Thread: Iraq/Dinar News. 09/05 to 01/14/07

Looking to the East


Wednesday, December 27, 2006

KurdishMedia.com - By Mizgin Yilmaz

Exactly a year ago next week, The Jamestown Foundation published a short analysis of China's Kurdish policy, in which it outlined steps taken by the two main Southern Kurdish parties to engage China. The desire for engagement appears to be a mutual one fueled by China's growing energy needs.

Given his Marxist ideological roots, it's not surprising that Jalal Talabani was the first Kurdish leader to arrive in Beijing in early August 2003 as chairman of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and member of the Iraqi Interim Governing Council. Talabani was "invited by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, an official “unofficial” instrument, and headed the first Iraqi delegation to visit China after the war." (Al-Ittihad [Baghdad], May 11, 2005).

After Talabani was appointed as Iraqi president, the Chinese made their first visit to Kurdistan when the "Chinese Communist Party (CCP) delegation led by Ding Lifen [.] arrived in early May 2005 through the Al-Munziriyah Crossing near Khanaqin (on the Iranian border). The delegation was received by the heads of the PUK Khanaqin media office and organization center."

Within days of the arrival of the Chinese delegation, Massuad Barzani met with Chinese officials, including the Chinese ambassador to Iraq, and was invited to make an official visit to China. The Chinese ambassador, "Stressing the Chinese people’s appreciation for the many sacrifices endured by the Kurdistan people, [he] expressed his hope for closer relations between the two peoples through expanded ties between the PRC and the Kurdistan Regional Government and especially between the CCP and the KDP. He underlined the important role of the Kurdistan people in rebuilding a federal and democratic Iraq. In response Barzani expressed his hope that the Chinese government would play its role in rebuilding Kurdistan." (Khabat [Arbil], May 16, 2005)

The Communist Party of Iraqi Kurdistan also seems to have endorsed the Sino-Kurdish engagement. In October, 2005, China hosted another PUK delegation, headed by politburo member, Kosrat Rasul Ali.

The Jamestown Foundation notes the following as reasons for Chinese interest in South Kurdistan: as leverage against Turkish support of Uighur separatists in China's Xinjiang region; as an effort to gain a foothold in the Middle East; and, of course, as a source to help satisfy future Chinese energy needs. With such a need for energy resources to drive the Chinese economy, would China lend support to the KRG in a showdown over Xanaqin, if needed, or over Kerkuk? If Iraqi "territorial integrity" were maintained through federalism, then Chinese support for Kurdish control of Kerkuk could be the beginning of a mutually beneficial alliance, especially since the Norwegian DNO Company subcontracted the construction of the drilling rig outside of Zaxo to a Chinese company.

From all this activity, it appears that China is ready to accept a federal status for Kurdistan within the Iraqi state. If so, would China also support a similar arrangement within the other states that continue to repress their own Kurdish populations? For a number of years the PKK has emphasized its desire to work within a framework that would guarantee Turkish "territorial integrity," repeating this position as recently as the end of August, 2006. A PKK ceasefire was called on October 1, 2006, in response to PKK-KRG negotiations. Both the ceasefire and calls for negotiation that would allow PKK to work legally and politically within North Kurdistan have been rejected by both Ankara and Washington.

Given the PKK's position vis-a-vis Turkish territorial integrity, there is no reason why access to Kurdish oil by China, or by the wider Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), cannot be linked to Kurdish political rights in Turkey. The Russian Duma has expressed support for the cause of the Kurdish people in North Kurdistan in the past. As a member of the SCO, Russia might also bring pressure against Turkey and the US to negotiate a peaceful, political solution with the PKK. Pressure may also be brought against severe Iranian repression of Kurds, since Iran recently received observer status with the SCO.

As a reminder, there is oil in North Kurdistan as well as in the South.

