First topic message reminder :

Al-Qaeda bombing, financial networks degraded

PUKmedia 28-09-2008 17:32:24

mnf-iraq.com

Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s car bomb and financial networks were further debilitated by the capture of seven suspected terrorists during Coalition force operations Saturday and Sunday.

An operation in Baghdad Saturday netted one wanted man who is believed to be a key player in AQI’s improvised explosive device network. Another suspect was also detained during the operation.

Coalition forces, acting on a tip from a suspected terrorist already in custody, targeted a wanted man assessed to be one of AQI's financial bookkeepers in eastern Mosul early Sunday. When forces arrived at the location, the man was taken into custody without incident.

Then the detained man, who is believed to oversee AQI's terrorist payroll, led Coalition forces to a second location where they arrested four more men believed to be his associates.

"Attacking the innocent children and citizens must stop and Coalition forces will continue to seek out terrorists that threaten the safety and security of the people of Iraq.," Said Navy Lt. Cmdr. David Russell, MNF-I spokesman.

http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://pukmedia.com/english/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D6718%26Itemid%3D53&usg=ALkJrhhE9Ro1UnbkH15_yAP0XhF4NYpuJw

Going For The Head

October 6, 2008: In the past two months, Iraqi and U.S. forces have captured at least 30 members of Iranian group Kataib Hezbollah. This gang specializes in smuggling weapons and military equipment from Iran into Iraq, and then distributing it to pro-Iranian Shia groups. As police and army personnel take control of Shia towns and neighborhoods formerly dominated by Shia militias, it's possible to get information from locals who oppose violent groups. That has led to more arrests of political and criminal terrorists and those who provide support (weapons, safe houses, other equipment).

In many parts of Iraq, the emphasis has turned from hunting terrorists, to going after purely criminal (non-political) gangs. But elite U.S. and Iraqi units are still hunting down key terrorist leaders and technicians. There's enough intel now to track these guys. One of the recent catches was Mahir al Zubaydi, who was cornered and killed on the 4th. Zubaydi was in charge of al Qaeda operations for eastern Baghdad, and was responsible for dozens of attacks in Shia neighborhoods, and deaths of hundreds of civilians.

Zubaydi was originally a Sunni Islamic radical, but joined al Qaeda four years ago. He was long a technician and tacticians, helping plan and carry out suicide bomb attacks. He also carried out kidnappings, and executions (including four Russian embassy officials). Last year he was promoted (because of leadership casualties) to the top position in eastern Baghdad. Police will now seek to find out who Zubaydi's successor is, and take him down. This will continue until there are no more people willing to step forward and take these jobs. With terrorist attacks down 80 percent versus last year, you can see how this works. Kill or capture a guy like Zubaydi, and there are fewer attacks.

October 4, 2008: Over the last ten days, there were also frequent artillery attacks on suspected PKK locations just across the border in Iraq. Turkey claims that all these air and artillery attacks have killed at least 150 PKK personnel, in addition to much material damage. Including operations on the ground (by Turkish infantry that crossed the border to ambush PKK gunmen or examine bombed targets), the week saw nearly 300 PKK and about 40 Turkish troops killed. One PKK attack, just across the border in Turkey, killed 15 Turkish soldiers, and caused a call for increased attacks on the PKK. The Kurdish government in northern has stood back and let the Turks go after the PKK, even though most Kurds back the PKK idea of an independent nation for all 30 million Kurds in the region (parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.)

None of those countries are willing to allow this new nation, especially since they will have to give up people, land and, especially in the case of Iraq, oil, for this to happen. But in northern Iraq, the Kurds, and the more confident (and more militarily powerful) Iraqi government are coming closer to a violent resolution of the dispute over whether Kurds or Arabs will control some of the northern Iraqi towns, and nearby oil fields. For the first time, it's Shia Arabs who are the threat. For centuries, it was only the Sunni Arabs who beat on the Kurds. Thus the Iraqi Kurds are preoccupied with the Iraqi Arabs, and not willing to help the Turks clear out the PKK. The Iraqi Kurds believe that the Americans will bail them out if the Turks get too frisky in northern Iraq.

