Graveyard picnic bomb kills 14 women and children in Afghan east

Source: Reuters - Thu, 8 Aug 2013 10:01 AM Author: Reuters Residents look at soldiers (not pictured) patrolling Pachir wa Agam district in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, March 5, 2012. REUTERS/Erik De Castro KABUL, Aug 8 (Reuters) - A bomb planted in an Afghan graveyard killed 14 women and children on Thursday, many of them picnicking at the graveside of a family member during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, officials said. The bomb exploded in a rural district of eastern Nangarhar province, said the provincial governor's spokesman, Ahmad Zia Abdulzai. Nangarhar and its capital, Jalalabad, have been racked by a series of bombings and suicide attacks over the last week. It is common in Afghanistan on the first day of Eid for people to pay their respects at the graves of loved ones. The victims were mainly from one family, Abdulzai said. Three women and one child were wounded, he added. Three Afghan bodyguards for the Helmand province police chief, Mohammad Hakim Angaar, were killed on Wednesday in a suicide bombing, the provincial governor's spokesman, Omar Zwak, said. In June, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into the former Helmand police chief's convoy, wounding three. (Additional reporting by Rafiq Sherzad in NANGARHAR and Mohammad Zainullah in HELMAND; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Ex Egyptian Prince & Ex Afghan Princess getting ready for a Royal Wed Lock

August 5, 2013 i Rate This JNN 05 Aug 2013 Paris : Ex Prince Muhammad Ali of Egypt and Ex Princess Noal Zahir, granddaughter of King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, are busy preparing for their impending royal wedding. The couple, who announced their engagement on 27 April 2013, are set to tie the knot on 30 August at the Palace of Çirağan on the European shores of the Istanbul Strait in Turkey. Muhammad and Noal’s union is unusual nowadays as the decedants of two royal households rarely marry one another as this was far more common in the past. The Egyptian prince was born in Cairo in 1979 and is the eldest son of Fuad II, the last king of Egypt, giving him the title of Prince of Sa’id. Muhammad’s father only reigned for the first few months of his childhood until the Egyptian Revolution in 1952, although his son remains the heir to the currently abolished Muhammad Ali dynasty. Today Prince Muhammad resides in Paris where he works in real estate and met his princess during a holiday in Istanbul.Princess Noal Zaher was born in 1980 in the Italian capital of Rome and her father is Mohammed Daoud Khan Pachtounyar, the fifth son of the last king of Afghanistan Zahir Shah and his queen, Homeira. Noal Zaher graduated from the famous French university Institut Saint-Dominique with a degree in European Business before specialising in jewellery design at Webster University in London. Noal Zaher and her fiancé were joined by members of their family, including a delighted King Fuad II and Noal Zaher’s mother, Fatima Aref Begum, for some official portraits to commemorate their engagement.

Eid in Quetta begins with bombs, blasts, bullets, bodies death and disaster

QUETTA: A suicide bomber killed 30 people including Deputy Inspector General Operations (DIG) Fayyaz Sumbal and Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Shamsur Rehman at the funeral of a policeman in Quetta on Thursday in the third deadly attack on government targets in two weeks. The blast took place just before the funeral prayers of SHO City Mohib Ullah – killed during a firing incident in Alamu Chowk, Quetta - commenced at the Police Lines mosque. Provincial chief secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad confirmed that at least 30 people were dead and 62 wounded. 21 of the dead are known to be police officers. Others are yet to be identified, though the victims are said to include children. “They are not Muslims. They are not humans,” said Inspector General Mushtaq Sukhera. ”We have no other option but to fight against terrorists. We have made sacrifices and we will continue to do so and we will not bow down.” The funeral was attended by around 300 to 400 people, including the top police officials of the area. While DIG Operations and DSP died on the spot, IG Balochistan and CCPO survived the attack. The police immediately cordoned off the area and rescue operation was started. Injured were shifted to the hospital. A member of the bomb squad said that the suicide bomber was wearing a jacket packed with ball bearings and shrapnel. He tried to enter the mosque where senior officers lined up to offer prayers for their colleague. On being stopped by police, the bomber detonated his explosives just outside the mosque, several witnesses said. It was not yet clear how the bomber had passed through several other layers of tight security. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered instant aid for the victims. He also called the Balochistan chief minister and sought a report on the blast. Meanwhile, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan have claimed responsibility for the attack. =========== At least 9 people killed, severa­l injure­d in multip­le attack­s. By Web DeskPublished: August 9, 2013 Share this article Print this page Email . Relatives and colleagues gather near the caskets of victims killed in a suicide bomb attack before funeral ceremony at a police headquarters in Quetta August 8, 2013. PHOTO: REUTERS QUETTA: At least nine people were killed and several others injured in multiple attacks in Quetta on Friday, Express News reported. One person was killed in a firing incident that took place early morning on Sariyab Road. “Two people were targeted. One of them died. One was injured,” said an Express News correspondent. In a separate incident, at least eight people were killed and many were injured during Eid prayers along the eastern bypass. Commissioner Quetta while on his visit to review to security situation of the city today, said the city lacked personnel to secure every location. Yesterday, a suicide bomber killed 30 people including Deputy Inspector General Operations (DIG) Fayyaz Sumbal and Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Shamsur Rehman at the funeral of a policeman in Quetta — the third deadly attack on government targets in two weeks. ================== Hazara killers — supported from Punjab to the Middle EastZofeen Ebrahim | 6 months ago 37 Send to Kindle The February 16 bombing that killed over 90 people and injured more than 160, many of them critically, was the second major attack on Pakistan’s minority Shia Hazaras this year. — AP/File Photo In the aftermath of the Quetta massacre, the arrests of a few Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) militants have been looked upon warily as nothing more than a ploy to placate an angry nation. If there was sincerity and strategic considerations behind this move, however, the headquarters of the Sunni extremist group in Punjab would have been dismantled much earlier. But with elections approaching, a full-fledged and whole-hearted operation against such militant groups seems highly unlikely, especially in the Punjab, the breeding ground of sectarian militants. This has much to do with the fact that in Punjab, extremist and militant groups have a strong electoral presence. “I doubt that there will be a real crackdown,” says author and journalist, Zahid Hussain, talking to Dawn.com: “The Punjab government has been looking the other way for too long and pursues the policy of appeasement.” He added that it had even made a covert deal for the release of LeJ leader Malik Ishaq. Hussain has serious reservations about Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority, for example. The authority was created in 2009 under an executive order. “It remains dormant and a toothless body because the bill has yet to be passed in the National Assembly. There is also the unresolved matter of whether it should fall under the umbrella of the interior ministry when in the original charter, it was to be under the prime minister,” he explains. Seconding Hussain, defence analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi added: “The Punjab Government is known for patronising the LeJ and (its predecessor) Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP).” But it’s not only the Punjab government complicit in the inaction against extremist sectarian outfits. The centre hasn’t appeared earnest about the issue either. And so the scourge of extremism will continue, as was seen last week when terror revisited the Shia Hazaras on Kirani Road in the south-western Pakistani city Quetta. The attack was also a grim reminder that without a national consensus in Pakistan on how to deal with domestic terrorism, the next attack is not far behind. The bomb that killed over 90 people and injured more than 160, many of them critically, was the second major attack on Pakistan’s minority Shia Hazaras this year. A twin-suicide attack at a snooker club on January 10 had killed 92 and wounded 121. With the Hazara community living huddled together in certain localities, they have become an even easier prey and large numbers can be annihilated in minutes.

Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) Chairperson Abdul Khaliq Hazara told Dawn.com that the terror and fear had reached such a crescendo that the Hazaras had stopped venturing out of their locales. “There is no place left in Quetta that remains safe for Hazaras, be it an educational institution, school, bus stops, government offices or a marketplace. Public space is increasingly shrinking for us,” he said. Where the LeJ derives power from The LeJ, which claimed responsibility for these attacks, is born out of SSP. It also has ties with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In fact, some of the top TTP leaders, like the current spokesperson, Ehsanullah Ehsan, were all members of LeJ in Punjab, before they became part of the TTP. “These groups morph and gel and even support each other,” says Rizvi, who fears that “unless the government adopts a tough position and keeps up the pressure over an extended period of time” these attacks will continue. Equally, if the government decides to pull the rug from under them, and has some successes to show to the people, it will gain legitimacy. “Nothing succeeds like success, and we saw that in Swat once the government decided to go all out; their efforts were lauded not criticized,” he points out. The HDP chairperson agreed that “The state is more powerful than the militants. We believe the state knows who the culprits are and if it wants it can round up the militants, cleanse the city off them, even kill them, in just three days.” But, he adds, “They don’t want to.” According to Rizvi, “Organisations like the LeJ, the SSP and the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat (ASWJ) are politically convenient, especially for all the Punjab-based political parties and even the present Punjab government – and they will not go beyond a certain point to enrage them.” “So while they will condemn acts of sectarian attacks and militancy, they will never muster the courage to condemn a particular group,” he explains. In addition, says Rizvi, these groups have embedded themselves in society by setting up schools, hospitals, mosques and other welfare organisations and created a strong support base, including those in the lower ranks of the police and the intelligence agencies.” “There is no place left in Quetta that remains safe for Hazaras, be it an educational institution, school, bus stops, government offices or a marketplace. Public space is increasingly shrinking for us.”