Washington rejects a political solution to the Kurdish situation in North Kurdistan for the business interests of its own defense industry, as is obvious from the appointment of Lockheed Martin board of directors' member, Joseph Ralston, as the PKK "coordinator." Also listed with the US Senate as a lobbyist for Lockheed Martin, working for The Cohen Group, and as a member of the American Turkish Council's advisory board, the appointment of Ralston is another example of US intentions to control the oil-rich region. Another indication was the visit of Condoleezza Rice to Ankara at the end of April, 2006, as the Turkish army massed along the border between North and South Kurdistan, fired weaponry upon South Kurdistan, and infiltrated more JITEM operatives into South Kurdistan.

Such attacks against the so-called American ally in "Northern Iraq" while the Secretary of State was on an official visit to Ankara indicate just how valuable the Southern Kurdish "allies" are.

With the publication of the Iraq Study Group recommendations, we know how other influences in the US establishment view Iraq and Kurdistan. These influences desire to return to the pre-Gulf War status quo, no matter how badly that status quo treated the Kurdish people. All hot air expended for the facade of concern for human rights aside, these influences are interested in returning to the good old days for the sake of their personal involvement in the oil industry. In connection with the ISG, we have Tony Blair's earlier announcement, in the Sunday Telegraph, that Kurds should "acquiesc[e] in their treatment." Then there was the EU's utter silence over the Amed Serhildan and the Amed Bombing, a silence which also urges the Kurdish people to "acquiesce." Of course, these are only the most recent betrayals of Kurds by the West.

In an article from the beginning of December, 2006, JINSA takes an openly hypocritical stand against the SCO, citing human rights violations and crying for the sake of "democracy" worldwide, without any hint that the US itself only uses the "democracy" argument as a shell game to further its own national interests. The result is an extreme case of the pot calling the kettle black.

It is time that Kurdistan began to explore other options, with its own national interests in mind. It may be that there are others, in the East, with whom alliances can be made that will be mutually satisfying. To that end, there should be a conference of the Kurdish people worldwide, represented by the executive council of the Koma Komalan Kurdistan and Kongra-Gel, the KRG, DTP, KNK, any other regional parties or organizations, intellectuals from Kurdistan and from Diaspora. This conference should stress the fact that the leadership must follow a policy that will maximize Kurdish interests in all parts of Kurdistan.

Anything less is unacceptable.

Army engineers bring joy to Iraqi orphanage
Wednesday, 27 December 2006
AN NASIRIYAH — Orphanages recently received numerous packages of stuffed animals delivered to promote goodwill between Iraqi and U.S. children and help the rebuilding effort in Iraq.

“The children were extremely happy and did not believe that the stuffed animals were given especially for them,” said Edmay Mayers, a program analyst with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

An Iraqi associate told Mayers the headmistress of the orphanage welcomed the team that delivered the toys and appreciated what the Americans were doing for the Iraqis. On her first tour to Iraq, Mayers visited one of the elementary schools and saw a beautiful interaction between the Americans and the children. “The children of Iraq have stolen my heart,” Mayers said. “They are precious, young and innocent, and if only a child remembers that an American, British, South African or Australian person gave them something that made them feel special as a child, then we have done our part to help these little ones.” For her, the children need these toys as much if not more than the school supplies.
They need something to hold close to them and love, and these stuffed animals have a lot of love left in them for these children, she said.

“I wanted to tell all that we are receiving tons and tons of stuffed animals, toys, school supplies, clothes, et cetera,” Mayers said. “All are being given to Iraqi children in schools, orphanages, clinics and now the Basrah Children’s Hospital. I am so thrilled that so many individuals have opened their hearts to the mission in Iraq.”