October 3, 2008: Turkish warplanes were again seen over northern Iraq, and several targets were bombed.

October 1, 2008: In September, Iraqi security forces lost about a third more people 159, than they did a year ago. U.S. losses, were down 40 percent from last year (and only 8 of those 25 deaths were from combat causes). Iraqi police and soldiers are in charge of most of the country now, including some provinces, like Anbar, that were terrorist base areas for several years. There are also more Iraqi security forces on duty. All this means fewer dangerous areas for U.S. troops to patrol. There are also far fewer terrorists operating, and their attacks are down about 80 percent compared to the same time last year. Militias, even those that supported the government, are off the streets. There are still anti-government and anti-U.S. rallies, and they are guarded by police and soldiers, not armed militiamen.

September 28, 2008: Several bombing attacks in Baghdad killed about three dozen people. These were largely attacks aimed at Shia preparing for the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. This is typical anti-Shia violence by Sunni radicals. This happens in many parts of the world where many Shia and Sunni live close to each other.

September 26, 2008: About a dozen Turkish warplanes bombed about sixteen targets in northern Iraq. These attacks were against Kurdish separatist rebels of the PKK organization. The rebels use bases in northern Iraq for attacks in eastern Turkey (a region that has many majority Kurdish areas).

http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/iraq/articles/20081006.aspx

Maliki: Iraq is difficult No. .. It does not accept divisible by two

2008-10-06 16:22:35


BAGHDAD (Iba) .. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Iraq No. difficult, does not accept divisible by two, three, four, but a single, unified state of all its citizens the right to benefit from its bounty, and enjoy decent living, education, health and freedom.

Maliki said Monday while attending the founding conference for the first clans, in Baghdad, said the concept of jihad to Aigtsr the sword and gun, and jihad is the biggest jihad for the sake of the nation and install the rule of law, and sacrifice in order to consolidate human values and principles, and the elimination of extremism, racism and sectarianism stranger to the teachings of our religion Islamic.

He stressed that the most important is what has been achieved national reconciliation and the eradication of sectarian strife, and that we do not hear about the murder on the basis of identity and community as has been the case at the hands of terrorists and criminals, and McCann realized that these successes, but for the concerted efforts of the sons of the tribes and the political forces and the faithful who stood Description of one, to protect Iraq and national unity.

The Maliki said if we wanted to build a democracy, we should have a strong federal government capable of protecting the provincial and federations of the dangers that may be threatened because of their responsibilities to maintain security and sovereignty, and this does not mean we want to banish the provincial and federations.

He called on all people to broad participation in the elections, and choose their representatives on the basis of true, praising the role of Iraqi tribes, which have become home to competencies and capabilities of scientists, intellectuals, doctors and Alengn and play a constructive role in society, and protect national unity and support the law, and participate in the reconstruction of Iraq. ( End) / g / ..

http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://www.ipairaq.com/inner.php%3Fname%3Dpolitics%26id%3D4551&usg=ALkJrhgHuOC7fFIyKuwbJZoUtUWUHG3wQA

Samurai: there is a confidence crisis between Iraq and the Arab States

2008-10-06 16:36:44

BAGHDAD (Iba) .. said Deputy Abdul Karim al-Samarrai from the Iraqi Accordance Front, said the visit of Egyptian Foreign Minister of Iraq is part of the openness on Iraq after the Arab, which was under occupation and punish governments could not complete the required political projects, making it isolated itself.

The al-Samarrai told the independent press (Iba) today, Monday,: "to a crisis of confidence between Iraq and the Arab states, available, say, but as our achievements in the security level there is a kind of openness on Iraq by Arab states, which clearly highlights During many visits to Iraq by presidents and kings and officials in Arab countries.

He said the Iraqi Accordance Front, this openness is very important because Itbu Iraq withdrew natural and proper place in the Arab and Islamic world, hoping to encourage the LTTE to these visits, wishing to develop in order to bring Iraq to its natural relations with Arab countries.

Samarrai also appealed to the Iraqi government to prove its credibility in the achievement of the national reconciliation so that this openness and the return of Iraq to the Arab nation return normal.

