The World Bank said in a statement that Bank President David Malpass met Tuesday with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi in Washington and stressed the importance of banking sector reforms and accelerating private sector investments.
Malpass told Al-Kazemi that the bank is committed to supporting the Iraqi government as it continues to reform the public sector and boost the private sector as the country opens up to business after nearly two decades of war and conflict.
Malpass also emphasized the importance of investing in infrastructure, highlighting investments in the Iraqi port and energy sectors.
Baghdad / Obelisk: The US Ambassador to Iraq, Matthew Tueller, announced that the United States of America provided financial support for the success of the elections in Iraq, while noting that the meeting of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi and US President Joe Biden at the White House are indications that relations serve the interests of the two countries.
Toler said in an interview with Al-Iraqiya News that “all the bilateral meetings that took place this week in Washington, and Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi’s meeting with President Biden at the White House carried indications that relations between Iraq and the United States serve the interests of both countries.”
He added, “There is a firm commitment to work on establishing solid foundations, and to continue expanding horizons of cooperation on the economic and cultural level, not just on the security side.”
He pointed out that “the current US military presence in Iraq came at the invitation of the Iraqi government in 2014,” noting that “the United States leads the international coalition that includes more than 90 countries that responded to Iraq’s request for support to defeat ISIS.”
He explained, “Despite the liberation of all lands from the control of the terrorist organization, the threat it poses to Iraq and the Iraqi people still exists,” adding: “Even last week, we witnessed attacks in Sadr City, attacks on electricity and infrastructure, and we saw attacks in Diyala, Tarmiyah and other areas.” Very close to Baghdad.
He continued, “There is still a need for the coalition to assist the Iraqi forces that are confronting and defeating ISIS and ensuring its continued defeat,” stressing that “the course of the coalition’s role has changed with the development of the capabilities of the Iraqi forces as a result of their close work with the coalition forces, and last week’s meetings confirmed these changes.” “.
He went on to say: “The important meetings held by the Technical Security Committee discussed this issue, as the Deputy Commander of the Iraqi Joint Operations met with his American counterparts, and they identified the required needs during the coming months and years, as well as how the coalition can lead the international response to support the Iraqi forces to be a strong institution.” sovereign, capable of protecting Iraq and its people.”
He pointed out that “the United States seeks to achieve stability and security in the region from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf,” stressing that “President Biden expressed this clearly during the meeting with Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, as he indicated that the stability of Iraq is the stability of the region. The presence of Iraq As a strong, stable and united state, it will be reflected in the region.”
He continued, “We believe that Iraq has these capabilities, and we want to help the Iraqis,” adding: “The Iraqis are proud of their country, as they should be, and we hope to help in their quest for a future worthy of the people, especially children and grandchildren.”
And Tueller: “Our diplomatic presence is based on normal diplomatic relations, as providing security protection for our embassy and our employees is the responsibility of the Iraqi government, and for this we count on a strong and sovereign Iraqi state to provide security not only for diplomats and other international organizations, but for the Iraqi government and institutions as well.” .
The US ambassador pointed out, “Over the past year, Al-Kazemi showed a solid determination to restore the prestige of the Iraqi state institutions. He has taken a number of steps that we believe are very reassuring, in the field of protecting diplomatic missions, and he has taken strict measures to ensure that some of the perpetrators of these attacks are held accountable, not the attacks against Not only embassies, but also those who attacked and killed Iraqi journalists, demonstrators and activists,” stressing that “when we see that the ability of the Iraqi government led by Al-Kazemi to hold those involved accountable and arrest them, this is what we want to see and encourage.”
He pointed out that “the Iraqi demonstrations in 2019 clearly expressed their demands, when young men took to the streets with the support of their families, and said we want to restore our country, demanded early elections, and forced the government at the time to resign.”
He went on to say: “It is
He explained, “There will be security challenges, because there are some parties that want to obstruct the elections,” stressing that “in order to help Iraq conduct the elections, the United States provides significant financial support, first to UNAMI, which will play a role in monitoring the elections, as well as to the Independent High Authority for Elections. Through civil society and non-governmental organizations that provide technical support.
“We want to see elections take place, but above all, the Iraqi people want to see fair elections, for many Iraqis to vote, to show that they still believe in democracy, they still believe in the political process and the Iraqi constitution,” Tueller said.
He continued: “We encourage normal relations between Iran and Iraq, we do not seek to create problems between Iraq and Iran,” stressing that “
He pointed out that “the problem is that many Iranian activities inside Iraq undermine Iraqi sovereignty. It is not normal for a neighboring country to support armed groups and political parties that weaken state institutions in Iraq,” noting that “these Iranian activities worry us greatly, and I think they are a cause of concern for many Iraqis who do not They want to see any neighboring or foreign country in their country that controls and supports armed groups, sectarian or ethnic groups.”
He stressed that “a strong Iraqi state is the one who can confront this kind of malicious activities.”
