unless otherwise stipulated.


    https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=230001

    https://www.alliraqnews.com/en/index....nce-of-all-mps


    and

    Allawi calls for the postponement of the first session of the House of Representatives to the absence of political consensus

    Dated: June 22, 2014

    Baghdad / Iraq News Network - demanded a coalition of national, led by Iyad Allawi to postpone the convening of the first session of the House of Representatives.

    According to a statement of the coalition, said he: "Because of the exceptional circumstances which pass on the country and its people and the absence of political consensus and not to the Federal Court approval of all members of the new deputies, as well as to the militarization clear to the community and the enticements of political sectarianism, heading a coalition of national to the Federal Court to postpone the meeting of the Council of Representatives first until the ratification of the full names of before, and to provide an opportunity for a political deal to save the country from disintegration. added, and other than this, and the absence of political agreement, the expeditious, would abstain in the coalition, the National to attend the first meeting and participate in the process ends with uncalculated consequences. The Federal Court has ratified last week on the House of Representatives election in 2014.

    and

    * LINKS HAVE BEEN " LOST " OVER TIME IN THE REPEATED CUTTING / PASTING OF THESE ARTICLE BUT ARE AVAILABLE UPON DEMAND * ***
    Last edited by chattels; 06-29-2014 at 09:23 AM.



  2. #2

    Sistani calls for the selection of the Prime Minister of Iraq by Tuesday

    Sistani calls for the selection of the Prime Minister of Iraq by Tuesday

    Fri Jun 27 2014 23:33 | (Voice of Iraq)

    BAGHDAD (Reuters)

    Called the Shiite cleric in Iraq, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the country's leaders on Friday to choose a prime minister during the next four days as a major political intervention could precipitate the end of the rule of Nuri al-Maliki extended eight years ago.

    Sistani said that he should be on the political blocs to agree on the prime minister and speaker of parliament and head of the country before Tuesday when parliament convenes, who was elected recently.

    It is difficult to enter al-Sistani on Maliki to continue as head of the caretaker government, as is the case since the parliamentary elections in April. This means that either form an alliance to confirm its continuation in power for a third term or step down.

    Sistani's message came after the failure of a meeting of the Shiite factions, including the State of Law coalition led by al-Maliki in consensus on a candidate for prime minister.

    And urges the United States and other countries on the formation of a new government that includes all spectra as soon as possible to address the US-led campaign group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which inspired the base.

    Maliki accused his political opponents of trying to prevent the convening of parliament in time for it and raise the violence to disrupt the political process.

    He said in a meeting with the leaders televised that his opponents have sought to postpone the elections and is now seeking to postpone the first meeting of the House of Representatives, noting that if they were not able to pressure to postpone, they will work on incitement to security incidents in Baghdad.

    Insurgents controlled by militants in the past two weeks, most of the areas inhabited by the Sunni majority in northern and western Iraq with little resistance and continued to progress and become an hour's drive from the capital, Baghdad.

    The Iraqi army pulled out by a mere one million troops have been training and arming under the supervision of the United States from the north of the country after insurgents began their attack militants seized the largest city of Mosul in northern Iraq on the tenth of June.

    And thousands of volunteers responded to the call Shiites previous face-Sistani for all Iraqis to rally behind the army to defeat armed militants.

    Under the regime, which was held after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein was the prime minister of the Iraqi Shiites and the head of state, a ceremonial position, while a Kurdish Sunni assume presidency of the parliament. And take of negotiations on these positions usually a long time after the previous elections in 2010 al-Maliki took about ten months to form a coalition in order to stay in office.

    And would require the distribution of positions three through four days before the Parliament is also required to abide by the leaders of al-Sistani of sectarian and ethnic groups of the three main political process and to quickly resolve the most pressing problems, especially the fate of al-Maliki.

    The representative of Sistani in his Friday sermon that is required is the political blocs to agree on the "three presidents" during the remaining days before the convening of parliament on Iilatha in accordance with the deadline set by the Constitution.

    Al-Maliki, who won the State of Law coalition, led by the most seats in April elections is preparing for a third term before the start of an attack militants. And his closest allies say he is still trying to stay in office but senior figures in the State of Law coalition said that it is possible to be replaced by personal less polarizing.