Iraq has witnessed many visits of officials and Arab Alrwoads last visit was paid by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, who was the first senior Egyptian official to visit Iraq since 1991 until now.

The Iraqi officials have criticized the often insistence of the Arab countries not to open embassies in Iraq or building diplomatic ties with him after the U.S. invasion in March 2003. (End) / 11 / g / ..

http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://www.ipairaq.com/inner.php%3Fname%3Dpolitics%26id%3D4553&usg=ALkJrhjv9e29EArDUeql7EieWszY36znyw

Barzani, Talabani will discuss with the developments in the country this afternoon

2008-10-06 12:29:24


Sulaimaniyah (Iba) .. A source in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the secretary general of the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani went to the resort of Salahuddin in Irbil to meet with President Massoud Barzani's Kurdistan province.

The source told the independent press (Iba) today, Monday, that: "President Talabani will meet President Barzani and will hold a meeting of the political offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party."


He added: "The two presidents will discuss the visit of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Ngrbunti visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister Abul Gheit to Iraq, as well as to discuss political developments in Iraq.

He continued: will also discuss the bloc's Alliance positions that occurred during the last period in the House of Representatives. (النهاية) /18/.. (End) / 18 / ..

http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://www.ipairaq.com/inner.php%3Fname%3Dpolitics%26id%3D4538&usg=ALkJrhjydWPvlO4THim73-fg-EY4iCGakQ

Mahmoud Othman: There will be an important meeting between Talabani and Maliki and leaders of political blocs to discuss the political developments and the signing of an understanding

06/10/2008 Monday 06 - Shawwal -1429 e


Bloc leader, Mahmoud Othman, the Kurdish Alliance for «life« that «the current political situation in the country and if the diaspora suffered by the main political blocs,

The differences between the Kurdistan regional government and the central government would require a number of political consultations between the parties urgently as it would impact negatively on the political process ».

He added that «an important meeting to be held in Baghdad in the next couple of days with President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and leaders of political blocs to discuss recent political developments», adding that the security agreement «will be at the forefront of the files that will be discussed».

He noted that «the outstanding issues between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government will be the same force», adding that «the two sides went towards the signing of the understanding on contentious issues», adding that «high-level Kurdish delegation will arrive in Baghdad to begin discussions on this document» .

In the meantime, continued Negrbunti who has been in Iraq since the days of meetings with Iraqi leaders, ended after extensive talks with Kurdish leaders and Vice President Adel Mahdi and Tariq al-Hashemi, and did not meet until the evening of Thursday Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the observers as an indication of the escalation of the dispute Between the two sides, Vamaliki insist on not granting U.S. troops immunity law.

It called on Barzani, the day before yesterday evening to expedite the conclusion of the agreement between Iraq and the United States, describing it as «serve the interests of the two countries».

He said in a press conference held with Negrbunti «recommend that the delay in the conclusion of the agreement because we believe it benefits the two peoples and serves the interests of the two countries».

Admitting differences between Erbil and Baghdad »but we stick to the constitution and we hope to be addressing all of those differences as the Constitution».

The government source confirmed to «life» that «note by the United States demands on the Iraqi security agreement in the face of the mass rejection« coalition »Shiite cleric.

There was no office, the supreme leader Ali al-Sistani, a position of agreement, but his representatives were speaking in Friday sermons insistence on the reference to lift the immunity of U.S. troops a condition for accepting the agreement.

Mahdi said yesterday that his talks with Negroponte «focused on further efforts and work to reach the result must determine the status of forces before the end of this year in the deal or any other form depends on the negotiations and final versions before». He added that «the Iraqi side was keen to receive a full and complete sovereignty demands raised, while the U.S. side and a realistic and practical Trohath». But no more details

Life

Reporter:
Liberation: Salah / 2008-10-06


http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://www.baghdadtimes.net/Arabic/index.php%3Fsid%3D34659&usg=ALkJrhhzs7iVpfxoVs4N4gOe50ieYKE3NQ

Iraqi lawmaker urges resolution of minority issue

QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Originally published 11:32 a.m., October 6, 2008,
updated 11:15 a.m., October 6, 2008

BAGHDAD (AP) - A senior Iraqi lawmaker on Monday called for an urgent resolution to Christian demands for a minority quota system in upcoming provincial elections, while the electoral commission ruled out any possibility of holding the vote this year.

