Today’s Newspapers Focus On The PM’s Speech To The Iraqi People And Efforts To Recover Wanted Persons And Smuggled Funds

The newspapers issued in Baghdad today, Monday, September 9, showed interest in the speech of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani addressed to the Iraqi people, and the efforts to recover wanted persons and smuggled funds, and other issues, including the latest developments in ending the mission of the international coalition in Iraq. The newspapers highlighted on their front pages paragraphs from the Prime Minister's speech addressed to the Iraqi people, focusing on his review of the government's achievements during the past period, and calling on political forces to assume responsibility. The newspapers focused on al-Sudani's statement as saying: "We committed to direct discourse with facts, as a permanent approach to building trust with the citizen, and that the circumstances in which the government was formed are still evident, and what preceded it of political intersections, and the absence of an integrated vision in managing the state, in addition to the spread of corruption, which the citizen fel t from the weakness of services." They pointed out that he said: "We are still facing operations of confusion and spreading fallacies, attempts to mix facts with lies, and accusing the government of ignoring some aspects of corruption," and called on the national political forces and constitutional authorities to assume comprehensive responsibility towards major entitlements and stand united behind the government to complete its service program, and reject attempts to obstruct that target everyone's achievements. Al-Sabah newspaper, which is issued by the Iraqi Media Network, said in its editorial under the title / Everyone's Government /: "No one can deny that financial and administrative corruption has become rampant and widespread over two full decades, as it found a home in the chaos of change, the fragility of the system, and the weakness of legislation at that time, to the extent that it finds someone at all times to provide it with cover and protection to continue despite all the activities that soug ht to eliminate or limit it." It added: "But attempts to hold this government, the government of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, responsible for a sin that has accumulated over two decades, are attempts that can be described as unfair, if not malicious and ambitious for immediate political gain at the expense of the public interest." It pointed out: "The problem of corruption is complex and complicated, and has become more complicated when it has recently become a subject of media spectacle and vocal outbidding. While asserting the right of the media to address the unspoken files, which is a fixed and necessary right, the nature of the media and the connection of many of them to partisan, factional and sometimes even personal interests and the tense performance, all of this contributes to confusing the street and turning the matter into a conflict in which there is no victor." It concluded by saying: 'The Prime Minister's speech yesterday was looking at these facts when he said that this government is everyone's government, and that the circumstances in which it was formed are still evident, and that the dangers that were looming at that time are still lurking around us. Therefore, the gains achieved are everyone's gains, and attempts to hold the government responsible for inherited plagues will also harm everyone.' Regarding the efforts to recover wanted persons and recover funds, Al-Zawraa newspaper, which is issued by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, surveyed the opinions of experts and specialists in the field of combating corruption, and they indicated that these efforts require activating bilateral agreements and local and international legislation. Anti-corruption activist Saeed Yassin said in an interview with Al-Zawraa: "Corruption in Iraq is very large, as the theft of Tax deposits is estimated at 9 billion dollars, of which 2.5 billion dollars are Tax deposits, in addition to about 6 billion dollars that are considered accumulated customs Tax deposits. The government also requested the Tax Authority, for the sake of tax reform, to inventory the latest number of Tax deposits, and it appeared that the number is about 26 billion dinars accumulated." He added: "The railway project contract is about 22 billion dollars with a company that is not specialized in developing railways without adopting legal frameworks, and it will have major repercussions because it is not within the authority of the General Railways Company, nor is it within the authority of the Ministry of Transport to sign contracts at such costs and with unfair conditions against Iraq and the Iraqi people." For his part, legal expert Ali Al-Tamimi said in an interview with the newspaper: "There are international agreements that talk about extraditing the accused to their countries," noting that Iraq can use the war card on the terrorist ISIS to extradite wanted persons abroad. He added: "The procedures for recovering stolen money are easier than extraditing thieves, as there are international agreements concluded regarding this, and Iraq is a sig natory to most of them," indicating: "The legal article stipulates that trial sessions must be public and not broadcast in the media." The newspaper referred to the call of legal expert Salem Hawas to include the Integrity Commission in the Public Prosecution Service, in order to separate the authorities and separate the Commission from the executive and governmental apparatus and attach it to the Public Prosecution Service. As for the newspaper Al-Zaman, it followed the latest developments in ending the mission of the international coalition in Iraq. The newspaper said in this regard: "Defense Minister Thabet Al-Abbasi revealed an agreement with Washington to end the mission of the international coalition forces in the country, in two stages." It quoted Al-Abbasi as saying: "The first stage of the withdrawal of the Americans begins this year and continues until 2025, while the second stage ends in 2026." He added: "The higher military committees between the Iraqi and American sides reached an agreement regarding the withdrawal of coalition forces over two years, and transforming the relationship into a sustainable security partnership." He pointed out that his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, expressed his belief that the two-year period was not sufficient for withdrawal, and requested an additional year, but Baghdad refused the extension, noting that the announcement of the withdrawal was postponed due to the circumstances in the region and the American elections. He added: "The Iraqi government is proceeding with its plan to end the mission of the international coalition, and has reached understandings for that," stressing: "The coming days will witness the signing of the understanding that took place in Washington." Source: National Iraqi News Agency