And he stated: “We strongly support the “white paper” presented by this government under the supervision of the Minister of Finance. It embodies very important reform steps that will reduce the government’s heavy dependence on oil energy revenues, diversify sources of income, and reduce the public sector’s very large dependence on salaries. “, stressing that “this type of reforms will be difficult, and will not happen overnight, but it will certainly lead to the revitalization and strengthening of the Iraqi economy.”
He pointed out that “it is sometimes difficult to make international companies think of investing in Iraq now because there are security and investment obstacles, in addition to the fact that the oil market is currently changing very quickly.”
He stressed that “some companies operating in Iraq are now considering reducing their activities and returning to diversify their sources of income.
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi stressed the importance of developing cooperation with the World Bank. And the Prime Minister’s media office said in a statement it received, that “Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi met at his residence in the American capital, Washington, the President of the World Bank Group David Malpass and his accompanying delegation, and during the meeting, they discussed joint cooperation in various fields, and attributing the efforts of the Iraqi government to Administrative reform and combating corruption, supporting capacity building for Iraqi institutions, public sector reform, and banking sector reform efforts. He added, “They also discussed cooperation in terms of financing infrastructure projects in Iraq, in the areas of water, airports, and natural gas. They also discussed clean energy projects, especially solar energy to generate electric power.” The Prime Minister stressed, according to the statement, “the importance of developing cooperation with the World Bank and ways to develop it, and urged the rapid disbursement of more than one billion dollars, available as loans to the World Bank, to support the government in projects ready for implementation inside Iraq.” And the statement continued, “Al-Kazemi discussed with the head of the World Bank Group, supporting the Iraqi government’s plans in housing projects, and encouraging investments in this sector by American companies, and other companies.” Ended 29 / A87
Embattled Iraqi prime minister heads back to Baghdad with several victories from Washington
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi meets US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House. AFP
Bryant HarrisJul 27, 2021
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi wrapped up his visit to the US this week, leaving with several generous gifts from President Joe Biden that could strengthen his hand in the lead up to Iraq’s parliamentary elections.
The latest meeting in the US-Iraq strategic dialogue wrapped on Monday with a White House summit between Mr Al Kadhimi and Mr Biden.
While the announcement will surely do little to appease the Iran-backed factions pressuring Mr Al Kadhimi to fully expel US forces, he can point to a series of other concrete commitments made by the Biden administration before the elections scheduled for October.
“There need to be deliverables, just for Al Kadhimi to go back to Baghdad to say ‘I got this,’” Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told The National. “That has been the case all the time in the past, and so that has been a standard modus operandi.”null
Mr Al Kadhimi personally thanked Mr Biden in front of reporters after the president said that 500,000 Covid vaccines donated by the US would arrive in Iraqi within the next two weeks. The US will also provide another $800,000 in funding for Iraq’s pathogen track-and-trace programmes.
Mr Biden touted expanded co-operation on other healthcare and energy issues. Specifically, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is signing an agreement with the Iraqi health sector to improve the country’s public health capacity after several hospital fires in recent months killed dozens of patients and further fuelled continuing anti-government protests.
The US also committed to providing Iraq with $155 million in humanitarian assistance for more than one million internally displaced people residing in the country and the Development Finance Corporation will invest about $1 billion to bolster the Iraqi private sector.
Washington will also provide $1.2m in funding to restore Iraqi universities destroyed by ISIS in Nineveh province.
Additionally, a senior administration official said the US is finalising agreements to fund a project connecting the Iraqi and Jordanian electricity grids.
The US Agency for International Development is funding the project in Jordan, while the US-based energy company General Electric is providing funds to do the same on the Iraqi side.
While the US has continually renewed a sanctions waiver for Iraq to import the natural gas it needs from Iran to fuel its electricity sector, Washington continues to pressure Baghdad to reduce its reliance on Iranian oil. Frequent power shortages over the last several years have exacerbated anti-government protests that began in 2019.
The senior administration official also said the US and Iraq will soon complete a project to capture a daily 5.2 million cubic metres in flares from oil exploration in southern Iraq, which account for approximately 10 per cent of flared greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.null
In addition, the Biden administration is pushing for Iraq to move ahead with its elections as scheduled and is providing assistance to that end.
The White House readout of Mr Al Kadhimi’s meeting with Mr Biden noted that “the leaders agreed on the vital importance of holding these elections on time and welcomed the UN monitoring mission to support their full transparency and fairness”.
Protesters run for cover while riot police fire tear gas during clashes between Iraqi security forces and anti-government protesters in Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo (Associated Press)
For his part, Mr Biden told reporters that the US is “working very hard with the Iraqi government to make sure the UN and the [Gulf Co-operation Council]” provide “oversight” and achieve “full and fair elections”.
To that end, the US is providing $5.2m to the UN election monitoring mission in Iraq and another $9.7m for Iraq’s High Electoral Commission.
