Rice Meets Syrian Envoy
Donors Cancel $30 Bn. in Iraq Debt

Warren Strobel and Miret el Naggar report on US Secretary of State Condi Rice's meeting at Sharm El Sheikh with the Syrian foreign minister, Walid Moualem. She pressed him to have Syria close its borders with Iraq to infiltrators. US generals on the ground have recently reported that fewer infiltrators are getting through. The meeting represented an enormous turnaround for the Bush administration, which withdrew its ambassador from Damascus and hasn't talked to directly the Syrian government for years. Condi even called Nancy Pelosi to consult with her, given Pelosi's own recent talks in Damascus with Syrian president Bashar al-Asad.

Gee, all of a sudden meeting with the Syrian government is not an act of high treason.

I can only think that Condi's meeting with Mouallem is a sign that Dick Cheney's grip on power inside the White House is slipping badly, and that Condi has Bush's ear on the need to engage.

Mcclatchy wrote,

'"This is a marked improvement in the administration's ostrich policy approach and a tacit admission of how wrong it was last month in criticizing the speaker of the House and congressional colleagues, including myself, for going to Damascus," said Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., chairman of the House International Relations Committee. '

I detect some attitude here on Lantos's part. You know the world is screwy when Lantos, among the most committed supporters of Israel in Congress, wants to see Condi talking to Syria. Wasn't he involved in cutting Syria off in the first place, with the "Syria Accountability Act?"

Al-Hayat writes in Arabic that Mouallem called the meeting "frank and productive." He said the two had not touched on the Lebanon issue.

Lending states agreed to cancel a whopping $30 bn. in debt owed them by Iraq. Saudi Arabia had announced two weeks ago that it would forgive 80% of the $15 bn. it says it is owed by Iraq, or about $12 bn.

The donors are discussing the Iraq Compact, a five year plan for the country.

On the civil war front, police found 25 bodies in the streets of Baghdad, 9 in Fallujah, and the corpses of 6 policemen in Baiji, north of Baghdad.

The Sharm El Sheikh conference , having dealt with economic issues, will now turn to security.
For "cont'd" postings, click here.

Sharm El Sheikh on Iraqi T.V.

The USG Open Source Center has translated and summarized reports on Iraqi television about the conference being held at Sharm El Sheikh on Iraq:

Al-Iraqiyah, Al-Sharqiyah Coverage of Sharm al-Shaykh Conference 3 May (2) Iraq-- OSC Summary Thursday, May 3, 2007 Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah Television in Arabic -- government-sponsored television station, run by the Iraqi Media Network -- and Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah Television in Arabic -- an independent, private news and entertainment channel focusing on Iraq, run by Sa'd al-Bazzaz, publisher of the Arabic-language daily Al-Zaman -- between 1300-2100 GMT on 3 May are observed to cover events and reports about the Sharm al-Shaykh international conference on Iraq as follows: Al-Iraqiyah: --At 1300 GMT, Al-Iraqiyah TV continues to carry a studio interview with Dr Walid al-Hilli, secretary general of the Human Rights Group in Iraq, started at 1230 GMT. Al-Hilli comments on the Sharm al-Shaykh conference. He describes the conference as "a huge and massive event attended by the permanent members of the Security Council, the G-8, the main industrialized world states, as well as the Arab states and other states that support Iraq and that affect the world economy and world policy." He adds: "Definitely, this hugely important event comes in support of Iraq, of the Iraqi Government, and of the political process in Iraq. Likewise, this huge gathering comes to support Iraq's march. These states are showing solidarity to render the process in Iraq a success and to help eliminate terrorism. Besides, the issue of writing off Iraq's debts, or 80% of these debts (will feature prominently on the agenda). In return, the Iraqi Government made pledges to the international community that it will safeguard the political process and democratic mechanism, that it will protect human rights, that it will commit itself to giving everybody his or her lawful rights, and that the rule of law will reign supreme." --At 1309-1317 GMT, an unidentified Al-Iraqiyah TV anchorman in Baghdad carries a live satellite interview with Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i in Sharm al-Shaykh. Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i Asked for his reaction to this conference, Al-Rubay'i says: "As a matter of fact, this is a huge and massive political and media event designed to back the International Compact With Iraq. In brief, the International Compact is a structure or an equation under which Iraq will make pledges or undertakings that it will continue with the political process, and that it will enhance this process." Al-Rubay'i adds: "In return, the world, or the international community, will pledge to help Iraq by dropping or writing off debts or reducing war reparations. Besides, the regional and world states will pledge to support the security process in Iraq, to ensure that all interference in Iraqi domestic affairs will stop and that national sovereignty will be reinforced. The world will help expedite the building of our Armed Forces and security forces so as to defeat terrorism and triumph over Al-Qa'ida and its stooges." When asked on what would guarantee compliance with the conference resolutions by the participating countries, Al-Rubay'i says: "Even the countries that are entertaining the notion of noncompliance with their undertakings and pledges" will find themselves compelled to show compliance because "the international community, the entire international community, is supportive of Iraq, of the political process, of the Constitution, and of the national unity government." When asked about UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon , Al-Rubay'i says: "Let me tell you something. Over the past few years, over the past four years, the United Nations has not played a huge role, one that would have lived up to the Iraqis' aspirations." He adds: "We seek to upgrade the level of UN efforts. Therefore, once this conference is concluded; specifically, the day after tomorrow, I will leave for Washington and New York for talks with the UN secretary general on the new ways and methods that could bring about an upgrade in ties with the United Nations, and also upgrade of UN presence in Iraq." . . . Within its 1700 GMT newscast, Al-Iraqiyah TV highlights the speeches delivered at the opening session of the Sharm al-Shaykh conference on Iraq. It also carries the following reports: --"Prime Minister Nuri Kamil al-Maliki has affirmed that a strong Iraq is a factor of stability in the region. He added: Whoever thinks that a weak Iraq serves his interests is mistaken. Al-Maliki made these remarks when he received US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at his place of residence in Sharm al-Shaykh. Rice urged Iraq's neighboring countries to support Iraq through its democratic institutions. She added that Iraq's neighboring countries will understand that supporting Iraq cannot be achieved except through bolstering its democratic institutions. Iraqi PM Al-Maliki and Condoleezza Rice For his part, the prime minister called upon the United States to conduct bilateral dialogues with some of Iraq's neighboring countries to achieve results that would serve stability in Iraq and the region. He indicated that the International Compact Conference and the neighboring countries conference offer a good opportunity for holding dialogues and achieving understanding among all participating countries." --"More than 50 countries and international organizations attending the International Compact Conference, which began its meetings in Sharm al-Shaykh today, were unanimous on the need to uproot terrorism and support the Iraqi people in the course of their efforts to build their future and rebuild their country. Through their speeches, the conference participants affirmed their full readiness to extend all kinds of support and backing to build Iraq and make it a secure and prosperous country that enjoys security and stability." --"During a meeting at his place of residence in Sharm al-Shaykh, Prime Minister Nuri Kamil al-Maliki and British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett discussed the results of the International Compact Conference held today, Thursday, and the willingness of the participating countries to help Iraq with regard to its debts. A statement issued by the Prime Minister's Media Office, a copy of which Al-Iraqiyah has obtained, said that Al-Maliki commended the support extended by the countries that are participating in the conference, which is viewed as a milestone for Iraq and the world. He stressed the importance of there being an Iraqi national compact to interact with the International Compact Document, the statement noted. The statement added that Al-Maliki underscored that a strategic option, rather than the option of force, will be used to consolidate security and stability in the country." --"Arab and international media have attached great importance to the convening of the International Compact Conference on Iraq in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm al-Shaykh. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry affirmed that some 1,000 media persons covered the proceedings of the said conference." --"Politicians and MPs were unanimous that the launch of the International Compact Document on Iraq will open the doors wide for a new phase to save the country. In statements to Al-Iraqiyah, they affirmed that the said conference reflects the success of the officials' relevant efforts." Then, Dr Salim Abdallah, MP for the [Sunni] Iraqi Al-Tawafuq Front, is shown saying: "All the issues that were raised were agreed to before. Nonetheless, the Iraqi man in the street and the political blocs wonder when these programs will be implemented." He adds: "We think that it is high time these states fulfilled their obligations toward the deteriorating security situation, and toward a political situation that needs solutions." Iraqi MP Muntasir al-Imarah expresses optimism about the possible implementation of the provisions enshrined in the International Compact Document. Iraqi MP Abdallah Salih says that the Iraqi Government is required to take some steps, including the implementation of political and economic reforms. He adds: "We should positively address these demands for political and economic reforms, not out of a desire to satisfy others, but rather out of a desire to meet constitutional demands." --"Citizens today expressed optimism over the convening of the International Compact Conference on Iraq. In statements to Al-Iraqiyah, the citizens affirmed that the said conference reflects the international community's faith in the Iraqi people's creative ability to save Iraq." Citizens are shown making statements urging Iraq's neighboring countries to "help Iraq dismantle and rout terrorism" and write off Iraq's debts. Al-Sharqiyah: Al-Sharqiyah leads its 1300 GMT newscast . . . This is followed by several reports on the Sharm al-Shaykh conference, highlighting statements by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu-al-Ghayt, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, UN Secretary General Ban-KI moon, Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Saudi Foreign Minister Sa'ud al-Faysal. Al-Sharqiyah leads its 1400 GMT newscast with a report citing Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu-al-Ghayt as saying that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki. This is followed by a report saying: "Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Saudi Foreign Minister Sa'ud al-Faysal held a closed meeting in a tense atmosphere after the Saudi foreign minister failed to announce the writing off of 80 percent of Iraq's debts. Sources said that Al-Faysal told Zebari that Saudi Arabia was the first country to welcome Al-Maliki's government and to express readiness to support it to achieve national reconciliation that would ensure Iraq's stability. The Saudi foreign minister said that the Iraqi Government did not fulfill its promises of achieving reconciliation and disbanding militias, but it rather dismissed competent Iraqi officers who played an important role in confronting the outlaws. During the Sharm al-Shaykh conference, heads of the participating delegations read statements, stressing the need for the Iraqi government to fulfill its commitments in return for receiving support from the international." . . At 1430 GMT, Al-Sharqiyah interviews Ra'id Fawzi, member of the Arab Institute for Researches and Strategic Studies, in Amman, on the Sharm al-Shaykh conference. At 1444 GMT, Al-Sharqiyah carries a statement by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu-al-Ghayt, in which he says: "Among the issues discussed are the political, security, and economic situations; human rights; how the Iraqi authorities are carrying out their duties on the ground; and the issue of monitoring, supervision, transparency, and creditability. Today, the international community gave the Iraqi government and people its support, and the Iraqis should in return adhere to the commitments they made and take measures to implement the provisions of the International Compact document." At 1451 GMT, Al-Sharqiyah interviews [Shiite, SCIRI cleric] Hammam Hamudi, member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives. He says: "The International Compact with Iraq document and this large participation in the conference show that Iraq is important to the world, not only to the region. Everybody is concerned about Iraq's prosperity and stability. The International community is determined to support Iraq in the political, security, and economic fields." At 1452 GMT, Al-Sharqiyah carries the following on-screen message: "Sharm al-Shaykh conference: Al-Maliki's government is required to fulfill its promises." Al-Maliki Within its 1500 GMT newscast, Al-Sharqiyah carries the following "urgent" report as a screen caption: "Al-Maliki meets Mottaki; the two sides discuss the Iranian support for the Iraqi Government." Between 1504 GMT and 1546 GMT, Al-Sharqiyah carries live a news conference by the Egyptian foreign minister, the Iraqi prime minister, and the UN secretary general in Sharm al-Shaykh, during which the Iraqi prime minister and the UN secretary gen eral sign the International Compact with Iraq. (GMP20070503634001) At 1606 GMT, Ali Muhsin, Al-Sharqiyah correspondent in Sharm al-Shaykh, interviews Hasan al-Sunayd, member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, on the conference. Al-Sunayd says: "There is full international desire to help Iraq carry out the commitments it made in the International Compact with Iraq document." He adds: "For its part, Iraq introduced the International compact document and showed commitment to making political, economic, and security reforms. I believe that the commitments Iraq made allowed it to return to the international community and to come out of the political isolation imposed on it by terrorism." Within its 1700 GMT newscast, Al-Sharqiyah carries the following report: "Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki met with Iranian Foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of the International Compact with Iraq conference in Sharm al-Shaykh. Sources said that the two sides discussed the Iranian support for the Iraqi Government and the security situation in Iraq." Within the same newscast, Al-Sharqiyah reports: "Speaking to Al-Sharqiyah on the sidelines of the Sharm al-Shaykh conference, Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa stressed the important role the Arab League played in trying to find a solution to the Iraqi crisis since its beginning, adding that the Arab League exerted efforts to find a solution to the Iraqi dilemma. He also added that the Arab League hosted the first reconciliation conference in 2005. He added that agreement among all Iraqis and achieving national reconciliation is the one way to resolve the Iraqi's people's problems." Musa says: "Since the beginning of the problem in Iraq, the Arab League, contrary to what is believed, has been involved in finding a solution to the situation in Iraq. In 2003, the Arab League was the one that called on the interim Iraqi Governing Council, despite all the criticism directed to it, to take Iraq's seat in the Arab League. Had not been for this call, no international or regional organizations would have recognized it." . . At 1720 GMT, Al-Sharqiyah interviews Abd-al-Naf al-Zughbi, an expert in the Iraqi economy, to talk about the International Compact with Iraq, Iraq's economic commitments, the challenges facing the Iraqi economy and how to improve it, and other related issues. Between 1735 GMT and 1749 GMT, Al-Sharqiyah interviews Iraqi Government Spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh from Sharm al-Shaykh. Al-Dabbagh says: "Today's conference was very successful. As it was expected, there was a great international interest in Iraq and its security and stability." . .

