Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)






From the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)
This document is provided as a service by UNAMI. The material is drawn from non-UN sources and does not reflect the opinions of the United Nations, nor can the UN vouch for its accuracy
        
Sunday, 05 Dec 2004
 
IRAQI NEWS FOR 04 DEC 2004
·         Three US soldiers said killed, others injured northeast of Baghdad- Al-Diyar TV
·         Al-Zarqawi group claims attacks in Mosul, Baghdad- Jihadist web site
·         Two members of Al-Rashid District Council were killed- Al-Zawra
·         Iraqi president in US- Al-Sharqiyah TV
·         Iraq takes delivery of UAE-funded materiel- Al-Sharqiyah TV
·         Pan-Arab TVs slated as "training forums for terrorists"- Al-Sharq al-Awsat
·         Shi'i leader, Iranian president hold talks- SCIRI
·         Iraq consumption of gasoline has reached 21m litres per day- Al-Bayan
·         The first scientific conference to defend the rights of child in Iraq - Al-Bayan
ELECTIONS
·         Association of Muslim Scholars seeks conditions for elections- Iraq for All
·         Al-Sistani committee reportedly draws up election list- Voice of the Mujahidin
·         Iraqi Government took all necessary measures to provide security for the upcoming elections- Al-Bayan
IRAQ PRESS HEADLINES 04 DEC. 2004
·         Al-Dustur [Baghdad, general political daily newspaper]:
·         Al-Sharq al-Awsat [Baghdad edition of London-based independent political daily newspaper, Saudi-owned]:
·         Al-Zaman [daily, independent, Baghdad edition of London-based Al-Zaman]: 4-5 Dec 04:
IRAQ PRESS QUOTES 04 DEC. 2004
·         ''How can we ask Iraqi citizen to risk his life going to the ballot box''- Al-Mada
·         "Restoring security to Iraq does not need a regional or international conferences''- Al-Dustur
·         The danger of the religious radicalism on peace in the world- Al-Mu'tamar
·         We Have to Abandon Violence- Al-Adalah
IRAQI BROADCAST MEDIA SUMMARIES, 04 DEC. 2004
·         Voice of Mujahidin
·         Baghdad Dar al-Salam Radio in Arabic
·         Al-Iraqiyah TV news :
UPDATES FROM IRAQI KURDISH PRESS 02 DEC. 2004
·         Kurdistan political leadership announced the formation of a joint candidacy list for general elections
·         Khabat daily, issued in Erbil by KDP, 2 December 2004
·         Kurdistani Nwe daily, issued in Sulaymanya by PUK, 1 December 2004
·         www.peyamner.com 2 December 2004
·         Hawlati weekly, issued in Sulaymanya by Ranj Printing Press, 1 December 2004

