IRAQ

[Ashot]

Moscow cancels $US 12 BLN Iraqi debt

Most of Iraq’s Soviet-era debt has been written off by Russia, allowing the country to capitalise on the war-torn state’s massive rebuilding programme. The $US 12 billion dollar write-off was announced as the Russian and Iraqi foreign ministers met to discuss a broader partnership.

 

“In total Russia will write off a debt which comes to $US 12.9 billion and will be restructured in the course of seventeen years. The whole amount totals around 93%,” said Russia’s Finance Minister, Aleksey Kudrin.

 

During a meeting between Sergey Lavrov and Hoshiyar Zibari, the importance of Iraq to Russia became clear.

 

"The memorandum we've signed will open doors for Russia for fully-fledged participation in all projects and tenders to be held in Iraq," Hoshiyar Zibari confirmed.

 

The agreement will allow Russia to boost business on Iraqi territory, something that Russia is very interested in doing.

 

"We count on launching promising joint-projects in the oil and gas and electric power sectors.We are very interested in this and we want to give assistance to friendly Iraq," said Sergey Lavrov.

 

Russian-Iraqi relations background

 

Over the past half-century Russia-Iraq relations have seen their highs and lows.

 

As a major political ally and a trading partner of Moscow in the 70s and 80s, Baghdad used to buy Soviet weapons, while at the same time exporting oil.

 

The 90s brought a difference. Co-operation between the countries almost ground to a halt after Russia denounced the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and supported international sanctions against Baghdad.

 

Following years of economic blockades on Iraq, it wasn't until 1997 that Russia renewed trade links with Iraq as part of the oil-for-food programme.

 

However, the turnover was much lower than before, hardly reaching a tenth of the pre-sanctions period.

 

Years of war waged by Saddam Hussein and an economy weakened by the armed conflicts resulted in massive debts for Iraq.

 

After years of stagnation Russian business is now resuming its ties with Baghdad. Oil companies have been among the first to come back.

 

Although political instability, lack of strong legislation and a constant threat to security don’t make Iraq the best place for doing business, Russian entrepreneurs say the first steps have been made and this progress, however small, should not be lost.

 

Russia Today

[Ashot]

Here it goes, the beginning of Russia stepping into the game - let's see what will the US do now!!!

[elle]

Another Cold War? An indirect one perhaps?

I wonder what all these changes could mean for Armenia.

[AVO]

Perhaps Russia will turn Armenia into a powerhouse in the region, since both Georgians and the Azeris are looking at the West.

[garmag]

Perhaps Russia will turn Armenia into a powerhouse in the region, since both Georgians and the Azeris are looking at the West.

 

We need big brothers, apart our own national UNITED will!!!!!

If Russia & China use us as their joker, WE STAND TO GAIN EVERYTHING.

The West has betrayed Armenia tooooo many times in the past.

 

[Takoush]

We need big brothers, apart our own national UNITED will!!!!!

If Russia & China use us as their joker, WE STAND TO GAIN EVERYTHING.

The West has betrayed Armenia tooooo many times in the past.

I agree both with you and Elle. Russia is our Big Brother and we hope that it would remain as such!!!

 

The United States is whole heartedly a Jew land for Israel (they are Israel's puppets) and Europe "perne nede" throw it out the window, as they did indeed betrayed us many many times in the past already.

 

Israel already wants to destroy Russia, as she sees Russia as a big threat to her. I hope that their schemes and their wishes will never never materialize.

 

Our only solace and friend is Russia. Through her we will remain and survive.

 

 

[AK-47]

The US death toll in Iraq reached 4,000 today. How many more lives must be taken away by this illegal occupation?

[elle]

These are the numbers they claim have died...but who knows, maybe there have been many more US deaths, which we do not know of. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case! Edited March 24, 2008 by elle

[AVO]

How about Iraqis?

 

4000 is only the number of official solders. it doesn't include mercenaries, contractors etc.

[elle]

Triple or quadruple their number

I don't really go by the death toll of Iraqis based on US calculations.

 

I don't really go by any calcaulations anyways because we won't know the exact numbers, so it's useless.

