Thread: Archive Latest News - Think Tank - 16/08/07 - 03/11/07

Patience Urged For Iraq Progress Report

The new national commander of America's oldest and largest organization of combat veterans is urging patience as the nation awaits the progress report next week by Army Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker.

George Lisicki, who was elected last month to lead the 2.3 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and its Auxiliaries, said the nation must carefully evaluate the report not so much for the accomplishments it will mention, but for the signs of progress and recommendations that the U.S. mission in Iraq can succeed with adequate time and resources.

"War is an ugly business that begins and ends in the political arena, but the bottom line is a nation doesn't go to war to lose," said Lisicki, a Vietnam combat veteran from Carteret, N.J.

"The critics and pundits say Iraqi politicians can't put their sectarian differences aside. I say a reliable security environment increases economic opportunities which forces politicians to work together," he explained. "That is exactly what is happening today in Iraq's largest province, Al Anbar, which a year ago was deemed a lost cause because of sectarian violence and foreign insurgents. Peace and stability breeds productivity and political reconciliation."

Lisicki said that America's veterans demand forward progress when the nation deploys its military into harm's way, and de****e the mistakes that occurred in the overall prosecution of the war in Iraq, he said the new strategy is yielding positive results.

"Our troops trust their commanders, they believe in the plan, and they have faith in their ability to carry out their assigned missions," he said. "If the Iraq progress report asks for more time and patience, then we should give it --- not because politicians at home are urging it, but because our troops and generals on the ground are asking for it.

"Our troops have hope and faith that they can win. Our job is to support them."

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...e,172628.shtml

President Talabani Stressed the Importance of Teamwork of all the Components and Sides in Kirkuk

Yesterday, in his private residence in Sulaimaniyah, President Mam Jalal received Jalal Jawher, member of PUK politburo, Rafaat Abdullah, chairman of PUK Kirkuk Organizational Center, Rizgar Ali, head of Kirkuk Gov. Council and the members Abdullah Askeri and Kakrash Sidiq.

The discussion focused on Kirkuk security, the procedures of implementing Article 140 of Iraq Constitution and the steps towards the reconstruction of the city.

President Mam Jalal expressed his full support to solve problems facing Kirkuk administration. He also laid emphasis on teamwork of all Kirkuk’s components in solving the problems in a way that all sides take part in decision making towards the enforcement of the law and normalizing the city.

In that connection Mam Jalal referred to the persistence of the efforts of Kurdistan Political leadership in solving Kirkuk’s problems. He also told the concerned sides to form a committee and visit Baghdad for the fulfillment of their demands and urgent needs and those of Kirkuk’s.

PUKmedia :: English - President Talabani Stressed the Importance of Teamwork of all the Components and Sides in Kirkuk

Karadaghi: Iraqi Kurdish leaders face problem of how to get rid of PKK

A prominent Iraqi Kurd says the Kurdish leadership has no interest in having the PKK militant ts in their area and would be more than happy if they woke up one morning and saw that they had all disappeared.

Kamran Karadaghi, the chief of staff of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and a close associate, said the Iraqi Kurdish leaders face the dilemma of how to get rid of the PKK in their region.

Karadaghi said people in Turkey misunderstand Kurdish statements that the PKK issue should be solved politically. He said this does not mean the PKK should be integrated into the Turkish system.

Karadaghi also said President Talabani who is also a leading Kurd in Iraq has warm, feelings for Turkey and always encourages European leaders to help Turkey enter the European Union.

Here is the full text of the Karadaghi interview:

The New Anatolian: You are just out of Baghdad. As far as we can see the Iraqi society is tearing itself apart de****e the efforts of many hard working politicians like President Jalal Talabani. What are the future prospects for Iraqi unity?

Kamran Karadaghi: Considering domestic, as well as regional and international realities, unity is the only realistic option for Iraq. History of the past eight decades in Iraq is evidence that Iraq's unity can be preserved only by consensus among its divert ethnic and religious components. What we witness in Iraq now is largely a tragic result of the 'bad' unity enforced upon Iraqis, particularly by the regime of Saddam Hussein. Return to that kind of unity will inevitably need the emergence of another Saddam.

