Thursday, July 05, 2007
Scholars propose plan to divide Iraq into three main regions
(AP) -- With President Bush's war strategy clouded by limited results and mounting casualties, two scholars are proposing a partition plan that would divide Iraq into three main regions. The authors, Edward P. Joseph of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, are hoping to draw the attention of Bush administration policymakers. They are circulating their suggestions within the Bush administration.
Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is a Democratic presidential candidate and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has sought for months to attract support for a partition plan he formulated with Leslie Gelb, former head of the private Council on Foreign Relations. It would establish a federal system of government in Iraq. The idea has gained some attention in Congress but has not been embraced by the Bush administration. "The time may be approaching when the only hope for a more stable Iraq is a soft partition of the country," the report by Joseph and O'Hanlon said.
Administration strategy is geared toward building up a strong central government. But U.S. public support is declining, and according to some observers, Iraq may be on the verge of civil war. A major assessment of policy is expected in September. In the meantime, there have been proposals for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, now numbering about 157,000. The Pentagon says more than 3,500 U.S. troops have died since the beginning of the war in March 2003 that toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Under the plan, Iraqis would divide the country into three main regions. Each would assume primary responsibility for its own security and governance, as Iraqi Kurds already have in Kurdistan. "Creating such a structure could prove to be difficult and risky," the report said. "However, when measured against the alternatives - continuing to police an ethnic-sectarian war, or withdrawing and allowing the conflict to escalate - the risks of soft partition appear more acceptable."
Joseph said in an interview Tuesday: "We have got to find a way through." He said the time had come to decide whether the strategy of promoting a strong central government in Baghdad made sense. "The vision we put forward is not a prescription for immediate withdrawal," Joseph said. "It does involve substantial commitments of U.S. troops." "However," he added, "we anticipate a substantial reduction in U.S. casualties."
The proposal would require the acquiescence of major political factions in Iraq. There would be substantial, voluntary movement in mixed, volatile areas. For instance, Saddam and his predecessors deliberately settled Arab Shiites and Sunnis in Kirkuk to disadvantage the Kurds, Joseph said. Arabs settled there have expressed willingness to move out if they are provided with housing and a livelihood elsewhere.
In Baghdad, rather than keeping vulnerable minorities in tense parts of the capital, Joseph said, "It might make sense to move them voluntarily to places where they would be safer." Among the Shiites, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim of the Supreme Islamic Council has called for a Shiite region for years. But Muqtada al-Sadr and others in the Shiite leadership oppose it, as do the major Sunni politicians. The three main spheres proposed in the report would be Shiite, Sunni and Kurdistan. The Kurds already control Kurdistan.
Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is a Democratic presidential candidate and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has sought for months to attract support for a partition plan he formulated with Leslie Gelb, former head of the private Council on Foreign Relations. It would establish a federal system of government in Iraq. The idea has gained some attention in Congress but has not been embraced by the Bush administration. "The time may be approaching when the only hope for a more stable Iraq is a soft partition of the country," the report by Joseph and O'Hanlon said.
Administration strategy is geared toward building up a strong central government. But U.S. public support is declining, and according to some observers, Iraq may be on the verge of civil war. A major assessment of policy is expected in September. In the meantime, there have been proposals for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, now numbering about 157,000. The Pentagon says more than 3,500 U.S. troops have died since the beginning of the war in March 2003 that toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Under the plan, Iraqis would divide the country into three main regions. Each would assume primary responsibility for its own security and governance, as Iraqi Kurds already have in Kurdistan. "Creating such a structure could prove to be difficult and risky," the report said. "However, when measured against the alternatives - continuing to police an ethnic-sectarian war, or withdrawing and allowing the conflict to escalate - the risks of soft partition appear more acceptable."
Joseph said in an interview Tuesday: "We have got to find a way through." He said the time had come to decide whether the strategy of promoting a strong central government in Baghdad made sense. "The vision we put forward is not a prescription for immediate withdrawal," Joseph said. "It does involve substantial commitments of U.S. troops." "However," he added, "we anticipate a substantial reduction in U.S. casualties."
The proposal would require the acquiescence of major political factions in Iraq. There would be substantial, voluntary movement in mixed, volatile areas. For instance, Saddam and his predecessors deliberately settled Arab Shiites and Sunnis in Kirkuk to disadvantage the Kurds, Joseph said. Arabs settled there have expressed willingness to move out if they are provided with housing and a livelihood elsewhere.
In Baghdad, rather than keeping vulnerable minorities in tense parts of the capital, Joseph said, "It might make sense to move them voluntarily to places where they would be safer." Among the Shiites, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim of the Supreme Islamic Council has called for a Shiite region for years. But Muqtada al-Sadr and others in the Shiite leadership oppose it, as do the major Sunni politicians. The three main spheres proposed in the report would be Shiite, Sunni and Kurdistan. The Kurds already control Kurdistan.
Labels: Brookings Institution, Edward P. Joseph, Iraq, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Michael O'Hanlon, partition
Al Qaeda deputy leader calls on Muslims to rally behind the group
Terrorism
(SITE) - Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second individual in command of al-Qaeda, presents a speech titled, “The Advice of One Concerned”, in a one-hour and thirty-five minute video produced by the multimedia wing of as-Sahab and issued to jihadist forums on Wednesday, July 4, 2007. Zawahiri is dressed in white, three images on a screen to his back, and English-subtitles are provided for the spoken Arabic.
Touching upon a variety of issues pertinent to the jihadi arena and Muslims, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Palestine, Zawahiri repeats his call for unification of Mujahideen and total support among Muslim populations for jihad, but his observations go into considerable depth by utilizing footage from a variety of speakers to dovetail his arguments. For example, in discussing Saudi Arabia and the malignancy of the Saudi Royal Family in regard to that country, Iraq, and the entire region, Zawahiri uses excerpts from Bob Woodward’s book, Plan of Attack, to portray the Kingdom’s culpability in the War in Iraq, its agenda, and collaboration with the West at the expense of Muslims.
Zawahiri also encourages greater support for the Islamic State of Iraq despite it lacking “necessary qualifications”, courts Kurds to join jihad, and lauds Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the deceased Emir of al-Qaeda in Iraq, formerly Tawhid Wal Jihad, for his opening of a path for greater unity in the ranks of Mujahideen by being among the first to pledge to Usama bin Laden and join al-Qaeda.
He adds that other groups have also joined the organization, though they prefered that this news not yet be announced, but the declarations will come soon. Iraq is also the launchpad from which Zawahiri launches his diatribe against Saudi Arabia, using aforementioned evidence to warn that Iraq will fall if the Saudis gain significant influence in its politics. Concerning al-Qaeda, Zawahiri points to a second half of a long-term plan, consisting of using Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia as camps for jihadi preparation and training.
Labels: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in Iraq, as-Sahab, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Islamic State of Iraq, Kurds, Tawhid Wal Jihad
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Sunni, Shia families swap houses to stay safe
Security
(IRIN) - Iraq's unprecedented turning point in relations between Sunni and Shia Muslims can be traced directly to 22 February 2006, when a revered Shia shrine in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, was bombed. Sunni extremists were blamed for the act. The attack, which was repeated last month, spawned days of reprisals that damaged or destroyed dozens of mosques, killed hundreds and made thousands of families homeless, compounding the displacement problem created after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
As a result, a new phenomenon has emerged: Sunni and Shia families are swapping houses. Estate agents are providing lists of available properties, facilitating swap arrangements. "It is hard to leave the house you built and in which you spent your life raising your children, and which contains memories in every corner, but death is dreadful," said bearded Najim, a 52-year-old Shia pensioner and father of six boys.
"When I heard about house exchanges, I immediately started looking for a displaced Sunni family from Baghdad to take my house in Dora. After weeks of inquiries, I found an estate agent with a list of uprooted Sunni families looking to swap properties," he said.
"After a search of nearly a month, I was introduced to Najim at an estate agent's office and we each agreed to take the other's house for six months, but we left our furniture in our houses because many people have been attacked by militants while moving household belongings," said Khayon, a 49-year-old father of three girls.
According to their renewable deal, which was drafted at the estate agent's office, the two families agreed to exchange their houses until the security situation improves.
"House swaps are booming," said an estate agent in Dora who arranged the Najim-Khayon deal but who did not want to be named for security reasons. "Since houses prices are declining due to the deteriorated security situation, families can't sell their houses and prefer to swap," he added. He went on to say that since the beginning of the year he had housed 211 uprooted Sunni families in Dora and its suburbs "without any problems and all sides are satisfied".
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), since February 2006 about 822,810 Iraqis have been prompted to leave their homes and move to new areas in search of basic security. The figure is higher than the estimated figure of 600,000 issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement. Of these, about 40,000 families - or about 200,000 people - have fled their homes in Baghdad, a senior official at the ministry told IRIN - on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to disclose numbers.
Other families, doubtful of such swap-deals or suspicious of the estate agents, try to find people with whom they can exchange their houses by putting out the word to relatives and family friends. Some do not swap their homes but find families to stay in them before they flee. But there have also been problems.
Nadhim Mahmoud Ali, a 59-year-old Shia doctor, fled his house in Baghdad's western Sunni suburb of Amiriyah in January and moved to the country's northern autonomous region of Kurdistan after finding a Sunni family to stay in his house.
"But a month later, he [the head of the Sunni family] started calling us asking permission to open all the rooms in the house, claiming that they don't have enough rooms. And then he started asking permission to sell our furniture to feed his family," Ali said. "The latest shock was last month when he gave me a call to say that the Iraqi Islamic Party [an influential Sunni political group] had given him the house as it belonged to a Shia family and he was an uprooted Sunni," he added.
Similarly, houses of uprooted Sunni families have been turned over to displaced Shia families by the Mahdi army, a Shia militia loyal to radical religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr that has been blamed for sectarian killings. On 24 February the Iraqi government, which says it is seeking to end sectarian violence and the illegal seizure of homes in the capital, launched a new security crackdown called "Operation Imposing Law", in conjunction with US forces, to try to achieve its aims.
In a bid to stop the sectarian bloodletting, the government said those who had occupied the homes of displaced families would be given 15 days to return the properties to their original owners or prove they had permission to be there. However, as the security operation enters its seventh month, there is little evidence so far of many people returning to their rightful homes.
As a result, a new phenomenon has emerged: Sunni and Shia families are swapping houses. Estate agents are providing lists of available properties, facilitating swap arrangements. "It is hard to leave the house you built and in which you spent your life raising your children, and which contains memories in every corner, but death is dreadful," said bearded Najim, a 52-year-old Shia pensioner and father of six boys.
"When I heard about house exchanges, I immediately started looking for a displaced Sunni family from Baghdad to take my house in Dora. After weeks of inquiries, I found an estate agent with a list of uprooted Sunni families looking to swap properties," he said.
"After a search of nearly a month, I was introduced to Najim at an estate agent's office and we each agreed to take the other's house for six months, but we left our furniture in our houses because many people have been attacked by militants while moving household belongings," said Khayon, a 49-year-old father of three girls.
According to their renewable deal, which was drafted at the estate agent's office, the two families agreed to exchange their houses until the security situation improves.
"House swaps are booming," said an estate agent in Dora who arranged the Najim-Khayon deal but who did not want to be named for security reasons. "Since houses prices are declining due to the deteriorated security situation, families can't sell their houses and prefer to swap," he added. He went on to say that since the beginning of the year he had housed 211 uprooted Sunni families in Dora and its suburbs "without any problems and all sides are satisfied".
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), since February 2006 about 822,810 Iraqis have been prompted to leave their homes and move to new areas in search of basic security. The figure is higher than the estimated figure of 600,000 issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement. Of these, about 40,000 families - or about 200,000 people - have fled their homes in Baghdad, a senior official at the ministry told IRIN - on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to disclose numbers.