Still, it is uncertain that the elections will even proceed as scheduled.
“I’m not sure they will be held on time despite all the preparation, all the statements,” said Ms Slim. “There is a 50-50 chance that they will not be held in October and everything will be delayed until 2022.”
If elections do go forward in October, Ms Slim noted that she does not expect much to change on the Iraqi political map but said there may be less support for the coalition affiliated with Iran-backed militia groups.
Michael Knights, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told The National he believes Iran-backed factions could expand their influence in the Iraqi Parliament should elections move forward.
“Under those circumstances, you could imagine the Iranians telling their Iraqi allies, ‘we want another law passed saying all American troops out now,’” Mr Knights said.
Either way, Mr Al Kadhimi’s remaining days as prime minister may be numbered despite his close relationship with the Americans.
US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi at the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. (SAUL LOEB/AFP)
“I don’t view a relationship with Biden as being crucial one way or the other, except to the extent that it might be negative,” Kirk Sowell, principal of the Utica Risk Services consulting firm, told The National.
“His credibility is very, very low right now given the domestic problems of the last month: the electricity collapse, the weakness on security and then the new hospital fire tragedy.
“Unless they just can’t find anyone else upon whom to agree after the election, it is hard to see him being re-elected, regardless.”Updated: July 27th 2021, 4:12 PM
Shafaq News/ Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi discussed today, Tuesday, with the President of the World Bank Group, David Malpass and his accompanying delegation, investments in housing by American companies and other companies.
Al-Kazemi’s office said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency, “The Prime Minister met at his residence in Washington Malpass and his accompanying delegation, and during the meeting, they discussed joint cooperation in various fields, attributing the Iraqi government’s efforts in administrative reform and combating corruption, and supporting capacity building for Iraqi institutions, public sector reform, and banking sector reform efforts.
He added, “They also discussed cooperation with regard to financing infrastructure projects in Iraq, in the areas of water, airports, and natural gas. They also discussed clean energy projects, especially solar energy to generate electric power.”
The statement indicated that “Al-Kazemi discussed with the President of the World Bank Group, supporting the Iraqi government’s plans in housing projects, and encouraging investments in this sector by American companies, and other companies.”
The Prime Minister stressed, according to the statement, “the importance of developing cooperation with the World Bank and ways to develop it, and urged His Excellency to expedite the disbursement of more than one billion dollars, available as loans to the World Bank, to support the government in projects ready for implementation inside Iraq.”
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi arrived at the American Chamber of Commerce to meet with a number of businessmen. Al-Iraqiya news correspondent said that Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi arrived at the headquarters of the American Chamber of Commerce in Washington to meet with a number of businessmen. It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi arrived the day before yesterday, Sunday, to the American capital, Washington, at the head of a high-ranking government delegation.
Shafaq News/ Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi announced, on Tuesday, a new phase of relations between Iraq and the United States of America, after an agreement to withdraw American combat forces from the country at the end of this year.
Al-Kazemi said in an interview with the official Al-Iraqiya channel, that “the strategic dialogue is the result of a long stage carried out by the government, and it is a dialogue in the future of Iraqi-American relations,” adding that “the most important achievement in the strategic dialogue is that it united the positions of the Iraqi political forces.”
He stressed that “the relationship between Iraq and the United States will turn into a new stage,” noting that “coordination between Iraq and the United States will not be limited to the security aspect.”
He said that “Iraq’s role in the region has become pivotal,” referring to “supporting dialogues that help stability in the region.”
Al-Kazemi stressed “the necessity of working to restore the prestige of the state,” adding, “We are trying to create a safe environment for investment.”
He pointed out that “Iraq will soon receive 400,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine every week.”
He explained that “American organizations helped restore the lost Iraqi antiquities.”
Baghdad – Mawazine News The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, welcomed the results of the strategic dialogue between the United States and Iraq. “I welcome the results of the strategic dialogue between the United States and Iraq,” Barzani said in a tweet via Twitter. He added, “It is an important step towards strengthening the long-term strategic partnership on key issues such as regional stability and economic and cultural cooperation. I commend Prime Minister Al-Kazemi and the Iraqi team for their efforts.” Ended 29 / h
Baghdad – Mawazine News, a United Nations committee paid $600 million to the Kuwait National Oil Company, as compensation for Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s. The United Nations Compensation Commission said that it has paid governments and international organizations so far $51.3 billion since the approval of 1.5 million claims related to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation settled the case in its favour, claiming $14.7 billion in oil production and sales losses resulting from damage to the country’s oil fields during the 1990-1991 invasion that led to the US-led “Gulf War.” The company is the only remaining claimant, and expects to receive another $1.1 billion. Under the UN Security Council resolution issued in 1991, Iraq allocated a percentage of its oil export revenues to the Compensation Fund, and the committee indicated that this share is currently set at 3%. According to the current payment rate, the last installment is expected to be paid within a year. Ended 29/h
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