BAGHDAD PAS
MONDAY MORNING ENGLISH LANGUAGE
PRESS CLIPS
NOVEMBER 23, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Politics & Elections 2
1. Iraqi MPs again fail to break election law deadlock (AFP, Nov. 22) 2
2. Iraq Fails to Resolve Vote Issue (WSJ, Nov. 23) 2
3. Iraq PM ramps up attacks on Baathists before vote (AP, Hamza Hendawi, Nov. 22) 3
Economy, Commerce and Oil 5
4. Iraq could join WTO by end of 2011-US official (Reuters, Nov. 22) 5
5. Sinopec bid to take part in Iraq oil deals rebuffed (Reuters, Nov. 22) 6
Security 7
6. Alleged Iraq bombers offer confessions (AP, Nov. 22) 7
7. Iraq airs confessions of suspects in huge bombings (AFP, Nov. 22) 7
8. Iraq says October 25 bombers came from Syria: spokesman (AFP, Assad Abboud, Nov. 22) 8
9. Barzani wants unified Kurdish army in Iraq's north (AFP, Nov. 22) 9
10. Iraqi Turkmen politician killed at his Mosul home (AFP, Nov. 22) 10
11. US military loses another GI in Iraq (Press TV, Nov. 22) 10
12. US military: American soldier killed in Iraq (AP, Nov. 22) 11
Codel Merkley 11
13. Burris joins three other senators on Iraq trip (ChicagoBreakingNews.com, Katherine Skiba, Nov. 22) 11
14. Burris Joins Three Senators In Iraq Trip (Chicago Tribune, Nov. 22) 12
15. Oregon senators head for Iraq for two-day trip (AP via KGW.com Newschannel 8, Nov. 22) 12
U.K. Leaked Papers, Chilcot Report 13
16. Report: Leaked UK documents detail Iraq war chaos (AP, David Stringer, Nov. 22) 13
17. UK had sketchy post-invasion Iraq plan: report (AFP, Nov. 22) 14
18. 'No whitewash' from Iraq inquiry (BBC, Nov. 23) 15
19. Iraq War Inquiry pledges to expose 'full story' behind invasion decision (The Scottsman, Gavin Cordon, Nov. 23) 17
20. US military chiefs 'anger Brits' in Iraq (AFP, Nov. 23) 18
Other Stories 19
21. Baghdad eyes telecommunications support from US giant "Google" (KUNA News Agency, Nov. 22) 19
22. A Child's Doctor Turns To Iraq War's Youngest Victims (NPR, Nov. 22) 20
23. Fifa must reconsider Iraq's ban (Times of London, Patrick Barclay, Nov. 23) 20
Politics & Elections
Iraqi MPs again fail to break election law deadlock (AFP, Nov. 22)
BAGHDAD, November 22, 2009 (AFP) - Iraq's parliament failed again on Sunday to break a stalemate over a key election law, raising fears that nationwide polls will have to be delayed beyond a constitutional deadline.
"The vote was delayed until tomorrow (Monday)," the chamber's deputy speaker Khalid al-Attiya told AFP Sunday.
"We will try to clarify things to find a solution. There are proposals" being discussed, the Shiite lawmaker said.
US ambassador to Baghdad Christopher Hill was in parliament on Sunday to try and reconcile contrasting views over the text, which was originally passed on November 8 after several delays.
It ran into problems on Wednesday, however, when Tareq al-Hashemi, a Sunni, and one of the war-torn country's vice-presidents, used his veto to demand a greater say for minorities and Iraqi nationals who fled after Saddam's fall.
Hashemi wants the law to be changed so that representation for minorities and nationals living abroad is tripled from five percent to 15 percent of the 323 seats up for grabs.
Iraq's Sunni community, which was dominant before Saddam was toppled, leading to a takeover by the nation's majority Shiites, puts the number of nationals abroad at around four million.
Shiites say the figure is closer to one million.
Iraq's electoral commission has warned that continued delays over the voting law threaten to leave too little time to complete preparations by the scheduled polling date.
The elections, the second national ballot since Saddam was ousted by a US-led invasion in 2003, must be held by January 31 under Iraq's constitution.
Iraq Fails to Resolve Vote Issue (WSJ, Nov. 23)
BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi parliament on Sunday failed to resolve an impasse threatening to delay the country's election in January, which could affect the U.S. military's plans for a partial pullout next year.
There are only a couple of days left for parliament to address Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi's veto of an election law, as the law must be passed 60 days before a vote and Jan. 23 is viewed by Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims as the last possible date in January for the ballot to take place.
If no resolution is found, Iraq may have to delay the election for a month until after the Shiite religious festival of Arbain, a move that Western diplomats and United Nations officials have warned would be unconstitutional.
"I think [Monday] will be crucial and the issue will be resolved," said Khalid al-Attiya, deputy speaker of parliament. "There are no agreements but there are ideas and I hope we will agree on a specific project" Monday.
The election is viewed as a milestone for Iraq as it emerges from years of sectarian bloodshed since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and starts to stand on its own feet ahead of a full U.S. withdrawal by Dec. 31, 2011.
Privately, Western and Iraqi officials say a short delay in holding the ballot might not be a bad thing as it would give the electoral authorities more time to prepare.
But the constitution stipulates that the election should be held by Jan. 31, and breaching that barrier could set a dangerous precedent that might be exploited in the future by someone disinclined to hold a scheduled election.
A major delay might also affect U.S. plans to end combat operations by Aug. 31, as U.S. military commanders want to retain a sizable force in Iraq until the next government is in place and the security situation is clear.
In the meantime, a stepped-up campaign by Iraq's prime minister against Saddam Hussein loyalists is alienating Sunni Muslims and stoking tensions between them and the majority Shiites ahead of the election.
In its latest anti-Baathist attack, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government put three men on state television Sunday to confess their alleged role in planning suicide attacks in Baghdad last month. The three said the bombings were ordered by Mr. Hussein's Baath Party.
Mr. Maliki's intensified rhetoric worsens one of Iraq's most dangerous sectarian fault lines -- one which the U.S. has long struggled to calm.
Separately, the U.S. military said an American soldier from the Multi-National Division-South was killed in action in Iraq on Sunday. The name was being withheld until family members could be notified.
Iraq PM ramps up attacks on Baathists before vote (AP, Hamza Hendawi, Nov. 22)
BAGHDAD (AP) -- A stepped-up campaign by Iraq's prime minister against Saddam Hussein loyalists is alienating Sunni Muslims and stoking tensions between them and the majority Shiites ahead of key national elections.
In its latest anti-Baathist attack, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government put three men on state television Sunday to confess their alleged role in planning suicide attacks in Baghdad last month. The three, all in detention and dressed in orange prison jumpsuits, said the bombings were ordered by Saddam's Baath Party.
Al-Maliki's intensified rhetoric worsens one of Iraq's most dangerous sectarian fault lines - one which the United States has long struggled to calm.
Reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites has been an elusive goal, seen as critical for Iraqi's stability - and it takes on added urgency with American forces now scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. Many fear that without U.S. troops, sectarian and ethnic rifts could re-ignite into violence.
Al-Maliki and his fellow Shiite politicians have repeatedly warned in recent weeks against what they contend is a plot by members of the Baath Party to return to power, with what some suggest is the help of Sunni-ruled Arab nations.
He has vowed to do everything in his power to stop Baath Party loyalists from running in the upcoming parliamentary election. He has also insisted that Baathists, a term widely taken to mean Sunni Arabs, worked with al-Qaida to carry out massive suicide bombings targeting government buildings in Baghdad that killed at least 255 people in August and October.
The Baath Party and Saddam's regime were dominated by Sunnis, who have lost their political prominence to the majority Shiites since Saddam's 2003 fall. Election law bars Iraqis who held senior Baath Party positions or were involved in past crimes from running for office. But Sunnis fear the ban could be expanded to others.
The talk against Baathists raises alarm bells among Sunnis, who fear it hints at a broader move to force their candidates out of the election. The election for a new, 323-seat parliament is slated for January, but may be delayed by a dispute over the country's election law and a Kurdish threat to boycott the vote.
