Iraq's sagging safety net: In a country with huge potential oil wealth, food rationing and distribution is keeping much of the population alive.
30 Apr 2012 13:55

Almost half of Iraqis rely on food aid to survive [GALLO/GETTY]

Salina, KS: In February 2011, with grassroots uprisings having toppled the governments of Tunisia and Egypt, unrest was swelling in Iraq as well. In response, the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced that it was postponing a planned purchase of F16 fighter planes from the United States. The money saved by not buying the 18 jets would be used, said al-Maliki, to provide Iraq's poorest citizens with increased monthly rations from the country's public food distribution system (PDS). The cancellation was a stark acknowledgment that when people are hungry, armaments won't keep a country secure.

Iraq's government, like many others, learned long ago about the hazards of exposing citizens' daily food needs to the whims of global markets. Anticipating the political and social tumult that can erupt if people's right to food is not fulfilled, Iraq, like many other countries, routinely buys up and stores staple foods and then sells them through a PDS at subsidised prices. But more than a year after pulling out of the F16 deal, the government was still straining to maintain secure access to food.
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Chest: There were not pressure us to ally with Maliki, but we have to
Tuesday 5/1/2012 7:02

BAGHDAD / long: Denied the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr yesterday that political pressure had made ​​his movement allied with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to form a government, he said, "we have to," noting that he tried to ally with others to improve the situation of services in the country, but they did not succeed. He said Moqtada al-Sadr in response to a question from one of his followers on the dumping of some people blame the Sadr movement because it is allied with al-Maliki and accepted by the prime minister and data issued by the leader of the Sadrist movement of that political action is not without its pressures, "I did not say the existence of pressure, but having."

He said al-Sadr "in general, have tried with others and did not succeed."

The leader of the Sadrist movement had visited the Kurdistan region on Thursday, April 26 current and met the President of the region, Massoud Barzani, while held on Saturday, April 28 the current closed-door meeting with President Jalal Talabani and the Kurdish regional president Massoud Barzani and the Iraqi leader Iyad Allawi and President of the House of Representatives Osama Najafi, and called after the meeting to resolve the political crisis, according to the Convention on Erbil and points chest 18, stressing the commitment frameworks constitutional determine the mechanisms of government decisions and policies.
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Baghdad signed a protocol with Kuwait for the organization of navigation in the Khawr Abd Allah
Tuesday 5/1/2012 5:07

Baghdad / range: Detection and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari signed a protocol with Kuwait for the organization of navigation in the Khawr Abd Allah, Iraq, stressing that many of the protocols will be signed with Kuwait, as pointed out that the third session of the Joint Ministerial Committee will be held in Kuwait in March of 2013

Zebari said at a news conference with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sabah Khalid Al Hamad Al-Sabah at the conclusion of the meeting of the Iraqi-Kuwaiti joint, which was held in Baghdad, said the discussions conducted by the two sides during the meeting dealt with all matters and the outstanding issues between the two countries, including the port of Mubarak, who confirmed the Kuwaiti side, it would not affect on the freedom of navigation and the interests of Iraq.

Zebari said that the meeting witnessed the signing of a protocol to regulate navigation in the Khawr Abd Allah as security for the interests of both parties navigational and commercial, "noting that the two sides agreed on a number of protocols of cooperation in various fields, will be signed during the visit of Prime Minister of Kuwait Jaber Al-Mubarak Hamad Al-Sabah to Baghdad in the last quarter of the year 2012. "
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Parliament calls for the Central Finance and the Ministry to discuss the fluctuation of the dollar
Tuesday 5/1/2012 5:06

Baghdad / term: Parliamentary Finance Committee confirmed that it will summon officials of the Central Bank and Ministry of Finance (without specifying the functional grades) during the week to see through them on the procedures applied to maintain the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar compared with hard currency.

He accused the Central Bank of four countries to "conspiracy" to hit the financial economy of Iraq to empty its market of its financial strength indicating that the corridors of free trade in Iraq is becoming the means adopted to hit the economy.

A member of the Committee Secretary Hadi, according to (Rn) that the Finance Committee held last week deliberated on the exchange rate Iraqi dinar and procedures of the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance ... Committee asked for new data on the procedures applied. "
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Parliamentary likely to get a surplus in oil revenues
Tuesday 5/1/2012 5:04

Baghdad / range: Suggested by the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives Najiba Najib obtain financial surplus large due to increased global price of oil, pointing to the probability distribution of wealth. derived from oil sales to the people the middle of the current year.

said Najib, according to the Agency (news): The draft law distribution of oil revenues to provide for the allocation of people (25%) of surplus revenues generated from oil sales and distribution of cash to the people through the development of a specific mechanism by the Ministries of Finance and Planning.