Other families, doubtful of such swap-deals or suspicious of the estate agents, try to find people with whom they can exchange their houses by putting out the word to relatives and family friends. Some do not swap their homes but find families to stay in them before they flee. But there have also been problems.
Nadhim Mahmoud Ali, a 59-year-old Shia doctor, fled his house in Baghdad's western Sunni suburb of Amiriyah in January and moved to the country's northern autonomous region of Kurdistan after finding a Sunni family to stay in his house.
"But a month later, he [the head of the Sunni family] started calling us asking permission to open all the rooms in the house, claiming that they don't have enough rooms. And then he started asking permission to sell our furniture to feed his family," Ali said. "The latest shock was last month when he gave me a call to say that the Iraqi Islamic Party [an influential Sunni political group] had given him the house as it belonged to a Shia family and he was an uprooted Sunni," he added.
Similarly, houses of uprooted Sunni families have been turned over to displaced Shia families by the Mahdi army, a Shia militia loyal to radical religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr that has been blamed for sectarian killings. On 24 February the Iraqi government, which says it is seeking to end sectarian violence and the illegal seizure of homes in the capital, launched a new security crackdown called "Operation Imposing Law", in conjunction with US forces, to try to achieve its aims.
In a bid to stop the sectarian bloodletting, the government said those who had occupied the homes of displaced families would be given 15 days to return the properties to their original owners or prove they had permission to be there. However, as the security operation enters its seventh month, there is little evidence so far of many people returning to their rightful homes.
Labels: estate agents, house swap, Iraq, security
Cabinet reshuffle to improve performance
Politics
(Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will shrink his cabinet to improve government performance amid frustration at its failure to deliver on security and political reform, a top aide said on Wednesday. "It has been agreed to have a total cabinet reshuffle by reducing the number of ministries from 36, to 20 or 22 ministries," Sami al-Askari, a Shi'ite member of parliament and senior Maliki adviser, said on state Iraqiya television.
He gave no indication of when the changes would be made or if the various political blocs in government had agreed. Maliki has said for months he wanted a reshuffle to cull inefficient ministers and bring in more technocrats. On Tuesday, he acknowledged the government's performance had been poor.
Repeating his intention to make cabinet changes, Maliki said the decision for a reshuffle "came as a response to the weakness of the performance of this government, which is based on sectarian lines". "The prime minister must have the complete right to select his ministries. At that point, the prime minister can be held accountable for his choices," Maliki said.
Cabinet posts reflect a quota system largely based on seats held in parliament by the Shi'ite majority, minority Sunni Arabs and Kurds. This has made many ministers more loyal to their political and sectarian blocs than Maliki.
Six ministers from the main Sunni bloc, the Accordance Front, have been boycotting cabinet since last week in anger over legal moves against one of their colleagues. Six others from a Shi'ite bloc loyal of fiery anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr suspended their membership last month in protest at the bombing of a revered Shi'ite shrine in the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad.
He gave no indication of when the changes would be made or if the various political blocs in government had agreed. Maliki has said for months he wanted a reshuffle to cull inefficient ministers and bring in more technocrats. On Tuesday, he acknowledged the government's performance had been poor.
Repeating his intention to make cabinet changes, Maliki said the decision for a reshuffle "came as a response to the weakness of the performance of this government, which is based on sectarian lines". "The prime minister must have the complete right to select his ministries. At that point, the prime minister can be held accountable for his choices," Maliki said.
Cabinet posts reflect a quota system largely based on seats held in parliament by the Shi'ite majority, minority Sunni Arabs and Kurds. This has made many ministers more loyal to their political and sectarian blocs than Maliki.
Six ministers from the main Sunni bloc, the Accordance Front, have been boycotting cabinet since last week in anger over legal moves against one of their colleagues. Six others from a Shi'ite bloc loyal of fiery anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr suspended their membership last month in protest at the bombing of a revered Shi'ite shrine in the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad.
Labels: cabinet, Nouri Al-Maliki, Sami al-Askari
Baghdad Governorate Council Has New Plan To Run Private Fuel Stations In Baghdad
Economy
(Badr Newspaper) - 3 JUL - Baghdad Governorate Council has agreed with the Oil Ministry to form a joint committee to create a plan to run private fuel stations. During a meeting held in the Oil Ministry headquarters and which was attended by Mr. Nazar Al Sultan, the Council’s Energy Committee Chief, and Mr. Mutasim Akram Hassan, an Oil Ministry advisor. Nazar Sultan said, “A technical and a legal committee will be formed that includes Baghdad Governorate Council members and Iraqi oil experts to create a plan to operate private fuel stations in Baghdad and to support the private sector.”
In related news, the Baghdad Governorate Council members discussed the subject of providing Baghdad Municipality with gasoline. The issue of supplying Baghdad Municipality with diesel was discussed for the purpose of carrying out projects and operating “pumping stations.” The council members decided to provide Baghdad Municipality with the gasoline that it needs.
In related news, the Baghdad Governorate Council members discussed the subject of providing Baghdad Municipality with gasoline. The issue of supplying Baghdad Municipality with diesel was discussed for the purpose of carrying out projects and operating “pumping stations.” The council members decided to provide Baghdad Municipality with the gasoline that it needs.
Mr. Nazar Al Sultan spoke about the fuel crisis in Baghdad and he called for a quick solution to this crisis. The Oil Ministry advisor stated that the reasons behind this crisis are corruption and the small number of fuel stations in Baghdad. He confirmed, “We have enough fuel but there are technical and security reasons that prevent us from providing Baghdad with more fuel.”
Mr. Mutasim Akram Hassan, the Oil Ministry Advisor for Distribution Efforts said, “The Oil Ministry has created a number of steps to resolve the fuel crisis, such as selling fuel directly to citizens who need it for small generators.” Nazar Al Sultan, the Energy Committee Chief, called for the distribution of fuel through the district councils and the Baghdad Governorate Council must be responsible for this matter. Al Sultan clarified that Dora Refinery needs to be used to its capacity to provide Baghdad with fuel.
Labels: Baghdad Governorate Council, corruption, Dora refinery, fuel stations, Oil Ministry, privatisation
Iraqi Government Should Be Held Responsible For Criminal Acts Of Militias
Politics, Security
(Dar Al Salam Newspaper) - 3 JUL - Accord Front Parliament Member – Mr. Abd Al Karim Al Samaraie said the security forces should be held entirely responsible for failing to stop the militias’ criminal activities. Al Samaraie added, “Terrorist attacks have been occurring, and occur everyday, in Baghdad. Nowadays we are hearing stories that we had never heard before… even during the times of the “Mongol era”.
Al Samaraie clarified: we have evidence that we have seen and heard about that confirms that the Ministry of the Interior’s security forces are involved in the militias’ attacks. The militias are: raiding houses, and killing family members in these houses even if the family members are women, children, or old men. The militias have burnt Iraqis; and, militias have displaced families after killing the families’ sons.
(Al Samaraie continued,) there is an outside (foreign) agenda which aims to reshape Baghdad’s demography. All of these (types of) militia attacks (have continued to) occur while the new security plan is in progress. Al Samaraie pointed out that all of Iraq’s politicians say: the security forces are corrupt and the government should be held responsible. If the government is unable to stop the militias, then it (the govt.) should leave (step down/be replaced) in order for Iraqis to find someone who is capable of: leading them and confronting these problems.
Al Samaraie demanded that the individuals responsible for the Baghdad Security Plan should treat all of the insurgents, in Iraq’s streets, equally and take them to the courts.
(Al Samaraie continued,) there is an outside (foreign) agenda which aims to reshape Baghdad’s demography. All of these (types of) militia attacks (have continued to) occur while the new security plan is in progress. Al Samaraie pointed out that all of Iraq’s politicians say: the security forces are corrupt and the government should be held responsible. If the government is unable to stop the militias, then it (the govt.) should leave (step down/be replaced) in order for Iraqis to find someone who is capable of: leading them and confronting these problems.
Al Samaraie demanded that the individuals responsible for the Baghdad Security Plan should treat all of the insurgents, in Iraq’s streets, equally and take them to the courts.
Labels: Abd Al Karim Al Samaraie, Iraqi Accord Front, militias, Ministry of Interior
U.S. warns Turkey against attacking northern Iraq
Security, Region
(AFP) - The US military warned Turkey Tuesday against destabilizing northern Iraq by carrying out a threatened cross-border raid on Kurdish rebels. The US armed forces have a "great relationship with the military of Turkey," said Brigadier General Perry Wiggins, deputy director for operations of the Pentagon's Joint Staff.
But he cautioned: "As the secretary of defense (Robert Gates) has said, any disruption up in northern Iraq would not be helpful at this time." Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Friday his country had drawn up plans for an eventual incursion into neighboring northern Iraq to pursue rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) taking refuge there.
Gul warned that Turkey would activate its plans if the Iraqi authorities or the United States failed to curb the PKK, which is listed as a terror organization by both Ankara and Washington. "Unfortunately, the level of cooperation by the United States is below our expectations," he said in remarks published by the Radikal daily.
Army chief Yasar Buyukanit has long been calling for a strike against PKK rebels based in Kurdish-run northern Iraq where, Turkey says, the PKK enjoys free movement and obtains arms and explosives for attacks on its soil. But US officials, fearful of havoc in the only part of Iraq that has enjoyed relative calm, are anxious to forestall any Turkish intervention.
"We hope there is no unilateral military action taken on the other side of the Iraqi border," Gates said on June 3. On June 18, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured Ankara that the United States and Iraq were against any "terrorist" actions conducted from Iraqi territory against Turkey.
But he cautioned: "As the secretary of defense (Robert Gates) has said, any disruption up in northern Iraq would not be helpful at this time." Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Friday his country had drawn up plans for an eventual incursion into neighboring northern Iraq to pursue rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) taking refuge there.
Gul warned that Turkey would activate its plans if the Iraqi authorities or the United States failed to curb the PKK, which is listed as a terror organization by both Ankara and Washington. "Unfortunately, the level of cooperation by the United States is below our expectations," he said in remarks published by the Radikal daily.
Army chief Yasar Buyukanit has long been calling for a strike against PKK rebels based in Kurdish-run northern Iraq where, Turkey says, the PKK enjoys free movement and obtains arms and explosives for attacks on its soil. But US officials, fearful of havoc in the only part of Iraq that has enjoyed relative calm, are anxious to forestall any Turkish intervention.
"We hope there is no unilateral military action taken on the other side of the Iraqi border," Gates said on June 3. On June 18, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured Ankara that the United States and Iraq were against any "terrorist" actions conducted from Iraqi territory against Turkey.
Labels: Abdullah Gul, Brigadier General Perry Wiggins, Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, PKK, Robert Gates, Turkey, U.S.
Iraq's education system collapses amongst militia threats and corruption
Education, Corruption
(Christian Science Monitor) - Over the past two weeks, Iraq has seen an unprecedented level of interference by militias and insurgents as students have taken national exams for middle and high school diplomas. Cheating and bribing have also marred the process - as have threats by parents to uncooperative teachers.
Iraq's schools and universities were once the pride of the Arab world. But one expert says that what has happened inside exam halls, along with the plummeting standards of the education system, are further symptoms of the systematic unravelling of Iraqi society and its institutions. "There is real terror going on at some of these exams," says Asma Jamil, a sociologist at Baghdad University, adding that students feel that Iraq's instability gives them the right to cheat, while armed groups want to win the sympathy of the public.
"It's a result of greater social decay," she says, "and it feeds it by graduating a generation of aggressive, sometimes extremist, students who have very little capability for critical thinking." The Ministry of Education recently solicited solutions to the problem from her and other experts, she says, but that there has been little follow-up. "We are witnessing," she says, "the complete collapse of the education system."