IRAQI NEWS FOR 04 Dec 2004

Three US soldiers said killed, others injured northeast of Baghdad- Al-Diyar TV

Iraqi Al-Diyar TV on 4 December, Hasan al-Shammari, the Al-Diyar TV correspondent in Diyala Governorate, has reported that three US soldiers have been killed and some others seriously wounded in an explosive charge blast that targeted a US military column at Al-Ghalibiyah checkpoint. [Video shows blast scene and US helicopters] Iraqi Al-Diyar, also Reported that three US soldiers were killed and "some others" were seriously wounded in an explosive charge blast that targeted a US military column at Al-Ghalibiyah checkpoint. AFP reported that A US soldier was killed and another wounded when a multinational force convoy was attacked at Ghalabiyah west of Ba'qubah, quoting the US military.
Al-Zarqawi group claims attacks in Mosul, Baghdad- Jihadist web site
Jihadist web site www.alqalah.net 4 Dec 04: Two statements allegedly posted by Al-Zarqawi's group on an Islamist web site on 4 December claimed responsibility for destroying US and "apostate" fortifications. One of the statements also claimed responsibility for attacking a Kurdistan Workers' Party convoy in Mosul while the other claimed responsibility for attacking the police centre in Al-Salihiyah District in Baghdad.
Two members of Al-Rashid District Council were killed- Al-Zawra
Al-Zawra newspaper, 4 Dec 04 :published a report citing an official source at the Baghdad Advisory Council as saying that two members of Al-Rashid District Council in Baghdad were killed, adding that other members received threats from unidentified parties. He urged the prominent security officials to provide protection to the council's members.
Iraqi president in US- Al-Sharqiyah TV
Al-Sharqiyah TV, Baghdad 4 Dec 04 Iraqi President Shaykh Ghazi Ajil al-Yawir started a visit to the United States on Saturday [4 December], during which he is to meet US President George Bush and a number of senior US officials, Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. The talks will focus on developments in Iraq and preparations for next month's elections. Accompanying Al-Yawir is a delegation including the ministers of defence, industry, transport, and public works.
Iraq takes delivery of UAE-funded materiel- Al-Sharqiyah TV
Al-Sharqiyah TV, Baghdad 4 Dec 04: The Iraqi Defence Ministry has received a first consignment of weapons provided by the United Arab Emirates for the new Iraqi Army, Baghdad's Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on Saturday [4 December]. The consignment includes light weapons, 83 French-made armoured personnel carriers, and four fully equipped aircraft. Three Bell Jet Helicopters are expected to be delivered early next month, raising to seven the number of planes received by Iraq, in addition to other weapons.
Pan-Arab TVs slated as "training forums for terrorists"- Al-Sharq al-Awsat
Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Al-Sharq al-Awsat [Baghdad edition of London-based daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat]03 Dec 2004:The Iraqi deputy prime minister has accused some pan-Arab satellite channels of serving as "training forums for terrorists", the London-based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat web site reported on 2 December. In wide-ranging comments to a group of Arab reporters in London on 1 December at the end of his official visit to Britain, Barham Salih said "the policy of some of these satellite channels serves the terrorists' plan", stressing that they "bear part of the responsibility for the crisis" in Iraq. Salih said the Arab fighters captured in Al-Fallujah would be "referred to Iraqi courts which will decide their fate", adding that "some of them have already been tried".
Shi'i leader, Iranian president hold talks- SCIRI
SCIRI, Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq web site in Arabic 4 Dec 04: Al-Sayyid Abd-al-Aziz al-Hakim, the chairman of Iraq's Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq [SCIRI] met President Mohammad Khatami of Iran in Tehran on 4 December, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq web site reported. Khatami stressed that Iraq's stability was in the interest of all regional countries and stressed his support for an elected government in Iraq. Al-Sayyid Al-Hakim said the forces of evil in Iraq threatened the security of all countries in the region.
Iraq consumption of gasoline has reached 21m litres per day- Al-Bayan
Al-Bayan newspaper, 4 Dec 2004: published a report citing an official source at the Oil Ministry informing the newspaper that Iraq consumption of gasoline has reached 21m litres per day in comparison with 15m litres per day a year and a half ago. The source explained that the production capacity of Iraq's oil refineries is approximately between 10 and 12m litres per day, adding that his ministry imports 10m litres daily.
The first scientific conference to defend the rights of child in Iraq - Al-Bayan
Al-Bayan newspaper, 4 Dec 2004: published a report citing an official source at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs announcing that the first scientific conference to defend the rights of child in Iraq, which is organized by the Iraqi Children Care Commission in coordination with the UNICEF, has begun its meetings.
A survey on people's reactions to the slaying of hostages in Baghdad- Al-Mada
Al-Mada newspaper published the findings of a survey conducted by the newspaper on people's reactions to the slaying of hostages in Baghdad. Asked whether Islam allows slaying of hostages, 92 per cent of the people surveyed said no. Asked about their opinion of the nationality of the murderers, 52 per cent believed that they were foreigners, 28 per cent said they were Arabs, and 20 thought they were Iraqis. Asked about the murderers' goals, 40 per cent said that they aim at creating disturbance, 28 said their goal is to topple the current government, and 18 per cent believed they aim at ending the occupation. Asked whether they believe that such acts decrease the psychological pain of Iraqis caused by the occupation, 62 per cent said yes. Asked whether they believe that such acts come as a reaction to the torturing of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghurayb prison, 86 per cent supported this assumption. Asked about their feeling upon hearing or seeing the slaying act, 58 per cent said that they were disgusted, 34 per cent felt sorry and sympathized with the victims, and 8 per cent said they did not care.


