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DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran and Iraq signed an agreement on Sunday to step up military cooperation and the fight against "terrorism and extremism", Iranian media reported, an accord which is likely to raise concerns in Washington.

Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan and his Iraqi counterpart Erfan al-Hiyali signed a memorandum of understanding which also covered border security, logistics and training, the official news agency IRNA reported.

"Extending cooperation and exchanging experiences in fighting terrorism and extremism, border security, and educational, logistical, technical and military support are among the provisions of this memorandum," IRNA reported after the signing of the accord in Tehran.

Iran-Iraq ties have improved since Iran's long-time enemy Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003 and an Iraqi government led by Shi'ite Muslims came to power. Iran is mostly a Shi'ite nation.

U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced concern over what he sees as growing Iranian influence in conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, where it is aligned with Shi'ite fighters.

Tensions between Iran and the United States have heightened since the election of Trump, who has often accused Tehran of backing militant groups and destabilizing the region.

Earlier this month, Trump said that new threats were emerging from "rogue regimes like North Korea, Iran and Syria and the governments that finance and support them".

The U.S. military has accused Iran of stoking violence in Iraq by funding, training and equipping militias. Iran denies this, blaming the presence of U.S. troops for the violence.

Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Toby Chopra

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Iran and Iraq sign accord to boost military cooperation - Reuters

OVERVIEW

The humanitarian crisis in Iraq remains complex with multiple, unpredictable and volatile dynamics impacting civilians. The pace of displacement, and return, is one of the fastest on recent record. Since military operations began in Mosul in October 2016, about 780,000 people have been displaced from their homes, including over 600,000 people who have been forced to ee from the western neighbourhoods of Mosul city alone. More than 322,000 people are currently sheltering in emergency sites and camps around Mosul while an estimated 288,000 people are staying with families, friends or being hosted by local communities. Humanitarian partners are working to expand camps and ensure people receive emergency supplies and are assisted as they move and settle in safer areas. Humanitarian partners continue to mobilize funding: as of 18 June, the 2017 Humanitarian response Plan (HRP) for Iraq, requesting US$985 million, has received US$414.4 million, amounting to a funding coverage of 42.1 per cent. In May, Mosul humanitarian operations continued to focus on the people in West Mosul, mustering/screening points, camps and out-of-camp settings. Protection of civilians in the old city remained the main concern. There has been an increasing number of people displaced from Western Anbar. There are concerns about discriminatory treatment of families of persons suspected of being aliated or sympathetic to certain armed groups. Partners also focused on contingency activities for people in need in Hawiga.

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Iraq: Humanitarian Dashboard (May 2017) - ReliefWeb

DOHUK, Iraq, (WJTV) Rows and rows of tents full of countless refugee families fill the Khanke Refugee Camp in Dohuk, Iraq. Every single refugee living in these camps has had to flee from ISIS, and ISIS has just come in and destroyed all there villages and cities. They didnt start out being poor people most of them lived in neighborhoods just like you and I.

Lydia Mathis, whos no stranger to the war torn country gained a passion for refugees during her first visit to Iraq. So she mixed that with her passion for dance to bring a little art into the lives of children. Mathis says, they walked into the class which was surprising to me and were just so excited to try everything, they wanted to work hard.

Mathis found that most of the people in these camps deal with some kind of depression everyday. So when she returned this time it was with a mission, this was one of the most rewarding things Ive ever done in my life and even if there was no progression in skill or level which there was I think it was just the most rewarding part was to come in and see them smile.

And though she touched many lives, she says its made the biggest impact on her, I think I will continue to process through all of the things Ive experienced and seen from my students and I think in many ways I came to serve them, but I think theyve given me so much more than I could of ever imagine through this experience.

Excerpt from:
Belhaven student brings hope to Iraq through dance - WJTV

CAIRO (Reuters) - The head of Libya's U.N.-backed government will hold talks in Paris this week with a powerful military commander who has so far rejected his authority, a diplomatic source said.

The talks between Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and commander Khalifa Haftar are aimed at stabilizing the oil-producing country, which has been mired in chaos and fighting since rebels toppled strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Western governments are pushing the U.N.-backed political agreement that installed Serraj's Government of National Unity, but Haftar, whose forces have gained ground in the east of the country, has refused to accept the government's legitimacy.