It is very easy for the LeJ, a predominantly Punjabi group to thrive in Balochistan, he further explains. “With a non-existent provincial government and the support of the Taliban, the place became a safe haven.” The LeJ made inroads in Balochistan and had steadily spread its wings (since 2004-05), where the ethnic Hazara community has been their main target. Talking to Dawn.com, senior journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai said: “Call it infiltration, or what you will, but the LeJ has succeeded in recruiting many Baloch, once considered quite secular.” According to Hussain, the Baloch have “been indoctrinated into hating the Hazara community.” Khaliq points out that the whereabouts of the militant camps was common knowledge. According to reliable sources, the training camps are run in Mastung and Khuzdar, from where earlier attacks on Shia pilgrims going to Iran have taken place. Those who are apprehended, meanwhile, are released for want of enough evidence – and if the evidence is there, it’s not produced in the courts. The desire to eliminate Shias altogether is also constantly fed from the outside. “A proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia is being waged in Balochistan.” says Khaliq. It is widely held that these anti-Shia militants receive funding from the Sunni-Wahabi sheikhdoms of the Arab world. The Shias, on the other hand are perceived to be supporting Iran. Hussain, meanwhile, expresses surprise over the mushrooming of madressas in Balochistan, which lacks “even the most basic facilities for locals”. The senior journalist adds that it’s common knowledge such ‘nurseries’ of extremism were being financed by Sunni-Wahabi leaning Middle Eastern countries. So where do the agencies come in? Some experts are also of the view that these assaults are carried out to deflect international attention from the ongoing separatist movement in Balochistan. The HDP spokesperson insists that such acts of terrorism are carried out in collusion with the security and intelligence agencies. Yusufzai, however, does not believe in this commonly held viewpoint. “These agencies would never allow their own country to get destabilised and they would never want to eliminate the Shia community. After all there are many Shias within these organisations too,” he points out. According to Yusufzai, the intelligence agencies’ ‘incompetence’ can be attributed to “overwork”. “Their hands are full with the ongoing separatist movement in one province, and the attacks by the TTP in others – and then these other militants fanning sectarianism. And if that were not all; these agencies are also being used for political purposes!” says Yusufzai. Hussain plays down the involvement of the agencies, but adds, “They have the knowledge of who the culprits are but they are not focused on fighting these groups. So while they may not be in direct collusion; by their inaction they are helping these extremists gets stronger.” ================= In Afghanistan, a small player brings big changes Source: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 02:46 PM Author: Marco Niada View full size slideshow For nine years I have been funding the construction of schools in Afghanistan, and I travel there every year to monitor their implementation. I operate in the province of Bamiyan, in the highlands of the Hindu Kush, the so-called Valley of the Buddha, named after those statues which were destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001. The population, ethnic Hazara and Shi’ite, suffered the Taliban’s fanaticism more than any other group, seeing entire villages destroyed and suffering mass executions. Perhaps this is why the region has remained impervious to Taliban resurgence until today. This has enabled me to work quietly and steadily and be part of a process of development that is beginning to show visible results. Since 2004, when I came to Bamiyan for the first time, thanks to the opportunity presented to me and my wife Maria Rosario by Filippo Grandi, then director of the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) in Afghanistan, our small organization, Committee Arghosha Faraway Schools, has made great progress. Named in 2005 after the first school built in the remote valley of Arghosha, at a height of 3200 metres and 30 km north of the legendary lakes of Band e Amir, our association, in addition to myself and Filippo, includes my wife and her brother, Paolo Lazzati. In nine years, we have funded the construction of 8 schools, (with the ninth coming this autumn), three courses of professional training for 300 teachers, three courses of computer use and English for 30 neo-graduate girls, and built a library in the biggest of the schools, Chardeh, which houses over 700 girls. Our projects focus on the female population, as out of 3,500 students attending the schools, 2,500 are girls, 4 of the 9 schools that we built are for girls only (the others are mixed), while of the 120 teachers on the Afghan state payroll teaching in our schools, 30 are women, a very high level by the standards of Afghans. Shuhada, the Afghan NGO that plans and and builds the schools that we fund, was also founded by a woman, Sima Samar, now chairman of the National Commission of Human Rights in Afghanistan and, in the past, vice president of the first Karzai government. Our other tutelary female is Habiba Sarabi, Governor of Bamiyan, the only woman governor of an Afghan province. Sarabi is a big supporter: on April 13th, despite the commitments between Kabul and Bamiyan, she came to attend the inauguration of our eighth school in Dar and Ali, on a rainy but cheerful day for the more than 350 pupils who will go on to study in a stone structure replacing an old one made of mud. This year I decided to prolong my stay in Afghanistan in order to understand the impact of our commitment to education during all these years of operations in this wonderful country. In fact, I had second thoughts, since the media and experts continue to bombard us with negative messages about the future of the country, in view of the withdrawal of foreign troops. Did we throw our money into the furnace? I owed an answer to our donors, given that in all these years we have raised and spent $ 1.1 million. And I owed it to the Afghans: in fact we have involved about 20,000 people, mostly farmers and shepherds, sending their 3,500 children to school every day. Instead of spending the usual week in the country, coinciding with the opening of a new school, this time I took a month's vacation to travel to the four corners of Bamiyan province, visiting all the schools. I travelled over 1,600 km (1,000 miles) by car on rough roads, between 2500 and 3500 metres above sea level, I flew over the valleys of the Hindu Kush by plane and helicopter, looking over crops and recently built homes. I met the principal representatives of the province: Governor Sarabi, the mayor of Bamiyan, Khadim Hussain Fitrat, the dean of Bamiyan University, Sakhidad Saleem, local journalists and managers of various departments, from Economy, Labour and Tourism/Culture. I also met our Ambassador in Kabul, Luciano Pezzotti, since Italy has various cultural projects and cooperation in Bamiyan, from the restoration of the Buddha, to that of the ruins of the citadel of Gholghola, and including some road works. After much wandering I am convinced that despite the doubts and uncertainties, the province of Bamiyan is moving in the right direction and that the money we spent was the best investment of our lives. The welfare of the inhabitants of the valleys continues to improve, though slowly. Agriculture in the wealthiest areas begins to mechanize, replacing wooden ploughs with tractors. All around you can see new fruit trees and masonry structures to store potatoes, known throughout Afghanistan for their top quality. Over the last 5 years in Bamiyan 3 banks have established branches, and half a dozen hotels have been built, with the aim of attracting what is still a weak flow of tourists, mostly Afghans. The herds and flocks grow visibly. Many people have a Chinese or Iranian motorcycle. It is now rare to encounter barefoot children in the villages, while 10 years ago they were the majority. All adults have good quality shoes. In many schools girls in the higher grades, who once covered their eyes and lowered their gaze, now still keep their heads covered, but look you straight in the eye and ask questions directly. In one school they even complained about the poor quality of English teachers and asked me if I could find better ones, maybe a native speaker ...If you ask higher grade students what they want to do when they grow up, everyone is aiming for university. In one particular school, Zarin, the girls have made it clear that they have no problem with going away to study in large cities such as Kabul, Mazar, Herat or even Kandahar, which is ridden with Taliban infiltration. The majority of students want to become doctors or teachers and even much-needed engineers: you often hear children shouting in chorus "inginaar", a term which for them has to do with everything that is modern, from engines and bridges to canals in the fields. The girls have raised their head in recent years, and although soberly, they now take care of their appearance, sporting stylish shoes and handbags, even if they have to walk for more than an hour on rocky paths to reach a destination over 3,000 metres above sea level. Infant mortality has been reduced drastically by virtue of the construction of polyclinics. According to data from Mohammed Reza Ada, director of the provincial Department of Education, 85 schools were built in the last 7 years, also thanks to our small contribution. A total of 353 are now operational, with 142,000 students attending, compared with 82,000 in 2005. Moreover, girls rose from 39% to 46% of all pupils. Today, in many areas, the female component has reached a majority. As a sorcerer's apprentice who embarked on an experiment both for fun and out of curiosity, to discover the unexpected effect of his actions, I realized the powerful impact that education has on people's lives. First, there is a concrete and visible result: about a mile south of Arghosha, our first school, a dam has been built to manage the valley’s water supply, while a mile further north, a clinic has been built by the New Zealand military (PRT), drastically reducing mortality at childbirth. The same happened in Kamati, a school at the foot of the highest Hindu Kush mountain, the Koh e Baba, where a clinic was built a year ago by the Swiss NGO Help Schaffausen and a system of canals is now in place. In Chardeh, which is next to a school for 1800 boys, there is a large outpatient clinic built by US Aid and even a bazaar, which has flourished in recent years. In Sar and Qul, a bridge was built two years ago over a stream which the girls had had to wade through for the previous three years. A clinic was also built a couple of years ago. Zarin, Sar and Qul have also attracted large NGOs such as Save the Children: The Japanese division of the famous organization has in fact built the walls surrounding the buildings. We are a small organisation, but nonetheless we have moved in the right direction at the right time, especially with the right people operating in the field. In some instances, we were even able to lead the way for big charitable organizations. And our activity is proving successful. Just before leaving the country I was able to lay the foundation stone of our ninth school, Ghorab, in a moving ceremony for the students and residents of the valley. The school completes a structure built years ago by Care International that was no longer big enough to accommodate the growing number of students, who were forced to study in tents. Our small size has allowed us to be more flexible than others, maintaining at the same time a tight control over everything we do. We are also in continuous contact with our Afghan operators who are by now old friends. From them we demand absolute honesty and transparency. So far there has been no need from our side of any sort of guidance on that matter, judging from some anecdotes -- like that of a truck carrying bricks that 5 years ago shed its load on the way to the building site, which I only found out now, since they have never asked for a refund and were ashamed to talk about it. Or the rigour that Shuhada has shown, when some farmers in a valley wanted to sell the land where the school was to be built instead of donating it, as all villagers do. Our local correspondents suggested that we hold on, threatening to go to another valley to build the school. That was a very effective threat and finally we got what we wanted. My long journey into the centre of Afghanistan has convinced me that for us the crucial year 2014 will be a year like any other. The building of our tenth school will symbolically celebrate the tenth year of our presence in the country. We will continue to work as long as our Afghan friends ask us and our donors allow it. The best antidote to those who destroy is to build. Of stones in Afghanistan there are plenty, and we won’t leave any stone unturned. The author is Chairman of Arghosha Faraway Schools. To know more visit www.arghosha.org This article originally appeared on Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy's leading financial newspaper, on May 24, 2013. ========================= FEATURE-Uncertain future for Afghan businesswoman as West leavesSource: Reuters - Sat, 3 Aug 2013 10:00 PM Author: Reuters Liza Ghausi Nooristani, chief executive of Mutaharek Construction Company, works on her laptop at her office in Kabul July 28, 2013. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani * Woman's company built schools, roads, bridges in east * Projects ending as Western troops leave * USAID aims to help women set up small businesses By Jessica Donati KABUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The United States and its allies have put promoting women's rights at the core of their 12-year mission in Afghanistan and Liza Ghausi Nooristani has profited nicely from their intervention. Nooristani is one of the few women in conservative, male-dominated Afghanistan to set up and run a relatively big company. And she has done it in the mountainous eastern war zone. She has been undaunted by the danger and the death threats and her construction company has been building schools, roads and government offices, largely paid for by a flood of aid money that followed the arrival of U.S. troops. "In the eastern part of Afghanistan, which is dangerous for security, I was the first woman to have a construction company, and I travelled without a bodyguard or gun," said Nooristani, chief executive her firm, Mutaharek Construction Company. She won her first contract in 2007, to build a village school worth $10,000. Since then, her company has handled a host of projects, with the biggest worth as much as $800,000. But now Nooristani faces the prospect of the withdrawal of Western troops. For Afghan women in general, the exit of most foreign troops by the end of next year could mean a slip back in the rights they have managed to secure over the past decade. For Nooristani, a round-faced woman with sad eyes, the withdrawal of Western forces and the aid programmes they have promoted also means a sharp fall in business. "As soon as the provincial reconstruction team left they stopped the projects," Nooristani said in an interview, referring to joint military-civilian teams set up to consolidate military gains with development. Nooristani is not only going to miss the projects but also the Western way of doing business.