The emergence of a viable unity in Iraq is in the interest not only of the Iraqis themselves but also of the region and the world. Of course it is up to the Iraqi people and their leaders in the first place to determine the kind of unity they want for their country. But it is vitally important that the regional powers, particularly Iraq's neighbours, understand that only a unity based on federalism is viable for Iraq and that only an Iraq as such can bring peace and stability to their borders.

The New Anatolian: Do you see an eventual American withdrawal? Or are the Americans obliged to stay de****e U.S. Democratic opposition?
Karadaghi: There will be no American withdrawal from Iraq. The stakes are too high. America is in the middle of the battle in Iraq, and it can't afford to flee the battlefield in defeat. I think President George W. Bush is determined to overcome all opposition to his Iraq policy. The long awaited assessment report by Ambassador Ryan Croker and Coalition forces' commander General David Petreius will reflect Bush's determination.

The New Anatolian: What is really preventing the Iraqi Kurds from effectively dealing with the PKK?

Karadaghi: There can't be denying that the PKK is a problem not only for Turkey, but also for the Iraqi Kurds. They have no interest whatsoever in the presence of the PKK guerrillas on their territory, albeit in the remote zigzags of the Qandil mountains. Frankly I think the Iraqi Kurdish leadership would be no less happy than the Turkish government if they wake up one morning and discover that the PKK guerrillas have disappeared from their territory. The problem is how you get rid of them. Turkey's military with all its might against the PKK is now in its 24th year. Although the Turkish army can claim that the PKK have been militarily defeated since the guerrillas are not able to establish any foothold on Turkey's territory, but Ankara still considers the PKK's presence in the Iraqi Qandil mountain to be a security nightmare. Hence the Turkish military continuously threatens to take the fight to the PKK's Qandil stronghold in Iraqi Kurdistan.

For the Iraqi Kurds to launch war against the PKK, as some in Ankara demands, is out of the question. For all kinds of national, political and military considerations the Iraqi Kurds can't fight PKK no matter how unhappy they are by their presence which invites permanent threats of military intervention by Turkey. I am pleased to say that there are many in Ankara who understand the complexity of the problem and therefore do not make such demands to the Iraqi Kurds.

I think the Iraqi Kurdish position in misunderstood in Ankara and the Iraqi Kurds need to make an effort to explain their position more clearly. When they call for a political solution of the PKK problem it does not imply in any way that they are trying to interfere in Turkey's internal affairs. And they are convinced that such a solution, which will serve their interests as well as the interests of Turkey and its people, can be reached by dialogue between Ankara and the Iraqi Kurds whether directly or within the framework of the Iraqi-Turkish-American committee. Just as a reminder Ankara refused to continue the dialogue within this framework because Baghdad insisted that the Iraqi delegation must include the representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The New Anaotlian: You have met several people in Ankara recently. Do you see any hope for serious dialogue between the Iraqi Kurds and Ankara? What are the drawbacks of the lack of such a dialogue?
Karadaghi: There is realistic expectation that Ankara will opt for dialogue with the Iraqi Kurdish leadership. This is also the desire of the Iraqi Kurds. I can't see any reason why a serious dialogue should not resume between Ankara and the Iraqi Kurdish leadership. In the past the past 16 years, since the first official and public contact between the two sides was established, the two sides were always able to successfully manage their relations and steer out of serious conflict. One wonders why Ankara had no problem having official and public relationship, political as well as military, with the Iraqi Kurdish entity when it had no legal status, but is reluctant to do so now that this entity has a legitimate status, with an elected leadership, recognized by the constitution of Iraq and its central government?My feeling is that logic will prevail in Ankara.

The New Anatolian: Kurdish independents have entered the Turkish Parliament and now they are under the roof of the DTP. What kind of a role should they play in Turkey?

Karadaghi: It is not for me to tell the DTP deputies how they should behave in the parliament. However as a Kurd, who experienced four years of post-Saddam's Iraq, I can say that the more the Kurdish deputies stress their 'Iraqiness' the better they serve their Kurdish cause. Being a member of the Iraqi parliament obliges you to serve the interests of the entire Iraqi people as vigorously as serving the interests of the people of your constituency.

