Friday, April 06, 2007
Iraq Compact to be held in early May
International, Reconstruction
(Reuters) - A high-level meeting to launch a five-year international reconstruction plan for Iraq will be held in early May, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Friday. Dabbagh declined to say where the meeting, which is expected to involve numerous governments and international agencies, would take place.
But the timing coincides with a separate conference between Iraq, its neighbors and world powers that Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Thursday would convene in the first week in May. He also declined to give the location of the gathering. The International Compact with Iraq would see Iraq given international support, financial, political and technical, in return for political, security and economic reforms.
"The Iraq Compact will be held in early May," Dabbagh said. The reconstruction plan was unveiled by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi last month. The compact outlines targets for Iraq to hit during the next five years, including annual economic goals. It also includes legislation the government hopes to pass by the end of 2007.
But the timing coincides with a separate conference between Iraq, its neighbors and world powers that Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Thursday would convene in the first week in May. He also declined to give the location of the gathering. The International Compact with Iraq would see Iraq given international support, financial, political and technical, in return for political, security and economic reforms.
"The Iraq Compact will be held in early May," Dabbagh said. The reconstruction plan was unveiled by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi last month. The compact outlines targets for Iraq to hit during the next five years, including annual economic goals. It also includes legislation the government hopes to pass by the end of 2007.
Labels: Ali al-Dabbagh, Hoshyar Zibari, Iraq Compact
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Iraq unveils five year reconstruction plan
Reconstruction, International
(BBC) - Iraq's vice-president has spelled out the details of a five-year reconstruction plan at a key UN conference on the country's future. Adel Abdul-Mahdi outlined annual growth targets and a series of pledges on security, the rule of law, protecting human rights and tackling corruption. International pledges for the plan are expected next month.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged members to back the plan and not let Iraq face its problems alone.
Representatives from almost 90 countries were attending the meeting on the International Compact with Iraq, a partnership between Baghdad and donors launched last July.
Mr Abdul-Mahdi, one of two Iraqi vice-presidents, vowed to adopt legislation to share oil wealth among the regions and a scheme to give amnesty to militants who renounced violence. The plan projects economic growth of 15.4% in 2007, compared to 3% last year. It also targets 3.5m barrels a day of crude oil by 2011 - doubling the annual crude export revenue to about $50bn.
Mr Ban said the five-year plan should be seen as "a tool for unlocking Iraq's own potential". He said: "The challenges ahead are immense. I am sure you will all agree that we cannot leave Iraq on its own to cope with them. The UN plans a meeting no later than the end of April for the international response to supporting the compact.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged members to back the plan and not let Iraq face its problems alone.
Representatives from almost 90 countries were attending the meeting on the International Compact with Iraq, a partnership between Baghdad and donors launched last July.
Mr Abdul-Mahdi, one of two Iraqi vice-presidents, vowed to adopt legislation to share oil wealth among the regions and a scheme to give amnesty to militants who renounced violence. The plan projects economic growth of 15.4% in 2007, compared to 3% last year. It also targets 3.5m barrels a day of crude oil by 2011 - doubling the annual crude export revenue to about $50bn.
Mr Ban said the five-year plan should be seen as "a tool for unlocking Iraq's own potential". He said: "The challenges ahead are immense. I am sure you will all agree that we cannot leave Iraq on its own to cope with them. The UN plans a meeting no later than the end of April for the international response to supporting the compact.
Labels: Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Iraq Compact, reconstruction, U.N.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
VP Abdul-Mahdi to update U.N. and donors on Iraq Compact
International
(AP Worldstream) Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi will update U.N. member states and other potential donors Friday on the war-torn country's plan for economic development and ask for international support, the United Nations said. Abdul-Mahdi, one of two vice-presidents, will be promoting a five-year plan known as the Iraq Compact to ensure the government has funds to survive and enact key political and economic reforms. The compact was set up shortly after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office in June 2006 to "consolidate peace and pursue political, economic and social development."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who convened the meeting, "looks forward to the participation of the broader international community ... to help put Iraq on a credible path towards sustainable development and economic prosperity," his spokeswoman Michele Montas said Wednesday. Delegations from more than 40 countries plan to attend the meeting, she said. Abdul-Mahdi met Wednesday in Washington with U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt, who will lead the U.S. delegation to the meeting.
Kimmitt said in a statement issued after the meeting that he congratulated the vice-president on Iraq's economic progress and lauded the creation of the Iraq Compact as "an ambitious framework for transformation of the Iraqi economy." Ibrahim Gambari, the U.N. special adviser for the compact and the Iraqi delegation, which also includes Planning Minister Ali Baban, will co-chair Friday's meeting. The U.S. Treasury said all parties have agreed to a ministerial meeting in the near future to formally sign the compact.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who convened the meeting, "looks forward to the participation of the broader international community ... to help put Iraq on a credible path towards sustainable development and economic prosperity," his spokeswoman Michele Montas said Wednesday. Delegations from more than 40 countries plan to attend the meeting, she said. Abdul-Mahdi met Wednesday in Washington with U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt, who will lead the U.S. delegation to the meeting.
Kimmitt said in a statement issued after the meeting that he congratulated the vice-president on Iraq's economic progress and lauded the creation of the Iraq Compact as "an ambitious framework for transformation of the Iraqi economy." Ibrahim Gambari, the U.N. special adviser for the compact and the Iraqi delegation, which also includes Planning Minister Ali Baban, will co-chair Friday's meeting. The U.S. Treasury said all parties have agreed to a ministerial meeting in the near future to formally sign the compact.
Labels: Ibrahim Gambari, Iraq Compact, Planning Minister Ali Baban, Robert Kimmitt, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.N., Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
U.N. SG to host meeting on Iraq
Politics, International, Security
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon plans to host a meeting Friday so the Iraqi government can brief U.N. member states on a five-year plan to ensure the government has funds to survive and enact key political and economic reforms. The Iraq Compact was set up shortly after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office in June 2006 to "consolidate peace and pursue political, economic and social development."
Friday's meeting also will "provide the Iraqi government with an opportunity to inform potential donors on the progress made in the implementation of its commitments," Ban said. In his quarterly report on Iraq circulated Monday, Ban expressed hope that the date and venue for the launch of the compact will be identified as soon as possible, noting that the documentation has been finalized.
Ban said in Monday's report that he strongly believes "that positive political progress and a reduction of violence are essential preconditions for the success of this initiative." Since December, however, the report said high levels of violence have continued to overshadow political and reconstruction efforts. As of January, contributions to the U.N. Development Group Iraq Trust Fund totaled $1.12 billion and some 113 projects have been approved for funding, Ban said. He also noted that the fifth meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq Donor Committee will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 20.
Friday's meeting also will "provide the Iraqi government with an opportunity to inform potential donors on the progress made in the implementation of its commitments," Ban said. In his quarterly report on Iraq circulated Monday, Ban expressed hope that the date and venue for the launch of the compact will be identified as soon as possible, noting that the documentation has been finalized.
Ban said in Monday's report that he strongly believes "that positive political progress and a reduction of violence are essential preconditions for the success of this initiative." Since December, however, the report said high levels of violence have continued to overshadow political and reconstruction efforts. As of January, contributions to the U.N. Development Group Iraq Trust Fund totaled $1.12 billion and some 113 projects have been approved for funding, Ban said. He also noted that the fifth meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq Donor Committee will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 20.
Labels: Iraq Compact, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.N.