For "cont'd" postings, click here.

Murtha Urges Limited Funding
Bombing Kills 10 in Shiite Sadr City

Iraqi guerrillas killed 3 US troops and wounded 2 on Wednesday.

Guerrilla violence killed some 85 persons in Iraq on Wednesday. Reuters reports:

' BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed 10 people and wounded 35 near a police station in the Baghdad Shi'ite stronghold of Sadr City, police said. . .

BAGHDAD - Thirty bodies have been found around Baghdad in the past 24 hours, police said. All had been shot.

BAGHDAD - Several mortar rounds landed in Abu Dshir, a residential district in southern Baghdad, killing three people and wounding eight, police said.

Ten bodies were found in Baquba.

John Edwards argues in his campaign commercials that the best response to Bush's veto of the supplemental spending bill on Iraq and the failure on Wednesday of Congress to overturn it, is to keep sending the same bill back to Bush.

It is satisfying to say so, but it probably isn't good political tactics. When Newt Gingrich played politics with the budget under Clinton and even shut down DC, it was Congress that took the hit in the polls. Just being obstreperous isn't very attractive.

Murtha is suggesting that they don't fund a whole year, maybe only two months. That sort of conditionality, whatever its mechanism, seems right to me.

Foreign ministers from the region and the world are gathering in Sharm El Sheikh for a conference on Iraq.

Condi Rice and the Iranians will conduct some bilateral talks at that conference, which could prove momentous.

The former chair of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq, Michael Bell, tells the NYT that Iraq reconstruction are doomed to failure as long as the lack of security continues. The article also points out that it is hard to scare up donors who will give billions when they see what has happened to the projects that went before.

This point is one reply we should make to those who argue that that bombings in Iraq are just for show and only mimic a real war without being one. They hve real world consequences on things like whether billions flow in to the government or not. (Not to mention that it is a stupid argument in the first place. Bombs that kill hundreds are war, not just its simulacrum.)

Iraq is now on the list of countries where there isn't sufficient religious freedom.

The British are only now figuring out that they were Cheney'd! Blair would reach an understanding with Bush, and then mysteriously it would be overturned when he got back to the White House. Dick apparently keeps W. on a short leash.

An author of the Iraq oil bill has now turned against it.
For "cont'd" postings, click here.

Note to Bush and Edwards: On How there is not Really any al-Qaeda in Iraq

I caught John Edwards on Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room Wednesday afternoon. Blitzer asked him about Bush's remarks on al-Qaeda being enemy number one in Iraq.

Edwards replied with great good sense and admirable forthrightness, and I'll quote it in a second. But one thing I advise candidates in both parties to do is start recognizing that what the US military calls the Iraqi insurgency is primarily Iraqi nationalists, not al-Qaeda.

The US military and politicians made a key mistake when they saw the North Vietnamese Communists of Ho Chi Minh as primarily Communists, when in fact they were Vietnamese nationalists. It was the nationalist component that proved so attractive to many of their collaborators in the south. After the North Vietnamese Communists took over they almost immediately had a firefight with Communist China. It would be tragic if the US makes another such error in Iraq. Bush and Cheney speak as though the enemy there is a terrorist international, a stateless al-Qaeda dedicated to establishing an Islamic superstate and bringing down the United States. That is 99.99 % wrong. Almost all those fighting in Iraq are Iraqi nationalists. Just as Communist Vietnam posed no real threat to the US and was of little use to other Communist states as an ally, so a post-US Iraq would be a country of Iraqi nationalists (with, admittedly, ethno-religious subnationalisms playing either a decisive or an important role).

So here is the exchange between Blitzer and Edwards:

' BLITZER: But do you dispute that al Qaeda has a presence in the Al Anbar Province, in other provinces in Iraq, that they're trying to establish a base there, from which to do their evil deeds?

EDWARDS: No, of course I don't dispute that. That's obvious.

But -- but the president of the United States has made this situation worse. He hasn't made it better. And the question is, what is the plan that will maximize the chances for us being successful there? I believe -- and I think many of the leaders in the Congress believe the same thing -- that, as America starts to withdraw its presence in Iraq, we shift the responsibility to the Sunni and Shia leadership, and we create a greater possibility of there being a political reconciliation.

It is that political reconciliation and that resolution that creates a more secure environment on the ground, and will help stop what al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations are attempting to do in Iraq.'

I concur in Edwards' analysis of the situation in Iraq. But I think it would help the public debate if he and others began querying the entire idea of "al-Qaeda in Iraq." He gave that one away, and when you give that one away, you risk giving away everything.

Al-Qaeda is technically defined as persons who have given their fealty to Usama Bin Laden and who have been given an operation to do by him. It is sort of like being a "made man" in the Cosa Nostra. Not every two bit gangster is a mafioso, and not every violent Salafi is al-Qaeda.