Education Minister Khudayer Al Khuzaie says that all the talk of violations at exam centres were rumours and part of a smear campaign. According to Asma, the 1970s and '80s saw great strides that set Iraq apart in the region. The system started declining in the 1990s after the first Gulf War, when economic sanctions and poverty prompted some officials to sell exam questions or award fictitious degrees.
One student, who did not wish to give his name, says that he had accompanied five friends, including the son of a former minister, to the principal's house. "I saw them writing their names on the dollar bills they handed to the principal," he charges.
A teacher in Baiyaa, who gave her name as Umm Sarah, says militiamen stormed into her school and ordered proctors out of one exam. "One had a pistol under his shirt. We were terrified," she says. In a separate incident, she says, parents confronted her and others and were about to beat them for not allowing cheating, before being rescued by a police patrol.
Iraq's schools and universities were once the pride of the Arab world. But one expert says that what has happened inside exam halls, along with the plummeting standards of the education system, are further symptoms of the systematic unravelling of Iraqi society and its institutions. "There is real terror going on at some of these exams," says Asma Jamil, a sociologist at Baghdad University, adding that students feel that Iraq's instability gives them the right to cheat, while armed groups want to win the sympathy of the public.
"It's a result of greater social decay," she says, "and it feeds it by graduating a generation of aggressive, sometimes extremist, students who have very little capability for critical thinking." The Ministry of Education recently solicited solutions to the problem from her and other experts, she says, but that there has been little follow-up. "We are witnessing," she says, "the complete collapse of the education system."
Education Minister Khudayer Al Khuzaie says that all the talk of violations at exam centres were rumours and part of a smear campaign. According to Asma, the 1970s and '80s saw great strides that set Iraq apart in the region. The system started declining in the 1990s after the first Gulf War, when economic sanctions and poverty prompted some officials to sell exam questions or award fictitious degrees.
One student, who did not wish to give his name, says that he had accompanied five friends, including the son of a former minister, to the principal's house. "I saw them writing their names on the dollar bills they handed to the principal," he charges.
A teacher in Baiyaa, who gave her name as Umm Sarah, says militiamen stormed into her school and ordered proctors out of one exam. "One had a pistol under his shirt. We were terrified," she says. In a separate incident, she says, parents confronted her and others and were about to beat them for not allowing cheating, before being rescued by a police patrol.
Labels: corruption, education, exams, militias, students
Contractors outnumber U.S. troops in Iraq
(Los Angeles Times) - The number of U.S.-paid private contractors in Iraq now exceeds that of American combat troops, newly released figures show, raising fresh questions about the privatization of the war effort and the government's capacity to carry out military and rebuilding campaigns. More than 180,000 civilians — including Americans, foreigners and Iraqis — are working in Iraq under U.S. contracts, according to State and Defense department figures obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
Including the recent troop buildup, 160,000 soldiers and a few thousand civilian government employees are stationed in Iraq. The total number of private contractors, far higher than previously reported, shows how heavily the Bush administration has relied on corporations to carry out the occupation of Iraq — a mission criticized as being undermanned.
"These numbers are big," said Peter Singer, a Brookings Institution scholar who has written on military contracting. "They illustrate better than anything that we went in without enough troops. This is not the coalition of the willing. It's the coalition of the billing." The numbers include at least 21,000 Americans, 43,000 foreign contractors and about 118,000 Iraqis — all employed in Iraq by U.S. tax dollars, according to the most recent government data.
The array of private workers promises to be a factor in debates on a range of policy issues, including the privatization of military jobs and the number of Iraqi refugees allowed to resettle in the U.S. But there are also signs that even those mounting numbers may not capture the full picture. Private security contractors, who are hired to protect government officials and buildings, were not fully counted in the survey, according to industry and government officials.
Continuing uncertainty over the numbers of armed contractors drew special criticism from military experts. "We don't have control of all the coalition guns in Iraq. That's dangerous for our country," said William Nash, a retired Army general and reconstruction expert. The Pentagon "is hiring guns. You can rationalize it all you want, but that's obscene." Although private companies have played a role in conflicts since the American Revolution, the U.S. has relied more on contractors in Iraq than in any other war, according to military experts. Contractors perform functions including construction, security and weapons system maintenance.
Military officials say contractors cut costs while allowing troops to focus on fighting rather than on other tasks. "The only reason we have contractors is to support the war fighter," said Gary Motsek, the assistant deputy undersecretary of Defense who oversees contractors. "Fundamentally, they're supporting the mission as required.
Adding an element of potential confusion, no single agency keeps track of the number or location of contractors. In response to demands from Congress, the U.S. Central Command began a census last year of the number of contractors working on U.S. and Iraqi bases to determine how much food, water and shelter was needed. That census, provided to The Times under the Freedom of Information Act, shows about 130,000 contractors and subcontractors of different nationalities working at U.S. and Iraqi military bases. However, U.S. military officials acknowledged that the census did not include other government agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department.
Labels: census, Centcom, contractors, Gary Motsek, Iraq, U.S. troops
18 killed by a car bomb in Sadr City
Security
(Al Jazeera) - At least 18 people have been killed by a car bomb in Baghdad's Sadr City, medical officials and police have said. The explosives-laden car also wounded 35 other people when it blew up in a market of the al-Shaab neighbourhood in the predominantly Shia area. A doctor at the Imam Ali hospital in Sadr City said the casualties included women and children. The parked car exploded just before nightfall on Tuesday as the market was packed with shoppers.
The bombing was the second to target markets in the capital in 24 hours. An explosion at the al-Nidawi market in northeast Baghdad on Monday killed 11 people and wounded more than 33, security and defence officials said.
The bombing was the second to target markets in the capital in 24 hours. An explosion at the al-Nidawi market in northeast Baghdad on Monday killed 11 people and wounded more than 33, security and defence officials said.
Earlier, in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, two bystanders died in a car bomb apparently aimed at killing a local police commander. Adil Zenaid Abideen, a police colonel, said: "Those killed included a woman and among the wounded are three children and five policemen. The police chief escaped the attack."
Labels: al-Nidawi, al-Shaab, car bomb, Kirkuk, Sadr City
Human Rights Watch publishes report on torture in Kurdistan
Humanitarian
(AP) - Security forces in northern Iraq's Kurdistan, the heartland of the Kurdish minority long tormented by Saddam Hussein, routinely torture detainees with beatings and electric shocks and hold hundreds of prisoners for long periods without charge, a human rights group said Tuesday.
The Human Rights Watch report , based on interviews conducted from April to October 2006 with more than 150 detainees, demanded a comprehensive overhaul of detention practices in the Kurdish region and urged an independent body to investigate torture claims.
"We are surprised that the Kurds are practicing such violations after they were victims of torture during the Saddam era," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, said, referring to the ousted Iraqi leader's oppression of the Kurds.
"We appreciate the efforts by Kurdistan government to combat terrorism and secure Kurdistan, but we see that such violations against prisoners are not a good thing," she told a press conference in the northern city of Irbil.
Brig. Gen. Seif-Eddine Ali, head of security for one of the two major Kurdish parties, said the report was "inaccurate" and the findings out-of-date. "I call on the group to come and see the prisons and speak with the prisoners," Ali said. "The Human Rights Watch report is old and there have been improvements on all sides."
But Mohammed Faraj, a lawmaker who heads the human rights committee in the Kurdistan region's parliament, said a parliament commission visited Kurdish prisons in April and found that "indeed there were violation. The Kurdistan government has a real and strong intention to work hard to solve this issue," he said, adding that the government released some 400 detainees held in security forces' prisons in June and that more were expected to be freed.
The Human Rights Watch report , based on interviews conducted from April to October 2006 with more than 150 detainees, demanded a comprehensive overhaul of detention practices in the Kurdish region and urged an independent body to investigate torture claims.
"We are surprised that the Kurds are practicing such violations after they were victims of torture during the Saddam era," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, said, referring to the ousted Iraqi leader's oppression of the Kurds.
"We appreciate the efforts by Kurdistan government to combat terrorism and secure Kurdistan, but we see that such violations against prisoners are not a good thing," she told a press conference in the northern city of Irbil.
Brig. Gen. Seif-Eddine Ali, head of security for one of the two major Kurdish parties, said the report was "inaccurate" and the findings out-of-date. "I call on the group to come and see the prisons and speak with the prisoners," Ali said. "The Human Rights Watch report is old and there have been improvements on all sides."
But Mohammed Faraj, a lawmaker who heads the human rights committee in the Kurdistan region's parliament, said a parliament commission visited Kurdish prisons in April and found that "indeed there were violation. The Kurdistan government has a real and strong intention to work hard to solve this issue," he said, adding that the government released some 400 detainees held in security forces' prisons in June and that more were expected to be freed.
Labels: Brig. Gen. Seif-Eddine Ali, detention centres, human rights violation, Human Rights Watch, Kurdistan, torture
Iraqi Accordance Front member says he will join resistance
Politics
(RFE/RL) - During a June 30 interview with Al-Jazeera satellite television, Abd al-Nasir al-Janabi, a Sunni lawmaker and member of the Iraqi Accordance Front, said he has resigned from both the front and parliament, and has decided to join the armed resistance. He stressed that the political process has become a tool of the U.S. and Iranian occupation, and called on other lawmakers to join the resistance.
"I urge those who joined the Iraqi parliament under the name of nationalism and Islam to withdraw from the Iraqi parliament and the Iraqi government, which have become tools of destruction in the hands of the U.S. and Iranian occupation in Iraq," al-Janabi said.
"The only solution in Iraq is armed resistance, which is the only way to rescue Iraq from the crisis it is facing." He also lamented that Iraq has become a battleground between U.S. and Iranian proxy forces, which has left the country in ruins. On June 29, the Iraqi Accordance Front, the largest Sunni political bloc, announced that it will withdraw all six of its members from the cabinet of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to protest the arrest warrant issued against Culture Minister As'ad al-Hashimi
Labels: Abd al-Nasir al-Janabi, Iraqi Accordance Front, Iraqi resistance
Parliament debate on draft oil law unlikely to go smoothly
Oil
(Reuters) - Iraq's parliament may take a week to start debating a landmark draft oil law, officials said on Wednesday, as complaints from Kurdish authorities and Sunni Arab politicians signaled its passage could be rocky. Washington has pushed Iraq for months to speed up passage of the law and other pieces of legislation, which are seen as vital to curbing sectarian violence and healing deep divisions between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs.
Presentation of the draft to parliament after the cabinet approved it on Tuesday was a big step towards meeting a key political target set by the United States. But Mohammed Abu Bakr, head of parliament's media office, said the law had to first go to the energy and oil committee. "We need seven days to get the draft on the agenda of parliament to discuss it," he said.
The oil law is intended to ensure a fair distribution of the world's third largest oil reserves, which are located mainly in the Shi'ite south and the Kurdish north of Iraq. Sunni Arabs, the backbone of the insurgency, live mainly in central provinces that have little proven oil wealth and have long feared they would miss out on any windfall.
In a sign of future trouble, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said it had not seen nor approved the draft. "We hope the cabinet is not approving a text with which the KRG disagrees because this would violate the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan region," the KRG said in a statement.
Presentation of the draft to parliament after the cabinet approved it on Tuesday was a big step towards meeting a key political target set by the United States. But Mohammed Abu Bakr, head of parliament's media office, said the law had to first go to the energy and oil committee. "We need seven days to get the draft on the agenda of parliament to discuss it," he said.
The oil law is intended to ensure a fair distribution of the world's third largest oil reserves, which are located mainly in the Shi'ite south and the Kurdish north of Iraq. Sunni Arabs, the backbone of the insurgency, live mainly in central provinces that have little proven oil wealth and have long feared they would miss out on any windfall.
In a sign of future trouble, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said it had not seen nor approved the draft. "We hope the cabinet is not approving a text with which the KRG disagrees because this would violate the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan region," the KRG said in a statement.