ELECTIONS
Association of Muslim Scholars seeks conditions for elections- Iraq for All
Iraq For All News Network www 4 Dec 04: Muthanna Harith al-Dari, spokesman for the Association of Muslim Scholars [AMS] in Iraq, told reporters in an interview on 3 December that the security and political situation were not conducive to holding the elections in January, but the AMS was not boycotting the poll, the Iraq For All News Network reported on 4 December. Al-Dari said the AMS agreed with the principle of holding the elections as the only way for the Iraqi people to express their opinions freely, but that freedom, he said, "cannot exist on an occupied territory. Hence, holding the elections in these circumstances would not make it possible to elect an honest National Assembly." He said the AMS did not think a six-month postponement was enough to resolve current security problems, and a number of conditions should apply. "The most important conditions are that the elections should be held under full and direct UN supervision," he said, "the occupation forces should withdraw from the cities and be replaced by joint international-Arab forces, and a technocrat government should be formed to undertake organizing the elections. Holding the elections in this manner will lead to forming a permanent government, which would be able to undertake the mission of drafting the constitution and negotiating with the occupation forces to withdraw." Al-Dari rejected as "baseless and sheer lies" reports to the effect that the AMS was calling for the elections to be held on schedule for fear that it would not win enough votes. ()
Al-Sistani committee reportedly draws up election list- Voice of the Mujahidin
SCIRI's Voice of the Mujahidin in Arabic, 4 Dec 04: The committee formed by Grand Ayatollah Al-Sayyid Ali al-Sistani has reportedly drawn up a unified list of 200 candidates for the elections, Voice of the Mujahidin reported on 4 December. The radio said the list was announced by the media committee at the Al-Murtada Foundation for Religious Guidance and sources close to Al-Sistani. The radio said: "Fifty per cent of the list consists of independent candidates, while the other 50 per cent consists of candidates of Islamic and national parties and currents, such as the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Badr Organization, the two branches of the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party, the Islamic Action Organization, the Al-Fadilah Party and the Iraqi National Congress Party, which is led by Dr Ahmad al-Chalabi. The list also includes the Al-Sadr current, the Turkomans, the Al-Mandani Sa'ibah and the Kurdish al-Filah [Shi'i Kurds], as well as some Christian denominations and Sunni tribes." (Voice of the Mujahidin 1510 gmt)
Iraqi Government took all necessary measures to provide security for the upcoming elections- Al-Bayan
Al-Bayan [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party] published a report on 4 December report citing Qasim Dawud, minister of state for national security affairs, affirming that the Iraqi Government has taken the necessary measures to provide security during the upcoming elections. The report cites Muzhir al-Mawla, the commander of Iraqi National Guard, as saying: "45,000 National Guard officers, 48,000 police officers, and 10 FPS elements will contribute to elections security." (Al-Bayan, 4 Dec 04)Al-Bayan published an editorial saying that "it has become obvious that the goals of the terrorist and extremist groups, which have carried out a large number of aggressive attacks and assassinations that left a large number of victims and damage, are not only destabilizing the security situation in the country, but causing further tension and deterioration in order to prevent the holding of the upcoming elections on schedule." The editorial says that these forces do not want the Iraqis to recover and the occupation forces to leave the country. The editorial says that the Iraqi people by their insistence on holding the upcoming elections as scheduled have defeated these terrorists. (Al-Bayan, 4 Dec 04)Al-Bayan published an editorial saying that a large number of Iraqis, including intellectuals, are ignoring the upcoming elections due to the absence of trust between the rulers and people that the former regime had deepened in the society and the large number of political entities that have no clear programmes or goals. The article urges the political forces to clearly identify their agenda and goals. (Al-Bayan, 4 Dec 04)Al-Bayan published a report on the reactions of a number of Iraqi women to the upcoming elections. All women interviewed affirmed that the upcoming elections represent a turning point in Iraq history and in the implementation of democracy in the country.