Dozens of Christians protested over the issue at a rally near a church in Baghdad, saying the exclusion of the quota would marginalize their community, which comprises an estimated 3 percent of Iraq's 26 million people.

"We do not want to immigrate to the U.S. or Britain _ we want to stay in Iraq and have our representatives in both the provincial councils and the legislature," said the Rev. Louis al-Shabi, a preacher at a Chaldean church in Baghdad.

"We want to be treated equally as Iraqis living with the Muslims and other nationals in a united brotherly spirit," he added.

The issue has threatened to overshadow preparations for the upcoming vote for provincial councils throughout Iraq.

Faraj al-Haidari, the head of Iraq's independent electoral commission, said it would not be possible to hold the vote this year as had been hoped but said the panel would do its best to meet a Jan. 31 legal deadline.

Al-Haidari said there's not enough time to finish preparations for the election before year's end and a dispute over minority demands for a quota system was also complicating matters.

"It is definitely impossible to hold the elections this year," al-Haidari told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Monday from Beirut, Lebanon.

He said the date for the vote will be announced within two weeks.

In preparation, the independent elections commission will start registering candidates and political blocs on Oct. 15, he said. Officials also need to update voter lists, design the ballot papers and other technicalities, he added.

Iraq's parliament last month finally approved a law paving the way for elections to be held by Jan. 31 for provincial councils after months of deadlock but minorities were upset that it excluded quotas for them.

Deputy parliamentary speaker Khalid al-Attiyah, a Shiite, said options included passing an amendment based on that article or using outdated prewar census data to come up with a different formula.

"No political bloc in parliament has the intention of denying small ethnic minorities their constitutional rights," al-Attiyah said at a press conference. "There is an urgent need to solve this matter."

The vote, which U.S. officials hope will promote national unity and stem support for violence, initially was due to be held in October.

In a separate development, a plane carrying Iraq's Sunni parliamentary speaker was not allowed to land Monday in Iran, forcing him to return to Baghdad, an official said.

Mahmoud al-Mashhadani was on an Iraqi Airways commercial flight to Tehran, but the plane was turned away after airport officials were informed dignitaries were on board, the official said.

The official from al-Mashhadani's office, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information, said Iranian authorities gave no reason for denying permission for the plane to land.

Later, however, Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted a senior Iranian lawmaker, Mohsen Koohkan, as saying the problem was the type of plane and not with al-Mashhadani.

Koohkan did not specify the aircraft type or say what the problem with it was.

According to the report, Koohkan said Iran's parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani talked to al-Mashhadani by phone about the incident. "There is no problem for al-Mashhadani to come to Tehran," Koohkan was quoted as saying.

Iraqi media earlier had reported that al-Mashhadani was leading a parliamentary delegation on an official visit to mainly Shiite Iran.

Iran's hard-line Shiite theocracy maintains close ties to Iraqi Shiites, who make up about 60 percent of the country's population and dominate the government.

Iraq's Sunni minority is highly suspicious of such ties, while the U.S. military has accused Iran of trying to undermine the American effort to stabilize the country.

Al-Mashhadani has traveled to Iran before, but his last visit was in 2007, according to his office.

___

Associated Press writers Sameer N. Yacoub, Bushra Juhi and Hamid Ahmed in Baghdad and Ali Akbar Dareini from Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.



http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/oct/06/iraqi-lawmaker-urges-resolution-of-minority-iss-1/

Contractors Investigate Contractors In Iraq

Oct. 6/08

It's now been over a year since Blackwater contractors opened fire in a Baghdad traffic circle, killing 17 Iraqi civilians and wounding 24 others. (To date, no one has been charged with a crime, but six Blackwater guards received target letters from the Justice Department in August, indicating that indictments could soon follow.) The shootings set off a firestorm of media criticism and a renewed effort in Congress to rein in the private security free-for-all in Iraq.