    Sunnis accuse al-Maliki their exclusion from power and persecution which pays armed tribal groups to support the campaign led by the group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The head of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, said on al-Maliki to leave.

    And sees a Western diplomat who asked not to be named, said al-Maliki ended.

    "It seems that the debate revolves around whether it will be (Prime Minister) Tariq Najim from within the rule of law, or someone from outside the coalition, al-Maliki," referring to the former director of the Office of al-Maliki, a senior member of the Dawa Party.

    The diplomat added "concept in general it will not be al-Maliki ... Security was a major issue, a failure."

    Maliki's allies say that Sistani's call to make a decision quickly is not aimed at marginalizing the Prime Minister, but targeted pressure on the political parties so as not to prolong the process of forming a new government because of differences among themselves while the country is facing the danger of disintegration.

    And Sunnis are divided on the incumbent President and the parliament failed to agree on the Kurds after their candidate for the presidency.

    The helicopters bombed the Iraqi city of Tikrit University campus on Friday. The city fell, the birthplace of former President Saddam Hussein more than two weeks ago in the hands of the militants.

    Private and government forces began an airborne attack on the university campus on Thursday, in a rare attack on the region in the grip of the militants.

    Said Farhan Ibrahim al-Tamimi, a professor at the University of Tikrit, who fled to a nearby town "I left with my family early in the day. We could hear gunfire and helicopters hit the region."

    And threatens the progress the organization of the Islamic state to ignite sectarian conflict similar to the one that killed at least 100 thousand Iraqis during the U.S. occupation between 2003 and 2011.

    He ruled out U.S. President Barack Obama send ground troops to Iraq, but sent up to 300 consultant, mostly special forces to help the Iraqi government to fight the militants.

    The organization Human Rights Watch, based in New York, said on Friday that an analysis of the photographs and satellite photos "strongly suggests" that the organization of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant killed up to 190 men in at least two to three days after he seized Tikrit.

    She added that the numbers may be much more difficult to locate, but the bodies and access to the area prevented a full investigation.

    But there are also stories of that government forces kill large numbers of prisoners. A number of police officials told Reuters that 69 prisoners were killed on Monday while being transported from a prison in Hilla, south of Baghdad. The killing last week, 52 prisoners in a jail in Baquba, north of the capital.

    In both cases, the official story was that the prisoners have died in custody in the crossfire during militant attacks.

    Amnesty International also said it had gathered evidence to suggest a pattern of extrajudicial executions of prisoners by government forces followed by withdrawal from cities such as Tal Afar, west of Mosul, which is currently held by the militants.

    The groups have joined less stringent fighters of the Islamic State. These groups are involved organization and his view that the year persecuted under the rule of al-Maliki. Did not extend to the capital campaign militants, but insurgents continue to progress and consolidate their gains elsewhere, including the area around Mosul in the north-western Iraq.

    The deputy in the parliament and leader of the Shiite Shabak minority said the militants had seized six villages inhabited by the Shabak southeast of Mosul after clashes with Kurdish Peshmerga forces that believe in the region.

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said up to ten thousand people from Qaraqosh predominantly Christian and is located 30 kilometers south-east of Mosul fled

    sinhttps://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1..

  3. #3

    Re: Sistani calls for the selection of the Prime Minister of Iraq by Tuesday

    The Supreme Federal Court Rules Against Iraqi Minister of Oil's Request to Prevent KRG Oil Exports



    FRI, 27 JUN 2014 13:32 | KRG.org

    Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (MNR.KRG.org) - Immediately after the KRG’s first export shipment on the United Leadership vessel in Ceyhan Terminal, the Iraqi Federal Oil Minister (the “Minister”) submitted a formal request to the Federal Supreme Court in Baghdad, (the “Court”) asking the Court to rule against the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources and prevent it exporting oil out of the Kurdistan Region.

    On 23rd June 2014, the Court convened a special meeting to address the Minister’s request and, after examining the reasoning behind his request, the Court decided unanimously to reject the request of the Minister “for being contrary to the applicable legal contexts in Iraq.”

    It is worth noting here that the Minister’s claims were based on his own interpretation of constitutional provisions to claim that the oil and gas affairs fall within the exclusive powers of the federal government. In so claiming, the Minister was relying on the centralized laws enacted prior to 2003, thus ignoring the fact that current constitutional provisions do not incorporate any oil and gas matters within Article 110, which defines the exclusive powers of the federal government.