She added that the abundance of Finance will appear in the middle of this year, specifically at the end of next June will be assembled in a box and add the money (25%) of the increase achieved in the abundance of Finance last year, and is distributed at the beginning of the month of July next, either through the ration card or by other means determined by the Ministries of Planning and Finance.
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National Alliance delivers the Iraqi National Congress's agenda for review
Tuesday 5/1/2012 5:35

Baghdad / range: Announced the list of Iraq yesterday that it received from the National Alliance draft agenda of the National Congress for it, and showed that it included three themes concerning the work of the judicial, legislative, executive, pointing out that it would hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss and respond to it.

The MP said the Iraqi Muhammad Al-Khalidi said in an interview told Alsumaria News that "the Vice President of the Republic Khudair Khuzaie sent yesterday, the agenda of the National Congress, prepared by the National Coalition to the Iraqi List to review it," noting that "the agenda includes three axes are the problems of the judiciary and legislative and the executive. "

said Khalidi, a decision of the House of Representatives that "the leaders of the Iraqi List, will hold a meeting next Thursday, the third of next May) to discuss the agenda and to inform the National Alliance position."

In a related context, it was agreed the Dawa Party, led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the Supreme Council Islamic headed by Ammar al-Hakim, the need for early convening of National Conference and the unification of political discourse within the Alliance bloc.
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State law: the renewal of the owners of popular demand
Tuesday 5/1/2012 5:27

Baghdad / range: confirmed a coalition of state law, on Monday, that the eighteen points made ​​by the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr does not depart from the National Alliance Mtbuniat, while noting that a third renewal of the mandate of the owners is a popular demand.

A member of a coalition of state law, Abbas al-Bayati told a news briefing that the "points of the 18 launched by the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr does not depart from Mtbuniat National Alliance, which was always going to confirm it in his statements."

he added, "We believe that the recent meetings in Erbil and the ensuing points that will melt some of the differences, and would open the way for meetings wider which will be held in Baghdad. "

The (long) has published a working paper the leader of the Sadrist movement, which was announced in Arbil during his visit to resolve the political crisis in the country, and the paper included 18 points and carried the signing of the chest and pointed out among other points to the need to be Iraq's good relations with the countries of the peace also stressed the chest in his working paper on the need for judicial independence and the abolition of the policy of exclusion and inclusion of all components in the Iraqi government
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Asadi: National Alliance respects the agreement and adheres to the Erbil
Monday, April 30 2012 10:18

Baghdad: Euphrates MP for the National Alliance, Khaled al-Asadi that the National Alliance respects the Convention on the Erbil and loves her and does not have any objections to them.

And suffer the political process in Iraq is of a severe crisis in the existing problems between some of the blocks participating in the government, which was formed in the light of the terms of the Erbil is that some political parties accuse others not to apply its provisions in full what has exacerbated the crisis without thinking about finding solutions.

He said al-Asadi told the News} {Euphrates on Monday that "some political parties trying to take advantage of the Convention on Arbil in miscarriage and the political slander other and underestimated addition to the establishment of an opposition front to the government."
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Mr. Hakim: our approach building the best of relations with all political forces to achieve the national interest
Monday, April 30 2012 21:57

Baghdad, Euphrates News: held the Shura extended to the Supreme Council regular meeting, chaired by Mr. Ammar Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq's office in Baghdad on Monday.

A statement of the Council that "al-Hakim stressed that the approach of the Supreme Council is to build better relations with the political blocs, calling on members of the mass of the citizens in the House of Representatives and provincial councils and cadres stream Shahid al-Mihrab to communicate with groups of people and claim their rights without delay or courtesy.

The statement added, "it was during the meeting discussed the features of the future of the political map and the approaching dates for provincial elections, as well as the repercussions of the current political crisis, was also discussed ways of activating the role of the National Alliance to avoid a political and investment ties the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq to reach the maximum goals of national interest and to achieve that serves the citizens away from the narrow political disputes. "
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State law alludes to the possibility of resolving the issue of al-Mutlaq, through dialogue and political blocs meeting
Monday, April 30 2012 16:01

Baghdad, Euphrates News: MP from a coalition of state law and were part of the National Alliance, Abdul Salam al-Maliki, the issue of the Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq (administrative, not judicial), alluding to say "can be resolved through meetings between the political blocs", describing at the same time the issue of Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi required to eliminate the fugitive to the Turkish B (hazardous).

The MP said in his speech, told {Euphrates News} on Monday that "the issue of the Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, an administrative and not judicial and confidence about the House of Representatives, explaining by saying that" the right of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, according to the Constitution to submit a request for parliament to withdraw confidence from the Vice President for Mutlaq, after what he described Bacanutatora. "

According to al-Maliki said "the issue of Saleh al-Mutlaq is solvable because it is not legal and are on the table dialogues and meetings between the political blocs after the request of the political blocs that and trying to alleviate the differences between al-Maliki and his deputy, Saleh al-Mutlaq."
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