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Kurdistan-Iraq News in brief
5.8.2006
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Erbil, Sulaimaniyah,
Duhok, Kirkuk, Kurdistan-Iraq, August 5, 2006
Fuel crisis to worsen in Kurdistan
The fuel crisis in Sulaimaniyah and other Kurdish
cities has worsened over recent days. The trend is
likely to continue for an indefinite period.
“It is expected that the fuel shortage will increase
day by day,” Dilawar Nuri, head of Private Oil
Projects in Sulaimaniyah, said in an interview
recently. Nuri explained that the fuel problem was
out of the control of the Kurdish Authorities.
The Kurdistan Region receives fuel from two sources
– Kirkuk and Turkey.
“350 tankers of fuel are supposed to be imported
into Iraq from neighboring Turkey, but so far
because of the Iraqi government’s failure to
compensate Turkey, the import of fuel has been
suspended,” Nuri stated.
Governorate Council meetings in Kurdistan
The head of Sulaimaniyah’s Governing Council,
Sherzad Abdul-Hafiz, says the council has held 55
meetings and formed 12 committees, including those
for economy, ecology, sports, reconstruction and
Anfal. Abdul-Hafiz also noted that as Kurdistan’s
regional constitution does not include an article on
the role of governing councils, they have approached
the Kurdistan National Assembly in order to
introduce an act on governing councils to the
constitution.
Eight thousand houses to be constructed in Kirkuk
A project to construct 8000 new houses in Kirkuk is
to be implemented, report said Wednesday.
The US embassy in Kirkuk will fund the project and
the houses will be built in the city of Kirkuk as
well as in the districts of Dubs, Haweja, Daghok and
Gharahanjir. Rizgar Ali, the head of Kirkuk Council,
is to hold a special meeting to discuss the
implementation of the housing project.
Implementation of Article 140 soon to be
announced
Rizgar Ali, head of Kirkuk’s Governorate Council,
says that over the next few days the Iraqi
Government will release a directive that facilitates
the implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi
Constitution. "Article 140 sets out a program that
in addition to serving Kurds, serves all the people
of Iraq," Ali said adding that the first phase of
implementation will cost $200 million.
Regarding the recent escalation of insurgent attacks
in Kirkuk, Ali said that the violence was the result
of a lack of cooperation between the Iraqi
Ministries of Defense and the Interior on one side,
and Kirkuk’s City Council on the other. Rizgar Ali
also blamed the violence on Baathist elements in the
army. “The Iraqi Army is not clean. It contains a
large number of ex-Baathists who are creating
instability and this insecurity is impeding the
implementation of Article 140.”
Four HIV cases diagnosed in Kurdistan
The Viral Department of Sulaimaniyah Public
Laboratory has diagnosed four HIV positive patients.
Hospital sources said all four patients who had
entered the Kurdistan Region from abroad had been
deported to their countries of origin after being
tested positive. Ahmed Garmiani, from the department
stated that the four men were Indian, Iranian and
Turkish nationals and had come to Kurdistan as
employees of a company.
From May 2001 to July 2006, 12 cases of HIV have
been diagnosed by the Sulaimaniyah Public
Laboratory, all of whom have been non Iraqi
citizens. Travelers entering the Kurdistan Region
must submit a medical test upon their arrival to
Kurdistan.
Oil-sector employees enrolled in training course
in Duhok
The Iraqi Association of Information Technology is
running a training course to develop the
capabilities of the employees of Duhok’s oil sector.
“This course is part of a course that was previously
run in Jordan, Syria and the UAE. They can now take
place in Kurdistan due to the high level of
security,” said a course adviser, who added that the
course is one part of a nine-course series, of which
four are practical-based and five theory-based. “The
course aims to increase the knowledge of the
oil-sector employees in the Kurdistan Region and
Iraq.”
Peshmarga salaries to increase
As of this month, the salary of Peshmerga will be
increased by 50,000 ID. “We are currently busy with
the rearrangement of the Kurdish Peshmerga Forces
and we are training them towards unification and the
formation of a Kurdish Regional Guard,” Deputy
Peshmerga Leader, Mustafa Said Qadir, stated.