IRAQ PRESS Headlines 04 Dec. 2004

Al-Dustur [Baghdad, general political daily newspaper]:
·        
First NATO-run military training camp opened in Baghdad, agencies report German authorities arrest three Ansar al-Islam affiliates allegedly plotting Allawi assassination, agencies report
·        
Al-Khalisi denies taking part in dialogue with the government held in Amman, agencies report
·         Iraqi tribal chieftains, businessmen ask Allawi to postpone elections
·         7,000 Iraqi smugglers captured by Saudi authorities this year, agencies report
·         Female member of Salah al-Din local council abducted,
·         police confirm existence of assassination office in Tikrit, agencies report
Al-Sharq al-Awsat [Baghdad edition of London-based independent political daily newspaper, Saudi-owned]:
·        
Twenty-six killed in two attacks in the Amil, Adhamiyah districts of Baghdad,
·        
60 gunmen storm police station whose staff fought to the last bullet, agencies report
·         Poland worried after Ukrainian parliament's support for demand to pull out of Iraq, agencies report
·         Rumsfeld: Iran helping Al-Qaidah, not cooperating on Iraq
·         Iraq applies for World Trade Organization membership, agencies report
·         Al-Sumaida'ei: Annan's decision to use Iraqi assets to fund corruption probe makes us victims for the second time
Al-Zaman [daily, independent, Baghdad edition of London-based Al-Zaman]: 4-5 Dec 04:

·        
Sudden security deterioration in Mosul; twenty-six killed in two attacks in Baghdad, three doctors wounded by bullets fired by US soldiers in Al-Fallujah....
·        
Major Iranian war games near Iraq border ...
·         Twenty-five killed, dozens wounded in tribal clashes in Yemen ...
·         Chirac asks Syria to withdraw from Lebanon ...
·         US embassy in Baghdad warns diplomats against using airport road ...
·         Attack on Allawi foiled in Berlin. Bush and Al-Yawir discuss situation in Iraq ...
·         Taliban refuses US offer to reconcile with Karzai ...
·         Sharon offers Peres to be his deputy in return for a coalition with the Labor [Party] ...
·         Another 1,500 US soldiers have been sent to Iraq, 10,000 others to stay longer.
·         .
IRAQ PRESS Quotes 04 Dec. 2004

''How can we ask Iraqi citizen to risk his life going to the ballot box''- Al-Mada
Al-Mada [From commentary by Shakir al-Anbari]: "Seeing that the whole country is completely paralyzed, how can we ask the Iraqi citizen to risk his life going to the ballot box? And why should he take such a risk? Is it to help bring to power yet another team of officials who have never shared the daily suffering of ordinary people and who have done little to mitigate it, either out of sheer impotence or out of a sense of satisfaction that such suffering is actually playing into their own hands? If you have failed to keep our security, provide our homes with light, build a road or provide a jobless citizen with a decent job, then why are you a minister, brother? And, if you aren't yet, then why would you want to be one?"
"Restoring security to Iraq does not need a regional or international conferences''- Al-Dustur
Al - Dustur, independent daily published by former journalist Basim al-Sheikh [From editorial]: "Restoring security to Iraq does not require any regional or international conferences. Rather than empty speeches, statements or resolutions adopted by this or that country, it requires tangible action on the ground. Furthermore, Iraqis do not have to wait until others feel the looming danger of terrorism boomeranging back to them from Iraqi territory for them to decide to do something about it Let's place our bet on our Iraqi horse, for, ultimately, it is our only winning horse no matter how graceful all the others may look. After all, being our own, it will not let us down; it will not baulk half-way down the line."
The danger of the religious radicalism on peace in the world- Al-Mu'tamar
Al-Mu'tamar [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Iraqi National Congress] 4 Dec 04, an article by Dr Ali al-Tarrah discussing the danger of the religious radicalism on peace in the world. The article says that the new religious radicalism seeks to impose its control by force, thus it may seek acquiring nuclear weapons. It is an opportunistic movement with no principles, trying to cover its goals by sacred banners. In the past, it supported former President Saddam Husayn in his war against Kuwait and it is standing against the liberation of Al-Fallujah today.
We Have to Abandon Violence- Al-Adalah

Al-Adalah [Baghdad, twice-weekly newspaper in Arabic published by the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI)] carried an article by Abd-al-Basit Jabbar al-Juwari entitled "We Have to Abandon Violence and Extremism, and Go Towards Building the Future Iraq." The writer tries to give a survey of the different aspects and reasons of extremism, concluding that the "extremist movements are strange to the Arab and Muslim world, and they are frowned upon by all Iraqi political and religious forces."

