Iraqi PM denounces attacks on foreign forces, reaffirms support for Palestinians, 23 OCT
Shafaq News/ Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani strongly condemned the attacks targeting foreign forces in Iraq and reaffirmed his country's unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.
In a statement released by the spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasoul, Al-Sudani expressed Iraq's firm stance "against the aggression faced by the residents of the Gaza Strip." He reiterated Iraq's moral position in supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people.
Additionally, he underscored the rejection of attacks on Iraqi bases housing Global Coalition advisors, who are in Iraq at the official invitation of the government. These advisors are crucial in supporting Iraqi security forces through training, qualification, and consultation.
The Commander-in-Chief directed all security services to carry out their duties diligently, uphold the law, and track down those responsible for these attacks. He emphasized the importance of safeguarding the security and stability achieved through the sacrifices of Iraq's armed forces.
Recent attacks on military bases, including Ain al-Assad in Anbar and Harir in Erbil, were claimed by armed factions identifying themselves as the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq."
Al-Nujaba responds to Baghdad's statement regarding U.S. forces, 23 OCT
Shafaq News / Al-Nujaba Movement, one of the armed factions opposing the American presence in Iraq and closely affiliated with Iran, responded to a statement issued by the military spokesperson of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, condemning attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq.
In a statement, Al-Nujaba stated, "We regret the statement issued by the government's media office, in which they describe the military bases housing the occupying American forces as 'bases' of the Iraqi forces hosting the advisors of the international coalition present in Iraq upon an official invitation from the government."
The statement added, "These occupying forces wreak havoc and corruption in Iraq, violate sovereignty every day, every hour, by land and air. They entered Iraq through deceit, circumventing the agreement, as former Prime Minister Mr. Haider al-Abadi mentioned. Their helicopters and combat drones continue to violate the skies of Baghdad and the provinces without permission or approval from the government."
It continued, "The government does not know their numbers or the types of their forces, nor their movements between Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, and Iraq. Moreover, the Zionists are present in Iraq within these forces; they have permanent centers and bases within them. Such statements justify and legitimize the occupation, presenting an image that contradicts the harsh reality, indicating a lack of seriousness in removing the occupying forces and ending their presence in Iraq, as promised by the government before its formation."
The statement emphasized, "America deals arrogantly and haughtily with such statements from a country asserting its sovereignty. Unfortunately, some - for payment - attempt to circumvent and justify the presence of the occupation to escape embarrassment and the legitimate, national, and historical responsibilities. Such statements remind us of the post-2003 period when the United Nations and America themselves officially stated that American forces were occupying forces. However, some paid politicians and media figures come out and call them friendly or liberating forces to justify their occupation, deceiving the Iraqi society with such blatant lies."
It pointed out, "There is a decision from the Iraqi Parliament to expel the occupation, and yet America, with audacity, rejects that from successive governments. It has recently expanded its bases and increased their numbers."
The statement strongly emphasized, "clear and transparent positions, describing matters accurately, bring the government closer to the people, enhancing trust and credibility. Furthermore, let everyone know that the million-man demonstration and the Parliament's decision to end the occupation and its repeated violations of Iraq's sovereignty legitimize and justify its resistance at all levels."
"Standing in the path of resistance or in the path of expelling the occupier by any means represents a violation of the law, ethics, values, and national principles. Therefore, we hope for a unified stance from all of Iraq, government, people, and resistance, towards ending this odious occupation. The government should hold accountable those who beautify its presence to deceive society and reveal the true reality to the people", the statement concluded.
I talked many times about the Customs and Tariffs automation project that is underway in Iraq.
At that time, I was told it would never be successful unless the software to be used could be linked to FOREX in order to convert foreign currencies for payment with an up- to- the- second exchange rate against the Iraqi dinar.
This was one obstacle to the success of the project.
It was told to us that this project, if successful, (and it will be) that the revenues collected could rival the oil revenues.
How could this be, I asked my contact in the CBI?
I was told this a true statement but there are obstacles to the implementation of this project because the districts of Iraq are still segmented too much and the revenues are not yet fully collected and placed in the coffers of the Central Government of Iraq (GOI) general fund.
Instead, mayors and governors of these districts have their hands out and corruption prevails.
This money belongs to all the people not just those who can control it.
So, this is a major obstacle.
So, today we see once yet more progress in this direction to overcome these obstacles and for the GOI and to control these revenues for collection into the general fund.
This should be a sign to us that they are nearing their goal of further stability and the GOI’s ability to control these revenues.
The work finally being done on agreements with the Oil and GAS law (or HCL) too are signs that they are now serious in meeting this constitutional goal too.
Oil revenues are nearly 90% of Iraq’s revenues right now.
{Political: Al-Furat News} Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani confirmed, on Saturday, that the customs automation project is an important basis and a starting point for the implementation of financial and banking reforms.
The Sudanese office said in a statement received by {Euphrates News} that “the Prime Minister was briefed on a detailed report explaining the progress of work in implementing the first phase of the implementation of the global system for the automation and modernization of customs (ACYCUDA), and the most prominent problems and challenges and ways to overcome them, leading to the application of the single window for foreign trade.
Then later yet another article comes out telling us the Kurdistan Regional Government announced, on Monday, the adoption of the Iraqi dinar in customs duties instead of the US dollar.
The Oil, Gas and Natural Resources Committee confirmed today, Tuesday, October 17, 2023, its need for 6 months in order to reach a draft oil and gas law that is consistent with all parties, while indicating that the committee formed by the Kurdistan Regional Government presented a vision about Oil and Gas Law to the Ministry of Oil.
This leakage of US dollars to Iran and other terrorists countries has to STOP or we will NOT see the reinstatement.