Robin Parks, a project manager with GRS, said all children love stuffed animals. They are brightly colored, soft and huggable, and can provide cheer and comfort to children. “Everyone involved in this exchange wins, but the person who is happiest is the lucky Soldier or civilian who has the honor of actually giving that toy to a child,” Parks said. “They probably feel like Santa Claus. One day the Iraqi children may remember that a stranger gave them a favorite gift.” Mayers said countless Iraqis are displaced and have been unable to restore their lives, but they still see the children smile in spite of all the bad living conditions that surround them. “We put the toys, animals and candy into plastic baggies to give to the children,” Parks said. “Sending the stuffed animals makes the people at home happy to be a part of this effort; receiving the animals makes the children here happy; and I am happy that I can help in some small way to make this exchange happen. Everyone wins.” Mayers typed into a Web browser the words “free stuffed toys” and came up with an Internet hit saying that someone was looking to give away “gently used” stuffed animals. “I e-mailed the (Web site manager) and she immediately posted it to her Web site and called it ‘Spread the Word,’” Mayers said. “It is now on approximately 50 or so Web sites. It also has been announced on a radio station in North Carolina, and an article in a newspaper in Troy, NY. People have read the Web sites, newspapers, listened to the radio and opened their hearts to these beautiful children. I have also been in touch with a gentleman in (England) who has lots of toys to send us.”
According to the Air Force 1st Lt. Richard L. Hallon, a project engineer with the Thi Qar Residence Office of Gulf Region South, a stuffed animal is like a companion to the children; it helps them when they are scared of the dark and helps them to fall asleep.

“One day, I saw a 4-year-old Iraqi child looking up at a Soldier, smiling with wide eyes, trying to communicate with hand signs and gestures. His little shiny eyes were not directed to me, but stopped me from thinking about war,” Hallon said. “If a smile can do this, imagine what a toy can do. It is in an effort symbolizing the notion of people helping people regardless of beliefs.”

(By Mohammed Aliwi, Gulf Region South District)

Commandos hold candlelight vigil
Wednesday, 27 December 2006
By Staff Sgt. Angela McKinzie
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) Public Affairs




Spc. Kensley Bell, a 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) supply specialist and native of El Paso, Texas; Sgt. Brendaliz Morales, a 2nd BSTB, 2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) intelligence analyst, and native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and Pfc. Shana Keenan, a 2nd BSTB intelligence analyst and native of Steubenville, Ohio, bow their heads to pray during a Community Candlelight Service at the 2nd BCT chapel at Camp Striker, Iraq.CAMP STRIKER — In a city where many residents must use candlelight because they have no power, Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) celebrated Christmas by candlelight in Baghdad.

Soldiers of the 2nd “Commando” Brigade and the local community gathered in the 2nd BCT chapel for a Community Candlelight Service here on Christmas Eve.

The service opened with an invocation, then members of the choir led the congregation in Christmas carols.

“It was encouraging to take a break from everything and gather with the other believers to celebrate Christmas,” said Capt. Scott Carow, a physical therapist and native of Tampa, Fla., serving with the 210th Brigade Support Battalion. Carow, a member of the choir, played the guitar and sang during the service.

Although the Soldiers were unable to be with their families on Christmas Eve, the service offered the warmth of the season.

“The service made me feel like I was at home,” said Pfc. Shana Keenan, an intelligence analyst and native of Steubenville, Ohio, with the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion. “At home, we do this (attend candlelight services) every year.”

While some Soldiers attended the service as part of a home-away-from-home tradition, others rejoiced for the first time.

“This is something different for me,” said Sgt. Brendaliz Morales, a 2nd BSTB intelligence analyst and native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as she recalled her Christmas family traditions. “My family would get together and stay up until midnight then open presents. But the service allowed me to be with my family here.”

Throughout the ceremony Soldiers united with each other as they lit candles.

“To me, the candlelight service is way of calming down the hustle and bustle of the season and bringing things back to the real meaning,” said Spc. Jenna Maravillas, an information systems operator with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd BCT and native of Lake In The Hills, Ill., as she recalled going to candlelight services throughout her childhood. “It was nice to see so many people show up to take time to remember the real meaning of Christmas.”

Holiday cheer warms ‘Cold Steel’
Wednesday, 27 December 2006
By 1st Lt. Patrick Stallings
3rd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. PAO




An Iraqi boy holds up a notebook he received from Soldiers of the 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. After realizing the need for school supplies in the local area, the Soldiers’ families sent supplies to be delivered throughout the Diyala province’s schools.MUQDADIYAH — On an early Friday morning, Pfc. Jesse Gonzalez prepared his truck at Forward Operating Base Normandy to go out on patrol, and even though he was about to spend the next several hours in harm’s way, he couldn’t help but smile before he left.