A recent study by Gen. Barry McCaffrey suggested that there are in fact 100,000 insurgents (I prefer the term guerrilla) in Iraq, not the 20,000 to 25,000 usually estimated by the US military.

Iraq's previous interior minister estimated the number of foreign fighters in Iraq at less than a thousand. Most of these are Salafi Jihadis of one sort or another (revivalist Sunnis).

So 99,000 insurgents are Iraqis. And none of them is al-Qaeda in the sense of being loyal to the organization or fighting for Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. They are fighting for some vision of the Iraqi nation, whether inflected by religion or not.

So who are the Iraqi insurgents? An important component is Baathists and ex-Baathist nationalists. These are former military officers, party officials, intelligence operatives, etc. The Baath Party itself is said in the Arabic press to have split into four groups [scroll down]. Among the more important of the four, and the least willing to compromise, is that of Saddam Hussein's vice president, Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri. Last January al-Hayat reported in Arabic that there were attempts to hold an Iraqi Baath Party congress in Damascus and reunify the fragments in preparation for a rehabilitation of the party in Iraq when de-Baathification was ended. Al-Duri opposed this step because he saw it as leading to defeat, not victory. Although he is said by some to be in Syria, that is inconsistent with his stance on the Damascus conference, and I think it is more likely that he is in the Mosul area.



In March, Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri wrote to Arab leaders, calling himself the secretary general of the Ba'th Socialist Party and the commander in chief of the Iraqi armed forces, asking that they support his insurgency. A summary of the letter is appended at the end of this column.

Another guerrilla group made up of ex-Baathist officers is the Mujahideen Army. It has been unwilling to join the Holy Warriors Council (shura) because it doesn't like the Salafi Jihadis, and it has at points opened negotiations with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani.

Although Bush administration officials admitted in 2003 that al-Duri was a major leader of the insurgency, when they did not capture him and when the Baath resistance was galvanized, they increasingly blamed everything in Iraq on "al-Qaeda" and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. But al-Zarqawi wasn't really al-Qaeda, whatever he later said, and had never gotten along with Bin Laden. He had formed his own organization, Monotheism and Holy War, and refused to share resources with al-Qaeda. Admittedly at some point in Iraq he announced that his organization was 'al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia.' But lots of little burger joints try to imply that they are part of big franchises. The grease doesn't improve.

One reason for which Baathists and Sunni Arab nationalists are most often ignored as key components of the insurgency is that it suits everyone. The Baathis are doing horrible things, and don't want the credit for them. The radical Sunnis are small groups and do want credit, so they claim it and the Baathis don't contradict them. And, the Bush administration is ecstatic every time "al-Qaeda" takes credit for the violence in Iraq. That makes it easier for them to claim the Iraq War as part of their 'war on terror.'

When al-Zarqawi was killed in spring of 2006, it didn't have the slightest impact on the vigor of the insurgency. Ipso facto, he wasn't behind that much of it.

Iraqi Sunni fundamentalists such as the 1920 Revolution Brigade are not al-Qaeda. In fact, their name shows them to be Iraqi nationalists, since it refers to the 1920 revolution against British colonialism. Al-Qaeda is against country nationalism, emphasizing the Islamic ummah or community rather than individual nation states. The actual 1920 revolt, led by Shiites, would mean nothing to Bin Laden.

This point is important because self-conception tells you about the scope of action of a group. The 1920 Revolution Brigade is all about getting rid of foreigners from Iraq. It isn't about international terrorism or hitting the US mainland. We don't have to worry about it if US troops leave Iraq. Its members will just heave a sigh of relief and go back to their ordinary jobs. If it or others keep trying to hit Shiites after the Americans leave, they will likely get themselves massacred. They aren't a danger to skyscrapers on the east Coast in the US.


APPENDIX:

The USG Open Source Center summarized his letter on April 23. I reprint it here to give you a sense of the rhetoric and aims of this major component of the Sunni Arab guerrilla movement:

Ba'th Party Secretary Izzat Ibrahim Urges Arab Rulers To Assist Iraqi Resistance Jihadist Websites -- OSC Summary Monday, April 23, 2007 Terrorism: Ba'th Party Secretary Izzat Ibrahim Urges Arab Rulers To Assist Iraqi Resistance On 26 March, a jihadist website posted a letter written by Izzat Ibrahim, the general secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba'th Party, urging "Arab rulers to unite in fighting the enemies of Iraq and assisting the noble Iraqi resistance." The letter was related to the Arab summit held last month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A summary of the letter follows: The polite and emotional letter written by Izzat Ibrahim, who considers himself to be the commander in chief of the Iraqi armed forces, is addressed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the other Arab rulers to the summit held in Riyadh in March 2007. In the letter, Ibrahim places his "faith and confidence with the Arab rulers in the holy and proud land of Saudi Arabia to take action against the tyrant occupiers of Iraq who have killed, maimed, and displaced more than 4 million people since April 2003, erasing the social, financial, moral, and civilized existence of the Iraqi people." The writer accuses "the enemy of assisting Iran in a historical way to destroy the Iraqi nation and its identity and turn it into a Shiite Iranian controlled region." He further charges that "the American imperialism, Zionists, and the Shiite Iranians are building a base in Iraq for the Khomeini Safavid revolution to expand into Arab countries, changing its identity, and dominating the entire region." Ibrahim reiterates the fact that "the noble national resistance movement is the only legitimate representative of the Iraqi people" and calls for a "boycott of the (present) government of agents and traitors who came to Iraq to kill and displace Iraqis." He places "the historical responsibility of Iraq on the shoulders of the Arab rulers facing up to God and history." He adds that "the brave resistance of the Iraqi people is one of the greatest achievements in the history of the country, fighting the strongest power on earth and forcing the enemy to run away." In conclusion, he praises "the great sacrifices of the resistance" and vows to "continue the struggle until victory," hoping that "the Arab leadership will stand firmly with the Iraqi people." '

For "cont'd" postings, click here.

Bush Vetoes Supplemental for Iraq
Rice will be Polite
11 Killed in Minibus attack

Bush vetoed the supplemental appropriations bill for Iraq that Congress sent him on May 1. You know, Bush and Cheney and others got this meme going last fall that critics of the war had a responsibility to put forward their own solution to the problems. So the Congress has stepped up to that plate and said that a beginning can be made to resolving the Iraq crisis only if the US makes a commitment to bring its troops out of that country on a short timetable.

Bush is now revealing that he did not actually want to hear other proposals besides his fatally flawed "stay the course" policy. So now the ball is in his court. He has the responsiblity to lay out what he plans to do in September when it almost certainly be clear that the security situation is not substantially better and the al-Maliki government is not less paralyzed.

Charlie Rose asked him this question, and he fudged it, saying he had no plan B. That's not good enough, George. What's your plan, since you don't like that of the Congress? The American public isn't going to put up with "stay the course" any more, and they aren't buying the alleged connection of Iraq to September 11.

With regard to the prospect that Condi Rice might talk to Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki at Sharm El Sheikh, Bush said that if there is an encounter, she will be polite. Bush sent an extra aircraft carrier to the Gulf to threaten Iran, and Cheney and Rumsfeld wanted to nuke Isfahan. But God forbid the administration should be rude to an Iranian official.

According to Reuters, guerrillas opened fire on a minibus in Iskandariya south of Baghdad, killing 11. Ten bodies were discovered in Baqubah, one hour northeast of the capital. In Baghdad on Tuesday, police found 15 bodies in the street and civilians were killed by mortar shells.

The office of the governor of Basra (Muhammad Misbah al-Wa'ili) protested his recent unseating by a vote of no confidence to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. His opponents, however, characterize this protest letter as illegitimate and untransparent, since it was sent secretly and personally rather than openly via the government bureaucracy.

KarbalaNews.net alleges in Arabic that Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari promised the Iranians that Iraq would expel from its territory the members of the anti-Tehran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-i Khalq (MEK or MKO). Saddam had given them a base, Camp Ashraf, from which they sent terrorists over the border to blow things up in Iran. The Neoconservatives in the US Department of Defense wanted to go on using MEK in this same way, but the State Department labeled them a terrorist organization. If this report is correct, the Iraqi government may at last have taken a decisive step in this regard. And, it was possibly a demand of the Iranians with regard to their attendance at the Sharm El Sheikh Conference this week.

Ali Larijani, secretary of the Iranian national security council, met Tuesday with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani (as well as with PM al-Maliki and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim.) Larijani rejected US accusations that Iran is aiding militias to destabilize Iraq, saying that it is rather US allies who are making mischief there (presumably a slam at Saudi Arabia).

In a recent poll, 76% of Iraqis reject the security wall the Americans were building around Adhamiya in Baghdad (Arabic).

Pepe Escobar in Baghdad-- roving the Red Zone.

Tenet claimed in his book that Tyler Drumheller did not tell his office that the drunk fabricator, the Iraqi expatriate code-named "Curveball," was a drunk fabricator. Curveball more or less wrote Colin Powell's speech at the UN in February, 2003. Shorter Tyler Drumheller: Oh, yes I did.

The letter of six former intelligence officers blasting Tenet for his failure to speak out against the flimsy pretexts for the looming Iraq War is up at Daily Kos. Given the vindictiveness of this administration, these are 6 courageous persons with a hell of a lot of integrity.