The two rivals held talks in Abu Dhabi in May, the first in more than a year and a half.

"I know Haftar is in Paris already, Serraj is due to arrive soon. They are aiming for Tuesday," the diplomatic source told Reuters.

A French government spokesman had no comment, and officials with Serraj's government did not return calls. But Libya's Nabaa TV cited a Libyan government source saying Serraj would arrive in Paris on Tuesday.

Years of turmoil in Libya have allowed Islamist State militants and people-traffickers to thrive: the North African country is the main point of embarcation for migrants attempting the dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean to Europe.

With no national army, brigades of former rebels who once fought together to oust Gaddafi have become powerful competing factions. Each is backed by rival political leaders in fluid alliances locked in a struggle for control.

Serraj is loosely supported by a coalition of armed brigades in the west of the country, but even in the capital Tripoli his government has struggled to impose its authority.

Diplomats say the Paris talks will focus on agreeing on key principles - that the political accord is the way forward, that no military solution exists, and Libya's military should be under civilian control.

French President Emmanuel Macron wants France to play a more active role in tackling the Libyan crisis. He plans to meet Haftar and Serraj, the source said, adding an encounter could help bring around the commander by offering him "some form of legitimacy".

The idea would be to bring them into an agreement allowing the U.N. to implement the peace deal and set up elections.

Libya's neighbors and regional powers have often disagreed on how to resolve the crisis. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are closer to Haftar and his self-styled campaign against Isamist militants. Worried about security, Algeria and Tunisia push a more inclusive approach.

Even in the European Union, splits have emerged over how best to bring Haftar into the fold. French officials fear Islamic State militants - who were driven from Libya's coastal city of Sirte last year - and other jihadists could try to exploit the country's power vacuum to regroup there again after losing substantial ground in Syria and Iraq.

Reporting by Patrick Markey; Editing by Mark Trevelyan

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Libyan premier, rival eastern commander to meet in Paris: source - Reuters

Limiting oil output from Nigeria and Libya wont be on the agenda when OPEC and other producers meet on Monday, with both African nations saying theyll need to keep pumping at a higher level before they can joina global effort to stem a supply glut, according to two people familiar with the planned talks.

Nigeria is ready to cap or even reduce supply if it can maintain output of 1.8 million barrels a day, said the two people, asking not to be identified because the information is confidential. Libya isnt planning to join any agreement to curb output until it reaches its target of 1.25 million barrels a day by December, they said.Producers including Saudi Arabia and Russia are gatheringin St. Petersburg, Russia, to assess the effectiveness of an international accord to pare output.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih met with delegations from Libya and Nigeria over the weekend to discuss their production recovery plans, including the challenges they currently face, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said Sunday in a statement on its website.

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Both African OPEC members were exempt from the cuts agreement, which took effect in January, because of their struggles to restore production amid internal strife. Their increased output in recent months has prompted speculation that OPEC may seek to limit their production to help stabilize oil markets.Brent crude has declined 15 percent this year on concerns that rising output from Nigeria and Libya, as well as the U.S., is offsetting the cuts that OPEC and allied producers including Russia extended through March.

The oil market will need more Libyan and Nigerian crude as it re-balances at a faster rate later in the year after a slow start, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo told reporters on Sunday in St. Petersburg.

The re-balancing process may be going on at a slower pace than we earlier projected, but it is on course, and its bound to accelerate in the second half, Barkindo said. Oil demand is expected to grow by 2 million barrels a day in the second half, he said, without specifying if he was comparing that with the same period of 2016 or the first half of this year.

Nigeria boosted its output to 1.75 million barrels a day in June from 1.5 million barrels in December, while Libyas production climbed to 840,000 barrels a day from 630,000 barrels, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

We will of course discuss the situation in all countries, including Libya and Nigeria,Russias Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters. Russia has reduced output by 300,000 barrels a day since October, in line with its agreement to cut production.

Ministers on Monday will discuss other ways to accommodate the recovering output in Libya and Nigeria, one of the people familiar said. Libyas representative at talks on Saturday told a committee of OPEC and non-OPEC members that the country will struggle to reach output of 1.25 million barrels a day and keep it there, at least for the rest of this year, according to both people familiar.

Excerpt from:
Libya, Nigeria Oil Output Caps Are Said to Be Ruled Out for Now - Bloomberg