"I won't take a project from the government because the government's people are corrupt," she said. "The government does not think women have any worth, nobody has time for females ... they just say women are just for the home to wash their clothes."

ENEMIES An official for the USAID development agency said Afghan businesswomen were still "outside the inner circle". While they had made progress, they faced difficulties in doing business in a very bureaucratic system largely run by men. "Licenses for exports and other permits are the main concerns of women," the official said. The agency has launched a $200 million programme to help women aged 18-30 build up their skills and create more than 3,500 small businesses. Nooristani has her enemies, some of whom object to her doing what she does because she's a woman. "First of all the Taliban, but also common people, because of the way they think," she said with a shrug. She has received death threats and escaped a bomb attack. Despite the danger, her husband and six children support her, while her sisters, all of them housewives, admire her, she said. But some relatives take a dim view of her work. Nooristani spent part of her childhood in Pakistan to escape Afghanistan's interminable conflict. She later studied at university in both Kabul and New Delhi. She is driven, she says, by her determination to help women in the countryside gain access to education. With the development projects drying up, Nooristani has set up a firm called New Lalazar Limited, which supplies and services office equipment, mainly to foreigners in Kabul. If the new business founders, she said she would return to her home province of Nuristan in the east to help the people, perhaps teaching in the schools she built. "The people there don't know a car, they don't know electricity because they don't have it, so I'm going to work for those people, I'm going to help out those people." (Editing by Robert Birsel) ===================

Pentagon Proposes $2.7B In Iraq Arms Contracts: Moscow ‘rejects’ Saudi ‘offer’ to drop Assad for rich arms deal

