IQD2USD
10-11-2004, 12:03 AM
October 11, 2004
Jordan meeting :wave:
Jordanian Minister of Planning Basim Awadallah, meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Mahdi Hafedh, urged the international community to cancel Iraqi debts with a view to develop the living standard of the Iraqi people. It is unclear whether Jordan is committing to cancel its own debt claims against Iraq. This issue may become clearer with the first meeting of the Jordanian-Iraqi Higher Committee in Amman on 3rd November. Jordan also announced that it will hold the 5th Iraq Donor Conference in March.
October 10, 2004
Iraqi-Canadian letters to France, Germany & Russia ^top^
Advocacy group, the Iraqi-Canadian Society, issued letters this week to the leaders of France, Germany, and Russia asking for the details of their debt claims to be made public so that their own citizens could judge for themselves the "kind of financing your government provided to the Saddam regime" and recommends 100% cancellation of these odious debts.
Chairman Dr.Shakir Issa writes: "The Iraqi people have been by far the greatest victims of Saddam’s aggression. It is not fair or just to ask them to pay the debt and reparations for their tormentor's crimes. The Iraqi ability to pay from its vast natural resources has nothing to do with the debts that occurred, which financed the worst dictatorship regime in the world. Our people are and still live in such extreme poverty and need every penny to solve the social and economic hardship suffered during the last 35 years. The future of our good relations is at stake and we request your support to rebuild our nation free from occupation. You have always been far friendlier to Iraq than the US, so please don’t let them now try to take the moral high ground by being seen to lead on the cancellation of Saddam’s debt. Translate your attitude to action and let the Iraqi people recognize their real friends." He adds: "Iraq will and should resolve its debt crisis, not by pleading for mercy from its creditors. We are looking, instead to a fair and transparent arbitration according to the rule of law."
Strong words from Abdul-Mahdi
Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland reports that during his time in Washington Finance Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said that the most odious of these debts is the penalties for late payment for the period during which Iraq was under sanctions.
Hoagland says that in his view the debt is "the most visible remaining symbol of international complicity with the dictator's bloody reign. Saddam Hussein was raking in loans and payoffs from Arab states and amassing credits from French banks and U.S. grain export programs during his days of untelevised atrocity. He ran up more than $120 billion in foreign debts that remain on the books today. Arab states were in fact paying Hussein protection money as an investment in survival. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and their neighbors should write off their $80 billion in claims. American, European and Asian creditors can encourage them to do so by forgiving their $40 billion total."
all is good but i dont like the part about "You have always been far friendlier to Iraq than the US, so please don’t let them now try to take the moral high ground by being seen to lead on the cancellation of Saddam’s debt."
lol... it almost sounds like they are playing the "Good Cop/BAd Cop" game :D
http://www.jubileeiraq.org/blog/
:happy64: :happy64:
Jordan meeting :wave:
Jordanian Minister of Planning Basim Awadallah, meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Mahdi Hafedh, urged the international community to cancel Iraqi debts with a view to develop the living standard of the Iraqi people. It is unclear whether Jordan is committing to cancel its own debt claims against Iraq. This issue may become clearer with the first meeting of the Jordanian-Iraqi Higher Committee in Amman on 3rd November. Jordan also announced that it will hold the 5th Iraq Donor Conference in March.
October 10, 2004
Iraqi-Canadian letters to France, Germany & Russia ^top^
Advocacy group, the Iraqi-Canadian Society, issued letters this week to the leaders of France, Germany, and Russia asking for the details of their debt claims to be made public so that their own citizens could judge for themselves the "kind of financing your government provided to the Saddam regime" and recommends 100% cancellation of these odious debts.
Chairman Dr.Shakir Issa writes: "The Iraqi people have been by far the greatest victims of Saddam’s aggression. It is not fair or just to ask them to pay the debt and reparations for their tormentor's crimes. The Iraqi ability to pay from its vast natural resources has nothing to do with the debts that occurred, which financed the worst dictatorship regime in the world. Our people are and still live in such extreme poverty and need every penny to solve the social and economic hardship suffered during the last 35 years. The future of our good relations is at stake and we request your support to rebuild our nation free from occupation. You have always been far friendlier to Iraq than the US, so please don’t let them now try to take the moral high ground by being seen to lead on the cancellation of Saddam’s debt. Translate your attitude to action and let the Iraqi people recognize their real friends." He adds: "Iraq will and should resolve its debt crisis, not by pleading for mercy from its creditors. We are looking, instead to a fair and transparent arbitration according to the rule of law."
Strong words from Abdul-Mahdi
Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland reports that during his time in Washington Finance Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said that the most odious of these debts is the penalties for late payment for the period during which Iraq was under sanctions.
Hoagland says that in his view the debt is "the most visible remaining symbol of international complicity with the dictator's bloody reign. Saddam Hussein was raking in loans and payoffs from Arab states and amassing credits from French banks and U.S. grain export programs during his days of untelevised atrocity. He ran up more than $120 billion in foreign debts that remain on the books today. Arab states were in fact paying Hussein protection money as an investment in survival. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and their neighbors should write off their $80 billion in claims. American, European and Asian creditors can encourage them to do so by forgiving their $40 billion total."
all is good but i dont like the part about "You have always been far friendlier to Iraq than the US, so please don’t let them now try to take the moral high ground by being seen to lead on the cancellation of Saddam’s debt."
lol... it almost sounds like they are playing the "Good Cop/BAd Cop" game :D
http://www.jubileeiraq.org/blog/
:happy64: :happy64: