This part of the "surge" is obviously NOT working

[bigtree]

Iraq Provincial Governor Assassinated in Roadside Bomb Attack

By Camilla Hall and Robin Stringer

Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- An Iraqi governor was assassinated in a roadside bombing, the second provincial head to be killed in just over a week in the country's south, where rival Shiite Muslim factions are fighting for control.

Al-Muthanna chief Muhammad Ali al-Hassani was killed on his way to work when a bomb exploded near his convoy, state television said. Two guards were wounded in the attack early today and a curfew was imposed throughout the province.

Al-Hassani was a member of the largest Shiite party in Iraq, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Agence France-Presse reported. Another Shiite governor, Khalil Jamil Hamza, died in a bomb attack on his convoy in neighboring al-Qadisiyah province on Aug. 11, AFP said.

Rival Shiite factions including fighters loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, and the Badr Organization frequently clash in the south of the country.

``Those who stand behind this ugly crime aim to plunge the governorate into chaos,'' Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a statement posted on his office's Web site. He called for the people of Al-Muthanna to ``exercise self-restraint'' and said that those responsible would be brought to justice.

Al-Maliki's statement came as he arrived in Damascus for his first official visit to the Syrian capital. The Iraqi premier will meet with Syrian officials to discuss relations between the neighboring countries including economic, political and security issues, state television said.


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aGYKHecUm_rg&refer=worldwide

[presspeal]

1. O.K. Every one knows...

we need to pull out as quickly and cleanly as possible. Problem is we will not as long as Bu$h occupies the White House. Impeach Now!:banghead:

[stillcool]

2. Preparation for the benchmark....

that will bring stability to the region, and allow the re-deployment of U.S. troops?

Earthtimes.org

Iraq oil law up in Sept., official says
Posted on : 2007-08-16 | Author : General News Editor
News Category : World

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (UPI) A top official in the Iraqi Embassy in Washington expects the oil law to top Parliament's agenda when lawmakers return to session at the start of next month.

Ghaleb El-Anbaki, third secretary and head of the Iraqi Embassy's political affairs department, told UPI the oil debate is "a sensitive issue," one related to history and entwined with the country's future.

"This will come up on the first item on the agenda of the next session of Parliament," he said, adding the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraq's central government have compromises on "technical" issues, such as sharing power.

There has been no announcement on any deal, however, as Parliament is on recess this month. The oil law has been negotiated for more than a year but is stuck on issues such as the extent of federalism in controlling the exploration, development and production of the third-largest reserves in the world. Also unresolved is the extent foreign and private companies will be allowed into the sector.
Ben Lando, UPI Energy Editor
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Print Source :
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/94429.html

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/94980.html
Iraq gov't summit won't discuss oil law
BAGHDAD, Aug. 17 (UPI) Iraq's prime minister's spokesman said the meeting between political leaders to salvage their fledgling governing coalition will not discuss the oil law.

"The fundamentals are: political agreement among parliamentary blocs, possible reforms to the government and reviewing the government's program," said Ali al-Dabbagh, the Voices of Iraq news agency reports.

"The summit will not discuss the oil and gas draft laws and the deBaathification law," he said.

Both laws are prickly in Iraq's fragile and terse political climate. Various factions can't agree on how much access foreign and private companies should have to Iraq's reserves, as well as how strong the central, regional and local governments should be in deciding how the reserves are explored, developed and produced.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/94980.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AD19F8CA-E314-49...
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2007
16:01 MECCA TIME, 13:01 GMT
Prominent Iraqis criticise oil law
By Ahmed Janabi

Al-Chalabi says Iraqi oil experts must be consulted
A statement, signed by 419 Iraqi oil experts, economists and intellectuals, expresses grave concern that the newly proposed law would deprive Iraq from its most vital natural resource, oil, and give foreign oil companies ultimate domination over Iraq's oil wealth.
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Al Jazeera spoke to Kamal al-Kaisi, a former oil ministry official and Iraq's representative to Opec 1979-1985. He said: "The question is: Do we really need that oil law? Is it really that urgent, and cannot wait until Iraq is better off?

"Iraq has achieved the nationalisation of oil in 1973, we ran our oil industry effectively for decades, before and after the nationalisation, and our experience has become a model for the region's countries.

Production-sharing agreements, which would allow foreign oil companies to invest in oil, and pay a profit margin to the government have been widely criticised by Iraqi oil experts.

Al-Kaisi said: "If we want to increase oil production, then we do not need to risk our necks by surrendering our oil to foreign companies, it could be done internally. Iraq is full of high-quality oil engineers. All we need is to borrow some money, may be, but we definitely do not need the production share agreements (PSA).

"The nation is in ruins, people are afraid to stay in their own homeland, foreign troops are occupying the country, the government alliance is falling apart - among many other problems. Is the oil law a priority in such circumstances?

The proposed oil law licenses PSA for the first time in decades. The law states that foreign oil companies would pay 12% profit margin to the Iraqi government. Oil experts say this is an unjustifiably small figure in the light of the current high oil prices.
Source: AlJazeera