    With this Court decision, the Kurdistan Regional Government has another important clarification of its acquired rights as stated in the Constitution. The Court ruling was taken by a unanimous decision of all its members, and it explicitly rejected the request made by the Minister. Such a decision by the highest court in the land is binding on the Minister and cannot be challenged in any way.

    This is a clear victory for justice and for upholding KRG’s rights, despite the Iraqi Federal Oil Ministry‘s interferences and unjustifiable interventions. This decision clearly demonstrates that the Federal Oil ministry and its marketing arm (SOMO) will also fail on all their reckless efforts on the international level.

    This judicial decision by the Supreme Federal Court must be respected, and now we call upon the Federal Oil Ministry, SOMO and all their helpers to abandon their illegal and unconstitutional interventions to prevent oil exports from the Kurdistan Region. They must also cease sending intimidating and threatening letters or making false claims to prospective traders and buyers of oil exported legally by the Kurdistan Regional Government for the benefit of the people of Kurdistan and Iraq.

    KRG ANNOUNCEMENT LINK

    * Please click here to see the decision (PDF, Arabic) https://www.ekrg.org/files/pdf/Iraq_S..._June_2014.pdf *

    * This is a very important development, IMO. Highlighted for emphasis by chattels. *

  4. #4

    Re: Sistani calls for the selection of the Prime Minister of Iraq by Tuesday

    The Supreme Federal Court Rules Against Iraqi Minister of Oil's Request to Prevent KRG Oil Exports



    FRI, 27 JUN 2014 13:32 | KRG.org

    Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (MNR.KRG.org) - Immediately after the KRG’s first export shipment on the United Leadership vessel in Ceyhan Terminal, the Iraqi Federal Oil Minister (the “Minister”) submitted a formal request to the Federal Supreme Court in Baghdad, (the “Court”) asking the Court to rule against the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources and prevent it exporting oil out of the Kurdistan Region.

    On 23rd June 2014, the Court convened a special meeting to address the Minister’s request and, after examining the reasoning behind his request, the Court decided unanimously to reject the request of the Minister “for being contrary to the applicable legal contexts in Iraq.”

    It is worth noting here that the Minister’s claims were based on his own interpretation of constitutional provisions to claim that the oil and gas affairs fall within the exclusive powers of the federal government. In so claiming, the Minister was relying on the centralized laws enacted prior to 2003, thus ignoring the fact that current constitutional provisions do not incorporate any oil and gas matters within Article 110, which defines the exclusive powers of the federal government.

    With this Court decision, the Kurdistan Regional Government has another important clarification of its acquired rights as stated in the Constitution. The Court ruling was taken by a unanimous decision of all its members, and it explicitly rejected the request made by the Minister. Such a decision by the highest court in the land is binding on the Minister and cannot be challenged in any way.

    This is a clear victory for justice and for upholding KRG’s rights, despite the Iraqi Federal Oil Ministry‘s interferences and unjustifiable interventions. This decision clearly demonstrates that the Federal Oil ministry and its marketing arm (SOMO) will also fail on all their reckless efforts on the international level.

    This judicial decision by the Supreme Federal Court must be respected, and now we call upon the Federal Oil Ministry, SOMO and all their helpers to abandon their illegal and unconstitutional interventions to prevent oil exports from the Kurdistan Region. They must also cease sending intimidating and threatening letters or making false claims to prospective traders and buyers of oil exported legally by the Kurdistan Regional Government for the benefit of the people of Kurdistan and Iraq.

    KRG ANNOUNCEMENT LINK

    * Please click here to see the decision (PDF, Arabic) https://www.ekrg.org/files/pdf/Iraq_S..._June_2014.pdf *

    * This is a very important development, IMO. Highlighted for emphasis by chattels. *

  5. #5
    Analysis: Kurdistan Banking on Oil Sales

    By Alexander Whitcomb 26/6/2014

    Kurdistan Region's independent oil pipeline.


    ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— It’s no secret that Iraqi Kurdistan is running short on cash six months after Baghdad stopped sending money to the region, cutting off the region’s main source of revenue. Banking on oil sales to pay bills, Kurdish officials are leveraging newly expanded oil fields and diminished confidence in war-torn Iraq to draw financing from the international community.

    Yesterday, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami told Reuters that the region expects to export 1 million barrels per day by the end of 2015, including crude from Kirkuk.

    Major fields in Iraq’s disputed territories — many of which are now under Kurdish control, including Kirkuk — are set to increase the KRG’s share of oil wealth and make the region even more lucrative to international investors.

    One minor hurdle will be increasing its pipeline capacity, currently at 300,000 barrels per day. Energy experts estimate Kurdistan would need to export 450,000 barrels per day for oil revenue to match Kurdistan’s share of Iraq’s national budget.

    The major caveat is that Hawrami promised any oil revenue would be shared with the central government, which has been locked in disputes with the autonomous region over hydrocarbon exports for years now.

    There are two potential outcomes. The first is that the Kurdistan Region bargains with Baghdad and gains official permission for independent oil exports. The second is that no agreement is reached, and the KRG looks for down payments on future deliveries of oil international buyers. The latter would require buyers to bet against the resurgence of a strong Iraq by ignoring Baghdad’s warnings that Kurdish oil can only be purchased with the central government’s approval.

    Before the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took Mosul, Iraq filed for arbitration against Turkey and its state-owned pipeline for facilitating the sale of crude oil from Iraqi Kurdistan without Baghdad’s permission.

    Although the case is not expected to be ruled on soon,
    Iraqi officials threatened to sue and blacklist any oil buyers who purchase without Baghdad’s permission, which would likely deny them future access to larger fields in southern Iraq. Until recently the tactic worked, leaving one tanker full of Kurdish oil stranded off the coast of Morocco.

    Buyers seem to be less intimidated by Baghdad ever since militants captured Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. The Iraqi military quickly crumbled in the face of a mounting insurgency, and it’s doubtful that many Sunni-dominated areas will be back in government control anytime soon.

    According to Turkish and Kurdish officials, $200 million in revenue from Kurdish pipeline oil has now reached Turkey’s state-owned Halk Bank, although the buyers have not been announced. The first cargo has been offloaded in Israel, a country that would never recognize lawsuits from Iraq. The two countries have officially been at war since Israel’s creation in 1948.

    In the absence of an agreement or international aid, the pace of Kurdish oil sales needs to accelerate. Baghdad hasn’t sent money to the KRG in six months, and $200 million doesn’t make a dent in the region’s mounting debts. Even the $3 billion in loans Hawrami claims the KRG has secured amount to less than half of what the federal government owes the region.

    A day before the ISIS and their allies drove the Iraqi military out of Mosul, KRG spokesman Safeen Dizayee stated the region needed approximately $1 billion for the monthly budget.

    Since then, several factors have dramatically increased spending. At least 300,000 refugees have arrived from Mosul, deepening a humanitarian crisis in a region already filled with refugees from Syria and Anbar.

    The Peshmerga now must to protect a 1,000-kilometer border they share with ISIS and Baathist insurgents. The region has expanded by 40 percent now that the Peshmerga control the disputed territories, and the KRG must pay salaries, ensure basic services and offer security.

    The Ministry of Finance has declined to comment on the budgetary crisis, but Gareth Stansfield, a former United Nations advisor to Iraq, estimates that these factors may have pushed monthly costs up to $1.5 billion. Despite the increase, he is optimistic that regional and international partners won’t let the KRG go broke.

    According to Stansfield, the crisis “draws Turkey even closer to Erbil.” Turkey needs to ensure oil from Iraqi Kurdistan is exported for the sake of its own energy security, and Iraqi Kurdistan also serves as a territorial buffer against ISIS.

    “The choice is relatively simple for the international community, and especially the Americans. They really want to protect Kurdistan and endure that it remains stable domestically,” Stansfield says. “The Americans need to give them $1.5 billion a month, or they let the money earn the money themselves at $100 million a tanker. It’s a difficult argument to push back on.”

    https://rudaw.net/english/business/26062014

    * This article preceeded the Federal Court ruling by about 24 hours *
    Last edited by chattels; 06-28-2014 at 05:37 AM. Reason: Analysis: Kurdistan Banking on Oil Sales

  6. #6

    John Kerry and the Same Old Song

    John Kerry and the Same Old Song
    By DAVID ROMANO

    U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been making the rounds in the Middle East, calling for a “national unity government” that includes Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites. Somehow the Americans appear to think that this will allow for a solution to the crisis in Iraq.