 

I sure know one person who isn't concerned about the Iraqi death toll and that's the former Secretary of State, Madeline Albright!

[AK-47]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of...Iraq_since_2003

 

Check the number of Iraqis dead in the table. More killed in 5 years of occupation than 25 years of rule under Saddam.

[hyethga]

We need big brothers, apart our own national UNITED will!!!!!

If Russia & China use us as their joker, WE STAND TO GAIN EVERYTHING.

The West has betrayed Armenia tooooo many times in the past.

 

Russia has always looked to Armenia as a means to an end. Our personal well-being was always a secondary tool.

 

During the Romanov days, the safety of Armenians was always used as a pretext by Russia to invade the Ottoman Empire or Persia. Russian rule was always preferable to Ottoman rule but at our most crucial times, Russia retreated (1721, 1813, 1878) or was forced to retreat after its initial gains.

 

At most, Russian leaders such as Catherine or Alexander I, Alexander II were sympathetic to the plight of the Armenians.

 

While, I agree, the West has and always will betray us so long as they have their bulldog Turkey, Russia shouldn't be trusted too much just because the Georgians and Azeris are sticking their middle fingers to them or because their is a "thawing" in relations between America and Russia.

 

Yerkusin oktagortsenk mer okutin.

[Armenak]

Russia has always looked to Armenia as a means to an end. Our personal well-being was always a secondary tool.

In Vartan Gregorian's autobiography, The Road to Home, he talks about the time he spent as Simon Vratsian's personal assistant. Vratsian was the first Republic of Armenia's prime minister in 1918. He was living in the US until the Jemaran (College Armenien, a prestigious Armenian high school in Lebanon) asked him to administer the lycee. Here is what Vratsian told Vartan:

 

Mr. Vratzian instructed me about the major theoretical divisions among the various socialist parties concerning the issues of colonialism and nationalities and the depiction of a nation. He encouraged me to read about the phenomenon of nationalism, to study the correspondence between the Czarist Russian and Soviet nationality policies. In his opinion, both of them minimized the divisions between the Russians, Ukrainians, and Belorussians, stressing their Slavic heritage. In the case of the Muslims, they stressed their differences. They both drew the internal administrative lines of their empire in a manner that did not allow any non-Slav ethnic group to achieve ethnic and political cohesion or economic self-sufficiency.

Edited March 24, 2008 by Armenak

[Ashot]

Iraq war haunts Americans at home

Four thousand U.S. servicemen and women have now died in the Iraq war. But many of those who live to return home, still have a whole different set of battles to fight. Apart from headaches, vertigo, troubled sleep and sight problems, many suffer serious psychological effects.

 

Critics say worst of all - sickened soldiers face several obstacles in getting diagnosed or treatment for their health problems.

 

"Many soldiers go through depression, shock and other disorders. And it's a crime that they don't get sufficient and reliable medical treatment that the army should provide for them. And when they return home, they go suffer again - but this time from unemployment, problems with accommodations and from insults," said Martin Smith from Veterans Against the War and Occupation of Iraq.

 

Sometimes, sick soldiers take matters into their own hands. Military reports indicate the suicide rate among army soldiers last year is the highest for twenty-six years.

 

Some blame the rising number on a lack of specialised mental clinics equipped to treat servicemen and women in dire medical need.

 

With 153 hospitals and 700 odd community-based clinics, the U.S. Veterans’ Affairs department plans to open an additional 14 out-patient clinics this year. Officials say the move would provide easier access for soldiers.

 

But the fragile health state among thousands of U.S troops is prompting many soldiers at home to do an about face, calling for an end to the war they once fought.

 

In a speech last week, U.S. President George W. Bush said the U.S was on track for victory in Iraq and troop withdrawal of some 160,000 soldiers was not an option.

 

Military analyst Evgeny Khrushchev calls Bush's words empty rhetoric, pointing to his notorious ‘mission accomplished’ speech in May 2003.

 

“If the mission is accomplished what are American forces are doing in Iraq? The reason that was given to them was completely false. General American public has all the reasons to expect that the situation will get even worse,” Khrushchev said.

 

Russia Today