To that effect, the State Department, acknowledging problems with the collection of evidence at Baghdad's Nisoor Square, established a special force tasked with investigating suspected contractor crimes. According to State Department Undersecretary for Management, the new Force Investigation Unit (FIU) was to be "composed of State Department employees." But in a twist that should not surprise any of us at this point, it turns out that more than half of the new unit is staffed with private contractors. According to ABC News, eight members of the FIU are on loan from the U.S. Investigations Services (USIS), a private company, in an "apparent violation of federal regulations that prohibit such work by contractors."

Senator Russel Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, recently fired off a letter to Condoleezza Rice calling the use of private contractors to investigate other private contractors "highly troubling" and demanded that all FIU positions be filled by federal employees. "Anything less will further exacerbate tensions within Iraq and the region caused by our perceived failure to hold U.S. contractors accountable for misuse of force against civilians," he wrote.

The State Department has yet to respond.



http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/10/10096_contractors_investigate_usis_iraq_blackwater.html

Turkey intensifies aerial bombings in northern Iraq

Posted: 06-10-2008 , 15:04 GMT


Turkey's army intensified an aerial bombing campaign against suspected Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq on Monday after at least 15 Turkish troops died in a cross-border attack on Friday. Public anger is mounting after the attack and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the military have vowed to intensify a campaign to crush the PKK.

"The military continues to follow terrorist members who took part in the Oct. 3 attack," the General Staff said in a statement, cited by Reuters. "Our warplanes achieved their mission and came back to base safely," the statement said.

It said the raid targeted a group of PKK gunmen holed up in the Avasin Basyan region.

Kurdish PKK gunmen said on Monday they were holding the two Turkish soldiers who went missing. "We have two Turkish soldiers. I cannot confirm if they are dead or alive. We will announce this soon," PKK spokesman Ahmed Danees said by telephone to a Reuters journalist based in Kurdish northern Iraq.

© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

http://www.albawaba.com/en/news/236568

Iraq hopes shrine rebuild can reconcile sects

By Tim Cocks
Reuters
Monday, October 6, 2008; 8:17 AM

SAMARRA, Iraq (Reuters) - A ring of scaffolding around charred bricks is all that now stands in place of the golden dome that adorned one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines.

Militants bombed the al-Askari mosque in the Iraqi city of Samarra in February 2006, destroying the dome and setting off a wave of sectarian bloodshed that killed tens of thousands of people and nearly tipped the country into all-out civil war.

Now, with violence sharply down and Iraq's coffers swollen with oil revenues, officials hope the mosque can be restored to its former majestic glory in a few years.

That could help heal bitter divisions between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunnis, they say.

"It's so important for Iraq," Samarra Mayor Mahmoud Khalaf, who is closely involved in the project, told Reuters. "But it's also a lot of work. We are working 24/7 to get it finished."

The al-Askari Mosque, also called the Golden Mosque, was built in 944 and is one of Iraq's four holiest Shi'ite shrines. The dome of the sanctuary was completed in 1905 and had been covered by 72,000 golden pieces.

Two of the 12 revered Shi'ite imams are buried in the shrine -- Imam Ali al-Hadi, the 10th Imam, who died in 868 and his son, the 11th Imam Hasan al-Askari, who died in 874.

Getting the shrine back to how it was is a huge task -- officials say Iraq expects to spend around $60 million for the project in this mainly Sunni Arab northern city.

A big part of the challenge is that there are no original drawings to work from, said an architect on the site, who declined to be identified for security reasons.

"We're working from old photographs, but there's a lot of guesswork. We're effectively building the design from scratch," the architect said. "But we have to get it right: for the shrine and for the imam -- and for Iraq."

No-one claimed responsibility for the bombing of the mosque, although the government blamed the Sunni Islamist militant group al Qaeda, which regards Shi'ites as heretics.

Al Qaeda had long been accused of trying to spark a sectarian war in Iraq. This time it worked.

Shi'ite militiamen took vengeance on Sunnis within days of the bombing; Sunnis retaliated. In Baghdad, residents were forced out of neighborhoods if they were of the wrong sect.

In June 2007, suspected al Qaeda militants also blew up the mosque's two minarets, which had survived the 2006 bombing.