    Unfortunately, diplomatic memory appears exceedingly short. Was it not a “national unity government” that was formed after the 2010 Iraqi elections? Did Iraq not have a Shiite Prime Minister, a Kurdish President and a Sunni Finance Minister? In addition, were not the Foreign Minister and one of the Deputy Prime Ministers Kurdish, while one of the Vice-Presidents and another of the Deputy Prime-Ministers were Sunni Arab? Did other ministers not come from various independent, Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish and even Turkmen and secular parties?


    It was while heading this government that Prime Minister Maliki put out arrest warrants for the Sunni Vice-President and the Sunni Finance Minister, and threatened to “sack” the Sunni Vice-Prime Minister. It was under Maliki that the promised new position of “Head of Council of Strategic Policy” for Sunni leader Iyad Allawi never materialized. The Kurds, meanwhile, saw their officers purged one after another from the security forces, while their ministers in Baghdad appeared powerless to contradict Mr. Maliki on any matters of substance. Last November, the Kurdistan Region even saw Mr. Maliki and his cohorts decide to withhold the Kurdish share of Iraq’s budget.


    So now everyone is supposed to take Mr. Kerry’s advice and forget all that in order to form a new, improved “national unity government,” and the Americans refuse to say publically whether or not they think Maliki staying on as Prime Minister would be a good idea. After the Sunnis and Kurds again submit to Baghdad’s authority, so the logic goes, everyone can talk about more specific forms of power sharing and decentralization. The power sharing and decentralization measures would supposedly include things the Americans steadfastly refused to support in the past, such as the creation of a Sunni region, regional security forces not beholden to Baghdad, and independent finances (mainly from new oil and gas fields) for the regions and governorates. In this scenario, Sunni tribes and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are presumably expected to show a little trust in such promises and take on the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) on Mr. Maliki’s, or his lookalike successor’s, behalf.


    Both Kurds and Sunni Arabs have heard this song before, of course, when they were willing to give it a try. Everyone was fooled once, and the shame for that rests with Mr. Maliki. Should they be fooled a second time, the shame would be their own. As a high-level KRG official told me a few years back (the day two plane loads of weapons from Bulgaria were discovered at a KRG airport, to the surprise of the U.S. and Baghdad), “the Americans seem to have this strange faith in promises written on pieces of paper;” he then added, “We’re not in Switzerland – this is the Middle East.”


    In any case, Mr. Maliki appears unwilling to even play this game again. In a televised address this week, the Prime Minister said "The call to form a national emergency government is a coup against the constitution and the political process...It is an attempt by those who are against the constitution to eliminate the young democratic process and steal the votes of the voters." Amongst the Shiite electorate, Mr. Maliki did well in the March 2014 elections, so he is probably reasoning that he can form a Shiite government and use military means (with a lot of Iranian assistance) to reassert control over the country. At the rate that his soldiers have been fleeing the battlefield, this of course seems more than a little optimistic on his part.


    The Kurds, meanwhile, politely host American visitors in Erbil and listen to their proposals, but refuse to continue dancing to Washington or Baghdad’s tune. The song is just too old and too worn out. Besides, they reason, the more stubborn Maliki remains, the more Baghdad and the Sunnis will tire each other out while Kurdistan moves towards its dream of independence.


    David Romano has been a Rudaw columnist since August 2010. He is the Thomas G. Strong Professor of Middle East Politics at Missouri State University and author of The Kurdish Nationalist Movement (2006, Cambridge University Press) and co-editor (with Mehmet Gurses) of the forthcoming Conflict, Democratization and the Kurds in the Middle East (2014, Palgrave Macmillan).

    https://rudaw.net/english/opinion/26062014

  7. #7

    Erbil Teenagers Invent Bomb Detection System

    Erbil Teenagers Invent Bomb Detection System
    By Alexander Whitcomb


    Eman Abdul-Razzaq Ibrahim and Dastan Othman Hassan, 18-year-old high school students, have taken it upon themselves to invent a new bomb-detection system that could help safeguard people from the threat of terrorism. Photo: Rudaw

