State Department in response to US State Department spokesman: There are no US forces in Iraq except for military advisors
One journalist, with his inaccurate answer, the State Department would like to clarify the following:
First: There are no American forces in Iraq except for military advisors who are under the umbrella of the international coalition. These advisors are included in the outputs of the work of the Military Committee
The highest level, and both parties are committed to the established mechanisms and their outcomes. Second: The work of the Supreme Military Committee during the past months focused on assessing the threat of ISIS with the aim of reaching a deadline for ending the military mission of Operation Inherent Resolve. On this basis, the presence of international coalition advisors of all nationalities on Iraqi soil will be terminated.
These discussions included details that included the hierarchy of advisors’ withdrawal from the sites, and all that remained was to agree on the details and date of the announcement and some other logistical aspects. We were very close to announcing this agreement, but due to recent developments, the announcement of the end of the international coalition’s military mission in Iraq was postponed.
Third: The bilateral relationship with the United States in all fields, including the security relationship, is completely separate from the course of the relationship with the international coalition forces. This relationship existed before the alliance and will continue after it. The Iraqi delegation discussed the future of the security relationship in areas: link
As the region continues to steal oil...the oil and gas law is in the parliament's drawers
The draft oil and gas law is one of the most controversial issues between the political blocs and the Kurdish national component.
The Kurds continue to steal Iraqi oil and sell it on the black market for half its market value, which is a huge waste of the country's financial resources.
Independent politician Adnan Abdullah confirmed on Thursday that oil smuggled from the Kurdistan region is sold for less than half its value.
Abdullah told Al-Maalouma, “The region smuggles about 300,000 barrels per day, and this is no secret and the government and all political forces know about it.”
He added, "The smuggled oil is sold for less than half its value, which is what drives some brokers in neighboring countries to deal with the smuggling file due to the large profits, noting that" mutual interests with some forces in Baghdad push for not opening this sensitive file."
He pointed out that "oil smuggling is illegal and represents a drain on the national wealth that everyone must preserve and its management must be federal."
It is noteworthy that oil smuggling operations from the Kurdistan Region have been ongoing for years by some of the ruling parties in the region.
Despite the government's moves to end the violations of the region's oil exports by passing the Oil and Gas Law, the obstacle of the Kurdish parties is what is pushing to suspend the law by objecting to the paragraphs and articles of the law that will end the region's Violations in the operations of extracting and exporting oil through the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
The continuous objection and the placing of obstacles are due to preventing the approval of the law that may end the theft of contracts with foreign extraction companies in which the Barzani government is a major partner, in addition to ending the seizure of oil revenues and the positions They control as a result of exporting independently of the central government and the national SOMO company.
The Kurdish objection is centered on the paragraph of the control of the National Marketing Company (SOMO) over the operations of extracting, exporting and selling oil and gas.
Legal experts confirmed that all the articles that the Kurdish parties object to are not legal and constitutional, but rather in order to continue seizing the country's wealth.
The sources indicate that the Kurdish parties exploit the weakness of the governments in order to obtain high percentages of money, oil and gas revenues, and the approval of the law will end all these operations.
This is one of the reasons for not passing the oil and gas law from the House of Representatives, due to the major political differences that will keep the law in the drawers of the House of Representatives.
Member of the committee, MP Mohammed Anouz, ruled out today, Thursday, the ability of the political blocs to pass the oil and gas law and some other controversial laws.
Anouz told the / Al-Maalouma / agency, “The legal committee has a number of controversial laws that cannot be passed due to the political differences over them.”
He added, "There are laws that cannot see the light during this session due to the deep differences, most notably the oil and gas law that has not been decided for four previous parliamentary sessions." He confirmed that the law will be postponed to the next session in the hope that it will find consensus on it. link
[Iraq former government/UN employee friend Imad from Basra update]
Question: "The Untied States, do they have anything to do with the Iraq currency?"
Of course, yes, they control it. They have some interest between the two countries.
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Nader From The Mid East
[Iraq former government/UN employee friend Imad from Basra update]
Question: "Will the three zeros be deleted?"
Yes sir, they will be deleted soon...realistic it's not going to happen next week or next month. It's not...you have to hang on and wait a little bit.
NADER: I say from here to December...Is it going to happen before the election?
IMAD: No. Let's wait and see. NO...It's not in the near future...To move these three zeros takes a lot of work...corruption...a lot of things have to straighten up a little bit.
Iraq has been facing significant economic challenges in recent years, including a heavy reliance on oil exports, corruption, and a lack of economic diversification. However, the country has been working to implement economic reforms to address these challenges and promote sustainable economic growth.
Economic Reforms
The Iraqi government has introduced several economic reforms aimed at promoting economic growth and reducing the country's reliance on oil exports. These reforms include: Diversification of the economy: The government has been working to diversify the economy by promoting the development of non-oil sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism.
Privatization: The government has been working to privatize state-owned enterprises to increase efficiency and attract foreign investment.
Investment promotion: The government has been working to promote investment in the country by offering incentives such as tax breaks and investment guarantees.
Trade liberalization: The government has been working to liberalize trade by reducing tariffs and other trade barriers.
Challenges
Despite these efforts, Iraq still faces significant challenges in implementing economic reforms. These challenges include:Corruption: Corruption remains a significant challenge in Iraq, and it can hinder the implementation of economic reforms.
Security concerns: Security concerns, particularly in the north of the country, can also hinder the implementation of economic reforms. Lack of infrastructure: Iraq's infrastructure, including its roads, bridges, and ports, is in need of significant investment to support economic growth.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Iraq has been working to implement economic reforms to promote sustainable economic growth and reduce the country's reliance on oil exports. However, the country still faces significant challenges in implementing these reforms, including corruption, security concerns, and a lack of infrastructure. Addressing these challenges will be critical to the success of Iraq's economic reforms.
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