Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Talabani optimistic that political parties can agree on developing national unity govt
Politics
(RFE/RL) - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told reporters at an August 5 press briefing in Baghdad that he is optimistic that Iraq's fractious political parties can reach agreement on developing the national-unity government, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported the same day. He said that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has agreed with Talabani and Vice President Adil Abd al-Mahdi to work according to four previously agreed-upon principles: strengthening and developing the national-unity government; adhering to the previously agreed-upon political program and implementing outstanding provisions; constitutional reform, including a redistribution of executive power between the prime ministry and the Presidency Council; and studying the Iraq Accordance Front's demands and committing to meeting those demands deemed legitimate.
Talabani also discussed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's announcement that he refused to accept the resignations of the Accordance Front's ministers in his cabinet. Talabani said the Presidency Council hopes the front's cabinet members will reconsider their boycott and return to work. For his part, al-Maliki discussed his conversation with U.S. President George W. Bush, telling reporters that Bush also called Talabani and Abd al-Mahdi because he recognized Iraq's executive branch was in dire need of consultation, communication, and integration. Abd al-Mahdi also attended the press briefing.
Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi told Al-Sharqiyah television in an August 4 interview that he conveyed the Sunni Arab position to President Bush during a telephone call the same day. He said Bush stressed the need for collective leadership in Iraq. "For my part, I have reassured the U.S. president that the Accordance Front has withdrawn from Nuri al-Maliki's government but it has not withdrawn from the political process, and that it will remain active in the interest of Iraq from its position at the Presidency Council and the positions of its representatives at the Council of Representatives," al-Hashimi said.
Labels: Adil Abdul Mahdi, Council of Representatives, George Bush, Iraqi Accordance Front, Jalal Talabani, national unity, Presidency Council, Tariq Al Hashemi
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Convention to be held in Ras Al Khaimah for Iraqi small and medium businesses
Business
(AME Info FZ LLC) - Ras Al Khaimah will host the 'Iraq First International Convention for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises' to be held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, and organised by Iraq First, a not- for- profit organisation launched by KGL Investment Company, at the Al Hamra Fort Hotel in Ras Al Khaimah on June 7- 8, 2007.
The groundbreaking initiative will be attended by H.E Dr. Adil Abdul Mehdi, Vice President of Iraq, and will bring together the Provincial Governors and entrepreneurs from across Iraq and international investors with the aim to foster the development of SMEs in Iraq and thereby contributing to the Iraq's overall economic development.
'The presence of elected Iraqi Provincial Governors, who have been recently awarded the authority to grant investment licenses by a parliamentary decree, highlights the importance of this opportunity to meet with a large concentration of top caliber decision makers representing Iraq, who will be brought together for the first time in such a unique convention,' she added.
Iraq First has received around 359 projects from Iraqi entrepreneurs encompassing many business fields- from hotels to water bottling plants to cement block factories as well a wide range of other businesses which will be presented to the Arab and International investors in addition to International Lending Organisations during the two- day convention.
Aleast five MoU's would be signed for the establishment of new businesses, including setting up of ceramic sanitary ware factories and liquefied oxygen factory, among others, at the convention. The rest of the projects will be followed up to a final conclusion with an expectation to complete the initiation of over 20 projects for the year 2007.
The groundbreaking initiative will be attended by H.E Dr. Adil Abdul Mehdi, Vice President of Iraq, and will bring together the Provincial Governors and entrepreneurs from across Iraq and international investors with the aim to foster the development of SMEs in Iraq and thereby contributing to the Iraq's overall economic development.
'The presence of elected Iraqi Provincial Governors, who have been recently awarded the authority to grant investment licenses by a parliamentary decree, highlights the importance of this opportunity to meet with a large concentration of top caliber decision makers representing Iraq, who will be brought together for the first time in such a unique convention,' she added.
Iraq First has received around 359 projects from Iraqi entrepreneurs encompassing many business fields- from hotels to water bottling plants to cement block factories as well a wide range of other businesses which will be presented to the Arab and International investors in addition to International Lending Organisations during the two- day convention.
Aleast five MoU's would be signed for the establishment of new businesses, including setting up of ceramic sanitary ware factories and liquefied oxygen factory, among others, at the convention. The rest of the projects will be followed up to a final conclusion with an expectation to complete the initiation of over 20 projects for the year 2007.
Labels: Adil Abdul Mahdi, convention, Ras Al Khaimah, small and medium enterprise
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Vice Presidents Tariq Al Hashimi and Adil Abd Al Mahdi meet
Politics
(Al Mada Newspaper) - 14 MAY - Yesterday, Vice Presidents Tariq Al Hashimi and Adil Abd Al Mahdi met; also attending this meeting was Iraq’s Ambassador to Russia; during their meeting the men discussed: Iraq’s foreign affairs, the current political situation, and the continuing efforts to remove “obstacles” between the (various Iraqi) political “blocs” in order to foster a better political environment.
The President (Talabani’s) Media Office released the following statement:
· Iraq’s two Vice Presidents discussed: DeBaathification, and (they resolved their differences regarding) a number of disagreements.
· Yesterday afternoon, Al Hashimi met with Sayid Amr Al Hakim, the Secretary General of the Al Muharab Martyr’s Organization. They discussed the results of SCIRI’s (a powerful Shiite group’s) ninth annual conference.
