RSS
Iraqi Foreign Minister on official visit to Bucharest
Republic of Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari is paying Wednesday and Thursday an official visit to Bucharest, with his agenda including meetings with high-rank Romanian officials in the executive and lawmaking bodies, reads a release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE).
'During the official talks the Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister will have in Bucharest with high-rank Romanian officials, emphasis will be placed on identifying ways to strengthen the political and diplomatic dialogue, the involvement of Romanian companies in projects for the reconstruction of Iraq, as well as on defining ways to capitalize - in the line of bilateral cooperation - on the positive impact of Romania's participation in the Multinational Force in Iraq until the end of its mandate here in late July 2009,' reads the MAE release.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister was to deliver on Wednesday, at the Romanian Diplomatic Institute, a conference on 'The Foreign Policy of Democratic Iraq.'
Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi will meet on Thursday with his counterpart Hoshyar Zebari, with the agenda of talks featuring an exchange of views on Middle East developments from the perspective of the role Romania, alongside the European Union and other international actors, can further play in supporting steps to stabilize the region.
The Romanian and Iraqi heads of diplomacy will sign a memorandum of understanding on the cooperation of the two Foreign Affairs Ministries.
The Iraqi foreign minister: if the Romanian authorities require Mohammad Munaf extradition, we will cooperate
The Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari stated on Wednesday that if the Romanian authorities discuss the topic of Mohammad Munaf extradition, they will cooperate so that justice takes its course. “ Surely, if the Romanian authorities discuss this topic, we will cooperate, so that justice will take its course” the Iraqi official said, when answering the Romanian press on the occasion of the conference on the theme “ The Foreign Policy of Iraq” which took place at the Romanian Diplomatic Institute.
On April 24 2008, the Iraqi and American citizen Mohammad Munaf was sentenced by the Court of Appeal Bucharest – to emprisonment for 10 years for terrorism undertaken on the territory of Romania and outside it, against the three Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq in 2005.
The sentence was definite on May 16 2008, when the warrant against Mohammad Munaf was issued.
Some sources in Bucharest say that Mohammad Munaf could have been acquitted in Iraq and released.
According to a press release of the Ministry of Justice on March 17, according to the National Bureau of Interpol Mohammad Munaf is internationally wanted and the ministry of justice and the Romanian authorities have done their best to put to practice the sentence, taking into consideration the judicial cooperation on criminal matters.
Munaf had been arrested in 2005 by the American forces in Iraq and kept in prison at Camp Buca and during the summer of 2010 was given together with the other 1,300 detainees to the Iraqi authorities. He had been sentenced to death by the Iraqi justice for the alleged part played in the kidnapping of the three Romanian journalists, but the decision was annulled and the file resent to the Iraqi Central Criminal Court for the resumption of the investigation.
In June 2008, the Supreme Court of Justice of US pronounced against Munaf’s action who tried to contest his detention in Iraq, under American custody.
Twenty-five Romanian companies have liabilities to collect from Iraq
The Ministry of Public Finance (MFP) has revealed 25 Romanian companies have liabilities to collect from the historic debt of Iraq to Romania amassed before 1989 in excess of $977 million.
Romtehnica stands out with liabilities to collect amounting to more than $67.5 million out of the debt due to Romania by Iraq, coming from international trade activities and international economic cooperation conducted before December 31, 1989.
Under a Romanian Government's draft resolution regulating the amounts due to the Romanian Government by Iraq to the account of historic debt, the $977 million will be paid out in installments by 2028.
The money raised from the collection of liabilities by Romania coming from international trade activities and from international economic cooperation conducted before December 31, 1989, and the money retrieved from commercial and governmental payment agreements and the related technical agreements will be paid into the Government's accounts after two types of expenses are withheld. On the one hand, there are expenses due to exporting companies, set against an exchange rate of 0.0015 RON to the USD, which loans have not been included in the public debt, plus the losses in 1989-1990 of the state-run enterprises taken over by the Government and commercial banks and bad loans, and on the other hand, the commissions due to Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR) for banking operations.
Aside from Romtehnica, Uzinexport is entitled to almost $21 million; ARCIF to $5.6 million; Auto Dacia, $3.4 million; BCR to near;y $3.2 million; Rompetrol to $2.8 million; Metal Export to $1.17 million, and Electra Trading to $1.16 million, Agerpres reports.