    Eman Abdul-Razzaq Ibrahim and Dastan Othman Hassan, 18-year-old high school students, have taken it upon themselves to invent a new bomb-detection system that could help safeguard people from the threat of terrorism. Photo: Rudaw


    ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — While the Peshmarga are on the front lines fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), two unsung heroes in the heart of Erbil are also doing their best to protect Iraqi Kurdistan. Eman Abdul-Razzaq Ibrahim and Dastan Othman Hassan, 18-year-old high school students, have taken it upon themselves to invent a new bomb-detection system that could help safeguard people from the threat of terrorism.



    The students say a twin bombing at the Interior Ministry in September prompted them to invent a better system.



    “We were in the middle of a final exam in school,” Abdul-Razzaq recalls. “Everyone was so nervous. Phone lines were down. We couldn’t focus on studies.”



    The two were also at school seven years ago when a car bomb detonated outside of the Interior Ministry, killing 19 people. They remember dropping their pens, terrified, as teachers called to check on relatives.



    Preparing for a school science fair, Abdul-Razzaq and Hassan set to develop a device that could prevent attacks from happening again.



    Knowing that Kurdish security forces can’t check every vehicle on the road, the girls sought to screen many cars in a short period of time. Encouraged by their teacher, they approached Erbil Governor Nawzad Hadi for advice. Hadi informed them that the most common form of explosive in the region was C4, but the two wanted to invent something capable of detecting a range of threats, including chemical weapons.


    Initial efforts to design a new bomb sensor were dashed when the students were told Iraqi Kurdistan didn’t have labs capable of developing such sophisticated technology. Instead of giving up, they shifted their focus.



    “It takes a long time to check one car at a time, either with a single device or with a sniffing dog, and it can slow down traffic,” Hassan tells Rudaw. “We realized we could use existing technology to develop a new system that could test many cars at a time, without stopping traffic and without drivers even knowing.”



    They set up a model whereby two bomb detector devices are hidden in trashcans on the side of a road, and one is affixed to a street sign above. Cars must slow down over a speed bump, where they are scanned by all three devices. Having studied the physics of light, the girls realized night vision CCTV cameras would pick up any ultraviolet light caused by the detector lasers, and immediately report the image of the car to security officials.



    Although they didn’t have the budget to buy a bomb detector itself—a single remote scan device costs $240,000 from Israeli company LDS—the company confirmed that their system would work. Abdul-Razzaq and Hassan estimate that one system alone could process up to 64,000 cars a day. Conversely, it would take over a year to check the same number of cars.



    Abdul-Razzaq and Hassan earned the top prize at the science fair, and were awarded medals at the International Environment Sustainability Project Olympiad, an international competition held in June at The Hague.



    Abdul-Razzaq couldn’t get a visa to Europe but Hassan’s explanation of what it is like to live in fear of terrorism moved the judges to tears and prompted them to expand the scope of the competition, which usually focuses on environmental issues.



    The students say 21 companies and the Dutch police approached them about using their system. Competition organizers were shocked that the girls hadn’t already sold the system to the Kurdistan Regional Government.



    The two refused all offers from companies, promising that they would bring it to their own government first—free of charge.


    “The main point is to save people’s lives,” Abdul-Razzaq says.



    They also turned down their prize, a trip to Brazil, because the trip might interfere in their studies, and covered all expenses for the project and travel to Europe. Both are as selfless as they are bright: although they are both ambitious young engineers, they defer to their parents about where they will attend university.



    Meanwhile faulty bomb detectors are still used in Iraq. In April 2013, A British court sentenced James McCormick to 10 years in jail for fraud for selling a fake bomb detector, the ADE 651, to the Iraqi government and the Kurdish Interior Ministry for $85 million. The device was designed after a sham golf ball detector, and its sale to the government drew accusations of corruption by Aqil Al-Turehi, Inspector General of Iraq’s Interior Ministry, who found the device inoperative as early as 2008.