The USG Open Source Center summarizes the Iraqi press:

' Al-Mashriq publishes on the front page a 200-word follow-up report on the statement issued by Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi outlining the results of his phone call with President Bush. The report cites Harith al-Ubaydi, parliament member from the Iraqi Al-Tawafuq Front, confirming that it is too early for the front to withdraw from the government. . .

Al-Mashriq runs on page 3 a 460-word follow-up report citing Husayn al-Falluji, parliament member from the Iraqi Al-Tawafuq Front, confirming that the front supports the projected cabinet reshuffle provided the replacement of Defense Minister Muhammad Abd-al-Qadir al-Ubaydi. The report cites political sources confirming that President Talabani is seeking to form a new political front comprising of moderate Iraqi political forces. . .

Ishraqat al-Sadr publishes on page 2 a 250-word exclusive report citing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Advisor Karim al-Bakhati criticizing the Al-Hurrah Satellite Television Channel and denying that he rejects the withdrawal of occupation forces from Iraq.

Dar al-Salam publishes on page 2 a 300-word report entitled "Al-Fadilah Party: Threats, Violence, Extortion To Impose Political Willpower, Control Over Basra Governorate."

Dar al-Salam runs on page 5 a 300-word report confirming that the UAE Government has also declined to receive Prime Minister Al-Maliki. . .

Ishraqat al-Sadr publishes on page 2 a 400-word exclusive report citing an official source at the Al-Sadr Bureau in Al-Kazimiyah confirming that US planes shelled the bureau following the failure of US forces to break into it on 29 April. The report cites well-informed sources confirming that Law Enforcement Plan Commander General Abud Qanbar visited the district immediately after the eruption of clashes between Al-Sadr followers and occupation forces.

Ishraqat al-Sadr carries on page 2 a 400-word editorial by Adil al-Abid criticizing Iraqi security officials for their failure to prevent terrorist attacks despite the deployment of explosive detection equipment and the establishment of large number of checkpoints across Baghdad.

Dar al-Salam publishes on the front page a 350-word report accusing occupation forces and Iraqi National Guard of attacking the Al-Nu'man Public Hospital in Al-A'zamiyah District and insulting its patients and medical cadre. The report accuses the Health Ministry of closing the hospital for sectarian reasons.

Dar al-Salam runs on the front page a 400-word report entitled "US Inspector General: Iraqi Government Wastes $12 Billion." . .

Finkelstein v. Dershowitz.
For "cont'd" postings, click here.

Mission Accomplished, 4 Years on: A Commentary in Links

Remarks by President Bush announcing the end of major combat operations in Iraq Thursday evening [May 1, 2003] from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln:

Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing

Riots, Looting? Stuff Happens

and reconstructing that country.

7 of 8 major reconstruction projects in danger of failing.

US has failed to reconstruct Iraq.

In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty,

Trudy Rubin: ”Wolfowitz told me he believed that the London-based Iraqi opposition (headed by Ahmed Chalabi) would return to Baghdad and assume the reins of power . . ."

Al-Maliki Government uses Saddam-era law to block corruption probes.

and for the peace of the world . . .

The Iraq Effect: War has Increased Terrorism Seven Fold.

"Iraq civilian attacks send worldwide terror deaths soaring: US".

In the images of fallen statues, we have witnessed the arrival of a new era.

Toppling of Saddam statue faked.

For a hundred years of war, culminating in the nuclear age, military technology was designed and deployed to inflict casualties on an ever-growing scale. In defeating Nazi Germany and imperial Japan, Allied Forces destroyed entire cities, while enemy leaders who started the conflict were safe until the final days. Military power was used to end a regime by breaking a nation. Today, we have the greater power to free a nation by breaking a dangerous and aggressive regime. With new tactics and precision weapons, we can achieve military objectives without directing violence against civilians. No device of man can remove the tragedy from war. Yet it is a great advance when the guilty have far more to fear from war than the innocent.

Study: War Blamed for 655,000 Iraqi Deaths.

In the images of celebrating Iraqis, we have also seen the ageless appeal of human freedom. Decades of lies and intimidation could not make the Iraqi people love their oppressors or desire their own enslavement. Men and women in every culture need liberty like they need food, and water, and air. Everywhere that freedom arrives, humanity rejoices. And everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear.

Bloody Iraq Uprising Rocks US.

We have difficult work to do in Iraq. We are bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous. We are pursuing and finding leaders of the old regime, who will be held to account for their crimes.

One thing is certain: the Death of Saddam was About Revenge, not Justice.

We have begun the search for hidden chemical and biological weapons, and already know of hundreds of sites that will be investigated.

David Kay: No Evidence Iraq Stockpiled WMD.

We are helping to rebuild Iraq, where the dictator built palaces for himself, instead of hospitals and schools. And we will stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they establish a government of, by, and for the Iraqi people. The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time, but it is worth every effort. Our coalition will stay until our work is done. And then we will leave — and we will leave behind a free Iraq . . .

How to get Out of Iraq.

For "cont'd" postings, click here.

3,000 Sadrists Protest US Raid
32 Killed in Funeral Bombing

Some 3,000 Iraqis came out Monday in Baghdad to protest US military action against the Mahdi Army at Kadhimiya, the site of revered shrine to the 7th Imam or descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.

Members of the Iraq parliament as a result want to restrict US forces from coming within a mile of the shrine.

Mahdi Army fighters and even units are defying Muqtada al-Sadr's command to lie low, and are again killing Sunnis at night and engaging in firefights with the US.

Muqtada al-Sadr has called on Iraqis to oppose the US military presence in their country by painting murals.

The bombing of a Shiite funeral in Khalis killed 32 and wounded 60.

Some 70 other Iraqis were killed in other political violence on Monday, as detailed by Reuters. Among the attacks:

' RAMADI - A tanker laden with chlorine gas exploded near a restaurant west of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, killing up to six people and wounding 10, police and hospital sources said. . .

BAGHDAD - At least two people were killed and 15 wounded when a bus bomb exploded in a tunnel targeting a police checkpoint, police said. The explosion badly damaged the tunnel, which is on a main artery in western Baghdad. . .

SUWAYRA - The bodies of six people were retrieved from two rivers in Suwayra, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said. . .

BAGHDAD - Eight gunmen were killed in a U.S.-Iraqi operation in Baghdad on Sunday, the U.S. military said, in what some witnesses described as a clash with the Mehdi Army militia loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The U.S. military said in a statement one Iraqi soldier was killed in the incident in the Shi'ite Kadhimiya district. . .

Bodies of 10 truck drivers kidnapped from Baiji were discovered on Monday.

There was a 91% increase in terrorism in Iraq between 2005 and 2006.

WaPo is reporting that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki got rid of mainly Sunni military officers who were good at going after the Mahdi Army. The way the story is told seems to me a little one-sided and I'd like to hear al-Maliki's side of it before deciding.

Egypt is proposing a 3-month cease fire in Iraq as an outcome of the Sharm El Sheikh conference to be held later this week.

The representative in Iran of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Majed Qammas, said Monday that "the participation of Iranian officials in the Sharm el-Sheikh conference will benefit the Iraqi nation and the entire Middle East."
For "cont'd" postings, click here.

Touchy, Touchy Terrorists

The USG Open Source Center summarizes an internet comment by a supporter of the Salafi "Islamic State of Iraq," in which he lashes out at the criticism of the organization posted by someone he says is a Baathist. Some call The Islamic State in Iraq "al-Qaeda," but it doesn't have operational links to Bin Laden and is probably better thought of as radical Iraqi Salafism.

Statement Denounces Ba'th Party for Criticizing Islamic State of Iraq Jihadist Websites -- OSC Summary Monday, April 30, 2007 Terrorism: Statement Denounces Ba'th Party for Criticizing Islamic State of Iraq On 22 April, a participant of one of the jihadist websites posted a statement in which he denounced the Ba'th Party for a statement it posted to Al-Basrah.net and in which, he claims, they libeled the Islamic State of Iraq and its amir, Abu-Umar Al-Baghdadi. A summary of the statement follows: This forum participant denounced the Ba'th Party because of a statement it had posted to the Al-Basrah.net in which, he claims, they "libeled" the Islamic State of Iraq and its amir, Abu-Umar al-Baghdadi. He included a link to the original statement stating that he felt the text was too offensive to be posted. It is noteworthy to mention that the original statement he references does not have any indication of it originating from the Ba'th Party. That statement was written on 18 January 2007 by Abu-Sarhan Al-Ba'qubi and posted to Al-Basrah Net. This poster lists the purported libelous points such as claims of Al-Qa'ida's kidnapping and arrests of mujahidin from other groups and their indiscriminate killing of women, children and the elderly, and it claims that "members of Al-Qa'ida fled when the Americans arrived."

For "cont'd" postings, click here.

25 Killed in Basra Blast;
Political Crisis in Basra as Governor is Unseated ;
Iran will Attend Sharm El Sheikh Meet


On Sunday evening, militiamen set off a bomb that killed 25 and wounded dozens in the poor Hayaniya district in the southern Shiite port city of Basra. Early reports put suspicion on the Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr.

Militiamen in Basra killed another British soldier on Sunday, bringing the total military fatalities for the UK in April to 12 and making it the worst month of the war in that regard.

