Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Talabani heads to Riyadh for Wednesday's 19th Arab Summit
Region, Politics, Security
(VOI) - Iraq's President Jalal al-Talabani will leave Sulaimaniyah on Tuesday heading for the Saudi capital Riyadh to take part in the 19th Arab summit, that will kick off on Wednesday, a source in the media office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said on Monday.
A member from the political bureau of the PUK had said earlier this month the president would take part in the summit, noting that the Iraqi file and the Arab states' support to the ongoing political process in Iraq will top Talabani's talks in the summit.
Arab leaders from accros the Middle East will attend the 19th Arab Summit, starting Wednesday in Riyadh. Its focus will be on firming up Arab Solidarity and resolving jointly key issues and challenges facing the Arab world.
Labels: 19th Arab Summit, Riyadh, Talabani
Friday, February 23, 2007
Iraqi government welcomes UK decision to withdraw troops
Security
(AP) The Iraqi government on Thursday welcomed the British decision to withdraw troops from Iraq, saying it is in line with plans for Iraqi forces to assume security for the country. Britain announced Wednesday that it will withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq over the coming months and aims to further cut its 7,100-strong contingent by late summer if local forces can secure the southern part of the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said it was "a decision in harmony with the government's intention to assume security responsibilities in the province," referring to Basra, a predominantly Shiite area 340 miles southeast of Baghdad. President Jalal Talabani also applauded the decision, with his spokesman saying it would act as a "catalyst for Iraqi forces to assume security responsibilities."
"His excellency considers it as a positive step and thanks British forces for their role in liberating Iraq from dictatorship and maintaining stability in Iraq," Talabani's spokesman Hiwa Othman said. British troops will remain in Iraq until at least 2008 and work to secure the Iran-Iraq border and maintain supply routes to U.S. and coalition troops in central Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said it was "a decision in harmony with the government's intention to assume security responsibilities in the province," referring to Basra, a predominantly Shiite area 340 miles southeast of Baghdad. President Jalal Talabani also applauded the decision, with his spokesman saying it would act as a "catalyst for Iraqi forces to assume security responsibilities."
"His excellency considers it as a positive step and thanks British forces for their role in liberating Iraq from dictatorship and maintaining stability in Iraq," Talabani's spokesman Hiwa Othman said. British troops will remain in Iraq until at least 2008 and work to secure the Iran-Iraq border and maintain supply routes to U.S. and coalition troops in central Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons.
Labels: al-Maliki, British troop withdrawal, Talabani
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Erdogan - Turkey to forge stronger relations with KRG
Politics, Region, Kurdistan
(RFE/RL) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on February 15 that his government should take steps to forge better relations with Iraq's Kurdistan region government, Istanbul-based NTV reported the same day. He added that he will inform President Talabani of his proposal. Talabani's party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), issued a report on Erdogan's comments on its website, saying PUK media chief Azad Jundiyani welcomed the statement. "We consider Erdogan's statements a significant development in the relationship between Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey," Jundiyani said. "The courageous statements by Erdogan indicate the adoption of a new and realistic policy by the Turkish government. We are sure that this will have a [positive] impact on the future of the region," he added.
Labels: Erdogan, Kurdistan, PUK, Talabani, Turkey
Talabani speaks out on al-Sadr and security plan
Politics, Security
(RFE/RL) President Jalal Talabani told reporters at a February 15 press briefing in Baghdad that the security plan will yield successful results as the weeks progress, state-run Al-Iraqiyah television reported on February 16. Talabani praised the work of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, saying al-Maliki "behaved as an Iraqi who rises above personal inclinations and tendencies."
Asked about the whereabouts of Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Talabani said he doesn't have definitive information. "But I think that several influential officials in the Al-Mahdi Army were ordered to leave Iraq. I think they were ordered to do so by [al-Sadr] himself in order to facilitate the government's mission of implementing the Baghdad security plan." Talabani later quoted al-Sadr's aides as saying the cleric is eager to see the security plan succeed, adding that al-Sadr "gave the government the go-ahead to arrest every violator who breaks the law.... Hence, I think that Muqtada al-Sadr's stand is positive and very good," Talabani said.
Labels: al-Maliki, Moqtada Al-Sadr, security plan, Talabani
Rice lauds early progress in Baghdad
Politics, Security
(Reuters) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday lauded early progress in a military operation against militants in Baghdad, but said Iraqis had to use this "breathing space" to push ahead with reconciliation. Rice made an unannounced visit to Baghdad as U.S. and Iraqi troops make initial gains in an offensive seen as a final push to end sectarian bloodshed that threatens to tear Iraq apart.
While major car bombings and death squad killings in Baghdad have declined, a double car bombing on Saturday at a crowded market in the northern city of Kirkuk killed at least 10 people and wounded 60, police sources said. The explosions took place in the Rahim Awa district, a predominantly Kurdish area of the ethnically mixed city.
Rice said Iraq's leaders needed to speed up efforts to reconcile warring Shi'ite and Sunni groups, finalize an oil revenue sharing law and hold provincial elections. Rice said she would press those issues when she met Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi. "The wait for progress can't be endless. Those (issues) need to move along more quickly," said Rice, who last month said the Iraqi government was on "borrowed time. This is a group of leaders that need to deliver."
While major car bombings and death squad killings in Baghdad have declined, a double car bombing on Saturday at a crowded market in the northern city of Kirkuk killed at least 10 people and wounded 60, police sources said. The explosions took place in the Rahim Awa district, a predominantly Kurdish area of the ethnically mixed city.
Rice said Iraq's leaders needed to speed up efforts to reconcile warring Shi'ite and Sunni groups, finalize an oil revenue sharing law and hold provincial elections. Rice said she would press those issues when she met Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi. "The wait for progress can't be endless. Those (issues) need to move along more quickly," said Rice, who last month said the Iraqi government was on "borrowed time. This is a group of leaders that need to deliver."
Labels: al-Maliki, Baghdad, car bombs, Condoleezza Rice, Kirkuk, Talabani
Friday, February 16, 2007
Talabani backs al-Sadr
Security, Politics
(RFE/RL) Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is believed to have ordered senior officials of his Imam al-Mahdi Army militia to leave Iraq. Talabani said he believes al-Sadr supports new security operations launched in Iraq this week, and told his officials to leave the country in order to facilitate the security plan. The comments on February 15 came amid speculation that al-Sadr himself was in Iran. Talabani said he had no information on al-Sadr's whereabouts.
Labels: Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Talabani