Labels: draft oil law, energy and oil committee, Iraqi parliament, KRG
There Is Assistance To Lebanese Militias Entering Basrah
Al Watan (Saudi Arabian Newspaper): (Crime) [Ä Dar Al Salam Newspaper] (3 JUL)
High-level sources in Basrah have confirmed: pamphlets have been distributed which say that Hezbollah’s leaders are coming to Iraq in order to supervise operations there. Al Watan Newspaper said, “An insurgent group is assisting Hezbollah members’ entry into Basrah.” The situation in Basrah has greatly deteriorated; the displacements of Sunni families are continuous. Everyday 17 (Sunni) families are displaced; they go to either Mosul or Salah Ad Din.
Sources confirmed, “Security forces and Occupation forces (in Basrah) have established many procedures in order to prevent insurgent attacks. Basrah’s Police Chief – Brigadier Ali Hamadi Al Musawi was (recently) dismissed and he was replaced by Brigadier Abd Al Jalil Khalaf.”
High-level sources in Basrah have confirmed: pamphlets have been distributed which say that Hezbollah’s leaders are coming to Iraq in order to supervise operations there. Al Watan Newspaper said, “An insurgent group is assisting Hezbollah members’ entry into Basrah.” The situation in Basrah has greatly deteriorated; the displacements of Sunni families are continuous. Everyday 17 (Sunni) families are displaced; they go to either Mosul or Salah Ad Din.
Sources confirmed, “Security forces and Occupation forces (in Basrah) have established many procedures in order to prevent insurgent attacks. Basrah’s Police Chief – Brigadier Ali Hamadi Al Musawi was (recently) dismissed and he was replaced by Brigadier Abd Al Jalil Khalaf.”
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Iraqi cabinet agrees to purchase aircraft for Basra airport
Travel
(Iraq Updates) - The Iraqi cabinet has agreed to purchase new aircraft to strengthen aviation in the international Basra airport and has also agreed to widening flights with other countries, including Europe, Abdulrazzaq Qassim, director of the airport said.
He added that if these aircrafts were purchased, there would be flights to some of the Arab and European states from the airport, which witnesses alot of flying movement because of the economic and commercial importance of Basra city, the second largest city in Iraq.
There were no further details as to how much the aircrafts would cost or the type of crafts that would be purchased. Meanwhile, work continues to repair the airport as it prepares for the next pilgrimage season, which starts soon.
He added that if these aircrafts were purchased, there would be flights to some of the Arab and European states from the airport, which witnesses alot of flying movement because of the economic and commercial importance of Basra city, the second largest city in Iraq.
There were no further details as to how much the aircrafts would cost or the type of crafts that would be purchased. Meanwhile, work continues to repair the airport as it prepares for the next pilgrimage season, which starts soon.
Labels: Abdulrazzaq Qassim, aircraft, aviation, Basra
IAP awarded $75 mn. contract by USACE at Camp Taji
Contracts
(Orlando Business Journal) - IAP Worldwide Services Inc. (International American Products)has been awarded a task order contract worth up to $75 million over two years by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Cape Canaveral company will renovate, construct and potentially operate and maintain various facilities and functions at Iraq's Taji National Depot, a complex that will be used by the Iraqi army for its depot functions.
The complex is adjacent to the U.S. Army's Camp Taji. IAP's subsidiary, RMS, currently provides the U.S. Army with department of public works support on its side of the complex.
Since 2003, IAP has installed and maintained more than 5,000 modular billet rooms at the camp, constructed and operated prime power plans, and maintained infrastructure and utilities.
The complex is adjacent to the U.S. Army's Camp Taji. IAP's subsidiary, RMS, currently provides the U.S. Army with department of public works support on its side of the complex.
Since 2003, IAP has installed and maintained more than 5,000 modular billet rooms at the camp, constructed and operated prime power plans, and maintained infrastructure and utilities.
Labels: Camp Taji, Dave Swindle, Dwight Clark, IAP Worldwide Services Inc., MATOC, RMS, USACE
Gates seeks U.S. troop cuts in exchange for a smaller longterm presence
Security
(AFP) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is seeking a political deal in Washington to trade off troop cuts in Iraq for support for a long-term, smaller presence there, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Citing unnamed US government officials, the Journal said that Gates and some political allies are pursuing political support for maintaining a US military presence in Iraq to continue the fight against Al-Qaeda.
The tradeoff, according to the report, is a commitment to slashing back troop levels -- now about 155,000 -- by the end of President George W. Bush's term in office, in January 2009. Gates's goal is to mollify the strong US sentiment for a pullout of US forces, while not abandoning Iraq altogether.
"The complicating factor is how long the administration will stick with its 'surge' strategy of keeping high levels of troops in Iraq to try to tamp down violence there. On this issue, the administration -- and even the military -- is deeply divided," the Journal said.
In Gates's plan, the US would trim back its presence and its goals to fighting Al-Qaeda and simply containing a civil war that might erupt, rather than the current aim of defeating all insurgents and ending the conflict between Iraqi groups, mostly aligned on Sunni and Shiite Muslim lines.
"The change in thinking underscores administration officials' increasing concern that rapidly diminishing support for the war among Americans and in Congress could spark a precipitous withdrawal," the newspaper said. "Administration officials fear such an outcome could endanger US national security by leaving a failed state in the hands of Shiite and Sunni Islamic extremists."
The tradeoff, according to the report, is a commitment to slashing back troop levels -- now about 155,000 -- by the end of President George W. Bush's term in office, in January 2009. Gates's goal is to mollify the strong US sentiment for a pullout of US forces, while not abandoning Iraq altogether.
"The complicating factor is how long the administration will stick with its 'surge' strategy of keeping high levels of troops in Iraq to try to tamp down violence there. On this issue, the administration -- and even the military -- is deeply divided," the Journal said.
In Gates's plan, the US would trim back its presence and its goals to fighting Al-Qaeda and simply containing a civil war that might erupt, rather than the current aim of defeating all insurgents and ending the conflict between Iraqi groups, mostly aligned on Sunni and Shiite Muslim lines.
"The change in thinking underscores administration officials' increasing concern that rapidly diminishing support for the war among Americans and in Congress could spark a precipitous withdrawal," the newspaper said. "Administration officials fear such an outcome could endanger US national security by leaving a failed state in the hands of Shiite and Sunni Islamic extremists."
Labels: Iraq, Robert Gates, U.S. troop cuts
Corruption rife as unemployed flock to join Iraqi army
Security
(Azzaman) - Volunteer armies complain of lack of recruits but that is not the case with the nascent Iraqi forces. Officers complain that they normally have more volunteers than the number of applicants they ask for despite mounting violence and suicide attacks. When Iraqi police and military authorities announced their need for 3,000 volunteers in the violence-torn districts in Baghdad’s suburbs, they received more than 15,000 applications.
“Unemployment is worse than death,” replied a young man amid a big crowd of people willing to register their names as volunteers at an army recruit center in Baghdad. Army recruitment centers have been scenes of repeated suicide bombing and hundreds of recruits have been killed in such attacks. Guards at the center at Alzawara Park could hardly bring some sort of order to a crowd of recruits fighting to present their papers.
Some recruits complained of corruption, saying officials in the center would normally ask for a tip of nearly 1,000 dollars to have their names registered as volunteers. Ali Hussain, whose application was not even handled, said he was turned away by an officer who openly asked for a bribe. “He (the officer) asked for ten 100 dollar bills. I asked him earnestly to reduce the amount, but he refused and my application was rejected. Finding a job is almost impossible and the only way to earn a decent living is by joining the army despite the hazards,” he said.
Other recruits refusing to be named said their applications were eventually rejected despite paying the money to those running the center. It was hard to get any of the officers in the center to speak on the record. One officer, who would only talk on condition of not revealing his name and rank, agreed that there was corruption in the army and particularly at recruiting centers.
“What you have discovered is true … but those found guilty of corruption are charged and dismissed. But I don’t think the problem is on the scale described in the media,” he said. He said the problem was that the number of volunteers always far exceeds what the army really needs. “This prompts some to use corruption and bribes in processing the applications,” he said.
“Unemployment is worse than death,” replied a young man amid a big crowd of people willing to register their names as volunteers at an army recruit center in Baghdad. Army recruitment centers have been scenes of repeated suicide bombing and hundreds of recruits have been killed in such attacks. Guards at the center at Alzawara Park could hardly bring some sort of order to a crowd of recruits fighting to present their papers.
Some recruits complained of corruption, saying officials in the center would normally ask for a tip of nearly 1,000 dollars to have their names registered as volunteers. Ali Hussain, whose application was not even handled, said he was turned away by an officer who openly asked for a bribe. “He (the officer) asked for ten 100 dollar bills. I asked him earnestly to reduce the amount, but he refused and my application was rejected. Finding a job is almost impossible and the only way to earn a decent living is by joining the army despite the hazards,” he said.
Other recruits refusing to be named said their applications were eventually rejected despite paying the money to those running the center. It was hard to get any of the officers in the center to speak on the record. One officer, who would only talk on condition of not revealing his name and rank, agreed that there was corruption in the army and particularly at recruiting centers.
“What you have discovered is true … but those found guilty of corruption are charged and dismissed. But I don’t think the problem is on the scale described in the media,” he said. He said the problem was that the number of volunteers always far exceeds what the army really needs. “This prompts some to use corruption and bribes in processing the applications,” he said.
Labels: corruption, Iraqi Army, recruitment, unemployment, volunteers
Govt replaces top security commission in Basrah
Security
(AP) -- The Iraqi government replaced the top security commission in the country's second-largest city because of suspected links to Shiite militias as authorities prepare for British forces to reduce their presence in southern Iraq, officials said Monday. Basra, the capital of Iraq's oil-rich southern region, has been plagued by feuds between rival Shiite militias - blamed for killings of police officers and civilians as well as rocket and mortar attacks against British troops and Iraqi security forces.
The old security committee was disbanded after being accused of cooperating with some militias and other armed groups, said military and security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The committee directs security efforts by the Iraqi military and police in the province.
Basra province police chief Maj. Gen. Abdul-Jalil Khalaf and Maj. Gen. Habib Taleb Abbas, head of the army's 10th Division, were named as the committee's new commanders, the officials said. The step takes place as Iraqi forces are preparing to take over security responsibility for Basra province in mid-August. Britain has withdrawn hundreds of troops from Iraq, leaving a force of about 5,500 based mainly on the fringes of Basra.
Last week, outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair said his country would withdraw even more troops within weeks, but he did not set a specific timetable. British and Iraqi forces have struggled to bring calm to Basra, about 340 miles southeast of Baghdad and the main route for Iraq's oil exports to the Persian Gulf. Attacks have increased against British troops in the province, killing seven in June.
In June 2006, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared a state of emergency in Basra following a rise in violence among mostly Shiite groups competing for power and infiltrating police and government institutions.
The old security committee was disbanded after being accused of cooperating with some militias and other armed groups, said military and security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The committee directs security efforts by the Iraqi military and police in the province.
Basra province police chief Maj. Gen. Abdul-Jalil Khalaf and Maj. Gen. Habib Taleb Abbas, head of the army's 10th Division, were named as the committee's new commanders, the officials said. The step takes place as Iraqi forces are preparing to take over security responsibility for Basra province in mid-August. Britain has withdrawn hundreds of troops from Iraq, leaving a force of about 5,500 based mainly on the fringes of Basra.
Last week, outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair said his country would withdraw even more troops within weeks, but he did not set a specific timetable. British and Iraqi forces have struggled to bring calm to Basra, about 340 miles southeast of Baghdad and the main route for Iraq's oil exports to the Persian Gulf. Attacks have increased against British troops in the province, killing seven in June.