Al-Hayat , writing in Arabic, alleges that on Sunday night, the elected Governing Council of Basra decided to fire provincial governor Muhammad Misbah al-Wa'ili, the leader in that region of the Islamic Virtue Party (Fadhila). The move came in the wake of a campaign waged by the rival Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq against him after the Virtue Party withdrew from the Shiite party coalition, the United Iraqi Alliance. Al-Hayat's sources maintained that British forces escorted al-Wa'ili to the airport, from which he left for parts unknown.

Sawt al-Iraq reports in Arabic that the GC vote of no confidence against al-Wa'ili carried by 27 votes. There are 41 seats on the council. Al-Wa'ili was initially elected by a slim margin of 21 to 20, with the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq having the 20. But the Virtue Party only had 15 seats, and was kept in power by 6 independents that voted with it. Obviously, all six have now defected to SCIRI, along with one Virtue member. The Virtue Party is denying the legitimacy of the vote and insisting that al-Wa'ili remains in office. Its spokesman says that 2/3s of 41 is 28, and that that is the number of votes necessary for a vote of no confidence. He implied that SCIRI is trying to monopolize Basra's oil wealth. All of Iraq's oil exports go through Basra these days, since the Kirkuk pipeline keeps getting hit. Iraq export on the order of 1.6 million barrels a day of petroleum through Basra, with up to 500,000 barrels of that being stolen and smuggled out. Political parties and militias are among the major petroleum smugglers in Basra. This article says that anxiety has seized the people of Basra over the conflict. Since all the parties are armed to the teeth, if there really were a constitutional crisis in the province, it could turn really, really bloody.

There are still over 6,000 British troops in the province, and Prince Harry is being sent there. A recently returned British private spoke out over the weekend, maintaining that "Basra is lost, they are in control now. It's a full-scale riot and the Government are just trying to save face."

Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that a source close to nationalist Shiite cleric says that he has sent representatives to Arab countries "to lay the foundation for a Sunni-Shiite alliance." The source said, "Sadr commissioned Aws al-Khafaji and Ahmad al-Shaybani to make a tour of Arab, regional and Islamic states in order to unite Sunnis and Shiites." He added, "The tour will end in the next few days, and will include meetings with Sunni clergymen in the Islamic world, along with political and Islamic personalities in the regional and Arab environs-- to explain the dimensions of the suspicious efforts to provoke conflict between the sects." (The subtext is that al-Sadr's emissaries will try to convince Sunnis that the US is actually behind the death squads killing Sunnis in places like Baghdad. As much as the US presence in Iraq is disliked by those Muslim states, I don't think many responsible people will buy Muqtada's line. For Sunnis, he has real credibility problems. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia won't even meet with PM Nuri al-Maliki these days.)

Iran may have helped the US capture an al-Qaeda operative, Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi, late last year. If so, the two US raids on Iranian personnel in Iraq in early 2007 were particularly rude.

Kucinich's introduction of articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney, which the corporate media has dismissed as Quixotic, got support from the California Democratic Party meeting in San Diego. The the party called on Congress to investigate misconduct by Bush and Cheney and take all appropriate steps, up to and including impeachment. It also called for a withdrawal from Iraq.

Guerrillas in the refinery town of Baiji kidnapped the drivers of 15 fuel trucks about to set out for al-Anbar province to the west, and then set fire to or stole the trucks. (Al-Zaman says they were stolen).

Reuters reports that:

BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb killed three people and wounded eight others in the southern Baghdad Zaafaraniya district, police said.

BAGHDAD - At least seven Katyusha rockets landed near a Sunni mosque in the northern Baghdad Adhamiya district, killing two guards and wounding seven others on Saturday, police said.

Edmund Sanders of the LAT gives us a thoughtful, sensitive, informed account of the meaning for Iraqis of the assassination attempt Sunday on beloved broadcaster Amal al-Mudarris. A Shiite from south Iraq whose family suffered at Saddam's hands, she has long been a natural target for the Baathists who have been acting as spoilers in the new Iraq. Gunmen shot her in al-Khadra district of Baghdad as she was leaving her home, wounding her seriously in the head. Aljazeera showed her in her dingy hospital bed, the bandaging on her cheek looking amateurishly applied to me. It brought home how badly the medical facilities have deteriorated. Dozens of journalists have been killed in the course of the Iraq War.

Al-Zaman writing in Arabic says that 1 soldier died and 20 were sickened by poisoning at the Iraqi military camp at Kut. Last October, dozens of soldiers were sickened at the same facility.

The US military says that it captured 4 Shiite extremists who had been part of a network importing explosively formed projectiles into Iraq.

Iran has decided to attend the 2-day conference of foreign ministers of Iraq's neighbors in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt that will begin on Tuesday. Iranian FM Manouchehr Mottaki will lead the delegation. In his interview with Charlie Rose last week, Bush said of the possibility that US Secretary of State Condi Rice and Mottaki would have direct bilateral talks, "They could, they could."

Iraqi National Security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubaie welcomed Iran's participation. He said, "It's very important for Iraq to get the United States and Iran talking to each other."

Remember all those painted schools that the Administration and its supporters endlessly crowed about? It turns out that 7 of 8 major reconstruction projects in Iraq are in danger of failing.

Indonesia, the world's fourth largest country and the largest Muslim country, called for an immediate US withdrawal from Iraq at the Inter-Parliamentary Union. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems to envision a United Nations command succeeding the US forces there. Indonesian Speaker of the House Agung Laksono added, "It is a good momentum for the IPU to urge the United States to leave Iraq immediately, because it is immoral if a sovereign state like Iraq is still controled by Washington."

US Senator Dick Durbin says that the Senate Intelligence Committee received information in 2002 that was the polar opposite of Bush administration public pronouncements on Iraq. He says he remained quiet because the briefings of the Intelligence Committee were classified. Well, that is still true, so why is he talking now? And, I have just two words for the good Senator: Daniel Ellsburg.
For "cont'd" postings, click here.

Al-Safi: Al-Maliki Must be PM for All Iraqis

The USG Open Source Center summarizes broadcasts of Friday prayers sermons in Iraq last Friday. Note that a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani upbraided Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of the Da'wa Party for his tendency to speak mainly of the welfare of the Shiites, urging himm to be prime minister of all Iraqis. In contrast, he praises Adil Abdul Mahdi, the Shiite vice president, who comes from the rival Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. It is a remarkable and telling rebuke, and I think a sign of Sistani's growing impatience with the narrow concerns of the more sectarian leaders of the United Iraqi Alliance.

Iraqi Friday Sermons for 27 Apr Discuss Security, Political Issues Iraq -- OSC Summary Sunday, April 29, 2007 Major Iraqi television channels - Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah, Baghdad Baghdad Satellite Channel, Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad Al-Furat, Cairo Al-Baghdadiyah, and Baghdad Al-Diyar - are observed on 27 April to carry the following reports on Friday sermons: Al-Iraqiyah: Within its 1700 GMT newscast, Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah Television in Arabic - government-sponsored television station, run by the Iraqi Media Network - carries the following report on today's Friday sermons: "Shaykh Ahmad al-Safi, representative of Grand Ayatollah Al-Sayyid Ali al-Sistani has warned politicians of using the extremist religious rhetoric. In a Friday sermon at the Al-Husayn Shrine, Al-Sayyid Al-Safi stressed the importance of putting an end to the security deterioration in some of the Diyala areas." "Al-Safi classified terrorism as two kinds, the external terrorism and the official terrorism, stressing that the latter is more dangerous than the external terrorism, especially since it contains political dimensions that affect Iraq's progress and development." Al-Safi is then shown saying: "I say that the prime minister should not talk about the right of Shiites only. This is not right, taking into consideration that he is the prime minister of Iraq. He should speak about Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, and all sects. When the vice president travels abroad he speaks about Shiites, Kurds, Sunnis, and all sects. However, anyone who speaks harshly to the point of causing moral destruction to others is not an official." At a Friday sermon attended by Shiites and Sunnis, Shaykh Ahmad Abd-al-Razzaq, imam and preacher of the Falih Pasha Mosque in Al-Nasiriyah, says: "We want an Arab position that pleases our hearts, removes our tears, and saves our blood." . . Baghdad Al-Furat Television Channel in Arabic - television channel affiliated with the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) led by Abd-al-Aziz al-Hakim, carries within its 1700 GMT newscast a report on today's Friday sermons, as follows: Shaykh Muhammad al-Haydari, imam and preacher of Al-Khillani Mosque, says: "There are operations now, but they are not as they should be. Therefore, aid should be extended to some areas and a quick action should be carried out to purge these areas from the takfiris (holding other Muslims to be infidel), terrorists, and Saddamists." Shaykh Hamid al-Sa'idi, imam and preacher of the Buratha Mosque, says: "I stress to you that there are no peoples in the world who have seen an ordeal like the current one in Iraq. We have been bleeding for four years now. Our houses are being demolished, our nerves are being destroyed, and our sanctities are being attacked. However, we are still continuing the march and we are still ready to make sacrifices in order to achieve our aspirations." Shaykh Talal al-Sa'di, imam and preacher of Friday sermon at Al-Kazimiyah mosque, says: "We are with the security plan and with every step they make. They are aware of the policy of the Al-Sadr Trend and the Al-Mahdi Army." The channel carries an episode of its weekly "Friday Sermons" program at 2008 GMT, as follows: Shaykh Muhammad al-Haydari, imam and preacher of Al-Khillani Mosque, says: "Our people and brothers in the Diyala Governorate have been experiencing an ordeal for a long time. The Al-Anbar Governorate has also experienced an ordeal by the takfiris and the criminal gangs, but, all praise is due to God, thanks to the efforts of its sons and tribes and support from the government and the army and police forces, the people there have managed to liberate many areas in the Al-Anbar Governorate. However, the Diyala Governorate is still suffering major problems." Al-Haydari stresses the "displacement" issue and highlights the suffering of the displaced citizens. He urges the government to solve the problems of these citizens. Speaking about the Congress debate on the issue of withdrawal from Iraq, Al-Haydari says: "What counts is the position of the Iraqi people. Certainly, more than 99 percent of the people do not want the occupation." Shaykh Hamid al-Sa'idi, imam and preacher of the Buratha Mosque, discusses the security situation and the daily "booby-trapped cars" in Iraq. He says: "We pinned great hopes on the Law Enforcement Plan, and the government has made serious efforts in this regard." Assessing this plan, he says: "We can say that it is a plan that has managed to achieve something, but regrettably, it has failed to achieve all the desired objectives. However, the plan can be considered one of the signs of hope." Iyad al-Zamili, imam and preacher of the Al-Diwaniyah Mosque, says: "The higher religious authority is now worried about what is taking place in Iraq. It calls for a quick action. (Terrorist) elements and groups move in the governorates to foment seditions. There is sedition in a certain governorate every day with the aim of disrupting the situation. This is a part of the conspiratorial plan of destroying the entire political process and all the achievements that have been made over the past period."