The New Anatolian: You are someone who is very close to President Jalal Talabani. What are his feelings about Turkey?

Karadaghi: I have no hesitation stating that President Jalal Talabani is a friend of Turkey. He admires Turkey and realizes its importance as a model and key to stabilization and democracy for the entire region. He never misses the chance when meeting with European leaders to express his strong belief that it is not only in the interest of Turkey itself to be a member of the EU, but it is also in the interest Europe, the World and particularly the region. It is Mr. Talabani's conviction, both as President of Iraq and Kurdish leader, that close relations between Iraq and Turkey serves well the interests of their peoples.

PUKmedia :: English - Karadaghi: Iraqi Kurdish leaders face problem of how to get rid of PKK

Parliament resumes sessions, quorum completed - speaker

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Thursday , 06 /09 /2007

Baghdad, Sept 6, (VOI)- The Iraqi parliament started its ordinary session on Thursday, while parliament's Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani announced the obtaining of the quorum, a media source said.
"Al-Mashhadani announced the completion of the quorum after the attendance of 165 members out of the total 275 seats," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) on condition of anonymity.
"Today's agenda envisages discussing a number of draft laws, including voting on amending the law on the Supreme Criminal Court number 10 of 2005, amending the disciplinary law for state employees and other draft laws," he added.
"Some changes may happen to the agenda during the session," the media source noted.
The Iraqi parliament held its first session last Tuesday after a one-month-recess.

Aswat Aliraq

The first business and investment in Iraq has enormous investment opportunities

9/7/2007

Witnessed in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the business and Alastasmaralaol in Iraq, which concluded last Thursday with a number of Iraqi officials and representatives of Arab and foreign companies to discuss investment opportunities in Iraq

He said Nizawalmitmer: that the huge investment opportunities worth billions of dollars. And Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi, in his speech during the conference that Iraq is thirsty for investment and provide opportunities for capital with different sizes. He said Abdel Mahdi risk that investors who enter the Iraqi market before others will be the biggest beneficiaries, as quoted by Agence France-Presse. He Abdelmahdi that violence that has ravaged Iraq can not be an obstacle to investment, pointing out that all areas are not exposed to violence the same percentage.

He noted that investments in some countries that have experienced waves of violence did not stop, recalling in particular Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Algeria. Estimated Abdel Mahdi cost hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild Iraqi infrastructure and the volume of investments available to global corporations. For his part, Minister of Industry and Minerals Fawzi Hariri that his ministry is determined to open its institutions and the 65 partnership with the Foundation for Arab and international investments estimated volume of investments Natioukahbenho four billion dollars.

He pointed out that the volume of investments offered by the Ministry during the conference, estimated at more than 51 billion dollars also said: that the ministry is studying the draft rehabilitation Iraqi petrochemical company through investments may exceed $ 2 billion. The conference witnessed, which was attended by about 300 representatives of Arab and international companies, in addition to dozens of officials Iraqis, the search expanded in investment opportunities in the areas of agricultural and construction in addition to the economic environment in the free zones and new laws that stimulate investments in Iraq.

وکالة ال�رات العراقية للانباء

The government tends to announce the strategic political projects soon

9/7/2007

The government intends to develop a number of projects including Alstratejeh task like yesterday, I announced a plan on behalf of the national security of Iraq, depending on the evolution of the ongoing discussions and dialogues between the political parties so as to contribute to the higher interest of the country,

This comes at a time considered a number of MPs that the strategy Iraq is the first fruit of the efforts and long debates will contribute in promoting reconciliation and ending the manifestations of violence.

They stressed in statements to Al-Sabah Alstratejeh that these are complementary to the strategies and plans implemented by the government out of the crisis undergone by Iraq and contribute to achieving security and stability.

The deputy said the coalition and the representative of Dawa Party in the House of Shaheed Al: that the political work in constant mobility and other projects will appear on the political scene in the coming period, according to the reality and developments in the democratic process, pointing out that the government and parliament would work on finding ways and formulas for achieving goals return security and stability to the country.