PAIN OF THE BOMBING

UNESCO, the U.N. agency for education, science and culture, is helping restore the shrine. Disagreements between Shi'ite and Sunni officials over how to carry out the work had previously held reconstruction back.

But in midday heat during the holy month of Ramadan a week ago, a dozen workers mixed concrete and laid bricks on the roof of the mosque where the dome once stood. Most of Samarra was deserted as people fasted and stayed indoors.

"I'm so happy to work here. It's a holy place and I want to do a service to Imam al-Askari," said Hisham Qassim, 26, an electrician, adding he didn't care about being paid.

"I came here before as a pilgrim and it was like paradise. I felt so much pain when it was bombed."

Some of Samarra's Sunni residents feel the Shi'ite-led government held them responsible for the mosque's destruction and hope a restored shrine will heal the mistrust.

"We always felt the government blamed the Sunnis for the bombing, but it wasn't us: it was al Qaeda," said Wasmi Hamed, who leads a Sunni neighborhood patrol that has helped drive al Qaeda militants out of the city.

"I was devastated when it happened. I wanted to find whoever did it and cut his head off. Now we want it to be repaired."

Sunnis, while they don't attach the same religious importance to the shrine, are keen to see a centerpiece of their ancient city -- once a tourist attraction for thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims -- restored.

"We used to get so many visitors from all over Iraq to see the shrine. Samarra was a beautiful, rich city. It can be again," said Sheikh Khalid Hassan, a Sunni tribal leader.

(Editing by Dean Yates and Dominic Evans)



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/06/AR2008100600666.html

Arab League Sends Ambassador to Iraq

By Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 6, 2008; 12:33 PM

BAGHDAD, Oct. 6 -- The Arab League dispatched an ambassador to Baghdad on Monday, the latest sign of progress for the Iraqi and U.S. effort to ease this country's diplomatic isolation.

Hani Khilaf arrived a day after the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister in 18 years. The previous envoy of the 22-member Arab League quit in January 2007, blasting Arab countries for not doing more to ease Iraqis' suffering.

The U.S. government has urged the Sunni-dominated Arab governments in the region to reestablish ties with Iraq's Shiite-led government. Many have been hesitant because of violence here and concerns that they could appear to be endorsing the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. In addition, some nations are wary about the close ties the Iraqi government has developed with Iran.

Khilaf, an Egyptian diplomat, told reporters before leaving Cairo that he would try to promote reconciliation in Iraq. Violence has declined here sharply in the past year but is still at staggering levels.

"We need a more active Arab role in Iraq," Khilaf said.

His arrival ended an embarrassing gap in representation by the Arab League, which groups 21 predominantly Arabic-speaking nations and the Palestinian Authority. The previous ambassador, Mokhtar Lamani, wrote a scathing article after he quit about "the contrast between the enormous suffering I saw daily in Baghdad and the persistent indifference evident in the Arab League meetings in Cairo."

Iraqi politicians welcomed Khilaf's arrival.

"The Iraqis look forward to a larger role by the Arab League in Iraq as well as positive and good relations with the Arab countries," Bassam Sharif, a lawmaker from the Shiite Fadhila Party, told the National Iraqi News Agency.

The U.S. government is hopeful that growing ties with Arab countries will temper Iran's influence here as American forces begin gradually withdrawing from this country.

Jordan's King Abdullah II visited Iraq in August, the first leader of an Arab nation to travel here since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinian Authority maintain embassies in Baghdad. The extreme violence of recent years has contributed to some country's reluctance to keep high-level representatives here.

An Egyptian ambassador was kidnapped and killed in 2005, shortly after arriving. A car bomb exploded at Jordan's embassy in Baghdad in August 2003, killing at least 17 people.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/06/AR2008100601145.html

Maliki urges Egyptian investment in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says his country is seeking better relations with Egypt and other Arab nations.

Commenting Monday during a visit to Baghdad by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ali Aboul Gheit, Maliki said Iraq needs the cooperation of Egypt and its other Arab neighbors on construction and economic development projects, al-Sumaria Television reported.