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9 US Troops Killed;
60 Killed, 170 Wounded in Karbala;
Over 60 Bodies Found;
Sadr Admonishes Bush

Iraqi guerrillas killed 9 US GIs on Friday and Saturday. Five of them died in active fighting in al-Anbar Province, which doesn't actually seem to have been turned around yet, unlike what is alleged in some quarters. A truck bomb attack had killed 10 Iraqis in the city of Hit on Friday.

Guerrillas blew up a market near the shrine of Abu al-Fadl Abbas in the holy city of Karbala on Saturday, killing a reported 80 persons and wounding 170. [Figures from Aljazeera early Sunday morning.] The sacred character of Karbala makes this sort of attack especially likely to provoke Shiite-Sunni tensions and violence. Wire services report:

' Television images showed a man running down a smoke-filled street holding a lifeless baby above his head. Smoke was rising off the baby. Ambulances had rushed to the blast scene in Kerbala, 100 km southwest of Baghdad. '

Reuters reports on political violence in Iraq on Saturday, revealing that "the war of the corpses" is heating up around the country. Some 17 bodies were found in the streets of Baghdad, victims of sectarian death squads. In the mixed city of Baqubah, 60 miles northeast of the capital, police found 27 bodies. In the northern Sunni Arab city of Mosul, police found 16 bodies. Other important attacks:

BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb hit an Iraqi army patrol, wounding two soldiers in al-Qahira district in northern Baghdad, police said. . .

BAGHDAD - Three mortar rounds landed in al-Resala district in southwestern Baghdad killing three civilians and wounding 10 others, including two children, police said.

BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb killed one civilian and wounded three others in Kadhimiya district in northwestern Baghdad, police said. . .

BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb targeting a group of day labourers killed one and wounded eight in the Zaafaraniya district in southern Baghdad, police said.

BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed five civilians and wounded one when they opened fire on their vehicle in Bayaa district in southwestern Baghdad. . .

Young Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Bush to acquiesce in the desire of the Iraqi people that the US set a timetable for withdrawal of its troops from Iraq.

In Islamic lore the Mahdi or promised one will return at the end of time to restore the world to justice. He will be opposed by an evil one-eyed figure, the Dajjal, which is usually translated the "anti-Christ" by analogy with apocalyptic Christian beliefs. Muqtada called Bush the Dajjal.

Muqtada's letter about Bush was read out in parliament by Liqa' Al-Yasin, female MP from the Sadrist bloc. The Shiite cleric called Bush "a great evil," adding, "Bush ignores all the calls asking for withdrawal or for the setting of a timetable for withdrawal, despite the demonstrations that the Iraqi people staged in Najaf and in every spot around the globe."

Muqtada addressed Bush, claiming that the UN had asked for a US withdrawal (not true). He denied that a US withdrawal would throw Iraq into greater chaos:
"What chaos can be greater from what we face in Iraq, in which blood runs every moment, without let-up . . ?" He asked if Bush had just traded Saddam's dictatorship for one of Shiite-hating Sunnis (nawasib) and excommunicators (takfiris). He asked what had become of Bush's debaathification, since he was now asking that Baathists be reinstated in the government. He taunted Bush for having announced an intention to disarm Iraq, complaining that Bush had filled "our beloved Iraq" with weapons. He asked, "How have you fought sectarianism, when you are reinforcing it by building walls and instituting partitions on a sectarian, political basis-- not on a national, Iraqi, Arab or Islamic basis.

Referring to the Democratic Party's dissent from Bush's policies in Iraq, Muqtada asked, "Do you want us to follow your mistakes and your plan, when you have yourselves turned against it? . . . What kind of democracy is this that you desire? Thousands go out to vote, then you go back to national reconciliation with Baathists and terrorists?

Addressing Bush, he said, "While you once predicted that your picture would hang in Iraqis' homes, now it is under their feet . . . You have destroyed the reputation of the West among Easterners generally." He accused Bush of having US troops put their feet on the necks of Iraqis, and desecrating the Qur'an.

He accused Bush of turning Iraq into an arena of contention. He said, "Bush, you wanted to make America more secure, but you have set it ablaze . . ."

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, speaking to a US congressional delegation, rejected US pressure and said that Washington's interference in domestic Iraqi political affairs was a "red line," the crossing of which he could not accept. The main issue that seems to have exercised him is US pressure on his government to change the "de-Baathification" process and to rehabilitate former Baathists (most of them Sunni Arabs) as public persons who can hold high government posts.

The oil investment law passed by al-Maliki's cabinet is also still getting a hard ride.

The LA Times reports on how security is deteriorating in Basra under the pressure of political and militia rivalries, leading to an increase in attacks on British troops.

Retired Lt. Gen. William Odom called on Bush to sign the bill specifying a US troop withdrawal from Iraq. Money quote:

' "The challenge we face today is not how to win in Iraq; it is how to recover from a strategic mistake: invading Iraq in the first place," he said.

"The president has let [the Iraq war] proceed on automatic pilot, making no corrections in the face of accumulating evidence that his strategy is failing and cannot be rescued. He lets the United States fly further and further into trouble, squandering its influence, money and blood, facilitating the gains of our enemies." '

Hmmm. I don't think Odom can be accused by the Republicans of being unpatriotic. He's not just some civilian politician. He isn't even a Democrat. He's a man of substantial military and intelligence experience. Certainly his credentials to speak on the impact of the war on the US military are impeccable.

In a video posted to the internet, an important al-Qaeda leader complained that the Shiites are not joining in the fight against the US but on the contrary are fighting al-Qaeda alongside the US. An anti-Shiite program is common among radical Salafis in Iraq, but had earlier been questioned by al-Qaeda leaders in the east.

Iraq's deputy prime minister, Barham Salih, will visit Iran in May.
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Iraq Criticizes Senate Vote;
72 Killed in Violence

An Iraq government spokesman has criticized the Senate vote for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq. (I was going to complain about Iraqi interference in US domestic politics. Then I thought, well, it is only fair that they return the favor.)

All 8 Democratic presidential contenders support a rapid withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

Former CIA director George Tenet's memoirs contain slams at Vice President Cheney for rushing the country to war with questionable assertions.

Junior officers in the US military are beginning to speak out against the top brass and the mistakes the latter have made in Iraq. Lt. Col. Paul Yingling warns that the US faces the possibility of losing in Iraq.

Guerrilla violence killed about 72 Iraqis on Thursday.

Reuters reports political violence in Iraq on Thursday:
Police found 26 bodies in Baghad. Police found 3 bodies in Kirkuk. In Baghdad, guerrillas used a car bomb to kill at lease 6 and wound 15 in a district near Baghdad University.

Iran is playing hard to get and is still not sure it will attend the Sharm El Sheikh conference on Iraq to be held in early May. Washington had envisaged a conversation there between Secretary of State Condi Rice and the Iranian delegation.

With Blair going out, Labour Party politicians are ordering a rethinking of the UK's commitment to having troops in Iraq.

The USG Open Source Center paraphrases items from the Iraqi Press for April 26:

' Al-Bayyinah runs on the front page a 70-word report citing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Political Advisor Sadiq al-Rikabi confirming that Al-Maliki will independently nominate the candidates for the vacant ministerial posts and reject the demands of political blocs regarding the upcoming cabinet reshuffle.

Al-Bayyinah carries on the front page a 100-word exclusive report confirming that a seminar will be held in Baghdad University on 28 April to discuss the proposed Oil and Gas Bill. The report adds that parliament member Haydar al-Abadi, former Planning Minister Mahdi al-Hafiz and other Iraqi experts will attend the seminar.