Al explained that the coming days will witness further talks and dialogues to develop a number of projects include new ideas, refused to disclose the nature.

And on the new national Alstratejeh Iraq between Al interest of the country that should be the foundation of any movement and every nation considering the interests of its people and the government has taken many measures and actions to address the firm of outlaws from the law, adding that the coalition common with every help to rid Iraq of the conditions that passes and national reconciliation is a line parallel to confront terrorism.

He stressed the importance of the involvement of Al-Gabri all Iraqis believers political action and contribute expelling the country from the crisis and therefore can isolate terrorist groups, particularly Al Qaeda and Sadamien Alliance, which works with the dialogue, alluding to previous tests positive or negative, which took place in Anbar, Diyala, Salahuddin

For his part, counting on the Kurdistan Alliance MP Abdel Bari Zebari Alstratejeh as new progress aimed at achieving security situation as the key to reaching stability, and the industrialized countries depend on stability and security of its plans such plan.

Zebari stressed that concerted political consensus and improved performance will build a new Iraq, which embraces all citizens, pointing out that this came Alstratejeh complementary to other plans is a set of goals the government is working to achieve that particular plans other managed to achieve many of their goals. .

One such study Alstratejeh came after long and wide and not an overnight, which is not bound by repeating as some visiting American President George Bush to Iraq recently, but came simultaneously with, and expected that it will move forward, especially not for the political parties only dialogue and it continues.

The deputy compatibility Hussein Alflogi expressed reservation on the strategy through the media, stating that it should be presented to representatives of the Iraqi people in the parliament to stand at the details and gives his opinion and according to the constitutional powers granted to parliament in access and parking on strategic plans.

وکالة ال�رات العراقية للانباء

Parliament voted on bills and to lift its Saturday

9/7/2007

The House lifted its third legislative chapter II today, Thursday, to Saturday, after the vote on the bills on its agenda. The process took place vote on the draft law ratifying the articles 24, 25 of the Constitution of the World Health Organization, as well as vote on the accession of the Republic of Iraq to the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and destruction those weapons.

The meeting was held today, Thursday, after a quorum, according to Board Chairman Mahmoud المشهداني, after attending 165 deputies from different blocks of the total 275 seats are seats in the Council.

وکالة ال�رات العراقية للانباء

Iraqis told to sort out future or see US leave
(AFP)

6 September 2007

RAMADI, Iraq - US Senator Joseph Biden told a gathering of tribal leaders and officials on Thursday that Iraqis must reconcile their differences as US troops would not stick around forever to shed their blood.


“Unity of Iraq is an Iraqi problem. America wants you to succeed and we will do whatever we can to enable you to succeed,” said Biden, chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a presidential contender.

Speaking at a one-day forum in Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, just days after US President George W. Bush had stopped in the region to endorse peace initiatives, Biden said Iraq’s future was in their hands.

“Only you can determine the future. It’s encouraging to see central government assisting you in Anbar. In America we are waiting to see how extensive that cooperation will be,” Biden said.

“If it is (extensive) you can count on America to stay, if it is not, we can say goodbye now.

“There are difficulties but if you continue (to make progress), we will also send you our sons and daughters to shed their blood with you, for you. But if you decide that you cannot live together, let us know. My son, who is a captain in the army, can stay home.”

US officials said the Anbar Forum was aimed at giving an economic boost to the western province, where Sunni Arab former insurgents have joined with US forces to fight Al-Qaeda.

Some 3,000 US and Iraqi troops were deployed to secure the governor’s office in the city centre where the forum was being held, officials said.

Among the few dozen attending the forum were Iraqi vice presidents Tareq al-Hashemi and Adel Abdel Mahdi, deputy prime minister Barham Saleh and members of the provincial government, including Governor Maamun Sami Rashid.

Also attending was Sheikh Sattar Abu Risha and 11 other tribal leaders from the so-called Anbar Awakening Conference, comprising Sunni tribes who formed an alliance with American troops to claw back their neighbourhoods from Al-Qaeda.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told the forum the government was doing its best but there was “no magic way.”