In June 2006, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared a state of emergency in Basra following a rise in violence among mostly Shiite groups competing for power and infiltrating police and government institutions.
Labels: 10th Iraqi Army division, Basra, Maj. Gen. Abdul-Jalil Khalaf, Maj. Gen. Habib Taleb Abbas, Shia militias
Hashemi hints at more drastic steps to be taken by the Accordance Front
Politics
(Reuters) -- Iraq's main Sunni Arab bloc that is boycotting cabinet meetings in protest at being sidelined in the unity government may adopt new drastic tactics to win fairer treatment, Vice President Tarek al-Hashemi said on Monday. Hashemi, a key member of the Sunni Accordance Front, told Reuters in an interview that Iraq no longer had a government of national unity comprised of Shi'ites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.
"We haven't achieved anything after a year of participating in the government. We are depressed and sidelined, especially in terms of decision-making," said Hashemi, one of two vice presidents in Iraq. The other is Shi'ite. Asked what the Accordance Front would do next, Hashemi said: "I will not talk about this matter because the time for talking has ended. I will let our actions do the talking for us," he said.
"We started by suspending our participation in cabinet and if there is no real response from our partners in this government over our suggestions and reservations, we as the Accordance Front will take (other) measures." His words underscored deep frustration at a political process that has failed to reconcile majority Shi'ites with minority Sunni Arabs. Besides holding six cabinet posts in the 35-member administration, the Accordance Front has 44 seats in the 275-member parliament.
It does not have the numbers to bring down the government, but its absence from cabinet and parliament makes it increasingly hard for Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to portray his administration as a unity government. The Front suspended its participation in cabinet last week, mainly over legal steps being taken against the culture minister, one of its six members in the Shi'ite-led government.
That move followed a boycott of parliament a week earlier in response to the ousting of the Sunni speaker. Hashemi insisted that Mahmoud Mashhadani would return as speaker of parliament in the near future, despite a parliament vote last month that removed him following what some officials described as his "rude" behaviour to other legislators.
Hashemi did not elaborate, but added there were more important things for parliament to do than argue over who should be sitting in the speaker's chair. Maliki insists his government is working hard toward national reconciliation. He has also urged the Accordance Front to cancel its decision to boycott cabinet meetings. Hasan al-Senaid, a senior Shi'ite politician close to Maliki, accused the Sunnis over the weekend of politicising the legal steps against Culture Minister Asaad Kamal Hashemi.
The government's spokesman has said an arrest warrant had been issued for the minister over a murder investigation. The minister is in hiding, but Sunni politicians have denied he committed any wrongdoing. Police and court officials have not been able to confirm such a warrant has been issued. Vice President Hashemi also urged the United States not to withdraw American troops prematurely from Iraq.
"We haven't achieved anything after a year of participating in the government. We are depressed and sidelined, especially in terms of decision-making," said Hashemi, one of two vice presidents in Iraq. The other is Shi'ite. Asked what the Accordance Front would do next, Hashemi said: "I will not talk about this matter because the time for talking has ended. I will let our actions do the talking for us," he said.
"We started by suspending our participation in cabinet and if there is no real response from our partners in this government over our suggestions and reservations, we as the Accordance Front will take (other) measures." His words underscored deep frustration at a political process that has failed to reconcile majority Shi'ites with minority Sunni Arabs. Besides holding six cabinet posts in the 35-member administration, the Accordance Front has 44 seats in the 275-member parliament.
It does not have the numbers to bring down the government, but its absence from cabinet and parliament makes it increasingly hard for Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to portray his administration as a unity government. The Front suspended its participation in cabinet last week, mainly over legal steps being taken against the culture minister, one of its six members in the Shi'ite-led government.
That move followed a boycott of parliament a week earlier in response to the ousting of the Sunni speaker. Hashemi insisted that Mahmoud Mashhadani would return as speaker of parliament in the near future, despite a parliament vote last month that removed him following what some officials described as his "rude" behaviour to other legislators.
Hashemi did not elaborate, but added there were more important things for parliament to do than argue over who should be sitting in the speaker's chair. Maliki insists his government is working hard toward national reconciliation. He has also urged the Accordance Front to cancel its decision to boycott cabinet meetings. Hasan al-Senaid, a senior Shi'ite politician close to Maliki, accused the Sunnis over the weekend of politicising the legal steps against Culture Minister Asaad Kamal Hashemi.
The government's spokesman has said an arrest warrant had been issued for the minister over a murder investigation. The minister is in hiding, but Sunni politicians have denied he committed any wrongdoing. Police and court officials have not been able to confirm such a warrant has been issued. Vice President Hashemi also urged the United States not to withdraw American troops prematurely from Iraq.
Labels: Asaad Kamal Hashemi, Iraqi Accordance Front, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Tareq al-Hashemi
Iraqi Islamic Party condemns Diyala operation
Security, Politics
(RFE/RL) - The Sunni-led Iraqi Islamic Party issued a statement on its website on July 1 condemning Operation Arrowhead Ripper, a joint U.S.-Iraqi military operation aimed at eliminating Al-Qaeda in Iraq elements in and around the town of Ba'qubah, the capital of Diyala Governorate. The party described what is occurring in Ba'qubah as a " bloody massacre" and "collective punishment," and urged Iraqi and U.S. forces to differentiate between armed fighters and innocent civilians.
"Western Ba'qubah neighborhoods [Al-Mafraq, Al-Mu'allimin, and Al-Qatun] have been exposed to a fierce attack for more than a week," the statement said. "Occupation forces have bombarded those neighborhoods with planes, which resulted in the destruction of more than 150 houses and the killing of more than 350 citizens, whose bodies remain under the rubble of the buildings. They also arrested dozens of citizens."
Labels: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Baqouba, Diyala, Iraqi Islamic Party, Operation Arrowhead Ripper
Iraqi parliament to debate amended draft oil law
Oil
(BBC) - The Iraqi government has approved an amended draft law on how to share the country's oil wealth, officials say. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said parliament would begin debating the bill on Wednesday. There are no details about changes to the original draft, which Kurdish groups objected to.
Correspondents say distribution of oil revenues is a key concern for Sunni Arab groups, who live in areas which are mostly without oil reserves. The original draft, approved by the cabinet in February, stipulated that a state oil company would take control of oilfields away from regional governments. But Kurdish organisations said such moves were unconstitutional.
They reached agreement with the government in June that the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan would receive 17% of all oil revenues. The United States has been pressing Iraq to pass an oil law, as part of several legislative measures to promote reconciliation among Iraq's religious and ethnic groups. Iraq's known oil reserves have been estimated at 115 billion barrels, but production has fallen since the US invasion from 3.5 million to two million.
Correspondents say distribution of oil revenues is a key concern for Sunni Arab groups, who live in areas which are mostly without oil reserves. The original draft, approved by the cabinet in February, stipulated that a state oil company would take control of oilfields away from regional governments. But Kurdish organisations said such moves were unconstitutional.
They reached agreement with the government in June that the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan would receive 17% of all oil revenues. The United States has been pressing Iraq to pass an oil law, as part of several legislative measures to promote reconciliation among Iraq's religious and ethnic groups. Iraq's known oil reserves have been estimated at 115 billion barrels, but production has fallen since the US invasion from 3.5 million to two million.
Labels: Ali al-Dabbagh, draft oil law, Iraqi parliament
Monday, July 02, 2007
DynCorp Kuwaiti LOGCAP IV partner's shares up by 6.6 per cent
Contracts
(Gulf Daily News) - Kuwaiti logistics provider Agility said yesterday it was part of a group with US firm Dyncorp International which won a $50-billion (BD18-billion) deal from the US military. Agility shares rallied 6.6 per cent after the news. Agility said in a statement on the Kuwait bourse Web site it would provide various logistics, supply and warehousing services as part of the deal.
The contract would run 10 years, of which 9 were optional, and would have a value of $50bn for the whole period, it added. The deal, which included food and oil supply services, would be worth $5 billion for each year. Agility, which is diversifying its business and expanding abroad, said it could not currently determine its exact share of the deal.
The total deal also includes US firms KBR, a former unit of Halliburton, and Fluor Corporation with a combined potential value of up to $150 billion to provide services to the US military in the Middle East. Agility said on June 16 the US military had renewed a five-year deal worth $1.5 billion, extending the deal to its third consecutive year. The contract is up for yearly renewal.
The US government said on June 1 it had awarded Agility another supply and food deal worth up to $2.8 billion. Agility has said it was expanding in the Middle East, Africa or Eastern Europe to diversify its business and lower its exposure to US military deals, a key source of income.
Agility, previously known as Public Warehousing Co., has bought at least seven smaller rivals this year including New Zealand-based LEP International and Chinese freight company Guangzhou Runtang International Transport Company Limited.
Kuwait's money supply rose 15.6pc in the year to May, according to data on the Central Bank of Kuwait Website. M3, the broadest measured of money supply, rose to $60.36 billion. Money supply rose 18.3pc in the year to April.
The contract would run 10 years, of which 9 were optional, and would have a value of $50bn for the whole period, it added. The deal, which included food and oil supply services, would be worth $5 billion for each year. Agility, which is diversifying its business and expanding abroad, said it could not currently determine its exact share of the deal.
The total deal also includes US firms KBR, a former unit of Halliburton, and Fluor Corporation with a combined potential value of up to $150 billion to provide services to the US military in the Middle East. Agility said on June 16 the US military had renewed a five-year deal worth $1.5 billion, extending the deal to its third consecutive year. The contract is up for yearly renewal.
The US government said on June 1 it had awarded Agility another supply and food deal worth up to $2.8 billion. Agility has said it was expanding in the Middle East, Africa or Eastern Europe to diversify its business and lower its exposure to US military deals, a key source of income.
Agility, previously known as Public Warehousing Co., has bought at least seven smaller rivals this year including New Zealand-based LEP International and Chinese freight company Guangzhou Runtang International Transport Company Limited.
Kuwait's money supply rose 15.6pc in the year to May, according to data on the Central Bank of Kuwait Website. M3, the broadest measured of money supply, rose to $60.36 billion. Money supply rose 18.3pc in the year to April.
Labels: Agility Defense and Government Services, CH2M Hill, DynCorp International, Fluor Intercontinental, KBR, Kuwait, LOGCAP IV, Public Warehousing Co.
Iraq needs $75 billion to develop its oil industry
Oil
(Huliq) - Iraq will need $75 billion to develop its oil industry, three times more than was originally thought, a government expert said Thursday. Iraq intends to boost oil production to 6 million barrels per day, but is currently producing only 2 million barrels per day due to ongoing terrorist attacks. Tamer Gazban, former oil minister and now energy adviser to the Iraqi government, said that if the number of attacks against oil infrastructure installations declines, production could rise to 2.8 million barrels per day by the end of 2007.
The years of wars, economic blockades and violence that swept Iraq since the U.S. invasion in March 2003 have brought the country's oil industry to a virtual standstill. Despite government efforts, it has not yet reached its prewar level of 2.2 million barrels per day. Iraq has the world's largest proven oil reserves after Saudi Arabia - 112 billion barrels.
Labels: development, Iraq, Iraqi oil industry, Tamer Gazban
Kurds offer Kurdish battalion to protect Askariya shrine
Security
(AP) - Kurdish officials offered to provide troops to protect a Shiite shrine in the central Iraqi city of Samarra that was heavily damaged twice in bombings the past 16 months, destroying its dome and minarets, officials said Sunday. The offer would have to be approved by the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki but could anger many Sunni Arabs in Samarra, who are suspicious of the Kurds.
The Askariya shrine in Samarra, 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, is one of the holiest places for Shiites, and a February 2006 bombing that destroyed its golden dome sparked retaliation by Shiites and a brutal cycle of sectarian killings. Despite heightened security, it was struck again last month, bringing down its two minarets.
