Saturday, April 21, 2007
INM daily summary – 21 April 2007
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- A major immunisation campaign is to take place in Iraq in a bid to prevent an outbreak of measles.
- Kurdistan regional Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani announced on April 19 that he will visit Iran in the coming days to discuss the issue of terrorists crossing the Iranian border into the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
- European Union nations said Friday there was no urgent need to accept more Iraqi refugees, agreeing only to consider sending more humanitarian aid to Syria and Jordan to take in Iraqis.
- At least two major insurgent groups are battling al-Qaida in provinces outside Baghdad, American military commanders said Friday.
- The government has allocated $160 million (approx. 246 billion dinars) for the reconstruction of the Province of Basra.
- As part of the Baghdad security crackdown, 54 "security stations" have been set up across the city, each receiving between 10 and 15 calls per day from the local communities, Maj Gen Caldwell.
- The political bloc of anti- American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has reappointed two members as lawmakers after sacking them earlier this month for meeting U.S. officials.
- A wall U.S. troops are building around a Sunni enclave in Baghdad came under increasing criticism on Saturday.
- Australian Defence Minister Brendon paid an unannounced visit to Baghdad for talks with Nouri al-Maliki.
- Controversial film-maker Oliver Stone is to direct an advert for a campaign calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.
- The head of the parliament's de-Baathification committee said Friday he will fight a U.S.-backed draft law that would allow former senior members in ousted leader Saddam Hussein's ruling party to resume government positions.
- The United Nations-sponsored International Compact for Iraq (ICI), will be launched in Egypt early next month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last night.
- U.S. special coordinator for Iraq David Satterfield held talks on Friday with Turkish officials in Ankara, ahead of the key Iraq meeting in Sharm El Sheikh on May 3-4.
- A group linked to al Qaeda on Saturday claimed responsibility for attacking the convoy of the son of powerful Iraqi Shi'ite politician Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim in southern Baghdad, according to an internet statement.
- Security round-up.