“The reality on the ground should be understood by politicians from Washington,” he said.

“We are passing through a critical time ... Iraqis themselves do not believe in the government because of a lack of services but there is no magic way.

“The government is doing its best. The political atmosphere is not healthy. There is a lack of trust (between leaders). The government is working with half of its members (following boycotts and walkouts from the cabinet). We do understand the difficulties,” he said.

Sheikh Risha, meanwhile, urged other provinces to follow Anbar’s lead in cooperating with the central government.

“I wish we could do in all the provinces of Iraq what we did in Anbar, which is that the people and the government come together,” he said.

On Monday, Bush made a surprise stopover at an airbase just 48 kilometres (30 miles) west of Ramadi, where he said a reduction in US combat troops in Iraq was possible due to progress on the security front in Anbar.

The White House is to make a formal report to the Democratic-led Congress by September 15 aimed at persuading lawmakers to continue funding the Iraq war, four and a half bloody years after the invasion.

The turnaround in Anbar is expected to feature prominently in the White House argument that US troops should remain in Iraq to create more space for political reconciliation.

Ramadi had until recently been a symbol of the failure of the US military and the Iraqi government to assert their will among the fiercely independent Sunni tribes living in the deserts west of Baghdad.

But since the Anbar Awakening group was formed earlier this year, the tide has turned and a semblance of normality has returned to the streets and market places of Ramadi.

Khaleej Times Online - Iraqis told to sort out future or see US leave

Divided Iraq awaits crucial US report
(AFP)

6 September 2007

BAGHDAD - Iraqis, bitterly divided along sectarian lines and reeling from a brutal insurgency, are gloomily awaiting a US report that could signal an exit strategy for American troops from their war-torn country.


Political leaders are bracing themselves for a negative assessment of their efforts to forge national unity in the nation of 27 million Shia, Sunnis and Kurds torn by sectarian violence that has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis.

General David Petraeus, head of US-led forces in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are due to give a key testimony to the US Congress on Monday, ahead of a White House report on political and military progress in Iraq due by September 15.

But Iraqi leaders are keenly aware that they are unlikely to be depicted in glowing terms.

An independent US official auditor on Tuesday branded Iraq’s government “dysfunctional” in a report that did not make appetising reading for Iraqi leaders.

“The Iraqi government met three, partially met four and did not meet 11 of its 18 benchmarks,” the Government Accountability Office said in its report.

“Overall, key legislation has not been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend 10 billion dollars in reconstruction funds,” the report said.

Crocker last month too hinted at how the cards are likely to fall, when he candidly described political progress in Iraq as ”extremely disappointing.”

Some Iraqi leaders are hoping the Petraeus and Crocker judgements will at least influence the White House as well as US lawmakers into giving more time to embattled Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki to continue the efforts he began 14 months ago to bridge the deep distrust between Shia and Sunni communities.

“I know the report will point out the negatives of the government, but I hope it will consider that reconciliation is a complicated process and needs time,” said Hamid Muala Al Saedi, MP from the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, a powerful Shia party in Maliki’s ruling coalition government.

Saedi said Maliki needed more “time and space” to bridge the mutual distrust within the leaders that can then percolate down to the communities at large.

“We do not have a thermometer to measure how much progress has been made,” he said.

“But there is progress as we are discussing the reconciliation law and other such issues. Nobody seems to notice them,” Saedi said, adding the White House should even consider delaying the release of its report.

Maliki and other top leaders last month pledged to ease restrictions on members of toppled dictator Saddam Hussein’s former Baath party on filling government and military posts, in a move to boost the reconciliation process.

They have also put a key law on dividing up the spoils from Iraq’s vast and lucrative oil reserves on their agenda for a parliament session, which began on Tuesday.

The United States says the oil law is a key indicator of national reconciliation.

But the country’s former elite Sunni Arabs have lost faith in Maliki’s leadership.

“The government has failed on all sides. It should resign. It needs to get out so that people can breathe,” said Omar Abdul Sattar, a lawmaker from the National Concord Front, the main Sunni Arab bloc in the assembly.