A delegation from the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq made the proposal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who recently called off a march to Samarra planned for July 5 after the government and Sunni leaders urged him to do so for fear of sectarian clashes.
"A Kurdish delegation visited (the holy city of) Najaf and came forward with the initiative to protect the holy shrine and guarantee security to the companies and workers who will rebuild the shrine," said Saleh al-Aujaili, a legislator from al-Sadr's bloc in parliament. He said the Sadrist movement welcomes the proposal.
Brig. Gen. Jabbar Yawar, an undersecretary for the Kurdish regional Ministry of Peshmerga (Kurdish militiaman), said a predominantly Kurdish battalion of the Iraqi army's 2nd Brigade is ready to go to Samarra to protect the shrine. "The force will be mixed of Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen and does not belong to any (ethnic) group," Yawar said. He added that the force was waiting for a decision by the Baghdad government. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh was not in the country for comment and repeated calls to other government officials went unanswered.
Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said there is no need for a force to deploy in the area since the Iraqi army's 4th Division, made up mainly of Shiite and Sunni Arabs, is deployed in Salahuddin province, where Samarra is located. He added that an Iraqi army force has deployed around the shrine since the June 13 bombing.
The Askariya shrine in Samarra, 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, is one of the holiest places for Shiites, and a February 2006 bombing that destroyed its golden dome sparked retaliation by Shiites and a brutal cycle of sectarian killings. Despite heightened security, it was struck again last month, bringing down its two minarets.
A delegation from the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq made the proposal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who recently called off a march to Samarra planned for July 5 after the government and Sunni leaders urged him to do so for fear of sectarian clashes.
"A Kurdish delegation visited (the holy city of) Najaf and came forward with the initiative to protect the holy shrine and guarantee security to the companies and workers who will rebuild the shrine," said Saleh al-Aujaili, a legislator from al-Sadr's bloc in parliament. He said the Sadrist movement welcomes the proposal.
Brig. Gen. Jabbar Yawar, an undersecretary for the Kurdish regional Ministry of Peshmerga (Kurdish militiaman), said a predominantly Kurdish battalion of the Iraqi army's 2nd Brigade is ready to go to Samarra to protect the shrine. "The force will be mixed of Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen and does not belong to any (ethnic) group," Yawar said. He added that the force was waiting for a decision by the Baghdad government. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh was not in the country for comment and repeated calls to other government officials went unanswered.
Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said there is no need for a force to deploy in the area since the Iraqi army's 4th Division, made up mainly of Shiite and Sunni Arabs, is deployed in Salahuddin province, where Samarra is located. He added that an Iraqi army force has deployed around the shrine since the June 13 bombing.
Labels: Askariya shrine, Brig. Gen. Jabbar Yawar, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Najaf, Peshmerga, Samarra
Petrol prices hiked for IMF targets
Oil
(Khaleej Times) - Iraq has increased official petrol prices by around 15 percent, an Iraqi official said on Monday, delivering the second hike this year to keep promises made to the International Monetary Fund. Karem Hattab, chairman of Iraq’s oil products distribution company, told Reuters that the price had been lifted to 450 Iraqi dinars, or about 36 U.S cents, per litre, from 400 dinars.
‘The price hike is in response to ongoing pressure by the IMF to cut subsidies on oil products, to be the same as neighbouring countries’ he said. Iraq has already raised prices from 20 Iraqi dinars in 2005, although prices still remain low compared with world standards. The government is committed to phasing out fuel subsidies under a $715 million economic programme agreed with the Washington-based IMF.
The aim is to limit a thriving Iraqi black market in fuel, which is believed to channel funds to anti-US insurgents, and encourage the money currently used by the government for subsidies to be better spent.
Iraq sits on the world’s third-largest oil reserves. But decades of war, sanctions, under investment and now widespread violence and sabotage have left it critically short of fuel. As a result, the government imports much of Iraq’s fuel. It paid heavy subsidies of $6 billion in 2005 and $2.5 billion last year to keep prices low, a second oil ministry official said. Diesel prices will be also hiked by 15 percent soon, said the official, who declined to be named.
‘The price hike is in response to ongoing pressure by the IMF to cut subsidies on oil products, to be the same as neighbouring countries’ he said. Iraq has already raised prices from 20 Iraqi dinars in 2005, although prices still remain low compared with world standards. The government is committed to phasing out fuel subsidies under a $715 million economic programme agreed with the Washington-based IMF.
The aim is to limit a thriving Iraqi black market in fuel, which is believed to channel funds to anti-US insurgents, and encourage the money currently used by the government for subsidies to be better spent.
Iraq sits on the world’s third-largest oil reserves. But decades of war, sanctions, under investment and now widespread violence and sabotage have left it critically short of fuel. As a result, the government imports much of Iraq’s fuel. It paid heavy subsidies of $6 billion in 2005 and $2.5 billion last year to keep prices low, a second oil ministry official said. Diesel prices will be also hiked by 15 percent soon, said the official, who declined to be named.
Labels: IMF, Karem Hattab, petrol prices
The triad which holds the fate of Iraq in its hands
Security
(Azzaman) - There are three groups which hold the fate of Iraq in their hands. American invaders, despite their mighty military power, are not part of it. Sadly enough, all the three are a direct or indirect product of the U.S. invasion and administration of the country. The three were almost non-existent prior to the U.S. presence in the country.
The abduction of five Britons throws much light on who really has Iraq’s destiny in their hands. There have been three versions of who has been behind the kidnapping. The government, ruling out al-Qaeda, has pointed the finger at Mahdi Army, the militia group run by Shiite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The Sadr movement has blamed its rival, the Badr corps, the military wing of the Supreme Islamic Council. Badr and Mahdi army are influential within the government currently ruling the country and Qaeda is a terrorist group mounting devastating attacks that target U.S. invaders, government troops and Iraqi Shiites.
So the government has distanced Qaeda from the kidnapping, blaming the Mahdi Army. The Mahdi Army accuses Badr Corps. Badr Corps says the abduction was for sure carried out by Mahdi army as it occurred within army’s zone of influence.
The accusations and counter accusations provide a good picture of the situation in the country. It shows that there are three groups of note in Iraq which hold its destiny in balance. These three groups – Qaeda, Mahdi Army and Badr Corps – are the most active and vibrant in Iraq. No one in Iraq can ignore their existence or responsibility for the calamities that began descending on Iraq with the advent of the Americans.
This bloody triad which rules the Iraqi street is the cause for the destruction of Iraq and the liquidation of any hope for the creation of a modern state. But while Qaeda is being chased and fought, the other two groups are inside the government which is turning a blind eye on their actions. Qaeda is a disease, a cancerous tumor that must be removed, but it is sad to see that two more tumors are being nurtured despite their devastating consequences.
The abduction of five Britons throws much light on who really has Iraq’s destiny in their hands. There have been three versions of who has been behind the kidnapping. The government, ruling out al-Qaeda, has pointed the finger at Mahdi Army, the militia group run by Shiite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The Sadr movement has blamed its rival, the Badr corps, the military wing of the Supreme Islamic Council. Badr and Mahdi army are influential within the government currently ruling the country and Qaeda is a terrorist group mounting devastating attacks that target U.S. invaders, government troops and Iraqi Shiites.
So the government has distanced Qaeda from the kidnapping, blaming the Mahdi Army. The Mahdi Army accuses Badr Corps. Badr Corps says the abduction was for sure carried out by Mahdi army as it occurred within army’s zone of influence.
The accusations and counter accusations provide a good picture of the situation in the country. It shows that there are three groups of note in Iraq which hold its destiny in balance. These three groups – Qaeda, Mahdi Army and Badr Corps – are the most active and vibrant in Iraq. No one in Iraq can ignore their existence or responsibility for the calamities that began descending on Iraq with the advent of the Americans.
This bloody triad which rules the Iraqi street is the cause for the destruction of Iraq and the liquidation of any hope for the creation of a modern state. But while Qaeda is being chased and fought, the other two groups are inside the government which is turning a blind eye on their actions. Qaeda is a disease, a cancerous tumor that must be removed, but it is sad to see that two more tumors are being nurtured despite their devastating consequences.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Badr Corps, British hostages, Mahdi Army
Sunni govt officials leave Baghdad for Kurdistan
Politics, Security
(Gulf News) - In a striking development, some top Sunni officials in the Iraqi government and parliament have decided to transfer their families to the more secure Kurdish region, Sunni politicians said. Salman Al Jabouri, a leading figure in Ahl Al Iraq convention (People of Iraq convention), Karkh section in Baghdad, told Gulf News: "Militias might kidnap Sunni officials' sons and murder them. Besides, Al Qaida has become a serious threat to the families, ... the Accord Front do not want their families to dwell inside the American fortified International Zone [formerly the Green Zone]."
Information indicates that the families of Vice-President Tariq Al Hashemi, Deputy Prime Minister Salam Al Zubai, and the suspended head of the Iraqi Parliament Mahmoud Al Mashadani, will move to the Kurdish regions, especially to Arbil, where leaders promised special protection and support. The escalation of sectarian violence in Baghdad led Sunni leaders to transfer their families to Kurdish region, a step that might indicate a worsening of security situation in future, said Sunni sources.
Faris, an official bodyguard for Sunni Accord Front members, told Gulf News: "There were written threats sent to Sunni officials, claiming to kill their family members if they do not withdraw from the whole political process .... Besides the possibility of securing their families' safety in Baghdad became almost impossible. ... their sons ... go to schools and universities while their wives visit relatives, that is the reason we need a large number of bodyguards."
According to Iraqi sources, who asked not to be named, some Arab countries have offered to host families of the Sunni officials, but they preferred the Kurd region mainly because most Sunni leaders admire the Kurdish position characterised by moderation concerning de-Baathification and dissolution of the Iraqi army.
Zuhair Al Dulaimi, a history professor, told Gulf News: "An important reason forcing Sunnis to flee Baghdad is that assassination campaigns have turned into massacres, claiming the lives of 20 to 50 citizens per day." Sunni political groups estimated that 200,000 Iraqis have left for Jordan, Syria and Egypt among other countries, and approximately out of 190,000 Sunnis who left, 150,000 are from Baghdad alone.
Information indicates that the families of Vice-President Tariq Al Hashemi, Deputy Prime Minister Salam Al Zubai, and the suspended head of the Iraqi Parliament Mahmoud Al Mashadani, will move to the Kurdish regions, especially to Arbil, where leaders promised special protection and support. The escalation of sectarian violence in Baghdad led Sunni leaders to transfer their families to Kurdish region, a step that might indicate a worsening of security situation in future, said Sunni sources.
Faris, an official bodyguard for Sunni Accord Front members, told Gulf News: "There were written threats sent to Sunni officials, claiming to kill their family members if they do not withdraw from the whole political process .... Besides the possibility of securing their families' safety in Baghdad became almost impossible. ... their sons ... go to schools and universities while their wives visit relatives, that is the reason we need a large number of bodyguards."
According to Iraqi sources, who asked not to be named, some Arab countries have offered to host families of the Sunni officials, but they preferred the Kurd region mainly because most Sunni leaders admire the Kurdish position characterised by moderation concerning de-Baathification and dissolution of the Iraqi army.
Zuhair Al Dulaimi, a history professor, told Gulf News: "An important reason forcing Sunnis to flee Baghdad is that assassination campaigns have turned into massacres, claiming the lives of 20 to 50 citizens per day." Sunni political groups estimated that 200,000 Iraqis have left for Jordan, Syria and Egypt among other countries, and approximately out of 190,000 Sunnis who left, 150,000 are from Baghdad alone.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Green Zone, International Zone, Iraqi Accord Front, Kurdistan, Mahmoud Al Mashahdani, relocation, Salam Al Zubai, Sunni officials, Tariq Al Hashemi
Al Qaeda show of force in Mosul
Insurgency
(Azzaman) - Hundreds of Qaeda-linked fighters drove into the streets of the northern city of Mosul, brandishing their weapons and shouting Islamic slogans. The parade, early this week, was a show of force that the group did not fear the presence of the lightly armed and terror-stricken Iraqi police officers and paid little attention to U.S. marines camped outside the city.