 IRAQI BROADCAST MEDIA SUMMARIES, 04 Dec. 2004

Voice of Mujahidin
·        
US sources say car bomb destroyed part of a building at a border crossing point with Jordan yesterday, killing or wounding a number of US Marines ...
·        
Iraqi police say "terrorists" attacked electoral centre in Basra city yesterday, causing material damage ...
·         About 13 killed in two attacks by armed men in Mosul yesterday ...
·         US sources say US has begun boosting troop numbers in Iraq ...
·         Armed group claims responsibility for attack on police station in Baghdad district ...
·         German authorities arrest three Iraqis suspected of planning to assassinate Allawi during his visit to Berlin ...
·         Jordanian security forces foiled car bomb attack when they seized a car that was preparing to cross into Jordan from Iraq ...
·         Bush calls for investigation into oil-for-food scandal, Germany and France voice support for Kofi Annan ...
·         Director of Al-Fallujah hospital wounded when US soldiers opened fire on his car two days ago ...
·         Putin says Iraq has become base for terrorism which threatens whole world ...
·         Paper factory in Maysan Governorate recommissioned ...
·         minister of construction and housing calls for more houses to be built ...
·         Pharmaceutical plant resumes operation in Samarra ...
·         Several service projects are being implemented in Babil ...
·         Kuwait extends $50 million in aid to Iraq to build new hospital in Basra
Baghdad Dar al-Salam Radio in Arabic
·        
Iraq's Al-Yawir arrives in Washington for talks with Bush on Monday ...
·        
German police arrest three Iraqis on charges of planning to assassinate Allawi during his visit to Germany ...
·         Explosion in central Baghdad this morning killed seven Iraqi policemen, and unidentified gunmen assassinate two people in Baghdad ...
·         Explosion in Ba'qubah injures at least five US soldiers, and two US soldiers are killed in Baghdad and Kirkuk ...
·         Iraqi police arrest 12 in Basra, some of them were tortured before being released
·         US Marines source says reported abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers last May is being investigated ...
·         Al-Fallujah Hospital director wounded when US forces opened fire on his car two days ago ...
·         US has sent another 12,000 troops to Iraq
Al-Iraqiyah TV news :
·        
Six policemen killed and over 50 people injured in suicide bombing outside police station in Baghdad ...
·        
Bomb blast in Diyala injures soldiers from multinational force ...
·         Over 200 arrested by multinational force south of Baghdad ...
·         Chemical weapons lab found in Al-Fallujah; several terror suspects arrested in Basra ... Pentagon to send more force to Iraq during election ...
·         Ghazi al-Yawar arrives in Washington for talks with American President George Bush ...
·         German prosecutor says assassination plot against Iraq Prime Minister Iyad Allawi foiled, meeting called off ...
·         Over 600 candidates registered to run in next election; voters registration underway in Karbala ...
·         Interview with journalist, Adil al-Mani. He says terror groups aim at destabilising Iraq and thwarting emerging democracy ...
·         Report on effect of lack of security on daily life of Iraqis and growing feeling of insecurity ...
·         Iraq seeks to join World Trade Organisation. US seeks to increase power supplies in Iraq



Updates from Iraqi Kurdish Press 02 Dec. 2004

Kurdistan political leadership announced the formation of a joint candidacy list for general elections

