2011 budget contains positive aspects for provinces – minister

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: The 2011 budget contains several positive aspects for the interests of provinces, said Minister of Finance Rafie al-Issawi during a visit to the southern Iraq province of Basra on Thursday. “Our discussions with the governor of Basra revolved around two points: the 2011 budget for Basra that must be transformed into Iraq’s economic capital, and the finance ministry’s plans to activate its role in the areas of pensions, taxes, customs and banking,” Issawi said in a conference at the Basra province office. “We have emphasized some measures, including the need to avoid depriving Basra from petrodollars as well as investment projects,” he added. The oil-rich port city of Basra, Iraq’s only outlet to waterways, lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (TP) 2006