“Fridays and Mondays are the best,” said Gonzalez, Troop C, 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

“We get back from patrol and get to dig through the packages that friends and family send, read the letters they write and share a few laughs about the patrol,” said Gonzalez, a Beaver Dam, Wis. native.

“It’s amazing what mail can do for a Soldier,” said 1st Sgt. Walter Sims, who is responsible for the well-being and morale of the Troop C “Cold Steel” Soldiers. “When you come back from a tough mission, it can just turn your day around to find a package with your name on it.”

The Army mail network manages to push an enormous amount of care and concern packages every week. Soldiers receive care packages and letters from friends, family, and even strangers who want to support them.

“The news from home can be tough sometimes,” said 1st Lt. Timothy Lawrence, Cold Steel executive officer.

“Whenever (my wife) writes me, I feel how worried she really is about every one of us over here, but it’s really important to hold the same piece of paper in my hand that she wrote on,” said Lawrence, a native of Walterville, Md. “It brings a piece of her over here to me.”

Spc. Zachary Kramer, native to Watertown, Wis., said, “I’ve received a few letters and packages from home, but I’ve also been surprised by the generosity of programs such as Operation Interdependence, Operation Support our Troops, and others. They showed me how much the people back home are concerned about us.”

When Troop C assumed authority over their sector in October, one of the first things they realized was the need for school supplies for the children in the area.

Capt. Kevin Bradley, Cold Steel commander, posted a message requesting school supplies on the Family Readiness Group Web site.

“The response from our families was immediate; we couldn’t believe how many notebooks, pens, pencils, and other school supplies we received,” said Bradley, a native of Straford, NJ.

“We couldn’t give the supplies away fast enough to the children in our area of operations,” he said.

The smiles of the children in Diyala showed how significant receiving these supplies really was. Families and friends of Cold Steel showed concerned they were about the troop’s mission.

Recently, the packages have contained more merriment than ever. With Christmas closing in, the packages have produced more Christmas lights, trees, and Santa hats than the troop knows what to do with.

It’s almost impossible to look anywhere in the “Steel Palace”, the Troop C command post, and not see some hint of the holidays.

1st Lt. Anthony Von Plinsky, from Columbia, SC, said, “It really adds something to being over here. Even though we can’t be with our families, we’ve got each other and we’re making some memories together.”

“We all wish we could be together with our loved ones, but we have a different kind of family while we’re over here, and we make the best of what we’ve got, every day,” he said.

As the Soldiers of Cold Steel get ready to celebrate the holidays, they send their heartfelt thanks to everyone who has played a part in making this holiday season as close to home as possible.

Originally Posted by shotgunsusie

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Originally Posted by nikki

dont you dare stop posting Susie !!

just consider it flattering that s/he likes your posts enough to hork them!!

Iraq expands diplomatic ties with world countries



Baghdad, December 27, 2006



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to set up 15 new diplomatic missions in 2007.



Foreign Minster Hoshyar Zebari said by the end of 2007 Iraq should have nearly 80 embassies across the world.



Zebari made the remarks during a meeting with local media representatives in which he also talked about relations with neighboring countries as well as the security situation.



He said the government was determined to take up “effective measures” to reinstate security and improve public services.



But “the stopping of the hemorrhage of sectarian strife is the top priority,” he said.



On ties with neighboring countries, Zebari said efforts in this regard were focused on anti-terror cooperation. He did not elaborate.

Risking life in Baghdad for Christmas tree

Risking life in Baghdad for Christmas tree | Iraq Updates


Risking life in Baghdad for Christmas tree
CELEBRATING IS TONED DOWN BECAUSE OF RISING VIOLENCE
By Nancy Trejos

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BAGHDAD, Iraq, 27 December 2006 (The Washington Post)

Nouri Dawoud has one of the most dangerous jobs in Baghdad. He sells Christmas trees.