Al-Bayyinah publishes on the front page a 500-word editorial praising late Shaykh Usamah al-Karbuli, Abd-al-Sattar Abu-Rishah and other Al-Anbar tribal chiefs for maintaining the unity of Iraqis and confronting the Al-Qa'ida Organization and other Takfiris in the governorate. . .

Al-Bayyinah carries on the front page a 600-word exclusive report citing sources close to the Association of Muslim Scholars confirming that the Jordanian Intelligence Agency has notified Association Chairman Harith al-Dari to stop his political activities against the Iraqi Government on the Jordanian territories. . .

Al-Zaman runs on page 3 a 300-word report entitled "Al-Fadilah Party Criticizes Government for Keeping Silent About Threats Against Basra Governor." . .

Al-Zaman publishes on page 4 a 550-word report entitled "Salah al-Din Tribal Chiefs Demand Activation of National Reconciliation Project; Al-Shakti: Force Alone Will Not Restore Security, Constitution Should Be Amended." . .

Al-Zaman publishes on page 4 a 200-word report entitled "Iraqi Al-Tawafuq Front Proposes To Postpone Voting on Gas and Oil Bill Until After Amendment of Constitution." . .

Al-Mu'tamar runs on the front page an 80-word report saying that Al-Fadhila Islamic Party has demanded that parliament establish a neutral committee to investigate the situation in Basra. (OSC plans no further processing)

Al-Mu'tamar runs on the front page a 220-word report citing President Jalal Talabani demanding that the sectarian dispute in Tal Afar is contained. . .

Al-Mu'tamar runs on the front page a 40-word report saying that the Iraqi al-Tawqfuq Front withdrew from parliament yesterday to protest the national security law, which they described as illegal. . .

Al-Zaman carries on the front page a 240-word report citing a high-ranking police officer, who requested anonymity, confirming that joint Iraqi-US forces are imposing tight siege around Al-Tahrir District of Ba'qubah to search for Iraqi Islamic State Chairman Abu-Umar al-Baghdadi. . .

Al-Sabah carries on page 4 a 75-word report citing a security source in Wasit denying that Iranian forces have occupied a border police station in Al-Kut. . .

Al-Sabah carries on the front page a 140-word report citing eyewitnesses coming from Maysan saying that the security situation in the governorate is deteriorating, especially assassinations against women. . .

Al-Mada runs on the front page a 120-word report saying that, in the first day of utilizing the technical equipment and explosive sonar, three car bombers and an improvised explosive device were detected. . .

Al-Mada runs on the front page a 110-word report on an Al-Qa'ida operative who recruits 12-year-old children to commit acts of suicide. . .

Al-Manarah runs on page 4 a 200-word report entitled "Basra Teachers Union Declares Open Strike in All Schools in Governorate."

Al-Manarah devotes all of page 5 to a report on the expanded symposium organized by the Civil Society Center in Central and Southern Governorates to discuss the proposed Freedom of Journalism in Iraq Bill.

Al-Bayyinah publishes on page 2 a 200-word report on the demonstration staged by the Passengers Transportation State Company's workers demanding salary increase. . . '

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Riverbend join Ranks of Refugees from Iraq

Prominent Iraqi blogger Riverbend and her family are at last leaving Iraq. The discussions she reports have happened thousands of times a month among Iraqi families:

Since last summer, we had been discussing it more and more. It was only a matter of time before what began as a suggestion- a last case scenario- soon took on solidity and developed into a plan. For the last couple of months, it has only been a matter of logistics. Plane or car? Jordan or Syria? Will we all leave together as a family? Or will it be only my brother and I at first?

After Jordan or Syria- where then? Obviously, either of those countries is going to be a transit to something else. They are both overflowing with Iraqi refugees, and every single Iraqi living in either country is complaining of the fact that work is difficult to come by, and getting a residency is even more difficult. There is also the little problem of being turned back at the border. Thousands of Iraqis aren't being let into Syria or Jordan- and there are no definite criteria for entry, the decision is based on the whim of the border patrol guard checking your passport.

An airplane isn't necessarily safer, as the trip to Baghdad International Airport is in itself risky and travelers are just as likely to be refused permission to enter the country (Syria and Jordan) if they arrive by airplane. And if you're wondering why Syria or Jordan, because they are the only two countries that will let Iraqis in without a visa. Following up visa issues with the few functioning embassies or consulates in Baghdad is next to impossible.

So we've been busy. Busy trying to decide what part of our lives to leave behind. Which memories are dispensable? We, like many Iraqis, are not the classic refugees- the ones with only the clothes on their backs and no choice. We are choosing to leave because the other option is simply a continuation of what has been one long nightmare- stay and wait and try to survive.

On the one hand, I know that leaving the country and starting a new life somewhere else- as yet unknown- is such a huge thing that it should dwarf every trivial concern. The funny thing is that it’s the trivial that seems to occupy our lives. We discuss whether to take photo albums or leave them behind. Can I bring along a stuffed animal I've had since the age of four? Is there room for E.'s guitar? What clothes do we take? Summer clothes? The winter clothes too? What about my books? What about the CDs, the baby pictures?

The problem is that we don't even know if we'll ever see this stuff again. We don't know if whatever we leave, including the house, will be available when and if we come back. There are moments when the injustice of having to leave your country, simply because an imbecile got it into his head to invade it, is overwhelming. It is unfair that in order to survive and live normally, we have to leave our home and what remains of family and friends… And to what?

It's difficult to decide which is more frightening- car bombs and militias, or having to leave everything you know and love, to some unspecified place for a future where nothing is certain.

Only a few fleeing Iraqis have been admitted to the United States, which is a travesty.

Worse, Iraqis who want to come to the US as refugees seeking asylum often face a catch-22 of being defined as terrorists because they have been victimized. For instance, if a family had a member kidnapped, and payed ransom, and then fled to Jordan and applied to come to the US, their having paid the ransom would be considered a form of material support to terrorism and they would be excluded!

In the past 14 months, 750,000 Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes. And the US media lets politicians get away with saying that things are "improving"!

See Dahr Jamail on the Iraqi refugee crisis in Jordan and Syria.
For "cont'd" postings, click here.

Iraq Casualty Numbers Doctored
Attacks Near Mosul, Khalis
Sadr Condemns Wall

Since the Bush administration doesn't actually have any good news on Iraq, they are just making it up. It confirms your worst suspicions. They haven't been counting victims of car bombings when they say that violence is down in Iraq! Bush administration spokesmen and officials are just saying that fewer bodies are found in the streets, victims of death squads. But the number of victims of car bombing has actually increased in this period.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is withholding statistics on Iraqi casualties from the United Nations.

It is official: The real parts of the Iraq War are being treated as imaginary, and the imaginary parts are being treated as though they are real.

Early Thursday morning in Iraq, guerrillas in Khalis attacked Iraqi troops, killing 9 and wounding 15, 10 of them soldiers.

In Zumar, west of Mosul, guerrillas attacked the local HQ of Massoud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic National Party.

Police found 18 bodies in the streets of Baghdad on Wednesday.

Nationalist young Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday condemned the US plans to build a wall around the Adhamiya district of Baghdad, calling it "evil" and warning it would reinforce sectarianism. Al-Sadr has a pan-Islamic rhetoric, but at night his Mahdi Army goons murder Sunni Arabs in the street. It remains to be seen if he is capable of reining in his goons and actually put together an anti-Coalition alliance of both Shiites and Sunnis.

The House of Representative passed a budget supplemental containing a timetable for withdrawal of US troops, in defiance of Bush, who says he will veto it. The LAT points out that far from being unpopular with constituents back home, the Dems have gotten a lot of support from voters for trying to rescue our trapped troops from the quagmire.

The House of Representatives' Oversight and Government Reform Committee has subpoened Condi Rice with regard to the alledged nuclear weapons program and purchase of yellowcake from Niger.

Speaking of accountability, Dennis Kucinich has introduced articles of impeachement against VP Richard Bruce Cheney.

For "cont'd" postings, click here.

McCaffrey: Iraq Gov't Dysfunctional
Support for al-Maliki Eroding

Now that Senator John McCain has retired the Straight Talk Express, retired general Barry McCaffrey, a veteran of the Gulf War, has taken up the mantle. McCaffrey has recently carried out a study of the situation in Iraq. Highlights (not in original order):

"We’re in trouble."

"The Iraqi government in power is dysfunctional."

"There is essentially no province in Iraq where the central government holds sway."

"Iraq’s neighbors are bearing no good will toward a favorable outcome in Iraq."

" . . . collectively the American people have said that the conduct of the war has been so incompetent that we’ve come to disbelieve the administration has the ability to carry this off."

"The next president, unless the situation in Iraq is dramatically turned around, is pulling the plug."

Gee, I guess Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are in pretty good company after all. It is Dick Cheney who is living in fantasyland.

In contrast, it seems clear that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld routinely sent spokesmen out to lie to us about cases like that of Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman. Lynch says she was no Rambo, and that Tillman was killed by 'friendly fire' was covered up.

USA Today reports that support for the al-Maliki government in parliament is eroding. He hasn't been able to push key legislation through parliament, and appears indecisive. (I think the problems are structural, not inherent in al-Maliki's personality. He seems pretty decisive to me. But he heads what is essentially a minority government, since his United Iraqi Alliance only has about 85 members in the 275-member parliament after recent defections. He can only survive by depending heavily on the Kurdistan Alliance, a bloc deeply committed to a weak federal government. He doesn't have much of an army of his own, and cannot independently do much about the guerrilla war. It is not clear who could do better.