The governor must secure the dollar in his country first and then use the dinar as their national currency.
The later part is working but the sneaking of the dollar outside of Iraq is not.
Why not reinstate the dinar so Iraq could more “freely” pay for goods and services with other countries with their own dinar and totally ditch the dollar the damned currency auction?
Now since they delayed until January 2024 and then yet another crisis and then another crisis comes.
With each crisis comes yet another delay.
Will the Palestine terrorist attack on Israel delay it again?
Let’s take a look at this today.
The stability of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar.
This we are told is always the holdup of the reinstatement.
The Prime Minister met yesterday with the concerned authorities, to discuss the non-implementation of reform packages related to the price of the dollar, calling on Al-Sudani to take effective solutions like those issued by the Central Bank to control the dollar at border crossings and customs taxes.
So, do you see why the new system ACYCUDA project is so important and it’s implementation has progressed to a new higher priority.
Can they wait until January 2024 even to put ACYCUDA online.
Now it’s no longer just about generating and safeguarding the customs and tariffs fees to the GOI general fund but about the stability of the dollar.
The pressure and help from the US Treasury my help them to get this underway sooner than later.
The member of the Finance Committee pointed out that there are American political influences that exert pressure on Iraq to put pressure on it economically, regarding its support for the Palestinian cause and advocacy for the people of Gaza against the Zionist occupation,” stressing that “Iraq seeks to address that issue and put pressure on the US Federal Bank to provide amounts in dollars and at a specific time.
Do you see the crisis here?
He continued by saying, Iraq’s position on the Palestinian issue is firm and will not change, and we reject all Zionist crimes committed by the occupation against the Palestinians, and this is an irrevocable decision.
Either way, we can clearly see the impact this war will have on the reinstatement if it continues much longer.
So far, I am told by my CBI contract on my Saturday conversation, that the CBI is already holding up the re-education process they fully intended to roll out in mid-October.
As you already learned my CBI contact has been assigned to the CBI committee to work on this re-education process.
I have been told that so far the committee had come out with a couple deliverables to the governor and even met with Ali al-Alaq to review them with him.
The meeting went well.
They fulling intended to move ahead in mid-October.
They included:
1. Written news articles on how they would address the citizens and explain the steps involved.
They even have pictures of the newer lower denominations in these public news articles;
2. The committee also developed a comprehensive timetable for all the events leading up to the reinstatement.
But now I don’t know what is going on since they were expected to begin the re-education process this week as the timetable called for it.
Article: "The governor of the Central Bank Ali Al-Alaq...considered the process of stabling the dinar exchange rate against the dollar as a big operation that requires changes to the Iraqi commercial system...
This came in a speech during the first annual banking conference hosted by the city of Erbil under the slogan The Banking Sector Opportunities for Advancement and the Future of International Companies."
Bruce
[via WiserNow] When it comes to the currencies that we know about, things are moving along nicely with those. They're trading upward. We know that the Dinar is continuing to do well. Dong has been up and down...it's really good to see these things taking place.
...we heard that once the currency sellers stopped being able to sell...It was our turn...what is remarkable about this, we have three confirmations so far from currency sellers, that they have been advised that they are no longer to sell these currencies that we have - which is dinar - Dong...
there's a bunch of others that are going up in value...they are no longer able to sell those after 11:59pm [last] night - Friday night...Central time...Then all those currency sales will be shut off...that's great news for us because I think that sets the bar for us to get started.
Biden Administration’s Support for Israel Draws Global Criticism
The United States has always been a loyal ally of Israel, but the recent actions of President Joe Biden’s administration have drawn criticism from across the globe. Despite previous tensions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden’s administration has been accused of turning a blind eye to Israel’s alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip, actions that have been labeled as genocidal. Critics argue that the U.S. is employing double standards in regards to human rights, and the repercussions of this stance are already beginning to surface.
Cracks in the U.S. Support
Israel’s actions in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip, have included attacks on hospitals, churches, mosques, and UN-run schools. These acts of violence have sparked outrage worldwide. Yet, the U.S.’s support for Israel appears unwavering. This perceived inconsistency in advocating for human rights has reportedly begun to take a toll on the U.S., with increased anti-Semitism reported among American troops.
The Biden administration’s support for Israel has not been without opposition domestically. Arab leaders, European officials, and the younger, more liberal wing of the Democratic Party have voiced their dissent. Many lawmakers have called for a ceasefire and urged the Biden administration to ensure the protection of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
There is a growing divide within the Biden administration itself. Some officials have expressed concerns about the one-sided policy that favors Israel at the expense of the Palestinians. This debate led to the resignation of a State Department official, who stated that he could no longer support a policy he believed to be unjust.
Amidst these debates, there are broader concerns about the potential for the conflict between Israel and Hamas to spill over into a larger conflict in the Middle East, which would endanger American military forces in the region. As a result, the Pentagon has deployed additional military resources to the area to protect U.S. troops.
Striking a balance between supporting Israel and advocating for the rights of Palestinians is proving to be a complex challenge for the Biden administration. During his recent visit to Israel, Biden urged Israeli officials to operate within the laws of war and protect civilians as much as possible. However, the U.S. continues to provide military resources to support Israel’s efforts to combat Hamas, a move that critics argue further fuels the conflict.
The U.S. is also engaging with other countries in the region to address the ongoing conflict. Biden has spoken with Pope Francis about the need to find paths of peace in world conflicts, and there have been consultations with Arab leaders in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and beyond.
As the Biden administration navigates these issues, the ultimate goal is to address the underlying causes of instability and work towards a peaceful solution that respects the rights and lives of both Israelis and Palestinians. This task, however, remains fraught with complexities and challenges.