Leader urges regional vigilance against foreign bids to stoke unrest Fri Aug 9, 2013 5:17AM Share | Email | Print Related Interviews: Leader’s words on US ‘very correct’'Iran election to influence Mideast'Related Viewpoints: ‘US, UK deserve to speak with Iran?’ In an address to a large crowd of worshipers attending Eid al-Fitr prayers on Tehran University campus Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei lauded the massive turnout of the Iranian people in the International Quds Day rallies, adding that their presence proved that Iranians remain steadfast in their support for one of the most pressing issues in the world and the history of Islam. The Leader further described the formation of a new administration in Iran as an important event which “took place in the best manner,” expressing hope that the new Cabinet would soon be formed with qualified ministers. Ayatollah Khamenei went on to contrast the developments in Iran with those in the North African and West Asian countries and said, “Unfortunately, unlike the gratifying events in Iran, the events in the Islamic region are worrisome.” The Leader pointed to the Zionist regime’s perpetual atrocities against the oppressed Palestinian people, and stated that one of the tragedies in today’s world is the backing of the so-called advocates of human rights and democracy for the Israeli regime’s brutalities. Like the previous rounds of negotiations, the current US-brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will certainly yield no result other than the violation of the Palestinian people’s rights and further emboldening of Tel Aviv to press ahead with its crimes, the Leader said. “The US is obviously on the usurping Zionists’ side, and this concoction of arrogant [powers] will definitely be to the detriment of the Palestinians.” The Leader called on the Muslim world not to back down in the face of Israeli brutalities but to condemn the actions committed by Zionists and their allies. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on Egyptians and Iraqis to remain vigilant in the face of foreign plots to incite unrest in their countries. Ayatollah Khamenei further expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Egypt, describing as a “catastrophe” the rising likelihood of a civil war in the country. The Leader called on the great Egyptian nation, political groups, elites and scholars to consider the “dangerous consequences” of the ongoing situation. The Leader strongly condemned the killing of the people in Egypt, warning the Egyptian groups that brutality will be counterproductive. “If a civil war breaks out, it will create the required pretext for the interference of foreign powers,” Ayatollah Khamenei added. Highlighting the importance of democracy, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the problem of Egypt should be solved by the country’s people as well as political and religious groups, elites and scholars. The Leader also described the situation in Iraq as “regrettable” and said superpowers as well as reactionary states in the region are not happy with the democratically-elected Iraqi government. “Acts of terror, events and the killing of people in Iraq are certainly carried out through the financial-political aid by certain regional and transregional countries,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated. Such efforts, the Leader added, aim to prevent the Iraqi people from enjoying a peaceful life and strip the country of tranquility and prosperity. Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the unfortunate situation in Egypt, Iraq and the other countries gripped by insecurity and conflict pleases the Zionists. The Leader urged the Iraqi politicians, political groups and people from all walks of life including Shia and Sunni Muslims as well as Kurds and Arabs to pay attention to the dangerous repercussions of a civil strife, saying, “A civil war will destroy the infrastructures and ruin the future of nations.” ============== Posted on 07 August 2013. Tags: Air Defense, Arms Contracts, Pentagon, Stinger According to Al Arabiya, the Pentagon has notified the U.S. Congress of $2.7 billion in possible new sales to Iraq of air defense and communications systems. The most recent contracts would raise the value of a series of U.S. arms sales to Iraq that have been sent to Congress over the past two weeks to nearly $5 billion, which Congress has 30 days to take action on. The largest of the contracts proposed on Monday is worth an estimated $2.4 billion, and involves the sale of 681 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, 40 truck-mounted launchers, and 3 Hawk anti-aircraft batteries with 216 Hawk missiles. “These capabilities will provide Iraq with the ability to contribute to regional air defenses and reduce its vulnerability to air attacks, while also enhancing interoperability between the government of Iraq, the U.S, and other allies,” the Pentagon said in a statement. The second contract, worth $339 million, involves the sale of 19 mobile radio systems and 10 microwave radio systems. The Defense Security and Cooperation Agency also sent Congress three other proposed arms sales to Iraq worth $2 billion on July 25. A package that included the sale of 12 Bell 412 EP transport helicopters, and 50 Stryker armored vehicles equipped for nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical warfare. Iraq also previously ordered 36 F-16 fighter aircraft at the end of 2011. Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last year called on the United States to accelerate the delivery of arms for Iraqi troops, after signing a contract with Moscow to supply Iraq with $4.2 billion in arms. The deal with Moscow fell through, however, because of suspicions of corruption. (Source: Al Arabiya) ======================= Saudi Arabia offers US$15Billion deal to Lure Russia to Back out from Asad August 8, 2013 i Rate This JNN 8 Aug 2013 Moscow : Saudi Arabia has reportedly offered to buy arms worth up to $15 billion from Russia, and provided a raft of economic and political concessions to the Kremlin – all in a bid to weaken Moscow’s endorsement of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The diplomatic initiatives were anonymously voiced to Reuters by multiple Gulf state diplomats and senior leaders of the Syrian opposition, in the wake of last week’s meeting in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi National Security Council chief Prince Bandar bin-Sultan. The Saudi politician has orchestrated his country’s foreign policy in recent months. “Bandar offered to intensify energy, military and economic cooperation with Moscow,” a senior Syrian opposition figure told Reuters. “Bandar sought to allay two main Russian fears: that Islamist extremists will replace Assad, and that Syria would become a conduit for Gulf, mainly Qatari, gas at the expense of Russia.” The $15 billion figure was touted by a representative of the anti-Assad opposition, which Saudi Arabia has strongly backed throughout the rebellion in Syria which has lasted more than two years. Meanwhile, a Gulf source claimed that no specific figure was involved. Moscow and Riyadh, which traditionally acquires its arms from the United States, have had a massive contract on ice since 2008. Under Saudi Arabia’s terms, Russia would supply a huge assortment of equipment, including 150 T-90 tanks and more than 100 attack helicopters. In the past, Moscow has supplied billions of dollars worth of weapons to Assad, as well as maintained a naval base in Syria. Together with China, it has consistently blocked UN Security Council resolutions, saying they do not place any demands on the opposition – only on Assad. Sources indicate that Bandar asked Putin to not oppose any future Security Council resolutions on Syria. Bandar also reportedly assured Putin that Gulf states will not challenge Russia’s dominant position in the European gas markets, and promised him that extremist Islamic forces – which have gained prominence in the conflict – will not attempt to monopolize power in a future Syrian state. While diplomats involved in the talks described them as “inconclusive,” one Lebanese emissary close to the delegation said its Saudi members were “elated.” A Western diplomat told Reuters that Russia’s position was more a matter of prestige and geopolitics, and that the country was unlikely to publicly back down for the sake of mere economic incentives. There has been no comment from the Kremlin on the outcome of the visit, other than to say that the delegates discussed a “wide range of issues” with President Putin. A long-scheduled peace conference in Geneva, proposed by Russia and the US, has been pushed back and is currently under threat of cancellation. The meeting was supposed to achieve an immediate ceasefire and govern a political transition in Syria. The conflict has largely hinged on whether President Bashar Assad will be banned from playing any political role in post-conflict Syria – a condition the opposition has demanded before it sits down at the negotiating table. More than 100,000 people have perished in the conflict, according to UN estimates. ================== Moscow ‘rejects’ Saudi ‘offer’ to drop Assad for rich arms deal Published time: August 08, 2013 19:07 Edited time: August 09, 2013 05:14 Get short URL Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, general secretary of the National Security Council of Saudi Arabia, meeting in Moscow (RIA Novosti / Alexey Druzhinin) Big deal, Military, Putin, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria Moscow has said “no” to Saudi Arabia’s alleged proposal of a rich arms deal and protection of Russia’s gas interests in the Middle East in exchange for abandoning Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to Arab and European diplomats. The proposal of $15 billion in weapons contracts was allegedly made during the July 31 meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and influential intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Reuters reported. Neither Moscow nor Riyadh has officially commented on the agenda of the talks, but a Thursday AFP report revealed new details of the negotiations. According to an undisclosed European diplomat, Prince Bandar proposed the deal and told Putin that "whatever regime comes after" Assad will be "completely" in Riyadh’s hands. The Prince reportedly stated that if the deal was accepted, Saudi Arabia would not sign any contracts damaging Russian interests by allowing Gulf countries to transport its gas across Syria to Europe. The terms included Moscow dropping its support of President Bashar Assad, as well as not opposing any future Security Council resolutions on Syria. "President Putin listened politely to his interlocutor and let him know that his country would not change its strategy," a separate Arab diplomat told AFP. Bandar bin Sultan then told Russian officials that the only option left in Syria is a military one – and that they should forget about the Geneva-2 international peace conference because the opposition would not attend, the source said. Efforts to bring about the conference – which has been put forth by the US and Moscow – have so far been fruitless, mainly because of the absence of unity within the opposition ranks. A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the presidential palace in Damascus, on February 7, 2012 (AFP Photo) Russia and Saudi Arabia - which traditionally buys its military hardware from the US – have had a massive arms contract frozen since 2008. Back then, the sides agreed that Moscow would supply a huge assortment of equipment, including 150 T-90 tanks and more than 150 attack helicopters, to the Gulf state. According to sources within Russian arms exporters, the status of the deal has not changed following the talks. The insider added that Russia has not received any offers to purchase weapons from Saudi Arabia. "We know nothing about such intentions of the Saudi side," a senior source in military-technical cooperation told RIA Novosti news agency. Some Russian experts say Saudi Arabia acted as a US proxy in the alleged proposal, as it has been doing for the past two years of the Syrian conflict. “Any direct involvement in the region by either the US or any former European colonial powers is perceived as an affront. But with the given arrangement, any initiatives by the influential, authoritarian regional super power (and Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly that) are taken for granted,” political analyst Igor Khokhlov told RT. “The situation is nothing new,” he added. “Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s Afghan mujahideen in the 1980s were being sponsored by the USA and Saudi Arabia in equal shares. But the Saudi role allowed the US to present the conflict as a war of liberation – not as a clash of two superpowers in the farthest reaches of the world.” Others believe the media reports of a Saudi offer is nothing more than a hoax aimed at highlighting Russia’s stance on Syria in a negative way, adding that such a method is no way to “conduct diplomacy.” “Clearly, this is stove-piping,” director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Vitaly Naumkin, told Interfax news agency. “Its purpose is either to influence the position of the Syrian authorities or, more likely, to discredit Russia. To sow doubt on the fact that Moscow has a serious and reasoned position on Syria, and to create the impression that Russia may change its point of view in exchange for Saudi promises.” Naumkin reminded that similar attempts were made previously. There were reports in 2009 of that Barack Obama told then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that Washington would change its position on Iran if Moscow ended the halting of a US missile shield program in Eastern Europe. The meeting between Putin and Bandar came amid tension between the two states over the conflict in Syria, with Russia accusing the Saudis of "financing and arming terrorists and extremist groups" fighting against Assad.