Maliki added used Gheit's visit to urge Egyptian companies to pick up reconstruction opportunities in the country, the broadcaster said, adding that Gheit reaffirmed Egypt's support of Iraq's efforts as establishing security and the imposition of rule by constitutional law.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/06/Maliki_urges_Egyptian_investment_in_Iraq/UPI-93661223311178/

Iraqi official rules out provincial vote this year


By SAMEER N. YACOUB
Associated Press
2008-10-06 08:39 PM


An Iraqi electoral official says provincial elections cannot be held this year but his commission will do its best to meet a Jan. 31 deadline.

Faraj al-Haidari says there's not enough time to finish preparations for the election before year's end and the issue of minority representation is also complicating matters.

He added Monday that the date for the vote will be announced within two weeks.

Iraq's parliament finally approved a law paving the way for elections to be held by Jan. 31 for provincial councils after months of deadlock but minorities were upset that it excluded quotas for them.

The vote initially was due to be held in October.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=756596

Legitimately Good News From Iraq

By Spencer Ackerman 10/6/08 9:39 AM

Naturally, it’s beneath stuff about 11 people dying in a Mosul suicide bombing, but still: Egypt is due to reopen its embassy in Baghdad, closed since insurgents murdered Egypt’s ambassador in 2005.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Quote:

Aboul Gheit’s visit followed those by leaders of Jordan and Lebanon and was an indication that leading Sunni Muslim countries may begin restoring relations with Iraq’s Shiite Muslim-led government. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other nations have been concerned about Iraq’s ties with the Shiite-run government in Iran, which Sunni nations blame for attempting to unsettle the region through its nuclear program and support to militant groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Iraq has passed through a difficult period, and today we hope that we see Iraq outside this situation,” Aboul Gheit said. “Egypt has a confirmed desire to build a strong and active Iraqi-Egyptian relationship.”

Why’s this a big deal?

Because any extrication strategy for the United States will need a robust diplomatic component. Right now, the political compact in Iraq between Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds is anything but stable or settled, and it shows all signs of remaining that way for the foreseeable future.

Getting the U.S. out will require the region’s heavy hitters — in other words, the Sunni powerbrokers and Iran — to act as guarantors of political stability in the wake of a U.S. withdrawal, to cash the checks that the sectarian interests write at the bargaining table. Having the Egyptians already in Baghdad will help lay the groundwork.

Getting out just got slightly easier.

http://washingtonindependent.com/10497/legitimately-good-news-from-iraq

_________________
~ He who would not forgive must judge, for he must justify his failure to forgive ~

Massoud Barzani: The KRG Representative to the U.S. Responds

Qubad Talabany | 06 Oct 2008
World Politics Review



Editor's note: The following is an unsolicited response to a World Politics Review commentary from Qubad Talabany, the Kurdish Regional Government's representative to the United States.

WPR usually publishes reader mail on our blog, but we have chosen to publish this as a stand alone item out of respect for Mr.Talabany's diplomatic stature.

As both a news and analysis journal, WPR recognizes that some articles it publishes will provoke differences of opinion and disagreements of interpretation. Above all, our commitment is to airing all sides of a contested issue, so long as they are respectfully expressed.

Dear Sir:

The "Commentary" by Sam Brennan, < "The Misrule of Massoud Barzani: Iraqi Kurdistan's Yasser Arafat," > is erroneous and ill-informed.

Mr. Brannen begins with the statement that the "Kurdish north is increasingly a source of unrest" and "becoming a danger both to the country and to its own people." What "unrest" and "danger" is he referring to? There is no political violence or unrest in the Kurdistan region. The Kurdistan Region is the most stable and democratic part of Iraq, and regularly acknowledged as such by administration officials and members of Congress. Furthermore, it is hard to square how KRG cooperation in overthrowing Saddam Hussein, drafting the Iraqi constitution, fighting terrorism and meeting political benchmarks such as passing the provincial election law last month are a "danger" to Iraq and the Kurds.