Kim Gamel of AP writes about the new "dump truck bomb" tactics of the Sunni Arab guerrillas in Iraq.

The LA Times reports a major split in the Iraqi Baath Party. The Baath is more important as a component of the guerrilla war than is usually admitted by the US press and by the Bush administration. Al-Hayat reported this winter that actually the Baath has split into 4 parties, with Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri leading the most influential one.

The US is pursuing indirect diplomacy with Iran on a range of issues now, Warren Strobel and Nancy Youssef report.

Reuters reports political violence in Iraq for Monday.

Regional players don't want the US to depart Iraq.

Tomdispatch considers the Virginia Tech murder spree in a global context, with former State Department official John Brown writing on 'the Cho in the White House.'
For "cont'd" postings, click here.

Iraqi Press on Baghdad Wall

The USG Open Source Center paraphrases Iraqi press stories on the plan to build a wall around the district of Adhamiya (A'zamiyah) in Baghdad:

Iraqi Media Highlights Al-A'zamiyah Wall Construction Story, Cites Reactions Iraq -- OSC Report Tuesday, April 24, 2007 T14:13:33Z Iraqi media has increasinlgy highlighted reaction to the construction of Al-A'zamiyah wall and the positions of key players in Iraq as well as citizens of Baghdad. According to Iraqi reports, US troops began building the wall around the predominately Sunni district of Al-A'zamiyah in Baghdad. The wall, which is comprised of reinforced concrete blocks, each of which weighs more than six tons, will be 5.4 km long. The general tone of Iraqi reporting is negative and critical, with some outlets media outlets comparing it to the Berlin Wall and the containment wall first implemented by Israel's former Prime Minister Aiel Sharon, while others opine that it is a sign of a failed US policy to curb sectarian violence in the city. Click here to view a map of the district of Al-A'zamiyah in Baghdad. Wall of Al-A'zamiyah Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah Television in Arabic -- Independent, private news and entertainment channel focusing on Iraq, run by Sa'd al-Bazzaz, publisher of the Arabic-language daily Al-Zaman leads its 1300 GMT newscast on 23 April with a report on "a huge demonstration staged in Al-A'zamiyah City to protest the establishment of the wall which the Iraqi security agencies in cooperation with the US forces have started to erect on 10 April to isolate the city." The report notes that the demonstrators carried banners calling for removing "the concrete blocs and barbwire which they said have turned the area into to a big prison." Demo in Al-A'zamiyah On the official Iraqi position on this development, Al-Sharqiyah notes "conflicting statements by Iraqi security officials in charge of the security plan with respect to their knowledge of the construction of the construction of this wall. Staff Lieutenant General Abbud Qanbar, commander of the Law Enforcement Plan, denied the existence of this wall. However, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki confirmed that it does exist. Proof of this is that he requested in a news conference with the Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa halting construction of this wall." Admiral Fox in News conference The station also cites Admiral Mark Fox, head of the strategic communications brigade of the multinational forces, as saying that "the Iraqi and US forces are working together in Baghdad to establish security, noting that the decision to build the wall was endorsed by the Iraqi Government before the implementation of the project." After devoting the first nine-minutes of its newscast to the wall issue, the station moves to report on another development by starting its second story with the following sentence:" From Al-A'zamiyah wall to the walls of the Green Zone which are breached sometimes." Within its Harvest news program, the station at 1808 GMT carries a report citing reactions of several Iraqi politicians. The report notes that "Mahmud Uthman, member of the Kurdistan Alliance, said that the construction of the wall around Al-A'zamiyah area constitutes the height of failure, a bad and shameful step, and a violation of human rights. He stressed that this is a clear proof of the failure of the US and Iraqi governmental policy vis-a-vis preserving security, noting that this step means reaching the end of the road." For his part, Iyad al-Samarra'i, deputy for the Islamic Party, said that building the wall under the excuse of providing security protection is not enough to a take measure that segregates areas. For his part, Nassar al-Rubay'i, head of Al-Sadr Bloc in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, said that the wall is a first step towards building more than the Berlin Wall in Iraq. However, Deputy Jalal al-Din al-Saghir said that the idea of building the wall includes positive and negative aspects, adding that the idea is useful in terms of preventing interference in the affairs of Al-A'zamiyah. The negative aspect is infringing on human rights not to mention the consequences of building the wall. Izzat al-Shahbandar, deputy for the Iraqi list headed by former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, said that the operation proves the inability of the Iraqi authorities and the occupation forces to devise effective and acceptable means to defend people." Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah Television in Arabic -- government-sponsored television station, run by the Iraqi Media Network, makes no mention of the development concerning Al-A'zamiyah wall during its 1400 GMT newscast on 23 April. At 1421 GMT, the station carries a recording of the news conference by Brigadier General Qasim Ata, spokesman for the Law Enforcement Plan; and Mark Fox. In the news conference, Ata speaks about the security barriers set up in Baghdad by saying:" I confirm that the security barriers set up in all areas and those proposed to be set up in other areas are temporary security barriers aimed at securing the citizens." He adds that "some brother politicians referred to the barriers as sectarian barriers and others likened them to the China Wall and others likened them to the Berlin Wall." He maintains that "this issue has been blown out of proportion. Why is this focus on Al-A'zamiyah area and why did not the media focus on other areas?" He asks why has not there been focus on barriers built elsewhere by these people "who try to trigger sectarian sedition." Within its 1400 GMT newscast on 23 April, Baghdad Al-Furat Television Channel in Arabic -- Television channel affiliated with the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) led by Abd-al-Aziz al-Hakim, reports that " Brigadier General Qasim Atta, Law Enforcement Plan spokesman, strongly criticized the role of media in exaggerating the issue of the security barriers which are set up in Baghdad's streets as part of the Law Enforcement Plan." This is followed by a video report which features excerpts of the said news conference. The reporter maintains that "using explosives detectors and surrounding hot areas with barriers are measures which the security services abide by in order to reach the planned level of stability in Baghdad and other areas." Cairo Al-Rafidayn Satellite Channel in Arabic -- Pro-Sunni, anti-US Iraqi channel believed to be affiliated with the Association of Muslim Scholars, carries as the second news item in its 1200 GMT newscast on 23 April a report on Al-A'zmaiyah wall which starts as follows:" Iraqis have welcomed the decision to halt continuing the construction of Al-A'zamiyah wall with much comfort especially since simil ar walls had only bad impacts on their peoples in the world. For his part, US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker justified the occupation's construction of the wall as an attempt to preserve the city's security." This is followed by a video report on this development noting that "Iraqis received Al-Maliki's statements voiced in Cairo on Al-A'zamiyah wall with comfort especially since Al-Maliki's backtracking means that the decision to build the wall which separates between Iraqis, who have coexisted throughout years peacefully and without resorting to this segregation among their sects, is incorrect." The report also sounds out the opinion of Iraqis on the construction of the wall. One Iraqi citizen says:" The prime minister's decision to halt construction of the wall is positive." A second citizen says: "This is a correct decision by the Prime Ministry represented by the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki because this is something that might split the people and cause segregation among the components of the people." The reporter notes in the report that "for its part, the US occupation dealt with Al-Maliki's call for halting the construction of the wall cautiously, expressing resumption of dialogue on the construction of the wall which it claims preserves security in Al-A'zamiyah in an attempt to divide Iraqis." At 1207 GMT, the station holds a telephone interview with Yasir Majid, political writer and analyst, in Baghdad. He argues that "an initial examination of the pertinent statements indicate contradictions and that there are multiple decision-makers, and the unavailability of the least degree of coordination or agreement between the occupation forces and Al-Maliki's government." Cairo Al-Baghdadiyah Satellite Television in Arabic -- Private Iraqi television known for its opposition to the US presence in Iraq, reports within its 1400 GMT newscast on 23 April on the protest staged by Al-A'zamiyah's residents against con struction of the wall as well as Al-Maliki's statements in Cairo calling for halting construction of the wall. Afterwards, the station features excerpts of the news conference by Qasim Ata showing him as saying that "some media outlets reported that the security forces will build a 12-meter high and five-kilometer long segregation wall in Al-A'zamiyah area. Such reports are inaccurate. As I said, we will set up security barriers which will either be in the form of concrete blocs, barbwire, or sand barricades not only in Al-A'zamiyah area but in all areas suffering from the terrorist and takfiri operations." Aside from Iraqi media, key players in Iraq have also declared a position on the construction of the wall. In a statement posted to its website, The Association of Muslim Scholars condemned the construction of the wall. The AMS stated that "Following in the steps of chief criminal Sharon, the other chief criminal Bush now seeks to build sectarian separation concrete walls after the failure of all his plans to eradicate resistance, break the will of the people, and entrench sectarianism among the people's segments. This ugly crime shows the failure of the security plans of the occupation troops and the current government. Second, it demonstrates that these two sides have reached a hysterical stage. These troops, whose madness has led them to annihilating around one million Iraqis, today seek to impose collective punishment against those who reject their illegitimate presence. In doing so, they followed the example of abhorrent Sharon."

For "cont'd" postings, click here.