· Vice President (Al Hashimi) believes that SCIRI provides the true reflection of Iraq’s current political situation; and, he confirmed the need to unify (bring together) all of Iraq’s “patriotic” (national unity) efforts… in order to solve Iraq’s crises.
· Al Hashimi also met with a Fadhila Party (another Shiite party, which sometimes differs with SCIRI and the Shiite Alliance List) delegation led by Dr. Hassan Al Shimari. They discussed the recent activities in Basrah (demonstrations, clashes, calls to remove the Governor) …and legal ways to resolve these issues. They also discussed a number of political and economic issues.
The President (Talabani’s) Media Office released the following statement:
· Iraq’s two Vice Presidents discussed: DeBaathification, and (they resolved their differences regarding) a number of disagreements.
· Yesterday afternoon, Al Hashimi met with Sayid Amr Al Hakim, the Secretary General of the Al Muharab Martyr’s Organization. They discussed the results of SCIRI’s (a powerful Shiite group’s) ninth annual conference.
· Vice President (Al Hashimi) believes that SCIRI provides the true reflection of Iraq’s current political situation; and, he confirmed the need to unify (bring together) all of Iraq’s “patriotic” (national unity) efforts… in order to solve Iraq’s crises.
· Al Hashimi also met with a Fadhila Party (another Shiite party, which sometimes differs with SCIRI and the Shiite Alliance List) delegation led by Dr. Hassan Al Shimari. They discussed the recent activities in Basrah (demonstrations, clashes, calls to remove the Governor) …and legal ways to resolve these issues. They also discussed a number of political and economic issues.
Labels: Adil Abdul Mahdi, Fadhela party, Sayid Amr Al Hakim, SCIRI, Tariq al-Hashimi
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Turkey asks for delay on Kirkuk referendum
Security, Politics, Region
(AP) Turkey's prime minister on Tuesday urged one of Iraq's two vice presidents to delay a referendum on the future of Kirkuk, fearing Iraqi Kurdish groups could seize control of the northern, oil-rich city. Turkey, which has been trying to quell a Kurdish insurgency for more than two decades, is concerned about the growing power of Iraqi Kurds and has repeatedly warned Iraqi Kurdish groups against trying to seize control of Kirkuk.
Iraq's constitution calls for a referendum on Kirkuk's future by the end of the year. The Kurds want to incorporate the city and its rich oilfields into their self-ruled region, a move the Turks have strongly opposed. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi the normalization of security sought by the Iraqi constitution has not occurred in Kirkuk and the referendum must be postponed, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. Turkey fears Iraq's Kurds want Kirkuk's oil revenues to fund a bid for independence that could encourage separatist Kurdish guerrillas in Turkey, who have been fighting for autonomy since 1984. The conflict has claimed the lives of 37,000 people. Erdogan also asked Abdul-Mahdi to stop attacks by separatist Kurdish guerrillas, based in Iraq, on Turkey.
Iraq's constitution calls for a referendum on Kirkuk's future by the end of the year. The Kurds want to incorporate the city and its rich oilfields into their self-ruled region, a move the Turks have strongly opposed. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi the normalization of security sought by the Iraqi constitution has not occurred in Kirkuk and the referendum must be postponed, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. Turkey fears Iraq's Kurds want Kirkuk's oil revenues to fund a bid for independence that could encourage separatist Kurdish guerrillas in Turkey, who have been fighting for autonomy since 1984. The conflict has claimed the lives of 37,000 people. Erdogan also asked Abdul-Mahdi to stop attacks by separatist Kurdish guerrillas, based in Iraq, on Turkey.
Labels: Adil Abdul Mahdi, Kirkuk referendum, Kurdistan, Turkey
Friday, February 16, 2007
VP ready to serve as PM
Politics
(AFP) Iraqi vice-president Adil Abdul Mahdi would be ready to serve as prime minister of his violence-scarred country, he said in an interview with BBC World Service radio. Mahdi unsuccessfully ran for the mainly Shiite United Iraqi Alliance's (UIA) nomination to be prime minister of Iraq's first permanent government against Ibrahim Al-Jaafari in 2006, but lost by one vote.
Nuri Al-Maliki was then named UIA candidate and secured the post. According to extracts released in advance, Mahdi told the BBC he had supported both Jaafari and Maliki but "should there be a change in Iraq, I am still there. If the Iraqi parliament sees in me a prime minister, at the proper time, as an alternative, in a constitutional way, in a democratic way, I've served my country, I'll continue serving my country, that's all."
"I am one of the political players on the scene," he said, adding: "I am not a coup d'etat man."
On January 2 this year, Maliki told the Wall Street Journal newspaper in an interview he had not wanted to become prime minister in the first place and did not want to serve a second term in office.
Nuri Al-Maliki was then named UIA candidate and secured the post. According to extracts released in advance, Mahdi told the BBC he had supported both Jaafari and Maliki but "should there be a change in Iraq, I am still there. If the Iraqi parliament sees in me a prime minister, at the proper time, as an alternative, in a constitutional way, in a democratic way, I've served my country, I'll continue serving my country, that's all."
"I am one of the political players on the scene," he said, adding: "I am not a coup d'etat man."
On January 2 this year, Maliki told the Wall Street Journal newspaper in an interview he had not wanted to become prime minister in the first place and did not want to serve a second term in office.
Labels: Adil Abdul Mahdi, al-Maliki, prime minister