Petrofac to increase Kazakh production

Petrofac to increase Kazakh production By Darshini Shah | Mon, 1st July 2013 - 09:38 Petrofac (PFC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with KazMunaiGas Exploration Production (KMG EP) of Kazakhstan. The MOU allows the parties to explore opportunities to improve the efficiency of oil production and increase production from KMG EP's mature Emba fields. Under the terms of the MOU, Petrofac intends to evaluate the Emba fields and to submit an offer for the long-term improvement of the management and production in selected Emba fields in order to progress a potential production enhancement contract. "We hope that our partnership with Petrofac will allow us to accomplish optimisation of production and improve oil recovery in EMG mature fields," commented KMG EP chief executive Abat Nurseitov. Andy Inglis, chief executive of Petrofac Integrated Energy Services, added: "We are delighted to be forging what we anticipate will be a long-term relationship with KMG EP, which will allow us to provide capability and performance-enhancing management for their mature fields in what is a strategically important region for us." Analyst view Oil services group Petrofac designs and builds oil and gas infrastructure, trains oil-field staff and maintains facilities. It also invests alongside producers in oil fields and helps national oil companies improve their oil production. At its full-year results at the end of June, management confirmed that it expected modest growth in net profit in 2013, with the majority of this being weighted into the second half. Petrofac also confirmed that it still expected to double 2010 earnings by 2015. Since the start of the year, shares in the company have lost a quarter of their value on the back of the terrorist attack on a gas facility in Algeria and concerns around a lack of Middle East opportunities. However, analysts at Citigroup saw scope for a re-rating over the next year as the current backlog underpins 14% earnings growth in 2014 and award intake continues to accelerate. In a note to investors in the middle of June, they wrote: "Given the potential catalyst afforded by an active second-half pipeline, we add Petrofac as a most preferred stock in our three-month best-ideas database." Tony Shepard, analyst at Charles Stanley, was also optimistic on the stock, explaining: "Given the good long-term prospects and the sector discount rating, we reiterate our 'accumulate' recommendation." Petrofac is trading on a 2013 price/earnings and enterprise value/EBITDA ratio of about 9.4 and 7.5 times respectively, a 15% discount to the peer group. ====================================== (RNS) 2013-07-18 07:00 Petrofac Limited - Petrofac Emirates restructure Previous | Next | All news for this company RNS Number : 5599J Petrofac Limited 18 July 2013  Press Release 18 July 2013 PETROFAC LIMITED Petrofac increases interest in Abu Dhabi joint venture Petrofac announces that it has entered into agreements which will increase its economic interest in Petrofac Emirates, its Abu Dhabi based joint venture with Mubadala Petroleum, to 75%. This follows the sale by Mubadala Petroleum of its shares in Petrofac Emirates to Nama Project Services LLC, an affiliate of Nama Development Enterprises (Nama), a leading local service provider to the energy industry across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The remaining 25% will be to the benefit of Nama. Completion of the transaction is subject to conditions precedent, including the usual regulatory consents. Formed in 2008, Petrofac Emirates was the first joint venture company in the UAE to provide a full range of engineering, design, procurement and construction services for major onshore oil and gas, refining and petrochemical projects. The joint venture has grown strongly since 2008 and in 2013 has been awarded three strategically important projects in Abu Dhabi: an engineering, procurement, construction, transportation and commissioning contract for the Upper Zakum field in consortium with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd (Petrofac Emirates' share US$2.9 billion); a US$187 million onshore EPC contract for the development of the Bab Habshan-1 project and a US$500 million onshore EPC contract for expansion of gas compression facilities at the Bab field. Maurizio La Noce, CEO of Mubadala Petroleum, said, "Mubadala Petroleum, in partnership with Petrofac International, established Petrofac Emirates five years ago as a major provider of, and centre of excellence for, engineering, procurement and construction services to the oil and gas sector in the UAE and the region. Mubadala Petroleum has contributed local sector knowledge and relationships, and encouraged the recruitment and development of Emirati talent into the business. Having nurtured and matured the business into a stable and profitable venture, Mubadala Petroleum's interest is now being transferred to the UAE's private sector, in line with Mubadala's strategic objectives and mandate. Mubadala Petroleum will concentrate on its core international E&P business, and most important UAE gas supply projects. In this context, we will continue to support the Abu Dhabi based Petrofac Emirates business and will look at opportunities to leverage on our existing and strong relationship with Petrofac International to identify mutually beneficial opportunities aligned with our ambitious growth objectives in our core geographies." Matthew Hollis, Managing Director of Nama, said: "We are very proud to have worked closely with Petrofac over the last 20 years. Their impressive performance has enabled them to grow in to one of the most successful leading EPC contractors in the world today. Their UAE joint venture with our friends in Mubadala Petroleum has further enhanced this success in recent years and so for all of us at Nama it is now a great honour to have been given the opportunity to be partners in bringing Petrofac Emirates into the private sector here in Abu Dhabi." Marwan Chedid, Chief Executive of Petrofac's Engineering, Construction, Operations & Maintenance division, said: "Since its inception in 2008, we have established a first class engineering centre in Abu Dhabi with Petrofac Emirates. The joint venture has created business opportunities and established strong relationships over the last five years, in addition to helping Petrofac to expand our local talent pool by attracting UAE nationals to join our talented team. Looking forward, we want to build on the success we have achieved to date, including the important projects we have secured in Abu Dhabi this year. Nama is a first class local partner and we are optimistic about the future prospects of Petrofac Emirates. Likewise we look forward to maintaining our strong links with Mubadala Petroleum as we explore other opportunities collaboratively outside the region." Financial reporting Under the terms of the restructure, Petrofac will report 100% of the revenue and backlog on all current and future Petrofac Emirates' projects (with Nama's 25% economic interest reported as 'profit for the year attributable to non-controlling interests'). Ends For further information contact: Alison Flynn +44 (0) 207 811 4913 Head of Media Relations Petrofac Tulchan Communications Group Ltd +44 (0) 20 7353 4200 Stephen Malthouse Martin Robinson petrofac@tulchangroup.com Notes to Editors Petrofac Petrofac is a leading international service provider to the oil and gas production and processing industry, with a diverse customer portfolio including many of the world's leading integrated, independent and national oil and gas companies. Petrofac is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: PFC). Petrofac designs and builds oil and gas facilities; operates, maintains and manages facilities and trains personnel; enhances production; and, where it can leverage its service capability, develops and co-invests in upstream and infrastructure projects. Petrofac's range of services meets its customers' needs across the full life cycle of oil and gas assets. With more than 18,000 employees, Petrofac operates out of seven strategically located operational centres, in Aberdeen, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Woking, Chennai, Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur and has a further 24 offices worldwide. For additional information, please refer to the Petrofac website at www.petrofac.com. Nama Nama is dedicated to further developing and maintaining its position as one of the leading, local business groups serving the oil and gas, power and water and industrial sectors of the UAE economy. Their objective is to professionally satisfy the needs of our local customers, while ensuring that we remain one of the first choices for international organisations looking for a reputable local business partner. For additional information, please refer to Nama's website at www.namauae.com. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange END MSCEDLFFXDFBBBL ======================================= Fish-inspired vessel joins Brazil offshore oil boom Thu, Aug 08 08:25 AM EDT 1 of 4 By Andrew Callus LONDON (Reuters) - A strange-looking vessel inspired by the exotic sucker fish is due to leave Norway for Brazil's giant offshore oilfields this week on a mission to revolutionize deep sea oil loading methods. At 47 meters tall, 28 meters long and with an 11 meter keel, HiLoad DP unit No. 1 looks top-heavy and out of place in the water, more like a partly submerged container-port crane than a ship of any type - or a fish for that matter. But attached to its mother ship, the oil tanker Navion Anglia, the vessel is preparing to head anyway from the Norwegian port of Kirstiansund in southern Norway to the ocean off Rio de Janeiro on a debut 10-year commercial trial contract for Brazilian state oil company Petrobras. Its deployment in the Campos and Espirito Santo pre-salt basins reflects the burgeoning scale and increasing remoteness of offshore projects that supply about one third of the world's crude oil, and the challenges of developing such resources economically. The Norwegian-built craft is designed to load oil from deep sea Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels directly onto a standard tanker with no extra equipment. It offers a cost-saving alternative to specialist shuttle tankers with their own dynamic positioning (DP) systems, and to the use of moored loading buoys with their associated tug boats. There are already about 150 FPSOs - often simply converted tankers but also increasingly sophisticated new-built vessels - working offshore, as oil companies go so deep in the search for oil where traditional platforms and pipelines are impractical. Petrobras and the Brazilian offshore fields it controls are the apex of that boom. Data from industry consultants IHS says 21 of the 48 FPSOs currently under construction are being built for Petrobras. Energy business advisers Douglas-Westwood has forecast that between 2013 and 2017, $91 billion will be spent on FPSOs - double the amount over the past five years. The sheer scale of Brazil's offshore projects, along with relatively calm weather compared with the North Sea and other deep sea locations, makes them an ideal commercial testing ground for the new technology, but there are other factors at play. "One of the drivers is that Brazil will have to export a lot of its oil - so direct loading onto normal tankers instead of reloading from shuttle tankers will create considerable savings," said Yngve Kloster, project manager for the deployment of HiLoad DP unit No. 1 to the Petrobras project. "We also see it as an alternative in (offshore) Africa where they use offloading buoys you can approach with a normal tanker, but where you will need a tug to assist as well." Kloster said there could be environmental benefits too from lower fuel consumption and reduced leakage of polluting vapors during loading. MUTANT DORSAL FIN Kloster works for Teekay Corp, an oil shipping, production and transport specialist company which last year bought the HiLoad DP unit No. 1 along with a half share in the developer, Norway-based Remora AS. It paid $55 million for the HiLoad DP No. 1 - a prototype built in 2010 - and paid $4.4 million for its 49.9 percent stake in the business. Remora is the Latin name for the sucker fish, a species whose crowning glory is a dorsal fin that has mutated into a sucker behind its head. The fish empties water from chambers in the sucker to create a vacuum and grab a ride under something larger - usually a shark - for a feed on leftovers and parasites. The HiLoad DP (Dynamic Positioning) unit works in much the same way - although unlike the fish, it is the feeder rather than the fed, and it takes control of its larger host. A sucker slab grabs the tanker below the water line, and more suckers on the section of the craft above the surface secure a hold higher up on the tanker's hull. Once attached, three powerful DP thruster engines that can rotate 360 degrees keep the host tanker steady and a safe distance from the FPSO. A hose attached to the HiLoad from the FPSO fills the tanker with crude. HiLoad DP No. 1 and its crew of three can travel at four knots and up to three nautical miles from its mother ship or an FPSO to which it can attach itself when not in use. It can handle any tanker up to "Suezmax" size (160,000 deadweight metric tons), grabbing it and loading it with oil in a process that takes 24-30 hours - comparable with a shuttle tanker loading time, Kloster says. The prototype is designed to work with "spread moored" FPSOs, which are fixed in place, but during the Petrobras contract it will also be tested with a "turret moored" FPSO. Turret FPSOs are moored from a section around which the rest of the vessel rotates in the wind and the current - extra movement that requires more powerful dynamic positioning systems for the tanker to match. Kloster said the company will design, and hopefully build, future versions that are more powerful and can more easily cope with turret moored FPSOs and bigger tankers. Teekay said in May it hoped to start operations in early 2014. It also has a contract to provide shuttle tankers from this year for BG Group, the British company and Petrobras' partner offshore Brazil. BG Group declined to comment for this story. Petrobras had no immediate comment. (Reporting by Andrew Callus; editing by David Evans) ================