That the KRG, like many governments, is imperfect and has corruption is true. But unlike other governments in the region, the KRG can point to a level of progress in democratic reforms, tolerance, transparency and better governance. I would challenge Mr. Brannen to identify another region in Iraq or the Middle East where the secular trend, as well as tolerance for diversity, is as well-developed as it is in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Brannen also claims that Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region and a revered figure among the Kurds, "may go down as the Yasser Arafat of the Kurdish people." Yasser Arrafat acquiesced to terrorism as a tactic to promote his and his party's goals, whereas President Barzani has been one of America's staunchest allies in fighting terrorism. We Kurds have been victims of terrorism, not its proponents. This comparison is at best sloppy and uninformed, and at worst slanderous, and Mr. Brannen should be held accountable for it.

As the son of President of Iraq Jalal Talabani, I take strong personal offense at Brannen's unflattering comparison of Massoud Barzani to Jalal Talabani. He fails to recognize the important role played by President Barzani on every major milestone in Iraq's development. His input and involvement, in Baghdad with President Talabani, has led to breaking of the impasse on many major issues, including the drafting and the ratification of Iraq's permanent constitution. While the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have had their differences in the past, the Kurdish leadership is today united, and Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani are the closest of confidantes and partners in building both the Kurdistan Region and a federal and democratic Iraq.

Mr. Brannen also mischaracterizes KRG-Turkish relations over the past year, including regarding the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), culminating in a historic meeting in Baghdad on May 1, 2008, between KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and senior Turkish officials. That this progress could have taken place if President Barzani had "refused to cooperate with Turkey," as Mr. Brannen asserts, shows a lack of understanding about decision-making in our government and the relationships among President Barzani, Prime Minister Barzani, President Talabani, and the rest of the Iraqi Kurdish leadership.

The author is misguided in his description of the status of the Peshmerga. The Peshmerga are not "his [Barzani's] Peshmerga", rather they are the security force of the Kurdistan Region, a force that is recognized in Iraq's permanent constitution. Where does Mr. Brannen get the idea that the Kurdistan region "doesn't especially need its security forces"? At other places in his article he acknowledges the threats from al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. Mr. Brannen might also be reminded of what our recent history has been, including the use of chemical weapons by Saddam Hussein against Kurdish villages in 1987-88.

Moreover, every time there is conflict in Iraq, be it with al-Qaida, or other extreme groups and militias, it is the Peshmerga that is called upon by the prime minister of Iraq to assist the Iraqi army. Kurdish Peshmerga forces have bravely and consistently fought against terrorists who kill Americans and Iraqis. In response to Mr. Brannen's assertions that Kurdish forces are deployed outside of Kurdistan's boundaries, it should be made clear to readers that throughout 2004 and 2005, the Iraqi Government and the U.S.-led Multi-National Forces have requested Kurdish security forces to assist in securing parts of Diyala, Kirkuk and Nineveh provinces. Kurdish forces did so with great success, rooting out terrorists from Tal-Afar, securing towns like Khanaqin and rooting out terrorist elements from Kirkuk. These areas remain disputed territories and thus not under the direct control of either Kurdistan or Baghdad. Moreover, it was Prime Minster Maliki's unnecessary deployment of Iraqi army units to Khanaqin this year that has heightened tensions in an otherwise peaceful and stable situation.

Finally, the author proves yet again to be incorrect in his assertions that no elections will take place in the Kurdistan Region. Elections are scheduled to be held in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in June 2009.

Qubad Talabany
Representative to the United States
Kurdistan Regional Government - USA

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=2740

Shahristani: Iraq will accept bids for a new round of tenders for long-term oil contracts

2008-10-06 21:33:56


BAGHDAD (Iba) .. Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said Iraq would accept bids for a first round of tenders for long-term contracts for six oil fields in March 2009.

Shahristani said in press statements that Iraq plans to open a second round of bids for long-term oil contracts in December 2008.

He said al-Shahristani, who will meet in London next week with 35 oil companies qualified to participate in the first round of bidding criteria that progress will depend on offers lower cost of the cut-off in addition to the ability to increase production and maintain production in the long term. (End) ..

http://74.125.93.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://www.ipairaq.com/inner.php%3Fname%3Deconomy%26id%3D1026&usg=ALkJrhgbNkEQFKf8wbt2sykdA8Aotv6zFQ