Blaming Maliki for much of the failures besetting the country, Sattar said it was not a question of how much time was required to bring about reconciliation but of “intentions.”

“To do good deeds, you do not need time, you need good intentions. In fact respect for Maliki would rise if he quits and allows a new government to be formed,” Sattar told AFP.

“This is what Iraqis want. We do not want to listen to Crocker and Petraeus. We would rather hear what Iraqis have to say.”

Calls by US legislators last month for Maliki to be replaced have subsided however and US President George W. Bush publicly endorsed the premier during a surprise visit to Iraq on Monday.

“My message to Maliki is you’ve got a lot of work to do and whatever decision is made in Washington DC is all aimed at helping you achieve what is necessary to get the work done,” Bush told reporters.

Sattar’s colleague in the Sunni bloc, Salim Abdullah, said that while Bush had thrown his weight behind Maliki in public, the support has come with conditions.

“This was evident when Bush asked (Maliki) about the reasons for the Front’s withdrawal and the possibilities of meeting its demand,” he said, referring to the bloc’s August boycott of Maliki’s cabinet.

On the military front — the other key plank of the much-awaited report — Bush during his flying visit to Iraq signalled a possible cut in troops citing recent security gains in the province of Anbar, a hotbed of anti-American insurgency.

Since Bush made his comments, the refrain has been picked up by top US generals, including Petraeus himself as well as his second-in-command, Lieutenant General Ray Odierno.

According to Odierno, the lead-up to the holy month of Ramadan has been relatively peaceful and if the trend continues during the fasting period, it would serve as “a big indicator” for a possible reduction in forces.

Khaleej Times Online - Divided Iraq awaits crucial US report

American University of Iraq opens in Suleimaniya

September 6, 2007
The Globe

The opening of American University of Iraq in Suleimaniya was announced Friday during a meeting attended by Iraqi, Kurdish, and American high officials.

The American University of Iraq in Suleimaniya (AUI-S) is located in the Kurdish city nearly 250 kilometers north of the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad. The Kurdish brainchild, a university that is similar to those in Cairo and Beirut, brings education to the safety of the region and guarantees that professors around the world will teach Iraqi Kurds, Arabs, and others, in a modern, Western, English curricula.

At Dukan resort northwest of Suleimaniya, the university's trustee board, chaired by Iraq's President Jalal Talabani, announced that they were open and ready for students to be formally accepted for the coming study year and that the project's business plan now is completed. It was executed by the consulting group McKinsey & Company.

"Opening the American University in Suleimaniya is of great importance for the Kurdistan people," said President Talabani at a press conference after the Friday meeting. "It enforces relations and understandings between the Kurdistan and American people, lifting Kurdistan's cultural and political levels."

Last year, during a special ceremony, President Talabani and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmai Khalilzad, set the cornerstone for AUI-S would be carried out over a period of 15 years.

Salih, who received a doctorate in statistics and computer modeling from Liverpool University in Britain, has been behind the idea to fulfill his dream of a Western-style American university in his hometown.

"I often wondered why Iraqis and my Kurdish compatriots could not have access to the type of education that I had," said Salih, adding, "We need a university to equip the future economic, political, and technical elite, the talent needed to build society the way we want it: a democratic society, prosperous and at peace with itself."

He has been able to collect $5 million from local Kurdish business sources to build the university; the total cost is expected to be $130 million.

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, who is also a member of the AUI-S's trustee board, and the U.S. Congress donated $5 million each.

Barzani announced 15 scholarships for talented Kurdish students who are not able to join this university due to financial costs. Each student annually pays $10,000, with an exception for those students whose high school degree is above 95%, who will pay less.

The university begins its first study year this month, having registered 250 students in an English-language training program, before offering its Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree programs next summer. The students will join the university's first departments of business administration, and computer systems and information technology. These fields are chosen because those are some of the skills most needed to develop the Kurdish economy.

Enrolling 1,000 students by 2011 and 5,000 by 2021 remains one of the university's goals.

American University of Iraq opens in Suleimaniya