    Thousands have died as a result of bogus detectors, which are inexplicably still at many checkpoints.


    https://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/280620141

  8. #8

    Kurds link their attendance to first session to the agreement on three presidencies

    Kurds link their attendance to first session to the agreement on three presidencies

    28/06/2014 08:47:00


    BAGHDAD / NINA / Vice President of the Kurdistan Alliance bloc, MP Mohsen al-Sadoun said the attendance of the Kurdish lawmakers to the first session of the new parliament, which will be held next Tuesday, is linked to the agreement of the political blocs to nominate the three presidencies. "

    He told the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA / The Joint Committee of the Kurdish parties, authorized by the Kurdish leadership, will meet during the next two days with the rest of the political blocs to clarify a few things regarding the figures for the three presidencies, and then will decide to attend the session or not." Adding "This committee will nominate, during the next two days, a Kurdish person for presidency of the Republic."

    Sadoun said, "The Kurdish MPs will be close to the House of Representatives and will attend the meeting in the event of agreement and understanding on the three presidencies, because we do not want to go to the session that will be open again, and the country is going through a major crisis."

    He noted, "It is in everyone's interest that there be consensus and understandings between the political blocs on the positions of the three presidencies, prior to Tuesday's session, in order to bring all the political blocs."


    The Presidency of the Republic issued a decree calling the new council to convene on next Tuesday.

    MP, of the state of law, Abbas al-Bayati said that all the parties of the National Alliance will attend the first session of the new parliament at the calling of the Presidency.

    On the other hand, Muttahidoon Coalition linked its MPs attendance to the first session of the new parliament to provide the National Alliance its candidate for prime minister.

    https://www.ninanews.com/english/News...ar95_VQ=HFEKLI

  9. #9

    Muttahidoon coalition will not attend the first session of the new parliament

    Nahida Daini: Muttahidoon coalition will not attend the first session of the new parliament

    28/06/2014 09:16:00

    BAGHDAD / NINA / MP, of Muttahidoon coalition, Nahida al-Daini said that her coalition will not to attend the first session of the new parliament on Tuesday.

    She told the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA / "The coalitions of (Nujaifi, Allawi and al-Mutlaq) will not attend Tuesday's session, for the lack of consensus among the political blocs.

    She made it clear that up to now, there is no consensus on the characters for the three presidencies (the Republic, the parliament and the government), "pointing out that" the biggest node is the issue of the prime minister. "


    Arabia coalition, headed by Saleh al-Mutlaq, announced yesterday that the MPs of the coalition would not attend the parliamentary session scheduled on next Tuesday, unless the National Alliance make a clear and prior vision to the change. The Watania coalition, headed by Ayad Allawi asked the political blocs to postpone the first session of the House of Representatives scheduled on Tuesday, until agreeing on a national project to achieve the security and unity of Iraq.

    It is scheduled the new parliament to hold its first session on Tuesday, July 1, chaired by the oldest member, Mehdi al-Hafez after.

    https://www.ninanews.com/english/News...ar95_VQ=HFEKMF

  10. #10

    National Coalition will present its candidate for the post of prime minister, if ther

    Kanani: National Coalition will present its candidate for the post of prime minister, if there is no agreement on a candidate within the National Alliance

    28/06/2014 10:22:00

    BAGHDAD / NINA / A member of the Ahrar bloc, former MP, Amir al-Kanani said his bloc is waiting the Iraqi National Alliance to come out with a common vision on the candidate for the post of prime minister." pointing out "if the National Alliance could not do so, therefore, the National Coalition would put its candidate during the next two days. "

    He told the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA / "The Ahrar bloc will attend the meeting of the new parliament on Tuesday whether there is agreement on the three presidencies or not." noting that" the Ahrar bloc would prefer to have an agreement on the three presidencies before the meeting. "

    Kanani said "if they do not get an agreement on the three presidencies before Tuesday's session, the meeting should be held in accordance with the constitution, in the hope they get understandings and agreements inside the parliament."

    The Presidency of the Republic issued a decree calling the new council to convene on next Tuesday.
    MP, of the state of law, Abbas al-Bayati said that all the parties of the National Alliance will attend the first session of the new parliament at the calling of the Presidency.
    On the other hand, Muttahidoon Coalition linked its MPs attendance to the first session of the new parliament to provide the National Alliance its candidate for prime minister.

    https://www.ninanews.com/english/News...ar95_VQ=HFELDF

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