Today’s Newspapers Focus On Amending The Controls For Allocating Residential Lands For Journalists And The Govt’s Movement To Mature The Oil And Gas Law

Today, Thursday, the third of August, the newspapers issued in Baghdad focused on the approval of Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani to amend the controls for allocating residential lands for journalists, and the government’s movement to mature the oil and gas law.

On the first issue, Al-Zawraa newspaper, published by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, said: “The Prime Minister, Muhammad Al-Sudani, agreed to amend the controls for allocating residential lands to journalists, while the head of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, President of the Arab Journalists Federation, Moayad Al-Lami, expressed his thanks to the Prime Minister for attention and care for journalists.

It quoted a statement by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, that it extends, on behalf of the press family, its thanks and gratitude to the Prime Minister, Muhammad al-Sudani, for approving the Syndicate’s request regarding amending the controls and conditions for allocating residential plots of land for journalists in Baghdad, based on the birthplace, workplace, or place of residence.

The syndicate added: “This national and humanitarian decision will provide adequate housing for journalists and their families who have not previously obtained a residential plot of land due to previous instructions that were amended according to the approval of the Prime Minister.”

The newspaper continued: “The head of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, Moayad Al-Lami, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Prime Minister for the attention and care given to the journalists.”

It quoted Al-Lami as saying in a tweet: “I extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to the Prime Minister, Muhammad Al-Sudani, for his agreement to include all journalists with residential plots, not only in their hometowns, but also in their hometown or place of work, and this decision will serve the sons of the journalistic family who were born in Baghdad or provinces.

As for Al-Zaman newspaper, it followed the government’s movement to ripen the draft oil and gas law.

In this regard, it referred to the words of the oil expert, Kovind Sherwani: “The legislation of the oil and gas law, the treatment of Article 140 of the constitution, the budget, and the allocations of the Peshmerga forces are all pledges made by the coordination framework before forming the State Administration Coalition, and therefore it became part of the ministerial program of the cabinet of Muhammad al-Sudani, followed by an agreement last April to establish mechanisms for exporting oil and gas between Baghdad and Erbil, provided that this is included in the oil and gas law.

Sherwani added: “The law will take into account the best investment of oil wealth, and there must be political consensus, away from narrow partisan interests and the effects of foreign agendas that may not be in the interest of the Iraqi street,” stressing: “The legislation will address a constitutional vacuum that has existed in this sector since 2007, when there was a draft law, but due to different visions, it was changed away from consensus, which prevented it from being presented to parliament.

He pointed out: “The law only recognizes the existence of an agreement between the federal and regional governments, since the region produces no less than 400 thousand barrels per day, and this has weight in the global markets, and it is assumed that the management of these quantities will be in coordination with the Federal Ministry of Oil in accordance with the decisions of the Organization of Petroleum Producing Countries (OPEC) and the OPEC + alliance to serve energy market prices for the benefit of the producing countries,” stressing the need to develop a draft law that meets all the constitutional foundations and takes into account the interests of the oil-producing governorates, including the Kurdistan region, and contains all past disputes and prevents the emergence of new problems and provides the best benefit from the wealth for the benefit of the people.

On the oil and gas law as well, Al-Sabah newspaper, published by the Iraqi Media Network, touched on the fact that Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani held, yesterday, Wednesday, a meeting dedicated to discussing the draft law, in the presence of a number of leaders of political blocs, the ministers of foreign affairs, oil and industry, and the advisor to the Minister of Natural resources in the Kurdistan Regional Government, as well as a number of technical and legal advisors and experts.

The meeting witnessed, according to the newspaper, a review of the latest drafts of the draft law, its details and provisions, and what the technical and legal committees have worked on, and work to prepare the final draft of the law in preparation for approving it by the Council of Ministers, and submit it to the House of Representatives for legislation, according to the legal and constitutional contexts.

The newspaper quoted Al-Sudani saying: “The draft oil and gas law is one of the basic and important laws, and it represents a factor of strength and unity for Iraq, and it has been stuck for years, at a time when the country today is in dire need to legislate it and benefit from this natural wealth, in all fields and sectors, in addition that the legislation of the law will contribute in solving many outstanding problems.

He added: “The law is part of the commitment to the ministerial program, which was voted on by the House of Representatives, and it will take into account constitutional principles, in a way that guarantees the fair distribution of oil wealth, advances the reality of the economy in its various aspects, and contributes to the economic reform that the government has set in its priorities.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency