The Cabinet holds the 41st session, decisions included

INA - BAGHDAD

The Cabinet held on Tuesday the 41st session chaired by PM Muhammed S. Al-Sudani, one of two sessions held to make up for the September 24 session, which was postponed due to the PM’s participation in the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

During the session, the Cabinet discussed the general situation in the country, reviewed several important files, and deliberated on agenda items, taking the necessary decisions.

In response to the case presented by a woman affected by terrorist operations, the Cabinet approved the following:

1. The Minister of Finance will write off the debt owed by this citizen, based on the provisions of Paragraph 1 of Cabinet's Decision No. 23447 of 2023.
2. The National Pension Authority will expedite the processing of her pension application.
3. The Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities, and Public Works will allocate a housing unit to her in one of the new housing projects in Baghdad.
4. She will remain in her current home, where she has lived for 44 years, and will only pay a nominal rent, exempted from the public auction requirement as per Article 39 of the Sale and Rent of State Properties Law No. 21 of 2013, as amended.

The Prime Minister emphasized that similar cases should be handled the same way by ministers and officials, stressing the importance of promptly addressing citizens' issues to ensure fairness and solve their problems.

As part of the government’s ongoing efforts to assist the people of Palestine and Lebanon, the Cabinet approved the allocation of 3 billion dinars to the Ministry of Migration and Displacement to provide services to Lebanese guests arriving in Iraq. This will be taken from the emergency reserve fund, by the provisions of the federal budget, and the ministry will be exempt from the standard contracting methods outlined in the Government Contracting Instructions and Budget Implementation Guidelines. Additionally, Lebanese citizens (guests of Iraq) will be added to the mandate of the Higher Committee for Displaced Persons Relief, in coordination with the Higher Committee for Gaza and Lebanon Relief Donations.

Based on the Prime Minister’s directive to provide healthcare support to Lebanon during its current crisis, the Cabinet approved the Ministry of Health’s purchase of medical supplies and medicines, exempting the ministry from the standard contracting procedures stipulated in Chapter 3 of Government Contracting Instructions No. 2 of 2014.

The Cabinet authorized the Ministry of Electricity to contract with Loxtsone Energy for the supply of Turkmen gas to Iraq via Iran under a swap agreement.

The terms include:
Exemption from the Government Contracting Instructions, the Federal Budget Law, and the Budget Implementation Guidelines, due to the importance and urgency of this contract in maintaining the operation of power plants. The gas supplier is the Turkmen state-owned gas company, with whom a memorandum of understanding was previously signed based on Cabinet's Decision No. 23519 of 2023.

Adoption of a prepayment mechanism required by the Turkmen gas company, with the Ministry of Finance ensuring the necessary financial allocations are available on time. The government entity will cover taxes and fees.

Exemption from the performance bond, similar to the Iranian gas contract, with payments made through transfers to the Turkmen gas company and Loxstone Energy, according to the mechanism recommended by the Trade Bank of Iraq. The contract will not be subject to the Public Debt Collection Law.

The contract will be governed by Swiss law, and the contract draft will be based on the sole bid received.

The Cabinet also approved principles of cooperation regarding energy in Iraq between the Ministry of Electricity and Stellar Energy without entering into any financial commitments.

In line with the government’s care for Iraqi citizens deported from abroad, the Cabinet approved a support plan for reintegrating deported Iraqis and managing their affairs upon their return. The plan includes:
a. Defining the profile of deportees.
b. Coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Migration and Displacement on the deportation file.
c. Media awareness on illegal migration.
d. Cancellation of the provision (in the second part of the plan) regarding the reappointment of deported employees.

The Cabinet also approved amendments to its Decisions No. 364 of 2022 and 23193 of 2023 as follows:
1. Cancel Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Decision No. 364 of 2022 and Paragraphs 15 and 16 of Decision No. 23193 of 2023. These will be replaced with: 
Property ownership will be exempt from public auction rules and sold at a specified price, based on Article 39 of the Sale and Rent of State Properties Law No. 21 of 2013, as amended.
2. Amend Paragraph 4 of Decision No. 364 of 2022 to read: "Relevant authorities shall take legal measures to change the land uses of the properties in the residential complexes in Sinjar district, as well as those mentioned in Paragraph 1 of Decision No. 364 of 2022, and grant ownership to Iraqi citizens covered by both Cabinet's decisions.”
3. Amend Paragraph 1 of Decision No. 23193 of 2023 to: "The beneficiary must be an Iraqi citizen occupying one of the residential units in the mentioned complexes."
4. Amend Paragraph 4 of Decision No. 23193 of 2023 to: "Occupancy documents prepared by the UN Habitat program, in coordination with relevant government authorities, shall be relied upon as official documents."
5. Amend Paragraph 9 of Decision No. 23193 of 2023 to: "Administrative and legal committees in local government units will take the necessary actions to resolve part of the land issues related to the properties covered by the two Cabinet's decisions mentioned."

Furthermore, the Cabinet emphasized implementing the directive from the Prime Minister's Office dated March 11, 2024, which included an exemption for 1,000 contracts as per Nineveh Governorate's letter dated March 5, 2024.

To address delayed and halted projects, the Cabinet approved the following:
1. Increasing the contingency fund for the contract to construct an 18-classroom school near Al-Na'imiya checkpoint in Fallujah.
2. Increasing the contingency fund and total cost for the construction of the Najaf Police Department complex.
3. Adding a project component for the supplementary works for the Hawija General Hospital (200 beds) and reducing the cost of the general hospital project in Hawija (200 beds).

Additionally, the Cabinet approved imposing a customs duty of 0.5% on ground and pellet plastic granules, revoking the provision for a zero-duty rate stated in Cabinet's Decision No. 390 of 2019, and adjusting the duties stipulated in Cabinet's Decision No. 23188 of 2023 to 0.5%.

In support of the education sector, the Cabinet approved the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s acquisition of 100 dunams of land in Jar'ah and Kharma for 5,000 dinars per square meter to establish a university and an educational complex in Al-Zawraa district.

The Cabinet also decided to end the hosting arrangement for the Arab Institute for History and Heritage Sciences under the Union of Arab Historians in Iraq, as per the reasons presented by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

In the agricultural sector, the Cabinet approved the continuation of Paragraph 10 of Cabinet's Decision No. 23486 of 2023 for the upcoming season (2024–2025) to support comprehensive agricultural development.