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Kuwait (IraqiNews.com) Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said that Iraq has five million internally displaced persons, in addition to refugees from Syria. More than half of them were repatriated.
During his speech at the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq on Wednesday, Abadi said, “there are more than five million internally displaced persons in Iraq. There are also refugees from Syria. The government managed to repatriate more than half of them at their regions.”
Earlier today, the Migration and Displacement Ministry said three million refugees were returned back to their liberated regions in provinces of Anbar, Salahuddin and Nineveh except for Mosul’s Old City as most of the houses were destroyed during the offensives.
Kuwait pledges $2 billion in loans, investment for Iraq reconstruction
Kuwait (Iraqinews.com) – Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has pledged $1 billion in loans and $1 billion in direct investments to help rebuild Iraq, KUNA reported.
The Kuwaiti emir made the pledge during the official inauguration of the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq (KICRI) on Wednesday.
The $2 billion will be channeled into reconstructing and rebuilding Iraq, which announced victory over the Islamic State group last December.
The Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq kicked off Monday with the participation of several donor countries and a group of regional and international institutions.
The gathering aims at garnering necessary support for the reconstruction of Iraq following a great victory achieved over Islamic State group.
The three-day conference is co-chaired by the European Union, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Nations and the World Bank.
EU to set 300 mn euros for Iraq development aid: ambassador
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The European Union plans to earmark 300 million euros for the support of development projects in Iraq, the Iraqi ambassador to Brussels was quoted saying.
Speaking to state-run newspaper al-Sabaah, Jawad al-Hindawi said EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, will declare Wednesday “a strategic support for Iraq worth 300 million euros”.
She will make the announcement during her address before the Iraqi reconstruction donors conference hosted by Kuwait, he explained.
Hindawi explained that the package had been approved by the European Commission and the foreign policy council, but is awaiting approval from the European Parliament.
The ambassador said an estimated USD1 billion could be added to that number for the next three years.
Hindawi added that the expected EU package is separate from what is to be provided by each European country individually.
Since 2015, Hindawi said, the European Union provided Iraq with 575 million euros for development, humanitarian, security and political assistance.
At least 70 countries are taking part in the conference through which Iraq hopes to rehabilitate its war-ravaged economy and infrastructure with at least USD100 billion.
U.S., Iraq sign USD3 bn memo for transport projects
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The United States and Iraq signed on Tuesday a memorandum by which the latter receives USD3 billion in financial aid for transportation and other reconstruction-related projects.
The declaration, quoted by Sputnik news agency, was made by U.S. State Secretary Rex Tillerson during a conference of donors to Iraq reconstruction which began in Kuwait on Monday.
Tillerson said the memo, signed by U.S. bank Exim and the Iraqi finance ministry, provides for USD3 billion for transport and other projects in Iraq.
He said U.S. firms had previously signed a deal worth USD2 billion for the Iraqi electricity sector, adding that another project worth USD350 million would see works starting soon.
U.S. pledges further $200 million in support of Iraq, Syria
Kuwait (Iraqinews.com) – U.S. Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson has pledged another $200 million to restore security in Iraq and Syria following the defeat of Islamic State there.
Speaking at an anti-Islamic State coalition ministerial meeting, which kicked off in Kuwait early on Tuesday, Tillerson stressed the importance of providing necessary support for attaining stability in the two countries.
So far, 95 percent of Iraqi and Syrian territories have been liberated from the Islamic State group, Baghdad Today news website quoted the top U.S. diplomat as saying.
He also stressed his country’s support for efforts exerted by the U.S.-led anti-IS international coalition to support Iraq’s stability and reconstruction.
Tillerson further warned that IS might turn into a rebel movement in Libya, Afghanistan and the Philippines.
The meeting involving the 74-member alliance is part of efforts to up the fight against terrorism and examine a strategy the coalition has concocted in its battle against IS.
It will be divided into two sessions, with the first tackling the fight against IS and the second examining anti-terrorism efforts.
The meeting is also part of a series of international conferences that took place in order to build a formal coalition to destroy the IS, which had taken over large portions of Syria and Iraq in 2014.
French FM urges incorporation of Kurdistan in reconstruction plan of Iraq
Kuwait (Iraqinews.com) – French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed on Wednesday that the reconstruction plan of Iraq should cover all Iraqi provinces and regions, notably the Kurdistan Region.
According to Basnews website, Le Drian called on donor countries taking part in the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq (KICRI) to incorporate the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in the reconstruction plan of Iraq, saying that Erbil has made great sacrifices and shouldered a heavy burden over the past period.
He also stressed the importance of ending a dispute between Baghdad and Erbil, which erupted following a referendum the Kurdistan Region held in September for independence from Iraq.
Le Drian pointed out that it is the time now to reconstruct all villages, towns and regions that were targeted by the Islamic State group or remained marginalized throughout the Iraqi history.
Kurdish airport denies reports of partial lift of Iraqi embargo
Sulaimaniyah (IraqiNews.com) Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimaniyah Airport has denied reports that the central government in Baghdad had partially lifted an embargo it had it had imposed on flights to and from the facility.
In a statement on Tuesday, the airport’s press service said it had not yet received any response from the Iraqi government regarding the lifting of the embargo.
Some media outlets had circulated a government bulletin telling that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had approved flight exceptions for Kurds eager to perform Islamic “Umra” pilgrimage (performed in the holy lands in Saudi Arabia).
The Baghdad-based Iraqi government had imposed an embargo on flights on Kurdistan’s Sulaimaniyah and Erbil airports following a vote for independence the autonomous region’s government ran in September, which Baghdad deemed illegal.
Recent reports have pointed to imminent talks between both governments to resolve pending disputes over the administration of the region’s airports as well as other contentious subjects.
As part of talks to end the crisis, Baghdad has asked to hand over management of the airports to its central aviation authorities.
In January, Shafaq News quoted Taher Abdullah, Sulaimaniyah Airport chief, saying that passengers numbers at the terminal declined by 86% after the embargo. He said that the airport had used to record the arrival of 50.000 per month before the embargo, which declined after the measure to 6000-7000 per month.