The Kurdistan political leadership announced the formation of a joint candidacy list for Kurdistan and Iraq general elections, today's Khabat and Kurdistani Nwe dailies reported. ``We [KDP and PUK] have reached a historical agreement that will be in favor if Kurdistan and Iraqi people,'' the KDP leader Massoud Barzani said. His PUK counterpart urged Kurdistan people to set forward to the elections with vigor and heartiness. ``The elections are decisive for the Kurds,' Talabani said in a joint press conference with Barzani Wednesday afternoon.
The dailies highlighted the commitments of Interior Ministers of Iraq's neighbors during their Tehran conference to halt infiltration of insurgents from their countries into Iraq.
Khabat daily, issued in Erbil by KDP, 2 December 2004
¾        
Kirkuk Kurds need to prepare their candidacy list for the municipal elections there whether alone or in alliance with other Arab, Turcoman and Assyrians who would accept a joint list, famous Kurdish journalist and politician wrote Falakaddin Kakayee today. Despite the Kurdish political leadership's demand for the elections postponement, The Kurds need to push for postponement of the municipal elections there at the political level while at the legal level getting ready for the elections in case the Kurds received ``certain guarantees or promises'' in the last week before the election, Kakayee argued. There is always a chance to withdraw the candidacy list few days before the elections if a decision was taken to refrain from participation, he concluded.
¾        
We will start reconstructing Erbil after completing [our] Camp Zaitun, commander of the Korean troops in Kurdistan Region Major-General Huang said during yesterday's ceremony at the camp for provision of support requirements to the KRG security forces. KRG-Erbil Interior minister, Erbil Governor and other senior officials also attended the ceremony.
¾         The Arab and Turcoman groups at Kirkuk IDPs Higher Committee once again boycotted the meetings of the committee. Deputy Governor Ismael Al-Hadidi of Arab ethnicity, who heads the committee, blamed the two groups for their non-participations as the matter is related to all ethnicities. In addition to identifying a third location for temporary settlement of the returning IDPs, the meeting participants valued the recent visit of a joint KDP-PUK politburo to the city.
Kurdistani Nwe daily, issued in Sulaymanya by PUK, 1 December 2004
¾        
We insist on ending the settlement oppression on Kirkuk and the other areas because we are right,'' the PUK leader said Tuesday during his reception to the UK Ambassador to Iraq.
www.peyamner.com <http://www.peyamner.com> 2 December 2004
¾        
Senior delegates of the Referendum Movement visited each of KDP and PUK leaders separately and informed them of the Movement's intention to put special ballots in front of official elections centers throughout Kurdistan Region asking people whether they wanted an independent [Kurdistan] state or not. The two parties have not given their opinions on the proposal yet. The Referendum Movement will organize a broad conference in London in few days to study conduction of the referendum in Kurdistan before the elections. Mahmoud Osman, former member of the dissolved Governing Council that [unanimously] adopted the transitional administrative law, is one the participants of the planned London conference.
¾        
The MNAFI and Iraqi forces arrested 57 terrorists and killed several others in different operations downtown Mosul, in Talaafar town and other neighbouring locations today.
Hawlati weekly, issued in Sulaymanya by Ranj Printing Press, 1 December 2004
¾        
If the KDP and PUK form a joint election list, then they should call it list of ``deception'' instead naming it election list, Rebwar Fattah, a Kurdish expatriate, director of www.kurdishmedia.com <http://www.kurdishmedia.com> and one of the active participants in the `Kurdistan Democratic Alliance' that is being formed for [KNA] elections said in a recent interview. In a new article, Fattah says the country-wide elections will further deteriorate the security rather than improving it. Iraq was never a united homeland; each of the three constituents, Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis, has different agendas, Fattah argues. It's only the regional powers who insist on preserving Iraq integrity, not the peoples forced to be part of the current Iraq, the writer asserts.
¾        
A patrol of Ansar-ul-Islam (AI) insurgents have been seen in Laylan area southeast Kirkuk early this week. Srahad Qadir, a police commander in charge of the area confirmed they were ten gunmen and two of them were speaking in Kurdish. He added the Americnas knew about them and the police was trying to locate them. Also this week, a US force supported by a chopper carried out an operation in Taza and Rashad areas and arrested a number of people during their search for a leading figure of Ansar-ul-Sunna (AS).
¾         ``Do not make clowns out of yourselves,'' a columnist addresses the to-be parliamentarians. Throughout the past 12 years [since first KNA election], the Parliament has been the rest house of tired fighters in the civil war. It did nothing for the Kurdish people other than adopting the shameful decisions of the [two major] parties, the writer continues. Anywhere in the world, the parliament ratifies the yearly budget. Kurdistan Parliament does not know how much is remaining from the Kurdish share of SCR986 [unspent funds] and is not aware that $2 billion of this fund had been returned to government administrations run by the two parties… It is elections time. People are encouraged to enlist themselves. Those who intend to do so should take oath of honor to Kurdistan people to end the rule of Badinan and Baban emirates [fig. for KRG administrations run by KDP and PUK], to hand back people's [confiscated] wealth and the arms of inter-Kurdish Peshmargas and the elections mercenary to the forthcoming government (...) If the parties do not let you do this, please do not enlist yourselves and make clowns out of yourselves.

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NB: This is not an official document. The information contained therein was compiled by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Information Office. If you have any questions/suggestions, please contact us at (+ 962 550 -4631/4703 or Cell. + 962 77 619 731 jarrar@un.org <mailto:jarrar@un.org> or alsokhni@un.org <mailto:alsokhni@un.org>