For seven hours a day, he stands on the same street corner in a neighborhood where drive-by shootings and snipers are not uncommon. He caters to Christians, who are among the most targeted people in the city. On a good day, he attracts a crowd, a draw to any would-be suicide bomber.

Dawoud has been selling trees at the same corner in Al-Karradah district every Christmas season for the past 10 years. At 77, he is not ready to abandon his spot.

He may have no choice. Christmas was once a holiday that Christians and a few Muslims in Iraq enjoyed. Now, they fear celebrating it. These days in Baghdad, even buying a Christmas tree can lead to getting killed. "People now, they have a lot of things to worry about other than trees,'' Dawoud said.

Monday, one week before Christmas, Dawoud was the only tree vendor on his street, which in times past had become Christmas tree row in early December. His colleagues, he said, were too afraid to join him.

"They said, 'You go check it out first. You're an old man,' '' he said.

'We are brothers'

With a black-checkered keffiyeh wrapped around his head, he placed five anemic-looking trees against a wall and waited for people to show up. Few did. With his one good eye, he scanned every car that drove by. He called his presence on the street a fidai -- a suicide mission -- and broke into a hearty laugh.

"Why should I be scared?'' he asked. "The old men, they don't care like the young people.''

Dawoud is a Muslim, but he has lived among Christians in the mixed Al-Karradah district for years. "We are brothers,'' he said, expressing a tolerance that is rare in Baghdad.

For centuries, including under the rule of Saddam Hussein, Iraq's Christian minority co-existed with Muslims. Saddam's deputy prime minister was a Christian, one of an estimated 600,000 to 1 million people of the faith living in the country before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Since then, Islamists have waged a campaign against Christians, in part because some ran liquor stores and took jobs at U.S. bases. But they appear to have been targeted mostly for not being Muslims.

Pope's speech

In recent years, churches have been bombed and priests, ministers and worshipers have been kidnapped or killed. The violence picked up after Pope Benedict XVI's controversial citing this year of a 14th-century Byzantine emperor's description of Islam as "evil and inhuman.''
Shortly after that speech, armed men in the northern city of Mosul opened fire on the Chaldean Church of the Holy Spirit. A priest from the Syriac Orthodox Church was kidnapped, then decapitated.

The violence has led many Christians to flee the country. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that 44 percent of Iraqis seeking asylum in Syria are Christians. In the first four months of this year, Iraqi Christians also were the largest group seeking asylum in Jordan, the agency said.

Christians are moving out of Mosul, Baghdad and the southern city of Basra to the peaceful northern Kurdistan region, while others are migrating to Turkey, Sweden and Australia, the agency reported.

Carlo Aziz, a monk at the Church of the Roman Catholic in Al-Karradah, estimates that about 400,000 Christians remain.

His church once had 300 families. In October 2004, a car bomb exploded at the church, destroying the building and everything in it except for a wooden cross that is now prominently displayed on the altar of the newly rebuilt edifice. It has freshly painted white walls, new stained-glass windows and paintings around the altar. But more than half its families have fled, Aziz said.

At no time is the exodus more evident than Christmas. Churches, now hidden behind barbed-wire fences and blast walls, do not advertise their Christmas services.

Aziz stood at the altar of his church Tuesday afternoon. There were no decorations. No Christmas tree. No nativity scene.

"Celebration doesn't always mean making a show,'' he said, placing a hand on his chest. "The celebration is inside the heart. Jesus is here inside the heart of the human being.''

A risky venture

Yusef Zawet and his brother Assem used to sell natural trees on the sidewalk of their flower shop in Al-Karradah. They imported them from Turkey, Iran and Syria. But the lack of security on the roads has made shipping trees, or anything else, too expensive. Last year, their driver was attacked on a road in Al-Anbar province, west of Baghdad. The Lebanese-born Zawets, who fled Lebanon during its civil war for what was then the safety of Baghdad, lost $35,000 worth of plants.

"It's a good thing they only took the truck and didn't behead him,'' Assem said. Now, they keep artificial Christmas trees inside their shop.

Dawoud would not settle for that. He has been planting the real thing at his farm north of Baghdad for 35 years. He has got the weathered face to prove it, leathery skin under a patch of gray stubble.