Mosul has turned into one of the most violent cities in Iraq with the Qaeda fighters imposing their strict interpretation of Islamic jurisdiction by force. The city is being emptied of its once thriving Christian community following the murder of two priests and several deacons. Many churches, whose spires dot the city’s skyline, are deserted. Other minorities like the Shebeks, who are Shiites, and Yazidis, are also being targeted
Qaeda’s influence in Mosul, which many see as the country’s second largest after Baghdad, has grown tremendously since the start of the U.S. military campaign to subdue Baghdad more than four months ago. Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province, was a mosaic of faiths, sects and nationalities. That fascinating feature has been eroding since the 2003 U.S. invasion.
A predominantly Sunni city, Mosul is now a major stronghold of anti-U.S. resistance but the surge of Qaeda has unnerved many in the city, including Sunni Muslims. With the U.S. troops and Iraqi forces engaged in pitched battles with Qaeda in Baghdad, Diyala and Ramadi, there is little for the government to do to regain some semblance of control in the city.
The government has even lost control of the predominantly Shiite city of Basra in the south. It may not be difficult for U.S. troops to move into Qaeda-controlled areas but it is apparently impossible for them to hold the ground they have retaken for long. Iraqi troops are no match to Qaeda and once they are deployed in areas cleared by Americans, the only way for the troops to survive is to come to some form of agreement with the rebels. The U.S. does not have enough troops to subdue the whole country permanently and Iraqi forces are ill prepared for the job.
Mosul has turned into one of the most violent cities in Iraq with the Qaeda fighters imposing their strict interpretation of Islamic jurisdiction by force. The city is being emptied of its once thriving Christian community following the murder of two priests and several deacons. Many churches, whose spires dot the city’s skyline, are deserted. Other minorities like the Shebeks, who are Shiites, and Yazidis, are also being targeted
Qaeda’s influence in Mosul, which many see as the country’s second largest after Baghdad, has grown tremendously since the start of the U.S. military campaign to subdue Baghdad more than four months ago. Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province, was a mosaic of faiths, sects and nationalities. That fascinating feature has been eroding since the 2003 U.S. invasion.
A predominantly Sunni city, Mosul is now a major stronghold of anti-U.S. resistance but the surge of Qaeda has unnerved many in the city, including Sunni Muslims. With the U.S. troops and Iraqi forces engaged in pitched battles with Qaeda in Baghdad, Diyala and Ramadi, there is little for the government to do to regain some semblance of control in the city.
The government has even lost control of the predominantly Shiite city of Basra in the south. It may not be difficult for U.S. troops to move into Qaeda-controlled areas but it is apparently impossible for them to hold the ground they have retaken for long. Iraqi troops are no match to Qaeda and once they are deployed in areas cleared by Americans, the only way for the troops to survive is to come to some form of agreement with the rebels. The U.S. does not have enough troops to subdue the whole country permanently and Iraqi forces are ill prepared for the job.
The heavy presence of Qaeda in Mosul is threatening the relative quiet of several towns and regions in northern Iraq. Violence has spread to several Christian districts in the Province. Authorities in the so far peaceful Kurdish cities of Arbil and Dahouk, which border Nineveh Province, are concerned about the fallout of Qaeda’s influence in Mosul.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Christians, Mosul, Shebeks, Yezidis
U.S. accuses Iran of masterminding attacks on coalition
Security
(Gulf News) - The US military in Iraq has accused Iran of masterminding attacks aimed at coalition troops in Iraq and for arming and training Shiite militants. Military spokesman Brigadier-General Kevin Bergner said that the information came from a top Hezbollah fighter who was recently captured in Iraq.
Bergner said that senior Iranian leaders know about the operations of Iran’s Qods Force in Iraq. "We also understand that senior Iraqi leaders have expressed their concerns to the Iranian government about the activities," he said. Bergner said the United States had discovered three small camps near Tehran where Iraqi militants were trained by Qods Force and Hezbollah operatives.
He said that the Qods Force was also involved in an attack in Kerbala in January when gunmen, disguised as Americans, entered a government compound and killed a US soldier and abducted four others whom they later killed. He added that the military has detained a Hezbollah veteran, Ali Mussa Daqduq, who was in Iraq to organise secret cells to mirror Hezbollah's structure in Lebanon.
Iran denies involvement in the violence in Iraq and blames the US-led invasion in 2003 for the bloodshed. Iran's Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar dismissed the US claim as a "sheer lie". Iran does not officially acknowledge the existence of the Qods Force. Military experts say it is a wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Bergner said that senior Iranian leaders know about the operations of Iran’s Qods Force in Iraq. "We also understand that senior Iraqi leaders have expressed their concerns to the Iranian government about the activities," he said. Bergner said the United States had discovered three small camps near Tehran where Iraqi militants were trained by Qods Force and Hezbollah operatives.
He said that the Qods Force was also involved in an attack in Kerbala in January when gunmen, disguised as Americans, entered a government compound and killed a US soldier and abducted four others whom they later killed. He added that the military has detained a Hezbollah veteran, Ali Mussa Daqduq, who was in Iraq to organise secret cells to mirror Hezbollah's structure in Lebanon.
Iran denies involvement in the violence in Iraq and blames the US-led invasion in 2003 for the bloodshed. Iran's Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar dismissed the US claim as a "sheer lie". Iran does not officially acknowledge the existence of the Qods Force. Military experts say it is a wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Labels: Ali Mussa Daqduq, Brigadier-General Kevin Bergner, Hezbollah, Iran, Kerbala, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, Quds Force, Shia militias, U.S. military
KRg to invite bids from foreign companies on 40 oil blocks
Oil, Kurdistan
(AME Info FZ LLC) - The Kurdish regional government in Iraq is to invite bids from foreign companies for 40 oil blocks with a view to the new national oil law being agreed shortly, reported Reuters. The authority is planning investor conferences in Erbil, London and possibly Houston and its Oil Minister Ashti Hawrami said firms which are in a position to 'organise themselves quickly' will be in pole position to win the tenders.
Labels: Ashti Hawrami, bids, foreign companies, investor conferences, KRG, oil
Adala Party And The Democracy Front Announce They Have Joined The National Accord Movement
Politics
(Baghdad Newspaper) - 1 JUL - The Adala Party and Democracy Front announced that they have joined the National Accord Front, led by Dr. Allawi, in order to work together to build a new Iraq. A National Accord Movement spokesman stated, “The National Accord Movement has negotiated with important national individuals. The purpose of these negotiations is for a unified Iraq to serve Iraq’s political process and to restore peace and stability for Iraq. The negotiations continue with other individuals and tribes.”
Labels: Adala Party, Democracy Front, Iyad Allawi, National Accord Front
Iraqi / Iranian Agreement To Fix The Shatt Al Arab Situation
Government, Regional
(Al Istaqama Newspaper) - 1 JUL - On June 30th, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced an Iraqi / Iranian agreement to form a joint committee to fix the Shatt Al Arab situation has been reached. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement was released after a visit to Iran by an Iraqi delegation. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Manuchehr Motaki, to discuss bilateral relations and methods to develop them.
The statement added they discussed the river border between the two countries, especially the Shatt Al Arab issue. The Deputy Foreign Minister confirmed that the Shatt Al Arab has changed. Motaki confirmed that the Shatt Al Arab issue is important for both sides. Recently, he visited the area and saw that the path of the river has changed toward the Iraqi side. Motaki added that both countries need a quick solution to fix this situation and return the river to its original path. Motaki mentioned the necessity of starting to work with a joint committee to fix the problem. Both sides agreed to form this committee and to work quickly.
The statement added that the Iraqi government will name its representatives for this committee within the next few days. The Deputy Foreign Minister confirmed that there is no problem with the normal borders because the grids have been determined in the “Al Istana Protocol” in 1913, 1975 and 1937 agreements. During the meeting between the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and the Iranian Foreign Ministry, they signed an agreement to open General Consulates (Iraqi and Iranian) to improve the friendship and neighboring relations between the two countries.
Labels: Al Istana Protocol, Manouchehr Mottaki, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shatt al-Arab
Sadr Movement Rejects New Political Entity
Politics
(Al Mashriq Newspaper) - 1 JUL - The Sadr Movement has rejected the new political front project that consists of SICI, Dawa Party, PUK, and the KDP. The Sadr Movement Parliament chief, Nassar Al Rubaie said, “This alliance will fail due to the objection of many entities and Parliament members. The current Iraqi situation is not the right time for marginalization. This marginalization will damage the political process. These alliances are based on narrow and private interests. There are old alliances that should be respected by others. These new alliances intend to divide the old alliances and start new alliances by marginalizing others.”
Labels: Dawa party, KDP, Nassar Al Rubaie, new political front, PUK, Sadr movement, SICI
Sadrists criticise efforts to form new Shiite-Kurdish coalition
Politics
(AP) - Followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Saturday criticized efforts to form a new coalition of leading Shiite and Kurdish parties, saying isolating political groups was not the solution to Iraq's turmoil. Talk of a new coalition is widely seen as an effort to sideline al-Sadr's anti-American movement, that holds 30 seats in the 275-member parliament. Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia has been blamed for much of the sectarian killings that have claimed thousands of lives.
"This is a partial agreement that means isolating other groups and no one should be isolated," Nassar al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker, said. "The only solution to Iraq's problems is to set up a national unity government made up of technocrats and not divided on sectarian basis." Another Sadrist lawmaker suggested that the Americans want a political realignment to approve "benchmark" legislation to distribute oil revenue, hold provincial elections and overhauling rules that removed thousands of Saddam Hussein loyalists from their jobs.
"This is not a political bloc," said Nasser al-Saidi. "It is a bloc to gather the largest number of members of parliament to approve laws..." The Sadrists also expressed reservations about a statement made by President Jalal Talabani that more executive powers would be given to the Sunnis.
Speaking at a Socialist conference Friday in Switzerland, Talabani said an agreement has been reached between the presidential council, which includes the Kurdish president and his Sunni and Shiite deputies, and the prime minister to form a "joint leadership in accordance with the constitution that says that the executive authority is made up of the presidency and Cabinet."
"By this, the complaint that Sunni Arabs are deprived from playing a leading role is solved," Talabani said. "We are against giving powers to the presidential council because this will paralyze the government as the decisions will be in the hand of more than one person," al-Rubaie said. "We are a parliamentary system and the decision is in the hands of the prime minister."
Efforts to form a new government coalition have intensified because of major rifts within the Iraqi government, which the U.S. had hoped would bring together Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. Instead, the government is riveted with divisions.
In April, the six Cabinet ministers loyal to al-Sadr walked out of the government in protest after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rejected calls for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces. Two weeks ago, the 30 Sadrist lawmakers announced they would stay away from parliament until the government comes up with a plan to rebuild a Shiite shrine in Samarra devastated by bombs. This week, four Sunni ministers said they will boycott Cabinet meetings to protest the way al-Maliki handled legal proceedings against one of their Sunni colleagues under investigation in a 2005 assassination attempt.
"This is a partial agreement that means isolating other groups and no one should be isolated," Nassar al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker, said. "The only solution to Iraq's problems is to set up a national unity government made up of technocrats and not divided on sectarian basis." Another Sadrist lawmaker suggested that the Americans want a political realignment to approve "benchmark" legislation to distribute oil revenue, hold provincial elections and overhauling rules that removed thousands of Saddam Hussein loyalists from their jobs.
