Al-Sudani: There is no international pressure against energy projects, and our funds in the US are not under guardianship.
Baghdad -
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed on Friday that there is no international pressure on energy projects in Iraq. He also denied the existence of American tutelage over Iraqi funds, noting that all oil-exporting countries have accounts with the Federal Reserve, and Iraq does too, and that we control our accounts there. Regarding the salaries file, al-Sudani explained that this issue has been subjected to exaggeration and used in an unethical manner to terrorize citizens, stressing that talk of the deficit is not new, but that there are government plans to confront it.
Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, during an interview with journalist Samer Jawad, followed by 964 Network :
All oil-exporting countries have accounts with the US Federal Reserve, and Iraq does too. We control our accounts there and no one has any control over them. We used to take about $14 billion from the US because our transactions were in cash. After we switched to banking transactions, the number dropped to less than $10 billion. Traders have become accustomed to the new system, unlike before, when their transactions were through exchange offices and customs brokers without having to check taxes or customs.
A class of merchants has emerged who are accustomed to the old procedures. They are not to blame for this because everyone was silent about the previous procedures, including the Americans. We asked them why they were silent for twenty years and only woke up now. But in any case, we seized the opportunity and corrected the banking sector. The United States wants to know the final destination of its dollar, and it has the right to do so because its policy is linked to the economy and they have punitive measures against some countries.
We organized a mechanism for importing gas from Iran according to a tripartite agreement for humanitarian purchases, and this mechanism is still ongoing. The last executive order was only for importing electricity, not gas, despite some talk from the American side about the need to find alternatives to Iranian gas. As a government, we prefer to invest in our existing gas, because we burn about 1,300 cubic meters per day, while our imports at peak times reach 1,000 cubic meters. The value of what is imported amounts to $4 billion, while the value of what is burned amounts to $5 billion, which means that our losses are equal to $9 billion annually between imports and burning.
Our future development plan requires a 50,000 megawatt capacity, and our problem lies in fuel. That's why we've embarked on these projects, including gas import platforms. We've invited international companies to implement the fixed platform at the Faw Port. We now have heroes working day and night at the Ministry of Oil to extend the pipeline from the floating platform to the national grid. Six companies have come forward to provide us with ships and transport the gas. This is one of our solutions to address the crises.
Some parties have gone so far as to warn citizens that they will run out of electricity next summer, while others are preaching sanctions against entities and individuals and that the economy will collapse. However, these parties fail to balance political competition with the impact on the country's situation and the interests of its people. Some are inciting hostility against their own country, and this is a clear flaw in their patriotism.
The issue of salary insurance has also been subjected to exaggeration and unethical exploitation to intimidate and create a state of panic. Talk of a deficit is not new; it is public, not hidden. However, there are government plans to address it, and the government relies on a budget based on oil revenues, a situation that existed before 2003, not today.
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