Last Monday, Dawoud sold three trees. The next day, he sold 10. In years past, he said, he would sell 20 or 30 in a day.

He said he was starting to feel lonely at his corner, which faces a telecommunications center and is near restaurants that no one goes to anymore.

"No one is coming to ask about trees,'' he said.

Then, a man walked up. He picked out a tree, paid for it and left in a matter of minutes. He acted just like a thief, Dawoud said when he was gone. "When they steal, they look over their shoulders and hide,'' he said. "That's what they're doing now when they buy trees."

Iraqi MP Calls for Holding 'Retaliation Conference' Against Turkey
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Posted GMT 12-27-2006 18:52:56
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ANKARA -- While former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi was having talks in Ankara on Tuesday, a member of his Iraqi National Accord proposed hosting a conference for Turkey's ethnic Kurds at the Iraqi Parliament, in apparent retaliation for the "Istanbul Conference" of the Iraqi Sunnis, held on Dec. 13 and 14.

"We are against interfering in the internal affairs of our neighbors," Allawi said at a press conference following his talks with senior Turkish officials, when he was reminded of the proposal by Ayad Cemalettin, a member of the Iraqi Parliament from his national accord.

Cemalettin argued that it would be possible for a parliamentary group or political party to host the "Conference for Supporting Turkey's Kurds," the Dogan News Agency (DHA) reported on Tuesday, citing a report on the Web site of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

"Such a conference will be a start for opening very hot files that have so far had the Turkish government's red lines on them," Cemalettin was quoted as saying by the agency, while he also claimed that the Turkish government has continued to interfere in the domestic affairs of Iraq.

Cemalettin said the conference hosted earlier this month in Istanbul was an example of Turkey's interference. The conference at the time sparked harsh reaction by Iraqi Shiite and Kurdish politicians, with many condemning the conference for exacerbating the sectarian divide. The head of the SCIRI Badr Organization, Hadi al-Amiri, said he found it unthinkable for a conference to convene under the pretense of supporting the Iraqi people while only inviting Sunnis, while Iraqi President and Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani said that Turkey's actions are strange: "On the one hand, [Turkey allows] the inflamers of a sectarian war to hold a congress and, on the other hand, it wants the regional Kurdish government to fight the PKK."

Meanwhile, Iraq's special envoy for countering the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), Shirwan al-Waili, said the Iraqi government was against attempts like the one Cemalettin offered, the agency reported.

Turkish Daily News

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The safest place in Baghdad

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2006 12:53:12 AM]

In Baghdad, which sometimes averages as many as a hundred casualties a day in bombs and shoot-outs, there is a neighbourhood where children play on the streets, young men hang out and shops stay open without their proprietors worrying about being kidnapped. Terms like terrorist violence or sectarian strife or civil war do not apply to the An Nil neighbourhood where Shiite, Sunni and Christian families have lived together for decades. CBS News notes that when Abu Sayiff, a Christian, received a threatening letter, his worried son went to his Muslim neighbours who promised to protect their home and did so.

A Shiite matriarch tells CBS that her son’s wife is a Sunni and they all live happily together. No one has been kidnapped or been forced to move out of An Nil. A Sunni is quoted as saying that even if his father ordered him to attack a Shiite, he would never do so “because we’ve been friends since we were children”. And Shiite Abdul Abdullah Muzban, who runs a security service — presumably for other not-so-safe neighbourhoods — attributes the tranquillity in An Nil to the fact that “most of us have lived here for 40 years, so we know each other and we like each other.” Another Shiite adds, “the evil will never reach here.”

Most Iraqis attribute the ongoing violence to not just a Sunni-Shia divide but also corruption and the attempts of foreign fighters to whip up tension. CBS quotes a resident of An Nil as saying that the violence can be stopped if “the good people talked to the bad people”. Some 233 years ago, a wise old American called Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter to a friend that “there never was a good war or a bad peace.” Christ put it even more eloquently when he stated, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” It is a thought which should stay with us, especially today, the Christmas day.