“Before the unification, we decided to increase the
salary of the Peshmerga and hope to increase it
further in the future.”
Seven arrested over passport fraud
Sulaimaniyah Airport’s passport control has arrested
seven members of a family – a couple, their four
children and a relative - who attempted to use fake
Spanish passports to travel to Sweden.
Investigations revealed that the passports had been
forged outside Kurdistan Region.
Government prohibits party manipulations
The Presidency of the KRG Council of Ministers has
sent a statement to all the ministries and
government establishments warning against political
parties exploiting government policies. The
statement also establishes that political party
celebrations would not be catered for by the
government, and that letters or phone calls from
parties would not influence government policy and
that only the political party bureaus would be
permitted to contact the Council of Ministers.
Human rights institute gathers data in Kurdistan
Region
The International Institute of Human Rights is in
the process of writing a book on Iraqi history with
the support of the American Dipole University. Over
the last ten days, the institute has been collating
data on the Anfal process and the chemical
bombardment of Kurdistan. The institute has
interviewed more than 500 citizens of Duhok.
“Our team consists of ten members and we have
gathered documents since July 19,” Umed Karim, a
member of the human rights institute, stated, and
added, “This process will take place in all four
Kurdish governorates and will provide information
for a book entitled Iraqi History from 1968 to 2003,
and which is hopefully to be used for studies in
schools.”
Laptops to be provided for university and
institute students
The minister of Higher Education and Scientific
Research has announced plans to sign contracts with
several foreign companies in order to supply all
university and institute students with laptops
computers. The minister noted that this was
preliminary step in their plan for the modernization
of education in the Kurdistan Region. .
Shingal wishes to be integrated into the Region
In a survey conducted by the Duhok Institute for
political affairs, the majority of the people of
Shingal would prefer not to belong to the
administration of Mosul but rather to the
administration of the Kurdistan Region. Some 500
questionnaires were distributed to the people of
Shingal and its suburbs, 77.5% of them claimed they
desired to be under the control of the Kurdistan
Administration and that Kurdish language should be
taught.
Dutch Consulate opens in Erbil
The Dutch Ambassador has announced that a Consulate
of his country will be opened in Erbil in the near
future.
In a meeting with the Minster of Agriculture, the
Dutch Ambassador discussed the matter in the
presence of the Director of Iraq-Holland Company.
The two sides also discussed the project of building
a giant dairy company in the Region supported by the
Dutch Government which is planned to be executed by
companies in the Netherlands. The Minister of
Agriculture talked about the need for changes in the
field of agriculture, in order to correspond to
global development.
Commercials on Kurdistan Region in American
satellites
American satellites have started broadcasting
commercials which urge American businessmen to
invest in Iraqi Kurdistan. The commercials are shown
under the title of “Kurdistan, the other Iraq”,
“Kurdistan Regional Government” and “Kurdistan
Development Corporation”.
They use the expression of “Kurdistan of Iraq”
instead of Northern Iraq, and focus on the current
stability in Iraqi Kurdistan. Moreover, the
commercials include expressions such as "welcome to
Kurdistan of Iraq where democratic system has
prevailed for ten years, this is not a dream, it is
the other Iraq.” The commercials indicate that
unlike other parts of the Middle East, Kurds do not
have a hostile attitude towards the West.
Paint factory to be opened in Chamchamal
The Swedish Begard Company began constructing a
paint factory in Chamchamal last week, PNA reported.
The project is under the supervision of Omer Fetah,
KRG Deputy Prime Minister and is considered the
final project executed by the Investment Promotion
Board. The board was responsible for construction
projects in Sulaimaniyah before the unification of
the Kurdish administrations.
The paint factory will cost $12 million and the
first stage of the project is scheduled to be
completed within the next six months, after which
the factory will be able to produce two types of
paints. Abdul-Aziz Mirza, director of Begard
Company, said that the factory would help to reduce
paint prices by 35% in the Kurdistan Region and
would produce paint according to international
quality standards. The factory would also provide
five hundred jobs for local people.
Mirza also assured those worried about pollution
from the factory that his company would work
alongside a Swedish Environmental Agency to reduce
and control any pollution.
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