Al-Qaeda replacing Assad is the biggest threat to US security - CIA deputy director

Published time: August 07, 2013 20:27 Edited time: August 07, 2013 21:05 Get short URL Acting CIA Director Michael Morell (AFP Photo / Mandel Ngan) Share on tumblrTags , War The second-in-command of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) says that the toppling of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria is the largest threat to United States national security and may help al-Qaeda acquire chemical weapons. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell said the prospect of the Syrian government being replaced by al-Qaeda his biggest worry. Morell’s statement is especially surprising considering America’s official position on the Syrian civil war. US President Barack Obama and his officials have repeatedly called Assad a "dictator" who is responsible for more than 92,000 lives lost in a bloody conflict between government forces and rebels - some of whom are openly affiliated with al-Qaeda. Should the current regime collapse without a stable government to step up to the plate, Morell said the warheads being held by Assad may end up in the hands of America’s adversaries. The US remains embarked on a plan that would aid Syrian rebels by way of supplying them with arms. With al-Qaeda extremists entwined in that same war against Assad, however, one wrong turn could cause the US to accidentally equip its most feared enemy. According to Morell, the Syrian government's weapons "are going to be up for grabs and up for sale" if Assad is ousted. Unless the US has a plan of attack ready for that moment, munitions and warheads currently controlled by Assad could end up in the hands of just about anyone. And with al-Qaeda close to the action, Morell warned that they could pounce on the opportunity to gain Assad’s equipment. "Al-Qaeda has had its own victory as well," he said. "The dispersal of al-Qaeda is their victory." With al-Qaeda increasing the scope of its operation in Syria, the US could have a whole new front in its war on terror. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 brought American troops to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and later to Iraq. In the decade-plus since, the US has launched drones over locales like Yemen and Somalia to take a stab at diminishing al-Qaeda’s presence. As hostilities increase in Syria, a new adversary could worsen the current situation. Given what the US has reported about the current Syrian government, al-Qaeda stands to collect all sorts of goodies if they can grab hold of Assad’s goods as well. The White House has insisted that Assad deployed chemical weapons on citizens during the civil war, and the opposition and government have both relied on whatever weapons they can collect in order to fight off their foes. That hostile environment is increasingly being populated by al-Qaeda extremists, and Morell says that’s not good for US security. Syria is “probably the most important issue in the world today because of where it is currently heading," Morell said. He added that Iran, core al-Qaeda, and the North Korean government are following just behind Syria. "I don't remember a time when there have been so many national security issues on the front burner as there are today," Morell said.

China’s CNPC Seen Tapping Exxon-Rosneft Assets: Real M&A ; Understanding Mr Darcy

Votes for this Posting Voted 4 times. Message China’s CNPC Seen Tapping Exxon-Rosneft Assets: Real M&A By Aibing Guo & Zijing Wu - Aug 6, 2013 7:27 AM GMT China National Petroleum Corp. already spent more money this year on energy assets than any other global producer. Oil and gas fields controlled by Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and Russia’s OAO Rosneft may be next on the list. China’s largest oil producer, known as CNPC, has made more than $9 billion of purchases this year -- and has considered another $4 billion, according to people familiar with the matter -- as part of a plan to double overseas output by 2015. Spending will likely accelerate under Zhou Jiping, who was named chairman in April and has more than a decade of experience in international operations, CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets said. CNPC is ramping up deals to make up for lost ground after Sinopec Group and Cnooc Ltd. (883), two other Chinese state-owned energy companies, outspent the producer by about $50 billion on overseas transactions in the five years through 2012, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. CNPC’s success with mature fields makes an Exxon asset in Iraq a target, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. said, while a supply agreement with Rosneft may lead to deals with the state-controlled Russian producer, according to UOB-Kay Hian Ltd. “CNPC’s skill set makes it a good fit for many developed onshore oilfields in central Asia, the Middle East and South America,” Neil Beveridge, a Hong Kong-based oil and gas analyst at Bernstein, said by phone. “CNPC’s state-owned background is more of a bonus rather than a burden when it seeks acquisitions in those regions.” Oilfield Experience At its Daqing field, discovered in the Heilongjiang province of northeastern China in 1959, CNPC has gained “world class” experience at extending the life of oilfields, Beveridge said. The company also drills for oil in Syria, Sudan, Iraq and several central Asian countries. CNPC plans to increase overseas production to 200 million tons by 2015, about twice what it produced abroad last year. Output from fields outside China may account for 60 percent of production by the end of the decade, former Chairman Jiang Jiemin said in January. The proportion was 37 percent in 2012.

Jiang this year became head of China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. His replacement, 61-year-old Zhou, previously led CNPC’s overseas division. “Zhou’s expertise in international business will help CNPC’s international expansion,” Simon Powell, an analyst at CLSA in Hong Kong, said in a phone interview.