"I think the law and the judiciary, not political agendas, should decide the issue of the Baathists," said Sunni lawmaker Hashem al-Taie. "If there is no transparency and fairness, the criterion will be used selectively against candidates."
But such rifts also make useful political tools in an election campaign, and al-Maliki may be pressing on Baathists in an attempt to shore up his Shiite base.
Al-Maliki has become more vulnerable since he was dumped by some of his Shiite allies, who formed a separate coalition to run in the election. He has failed to persuade significant Sunni groups to join his "State of Law" alliance, losing much of his claim to cross-sectarian leadership.
The recent bombings also hurt his credentials as the leader who oversaw a vast improvement in security over the past two years. Al-Maliki is also trying to counter charges by his Shiite rivals that his three-year-old administration allowed hard-core Saddam loyalists to "infiltrate" security services, the armed forces and the civil service, said Dhafer al-Ani, a prominent Sunni Arab lawmaker.
Mustapha al-Ani, a Dubai-based Iraq analyst, said fears of a return to power by the Baath are groundless.
"This is a carefully planned campaign to scare Shiites away from voting for anyone but traditional religious Shiite parties," he said.
Shiites and Kurds despise the Baathists because of the atrocities carried out against their communities during the party's 35 years in power. The top figures under Saddam were all party members. But also, millions of Iraqis, including many Shiites, joined the party during its rule because it was the only way to get ahead.
The Baath party's ideology is steeped in Arab nationalism and secularism. Party loyalists argue that Baathist thought is progressive and bemoan what they see as the bad name given to the party by Saddam's policies.
A "de-Baathification" policy set up under direct U.S. rule in 2003 and 2004 stripped senior Baathists with professional experience of their jobs, plunging much of the state machinery into disarray that's still felt today.
Sanctions against Baathists were relaxed last year, opening the door for thousands who are not involved in past crimes to fill posts in the Shiite-dominated government, civil service and security forces. But that conciliatory climate has vanished in recent months. Some Sunni politicians have fueled Shiite fears by speculating that a large number of Baathists will win seats in the new legislature.
"The problem with some, especially in the Shiite Islamic parties, is that they accuse every rival of being a Baathist," Hamid al-Kafaai, an Iraqi analyst, himself a Shiite, wrote in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on Friday.
"I cannot see where the problem is in belonging to the Baath. ... The Baathists are normal people, loyal and patriotic," he wrote.
Al-Maliki has accused Baathists and al-Qaida of being jointly behind the bombings on Aug. 19 and Oct. 25 that targeted government offices in the heavily guarded central part of Baghdad. He, however, has not produced evidence of the Baathist involvement except for Sunday's televised confessions, which are impossible to verify.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, told a news conference last week that he believed a number of insurgent groups, including Baathists and al-Qaida in Iraq, were behind the bombings.
"This is a very complex issue. It's not black and white," he said.
Economy, Commerce and Oil
Iraq could join WTO by end of 2011-US official (Reuters, Nov. 22)
BAGHDAD, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Iraq could get membership in the World Trade Organization by end-2011 if it actively pursues accession, which could help the country's rebuilding efforts by boosting trade and investment, a U.S. official said.
Iraq began the accession process in 2004 but has taken only the initial steps needed for membership. Iraq's benefits might also be limited since Iran, one of its main trading partners, is not a member.
But some Iraqi ministries, like the finance ministry, are keen on accession because it would boost trade, and revenues from tariffs, said Larry Morgan, director of international trade at the U.S. Agency for International Development's Tijara project, which advises Iraq's trade ministry on WTO issues.
"As it stands, it's been a very slow process, but they are not that far off from the trajectory," said Morgan. "I'd say if they apply reasonable due diligence, then they could join by the end of 2011. That would be the earliest they could do it."
WTO accession stands to increase Iraq's access to imported goods, introduce standardisation and quality control of goods and pave the way for less chaotic and bureaucratic customs practices, Morgan said.