"This is not a political bloc," said Nasser al-Saidi. "It is a bloc to gather the largest number of members of parliament to approve laws..." The Sadrists also expressed reservations about a statement made by President Jalal Talabani that more executive powers would be given to the Sunnis.
Speaking at a Socialist conference Friday in Switzerland, Talabani said an agreement has been reached between the presidential council, which includes the Kurdish president and his Sunni and Shiite deputies, and the prime minister to form a "joint leadership in accordance with the constitution that says that the executive authority is made up of the presidency and Cabinet."
"By this, the complaint that Sunni Arabs are deprived from playing a leading role is solved," Talabani said. "We are against giving powers to the presidential council because this will paralyze the government as the decisions will be in the hand of more than one person," al-Rubaie said. "We are a parliamentary system and the decision is in the hands of the prime minister."
Efforts to form a new government coalition have intensified because of major rifts within the Iraqi government, which the U.S. had hoped would bring together Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. Instead, the government is riveted with divisions.
In April, the six Cabinet ministers loyal to al-Sadr walked out of the government in protest after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rejected calls for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces. Two weeks ago, the 30 Sadrist lawmakers announced they would stay away from parliament until the government comes up with a plan to rebuild a Shiite shrine in Samarra devastated by bombs. This week, four Sunni ministers said they will boycott Cabinet meetings to protest the way al-Maliki handled legal proceedings against one of their Sunni colleagues under investigation in a 2005 assassination attempt.
Labels: Kurds, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Nassar al-Rubaie, political coalition, Shias
Iraqi govt to privatise state-owned assets
Government, Investment
(Sunday Telegraph) - The Iraqi government has begun preparing the groundwork for what could be one of the biggest privatisations of state-owned assets. The Sunday Telegraph has learned that officials from the government have recently held talks with banking and legal advisers in London. City sources said Iraq's minister for industry, Fawzi Hariri, was looking to appoint advisers to draw up a memorandum of understanding to sell off the country's non-oil assets, ranging from petrochemical plants to construction companies, hotels and airlines, as early as this month.
The privatisation proposals could also include a massive extension of foreign participation in the oil industry. Sources close to the foreign ministry said the government believed it had struck a deal on the long-awaited hydrocarbon law which could see Parliament vote the legislation through in two weeks' time. If the legislation is passed, arrangements to allow foreign oil majors to enter into production-sharing agreements with Iraq's national oil company could then make it into the memorandum.
An executive at one of the smaller Western oil companies operating in Iraq said: "As you would expect, most of Iraq's non-oil assets are outdated and in pretty bad shape. But this would give people who wanted to operate in Iraq an opportunity to get in." The source added that Iraq's nationalised cement industry could be particularly attractive because the country's reconstruction will require a building bonanza.
However, sources cautioned that the move could simply be a sop to the American administration. The US Congress will consider a report on progress in Iraq in September and a privatisation programme could be presented as some kind of progress in lieu of any real improvement in the security situation. City sources said any instruction would be complicated by factionalism within Iraq's fragmented government. Hariri, while not ethnically Kurdish, is a member of the Kurdish democratic party.
Experts said investor appetite for Iraqi assets was relatively limited and was likely to remain so until the country's security improved considerably. But if attempts to privatise Iraq's non-oil assets went hand in hand with moves to open up the country's oil sector to foreign investment, they would have much greater appeal. The long-awaited passage of the hydrocarbon law is seen as critical to attracting foreign investment.
Smaller, maverick oil companies have already invested in Kurdish-controlled areas of Iraq, but the bulk of the oil is in the south and no oil major would consider investing without a reliable legal regime and a significant improvement in security.
The privatisation proposals could also include a massive extension of foreign participation in the oil industry. Sources close to the foreign ministry said the government believed it had struck a deal on the long-awaited hydrocarbon law which could see Parliament vote the legislation through in two weeks' time. If the legislation is passed, arrangements to allow foreign oil majors to enter into production-sharing agreements with Iraq's national oil company could then make it into the memorandum.
An executive at one of the smaller Western oil companies operating in Iraq said: "As you would expect, most of Iraq's non-oil assets are outdated and in pretty bad shape. But this would give people who wanted to operate in Iraq an opportunity to get in." The source added that Iraq's nationalised cement industry could be particularly attractive because the country's reconstruction will require a building bonanza.
However, sources cautioned that the move could simply be a sop to the American administration. The US Congress will consider a report on progress in Iraq in September and a privatisation programme could be presented as some kind of progress in lieu of any real improvement in the security situation. City sources said any instruction would be complicated by factionalism within Iraq's fragmented government. Hariri, while not ethnically Kurdish, is a member of the Kurdish democratic party.
Experts said investor appetite for Iraqi assets was relatively limited and was likely to remain so until the country's security improved considerably. But if attempts to privatise Iraq's non-oil assets went hand in hand with moves to open up the country's oil sector to foreign investment, they would have much greater appeal. The long-awaited passage of the hydrocarbon law is seen as critical to attracting foreign investment.
Smaller, maverick oil companies have already invested in Kurdish-controlled areas of Iraq, but the bulk of the oil is in the south and no oil major would consider investing without a reliable legal regime and a significant improvement in security.
Labels: Fawzi Hariri, Iraqi government, privatisation
Zebari presses for second round of Iran-U.S., talks while Iranians are granted access to detainees
Politics, Region
(Al Jazeera) - Hoshiyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, said he was pressing the US and Iran to hold a second round of talks in Baghdad to follow up a landmark meeting in May, but that no date has been set. Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, and Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, his Iranian counterpart, met in Baghdad on May 28 to discuss security in Iraq in what was the most high-profile meeting of the two arch enemies in almost three decades.
Both envoys described the talks as positive. Iraq has invited both sides to meet again but neither have publicly said they would accept. Zebari said: "We felt that there is a common interest in pursuing these talks, in having a second meeting, but no date has been agreed yet. "We are working on that. There would be a second round, I hope so."
Zebari also said on Sunday that the US embassy in Baghdad had agreed to give Iran consular access to five Iranians who were detained by US forces in northern Iraq in January. The US military says the five are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and are backing fighters in Iraq. Iran says they are diplomats and has been requesting access to them.
Zebari said he hoped the consular visit to the detainees, who were taken seized in the Kurdish city of Arbil, would help ease tensions. There was no date for the visit, but it could happen any time, he said. The foreign minister said he understood a US military board would not review the case of the five men until October.
Both envoys described the talks as positive. Iraq has invited both sides to meet again but neither have publicly said they would accept. Zebari said: "We felt that there is a common interest in pursuing these talks, in having a second meeting, but no date has been agreed yet. "We are working on that. There would be a second round, I hope so."
Zebari also said on Sunday that the US embassy in Baghdad had agreed to give Iran consular access to five Iranians who were detained by US forces in northern Iraq in January. The US military says the five are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and are backing fighters in Iraq. Iran says they are diplomats and has been requesting access to them.
Zebari said he hoped the consular visit to the detainees, who were taken seized in the Kurdish city of Arbil, would help ease tensions. There was no date for the visit, but it could happen any time, he said. The foreign minister said he understood a US military board would not review the case of the five men until October.
Labels: consular access, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, Hoshiyar Zebari, Iran, Iranian detainees, Ryan Crocker, U.S.
Drop in Iraqi civilian deaths last month
Security
(Al Jazeera) - Iraqi civilian deaths dropped to 1,241 last month, the lowest since a US-led crackdown was launched in February in and around Baghdad. However, attacks continue to target the capital and neighbouring provinces, and at least four people were killed in separate attacks on Sunday.
The latest numbers, compiled from interior, defence and health ministry figures, were down from last month's total of 1,951. In May there had been a significant jump in casualties compared to April.
The government of Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, no longer issues official casualty statistics and refuses to provide figures to UN human rights monitors. The June casualties are the lowest since the launch of the US and Iraqi military crackdown known as Operation Fardh al-Qanoon (Imposing the Law) in and around Baghdad on February 14.
In that month, 1,626 civilians were reported killed. One of the key reasons for the fall is thought to be that most senior Shia fighters considered responsible for the widespread killings of Sunni Muslims are thought to have left the capital to avoid the assault.
The latest numbers, compiled from interior, defence and health ministry figures, were down from last month's total of 1,951. In May there had been a significant jump in casualties compared to April.
The government of Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, no longer issues official casualty statistics and refuses to provide figures to UN human rights monitors. The June casualties are the lowest since the launch of the US and Iraqi military crackdown known as Operation Fardh al-Qanoon (Imposing the Law) in and around Baghdad on February 14.
In that month, 1,626 civilians were reported killed. One of the key reasons for the fall is thought to be that most senior Shia fighters considered responsible for the widespread killings of Sunni Muslims are thought to have left the capital to avoid the assault.
Labels: civilian deaths, Iraq
Iraqi Cabinet Rejects Any MNF Operations Without Iraqi Force’s Permission Or Prior Coordination
Coalition
(Al Istaqama Newspaper) - 1 JUL - On June 30th, the Cabinet announced in a press statement that they reject any MNF operation in all of Iraq without prior permission or coordination with Iraqi forces. The statement also said that the Iraqi government ordered the Iraqi Special Forces to not participate in any military operation without permission from the Iraqi chain of command, and anyone who violates this order will be prosecuted. The statement added that the government is pursuing all outlaws regardless of their ethnicity or sect who are firing mortars at the government facilities and killing innocent people. The government will demand an explanation from the MNF about what happened yesterday in Sadr City.
Labels: Iraqi forces, Iraqi government, MNF operations, Sadr City
Maliki condemns U.S. raid on Sadr City
Security
(Al Jazeera) - Iraq's prime minister has condemned a US raid on Baghdad's Sadr City which left 26 people dead. Nouri al-Maliki said the military operations were "conducted without prior approval from the Iraqi military command". He has demanded an explanation from the US authorities and said anyone who breeches military orders will face an investigation.
Residents accused American troops of killing eight civilians in their homes and "firing wildly" during the raid in the mainly Shia district early on Saturday morning. The US military in Iraq said it killed 26 people, all of them "gunmen" linked to "Iranian terror networks".
Coalition forces conducted two separate raids targeting suspected secret cell terrorists during pre-dawn hours Saturday in Sadr City," the statement said. "It is believed that the suspected terrorists have close ties to Iranian terror networks and are responsible for facilitating the flow of lethal aid into Iraq. Seventeen more people were detained, it said.
Residents accused American troops of killing eight civilians in their homes and "firing wildly" during the raid in the mainly Shia district early on Saturday morning. The US military in Iraq said it killed 26 people, all of them "gunmen" linked to "Iranian terror networks".
Coalition forces conducted two separate raids targeting suspected secret cell terrorists during pre-dawn hours Saturday in Sadr City," the statement said. "It is believed that the suspected terrorists have close ties to Iranian terror networks and are responsible for facilitating the flow of lethal aid into Iraq. Seventeen more people were detained, it said.
The statement said US soldiers faced "significant" resistance during the pre-dawn raids, including roadside bomb attacks as well as fire from rocket-propelled grenades and light weapons."Everyone who got shot was shooting at US troops at the time," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, "it was an intense firefight".
Labels: Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, Nouri Al-Maliki, Sadr City, U.S. military
Maliki determined to hold provincial elections by year's end
Politics
(RFE/RL) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says he is determined to hold provincial elections by the end of this year to delegate more power to the country's communities. His office quoted him as telling the National Elections Commission that "it does not matter who wins, as long as the victor is a son of Iraq and works in the interest of its people." Although Iraq held its first full-term parliamentary elections in December 2005, it has never elected leaders to the country's 18 governorates.
The holding of local elections has emerged as one of several "benchmarks" of political progress demanded by Washington as a means of resolving the country's various sectarian and ethnic conflicts. Local elections are also seen as a way to allow more Sunni Muslims to acquire political power and deter them from fighting.
Labels: National Elections Commission, Nouri Al-Maliki, provincial elections