Liu Weijiang, CNPC’s Beijing-based spokesman, said the company doesn’t comment on speculation. Supply Needs To supply the world’s largest consumer of energy, Chinese companies announced at least $108 billion of overseas purchases in the five years through 2012, about one fifth of the total spent by energy companies worldwide on cross-border acquisitions, data compiled by Bloomberg show. While CNPC spent more than $16 billion, Sinopec Group -- officially known as China Petrochemical Corp. -- and Cnooc, China’s second- and third-biggest oil and gas producers, spent $41 billion and $26 billion respectively, the data show. The Cnooc total includes purchases by parent China National Offshore Oil Corp. This year, CNPC has struck at least $9 billion of deals, including a $4.2 billion purchase of a stake in Mozambique’s Rovuma fields, the data show. The 2013 total also includes a stake in Kazakhstan’s biggest oil field worth about $5 billion. The Chinese producer is considering buying Petroleo Brasileiro SA assets in Colombia and Peru with a value of about $2 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said last month. CNPC also held talks to buy Brazilian oil startup Barra Energia Petroleo e Gas for about $2 billion, people said in May. Crude Prices Crude oil prices may help, said Wu Fei, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Bocom International. Brent dropped to an average of about $107 a barrel this year, from $111.7 in 2012. “CNPC may want to get some deals done quickly while Brent stays relatively stable,” Wu said by phone. “China needs to import the fuel no matter what crude prices may change to.” CNPC’s experience in Iraq makes the company a candidate to buy Exxon’s 60 percent stake in the West Qurna-1 field in southeastern Iraq, said Laban Yu, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Jefferies Group LLC. CNPC produces about 1.65 million barrels of oil a day from Iraqi projects, the company said last October. The Exxon asset is near the Rumaila field run by CNPC and BP Plc (BP/), and may produce as much as 600,000 barrels of oil per day by the end of 2013, Exxon has estimated. Iraq’s government has asked Exxon to abandon projects in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the north, or exit projects in the south. Other Bidders? “CNPC could take over the operation by moving its personnel and equipment from the nearby Rumaila site and start commercial production right away,” Bernstein’s Beveridge said. Exxon’s stake would cost at least $3 billion, he said. David Eglinton, an Exxon spokesman, declined in an e-mail to comment when asked whether the Irving, Texas-based company has held talks with CNPC over its West Qurna-1 stake or is trying to sell it. There may be other bidders. PT Pertamina, Indonesia’s state-owned oil company, was in talks with Exxon to buy as much as 20 percent of the West Qurna-1 field, the Indonesian government said in March. Natural gas projects owned by Moscow-based Rosneft, close to a pipeline connecting Siberia and the Pacific, may yield targets after CNPC and Rosneft signed a $270 billion oil-supply agreement in June, according to Shi Yan, an analyst at UOB-Kay Hian in Shanghai. The 25-year deal will supply about 360 million metric tons of crude to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 21. Rare Opportunity Officials at Rosneft didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about a potential deal with CNPC. Any deal with Rosneft would be “in the range of billions of dollars” given the size of the projects, Shi said. “A majority ownership in the resources would allow CNPC to control some of the best upstream natural gas assets,” Shi said. “The opportunity to buy a quality asset at a reasonable price is rare, after most in easy-to-reach areas have long been controlled by established oil companies in the West.” ==================== Wed 21:25 Latest shareholdings update scaramouche 33 I note that the list of largest shareholders has been updated on the GKP website, showing figures as at 18 July 2013 http://www.gulfkeystone.com/securities.aspx Details are as follows with apologies if the formatting does not come out perfectly! Number of shares in issue as at 18 July 2013: 887,686,957. Of the shares in issue 33,564,740 (3.78%) were considered not to be in public hands. Insofar as is known to the Company, the identities and percentage holdings of Gulf Keystone’s significant shareholders (3% or more) are shown in the table below: Rank Shareholder 18 Jul 2013 % 1 TD Waterhouse 59,636,473 6.72% 2 Barclays Wealth 53,759,397 6.06% 3 Capital Research Global Investors 49,596,975 5.59% 4 M&G Investment Mgt 47,973,877 5.40% 5 Halifax Share Dealing 40,239,901 4.53% 6 Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management 39,062,422 4.40% Previously, the Annual Report (which came out on 20 June 2013) http://www.investegate.co.uk/gulf-keystone-petrol--gkp-/rns/2012-results-announcement/201306200700114413H/ showed ‘Significant shareholdings’ at 31 May 2013 as follows… TD Direct Investing 59,123,475 6.66% Barclays Wealth 54,036,195 6.09% Capital Research Global Investors 49,596,975 5.59% M&G Investment Mgt 45,350,000 5.11% Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management 37,838,687 4.26% Halifax Share Dealing 31,964,809 3.60% Selftrade Investments 30,631,160 3.45% From this, we can see... ‘Halifax share dealing’ has increased by about 8.25 million shares, while ‘Selftrade’ has unexpectedly fallen below the 3% reportable threshold, which would represent a decrease of at least 4 million shares. TDW, Barclays, Halifax and Hargreaves Lansdowne now total 21.7% so, IMHO when other brokers like Selftrade that are also commonly used by PIs are added in, it is likely that the overall PI holding is around 25-30%. This figure has remained pretty similar for some time so there seems to be little evidence of PIs beiing gradually eased out or the oft-repeated theory that there will be very few Pis left at the end! Most seem to be 'hanging' on come what may IMHO. M&G Investment Management's holding showed an increase of about 2.62 million shares in the 7-week period leading up to the AGM, while Capital's figures were unchanged. GLA, scaramouche =============================== STOCKS NEWS Reuters Results diary Europe Real-time Equity News UK Stocks on the move UK smallcaps UK smallcaps news 13:07GMT 26May2010-Afren rises; RenCap initiates with "buy" ----------------------------------------------------------- Shares in Nigeria-focused oil explorer Afren rise 12 percent as the oil price climbs 3 percent and Renaissance Capital initiates coverage with a "buy" rating. "Exceptional production growth from current developments will put the company in a different weight class, likely becoming one of the top-20 independent oil producers in Africa," says Renaissance Capital analyst Dragan Trajkov. An analyst at Evolution Securities says the recovery in the oil price combined with the note pushes up Afren's shares, rather than any company-specific news. For more, click on Reuters messaging rm://sarah.young.thomson reuters.com@reuters.net 11:14GMT 26May2010-BP down, uncertainty surrounds plug attempt -------------------------------------------------------------- Shares in oil major BP fall 0.3 percent, lagging a 2 percent rise in both Britain's FTSE 100 index of blue chip companies and the European index of oil and gas companies. BP is trying to stop oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico as the leak from a ruptured well there threatens to become the largest oil spill in U.S. history. "Until we get some sort of positive news out of BP, the market's going to be pretty down on them," says Arbuthnot Securities analyst Dougie Youngson. The British company faces a pivotal day on Wednesday as its latest attempt to control the leak by plugging the well with heavy fluids, the so-called "top kill" option, gets underway. "There's a bit of doubt coming through from BP about whether this top kill is going to work," says Panmure Gordon analyst Peter Hitchens. For more please click on Reuters messaging rm://sarah.young.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net 10:58GMT 26May2010-UK small caps up 0.7 pct at midday ================ West house securities Two points: first, brokers exist to have opinions and to attempt influence behaviour ...they are no different to advertising agencies and must have an angle ... theirs/his is Afren. Lets grab some attention by initiating "coverage" by being the ONLY broker out of 50 listed to put a sell rating on GKP ...oh and let's use it as a means of advertising Afren as our preferred choice. The guy at Westhouse who covers Afren is just another salesman, Dragan Trajkov http://westhousesecurities.com/profile.asp?user=92 whose previous experience was covering African oil plays ...so probably has a cosy relationship with Afren from his days in Renaissance Capital http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail/?isplay=news&code=cotn:AFR.L&action=article&articleid=7912710 ... So lets dis one of the biggest, high profile and volatile Kurd plays to promote one we have a relationship with from the past and so generate some attention and hopefully some business for Westhouse .... He's a player like everyone else in the city... Secondly ... who thefeck are Westhouse Securities! Another city game ....but a rather silly looking one to me .... ============== Oil, Sustainable Development, and the Transformation of Iraq Posted on 07 August 2013. Tags: Ahmed Mousa Jiyad By Ahmed Mousa Jiyad. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Oil, Sustainable Development and the Management of the Transformation in Iraq This contribution is based on PowerPoint presentation delivered before the Symposium “Iraq – 10 Years On” held at Tahrir Campus of the American University in Cairo (AUC) on 3rd and 4th June, 2013. I - Introduction As this conference is about Iraq it is therefore expected that other contributors would address sustainable development from different aspects and disciplines using probably different methodologies, terminologies and statistical data. This presentation focuses on energy and more precisely on petroleum. And from this perspective sustainable development is taken within the context of the depleting finite natural resources in the country. The presentation begins by outlining briefly the conceptual and analytical framework of sustainable development, in a rich deplete-able natural resources developing country, as a process of transformation through horizontal and vertical structural diversification. Then it uses “budget analysis approach” to draw few conclusions on whether “horizontal diversification” in the economy had occurred during the last ten years commensurate with the availability of the necessary development financing. A more detailed analysis of the efforts in the petroleum sector was provided to assess the “vertical diversification” in this important sector. The presentation argues that the lack of and imbalances in both horizontal and vertical diversification during the last ten years had undermined the sustainable development prospect, entrenched the dependency on upstream petroleum subsector and pushes the economy further in the web of rentierism. However, the recent launching of the first ever energy strategy might bring some sense to development planning in the country. Hence the presentation suggests and highlights the urgency for adopting different and diversified strategies to manage the production of petroleum and the associated influx of export revenues. Moreover, it introduces and outlines the importance of full transparency of all resources and payments flows within the “Value Cycle” during the duration of the related projects. Finally, the presentation ends with few concluding remarks. The full paper can be downloaded here. Mr Jiyad is an independent development consultant, scholar and Associate with Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES), London. He was formerly a senior economist with the Iraq National Oil Company and Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, Chief Expert for the Council of Ministers, Director at the Ministry of Trade, and International Specialist with UN organizations in Uganda, Sudan and Jordan. He is now based in Norway (Email: mou-jiya@online.no). ============ Author Dalesmann View Profile Add to favourites Ignore Date posted Thursday 10:52 Subject Understanding Mr Darcy Votes for this Posting Voted 81 times. Message I'm afraid this is rather long! GRH has been banging on about this for some time ! The last Competent Persons Report was back in 2010. Why so long between updates I hear you cry. This was the Ryder Scott report, which was technical in nature and hard to understand – well it was for me! It does however contain some colourful language like ‘’world class” But world class what? Here is an extract from page 11 The Completion Test and the Extended Well Test run after the well was cased over the Sargalu, ……..it did suggest extremely high reservoir permeabilities possibly at the high end of reservoirs found in the world. Well I liked the last bit – it sounds very encouraging. I understand DST – Drill Stem Test and I understand the difference between porosity and permeability so far so good. On page 10 we learn a bit more about the tests – its depth – the loss of drilling fluid, the flow rates and the pressure tests. Ryder Scott then moves on to comment on the Extended well test We learn that for the Sargalu analysis of the test data indicates a permeability of 9.8 Darcies and a skin factor of +56. What is all that about? Well a little bit of googling gives us the definition of darcies. Slumberger say it should be spelt Darcys but we will let that pass. Whats a Darcy? From Wiki A darcy (or darcy unit) and millidarcy (mD) are units of permeability, named afterHenry Darcy. They are not SI units, but they are widely used in petroleum engineering and geology. Rock permeability is usually expressed in millidarcys (mD) because rocks hosting hydrocarbon or water accumulations typically exhibit permeability ranging from 5 to 500 mD. The odd combination of units comes from Darcy's original studies of water flow through columns of sand. Water has a viscosity of 1.0019 cP at about room temperature. So Ryder Scott is saying that the analysis of the test data from the Sargalu indicates a permeability of 9.8 Darcies (9800 milli darcies) and a skin factor of +56. That is HUGE! – Wiki says that rocks hosting hydrocarbon or water accumulations typically exhibit permeability ranging from 5 to 500 mD. So the Sargalu exhibits 18 times the permeability found in typical rocks. Again from Wiki. Permeability Permeability is a property of rocks and is an indication of the ability for gases or fluids to flow through rocks. High permeability will allow fluids and gases to move rapidly through rocks Permeability is affected by the pressure in a rock. The unit of measure is called the darcy, named after Henry Darcy (1856) Sandstones may vary in permeability from less than one to over 50,000 millidarcies (md). Permeabilities are more commonly in the range of tens to hundreds of millidarcys If we move on to the Kurre Chine A we find that the permeability as measured by Darcys has declined to 5 but this is still 10 times that of a typical reservoir rock. The viscosity has increased to 39 API as opposed to 18 API in the Sargalu. Lighter oil was found in the Kurre Chine B. Here we learn that the permeability is down to 322 milli Darcies. But the oil is light - 59 API – almost a condensate and the well flowed extremely well. There was a much greater GOR, Gas to oil ratio . Well how does this compare with other mega fields? GRH pointed to Ghawar in Saudi. 5 major sub sections are attributed to Ghawar The have reasonably light oil of around 34 API and a permeability measured in MD – around 600- 650 MD on average. The reservoirs have been producing since the 1940s! So what if anything can we conclude from this short foray? Well the Shaikan reservoirs appear to be very highly fractured carbonates (Limestones and Dolomites). W knew that. The permeability appears to be world class. What we don’t know is the extent of these fractures. Consider a map of Britain. Add in the motorways Fill in the trunk roads, the A roads. Now add in the plethora of B roads And finally the tiny C roads. The vast majority of the UK would be covered by a complex inter connected road network which in turn is connected to many arterial route ways. This network is dense. If the fracturing at Shaikan is like this then I would expect the recovery factor to rise as oil flows down the well defined route ways into the well bore. There will of course be certain regions say the NW Highlands of Scotland that will not have the density of roads compared to those around our major cities but there will still be some trunk roads and some highways and byways to allow the vast areas of the Highlands to be accessed. If we move to Texas there will still be the network of arterial routes but the density of the road network as you move away from the cities reduces. If this is the model for Shaikan then the permeability will be less and the RF is less likely to rise. A simple analogy but its one I find useful. Ryder Scott comment on the lack of water being produced at the surface. They don’t talk about a regional aquifer but should one exist then the ability to maintain pressure in the various reservoirs must mean that the RF will increase. Returning to Ryder Scott Ryder Scott is saying that the analysis of the test data from the Sargalu indicates a permeability of 9.8 Darcies and a skin factor of +56. We now know something about Darcies but what is this term skin factor? http://www.ogj.com/articles/print/vol-110/issue-8/drilling-production/new-method-evaluates-efficiency.html Introduction to skin factor - nothing to do with Amber Solaire! As a consequence of drilling and completion operations, most wells have reduced permeability near the borehole (skin zone). At oil-water production the radius of the skin zone increases over time. It is known that reservoir waters associated with oil-bearing formations contain a variety of dissolved solids (scales). At simultaneous production of oil and water, precipitation of scales occurs In the vicinity of the well the pressure logarithmically increases with the radius. As a result deposition of scales mainly occurs near the wellbore. Due to partial blocking of pores a skin is created whose size increases with production time. Deposition of scales in the pores greatly reduces the permeability of formations around the wellbore. This results in pressure loss through the skin and a corresponding reduction in well productivity. Well stimulation through acidizing or hydraulic fracturing can improve well productivity even above production levels in undamaged conditions. Quantitatively, the skin is defined as a parameter (skin factor), which depends on the thickness and the effective permeability of the skin zone2 (Equation 1). Now that’s interesting as scaling appears to be increased by water being present. But at Shaikan no water has yet been reported and it is thought that the reservoirs may be full to spill. However RS says that the Sargalu had a skin factor of +56. Whats that mean http://www.ogj.com/articles/print/vol-110/issue-8/drilling-production/new-method-evaluates-efficiency.html http://en.termwiki.com/ENkin_factor skin factor A numerical value used to analytically model the difference from the pressure drop predicted by Darcy law due to skin. Typical values for the skin factor range from -6 for an infinite-conductivity massive hydraulic fracture to more than 100 for a poorly executed gravel pack. http://www.pe.tamu.edu/blasingame/data/z_zCourse_Archive/P620_02C/P620_02C_Exam_2/SPE_xxxxx_VE_Skin_Effect_WBS.pdf The pressure drop in a well per unit rate of flow is controlled by the resistance of the formation. The viscosity of the fluid , and the additional resistance concentrated around the well bore resulting from the drilling and completion techniques employed and perhaps from the production practices used. The pressure drop caused by this additional resistance is defined as the skin effect . This skin effect considerably detracts from a wells capacity to produce. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At Shaikan we have seen little in the way of formation water and yet we have a high skin factor. it is possible that this high skin factor was caused by drilling mud and associated liquids being pumped into the fractures effectively blocking them. Was it SH4 that had an acid treatment to counteract this and we all know what effect that had. SH4 is huge. All of which only scratches the surface of the Ryder Scott Report. There are many members of this board who have far more knowledge than I. So the following conclusions are from a drilling novice and I’m happy to be corrected. 1. The permeability at Shaikan is VERY high when compared to Ghawar. 2. The skin factor noted by Ryder Scott could be due to blocking of the fractures by drilling mud 3. The wells can be cleaned up and better flow rates accomplished. 4. There is the possibility that the RF will rise over time as the fracture system and associated matrix is better understood 5. The Shaikan Reservoirs are remarkable – absolutely world class. Kind regards Dalesman ============================ Interesting stuff Dalesman but we should not compare Shaikan to Ghawar and if some on here have been doing they're giving out serious misinformation. The Ghawar field produces from the Arab D formations which are Jurassic limestones (as is the Sargelu of course) but they are VERY different formations. The main difference is that the primary porosity in the Arab D formation is within the rock itself. It is composed of mainly very fossiliferous limestones with not a lot of good matrix holding these together so in effect it's like a sponge made up of all manner of small and large fossils with lots of gaps between them. The Sargelu is much more fine grained and does not have anything like the same high level of primary porosity. Instead it has secondary porosity (and permeability) which comes from the fractures. If the fracture network is really extensive it can make for excellent production, but, unlike the Ghawar reservoirs, fractures can be localised and it's possible to have wells where the fracture network doesn't intersect the well path and then you have very low production (or none). The extremely high permeabilities (as in darcies not millidarcies) is misleading in a way as this reflects the fractures. High permeability in Ghawar reflects the whole reservoir; this can be quantified much more accurately than a reservoir relying on fractures alone. The Kurra Chine is a dominantly Dolomite reservoir and this differs from the limestones of the Sargelu. Dolomites are often found to be crystalline and have excellent primary porosity between the individual crystals. Imagine a lump of coarse brown sugar (Kurra Chine) compared to a broken paving slab (Sargelu). With the high API (as you say, pretty much condensate) and a good thickness of this, and with high primary porosity and permeability, this only bodes very well indeed! (hence why the current well is so important) ====================