Thursday, 9 Dec 2004
· Deputy PM warns neighbouring states over "infiltration"
· National Security minister says elections date "sacred"- Al-Sharqiyah
· Talabani urges Kurds to take part in elections- Al-Sharqiyah
· Hoon says Basra troops to stay in Iraq as long as needed- Al-Sharqiyah
· Weapons search in Baghdad neighbourhood- Al-Sharqiyah
· Iraqi paper criticizes Interior Ministry over 3 Dec attack on police station
· Three Iraqi civilians killed in Al-Ramadi clashes - Al-Sharqiyah
· Iraqis in Yemen reportedly excluded from vote- Al-Diyar TV,
· Iraqi factory manager said abducted by gunmen in Mosul
IRAQI BROADCAST MEDIA SUMMARIES, 8 DEC 04
· Iraqi Islamic Party Dar al-Salam radio 8 Dec 04
· Al-Sharqiyah TV news 8 Dec 04:
· Al-Iraqiyah TV news , 8 Dec 04:
· Iraqi Al-Diyar TV news 1230 gmt 08 Dec 04
IRAQI PRESS 8 DEC 04, HEADLINES
· Baghdad [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Iraqi National Accord Movement]:
· Al-Bayan [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party]:
· Al-Mu'tamar [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Iraqi National Congress]:
· Al-Sharq al-Awsat [Baghdad edition of London-based daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Saudi-owned]:
IRAQI PRESS QOUTES, 8 DEC 04,
· Stability cannot be achieved through the use of weapons- Al-Manarah
· Iraq now faces a situation similar to that eighty years ago - Al-Sharq al-Awsat
UPDATES FROM IRAQI KURDISH PRESS, 8 DEC 04
· Kurdish PUK leader moots possible alliance with KDP- Kurdistani
· Kurdistan Satellite TV news 1130 gmt 8 Dec 04
Al-Diyar TV 8 Dec 04: Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih has accused neighbouring countries of doing little to stop the infiltration of foreign fighters into Iraq, Iraqi Al-Diyar TV reported on 8 December. Addressing the Iraqi National Assembly, Salih added that the failure of those countries to take real, tangible steps "might force Iraq to take a decisive position". ()
National Security minister says elections date "sacred"- Al-Sharqiyah
Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 8 Dec 04: Qasim Dawud, state minister for national security affairs said on 8 December that the elections would be held on the scheduled date in January and described the date as "sacred". He was speaking during a meeting with representatives of the Iraqi community in the United Arab Emirates.
Talabani urges Kurds to take part in elections- Al-Sharqiyah
Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 8 Dec 04: Jalal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, has called for extensive campaigns urging Kurds to take part in the general elections in order to obtain a good percentage of votes, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 8 December. Addressing a group of his supporters, Talabani said that since Kurds constituted the second largest ethnic group in Iraq, it was not possible to run the country or maintain its territorial integrity without them.
Hoon says Basra troops to stay in Iraq as long as needed- Al-SharqiyahAl-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 8 Dec 04:: British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said on 8 December that British forces in Basra would continue their duties there so long as Iraqis wanted them to remain in the country, Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. He was speaking at a news conference after meeting the governor of Basra, Hasan al-Rashim, at the British consulate in Basra.
Weapons search in Baghdad neighbourhood- Al-Sharqiyah
Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 8 Dec 04: : A 100-soldier US force, accompanied by tanks and armoured vehicles, raided Al-Qadisiyah neighbourhood in western Baghdad on 8 December, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. Eyewitnesses said the US troops searched citizens' houses and shops, looking for weapons. This area had earlier witnessed armed attacks using booby-trapped cars against US Army convoys and cars of US and Iraqi officials that caused casualties and led to the destruction of many vehicles, the TV said.
Iraqi paper criticizes Interior Ministry over 3 Dec attack on police station
Al-Nahdah, Baghdad, in Arabic 6 Dec 04: Iraqi newspaper Al-Nahdah on 6 December published a report highly critical of the lack of support that policemen received at a Baghdad police station on 3 December, when it was besieged by "more than 50" gunmen. The report quoted an eyewitness who was apparently near to one of the leaders of the gunmen as he communicated with his "leadership". He said that at first the assailants appeared to be suffering heavy losses due to police resistance, but the policemen eventually ran out of ammunition, enabling the gunmen to storm the station. Another witness told the paper that the lieutenant in charge had called for back-up support, when he realized that his men would not have enough ammunition, but received no help. The report criticized the Interior Ministry and held it responsible for the absence of support from the Iraqi National Guard, other police or US forces. It concluded: "They must submit a clarification about the negligence in providing supplies to rescue the policemen at the right time."
Three Iraqi civilians killed in Al-Ramadi clashes - Al-Sharqiyah
Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 8 Dec 04:: Three Iraqis were killed and a fourth wounded in clashes that took place between gunmen and a US Army patrol in the districts of Al-Sina'i and Al-Mal'ab in the centre of Al-Ramadi, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 8 December. Reports coming from Al-Ramadi said that gunmen at 0400 gmt clashed for 90 minutes with a US Army patrol in the districts of Al-Sina'i and Al-Mal'ab, leading to the injury of one and the death of three citizens, all of whom were civilians.
Iraqis in Yemen reportedly excluded from vote- Al-Diyar TV,
Al-Diyar TV, Baghdad, in Arabic ,7 Dec 04: An Iraqi diplomatic source in Sanaa said on 6 December that the Iraqi Higher Electoral Commission had excluded Iraqis living in Yemen from participation in the elections, scheduled for 30 January, Iraqi Al-Diyar TV reported the next day. In a statement, the diplomat, who asked not to be identified, said the commission officially told the Iraqi embassy in Sanaa that it had identified 14 Arab and non-Arab countries where Iraqis abroad could vote. It had excluded Yemen from the list without giving any explanation, the TV said. The Iraqi diplomat expressed astonishment at the commission's decision, its motives and the criteria that were used in making it. He noted that the number of Iraqis in Yemen was much larger than the number of Iraqis in most of the 14 countries on the list.
Iraqi factory manager said abducted by gunmen in Mosul
Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 8 Dec 04::: Al-Sharqiyah TV's correspondent in Ninawa reported on 8 December that gunmen had kidnapped Dr Nayif Rahman Ahmad, manager of an intravenous solutions factory in Mosul. The correspondent said Dr Nayif Rahman Ahmad was abducted on his way home in the Al-Hadba neighbourhood in the centre of Mosul.
· US forces, backed by Iraqi national guardsmen, storm Grand Imam College for Islamic Studies last night ...
· college head says this is fifth time this has happened ...
· Unidentified armed men blow up two churches in Mosul ...
· US military base in Baghdad comes under mortar attack ...
· US solider says his unit killed over 30 Iraqi civilians in two days ...
· Iraqi policeman killed, five others wounded in an explosion, British forces in south close roads to scene of the blast ....
· US President Bush visits US military base in US, says Iraqi elections will be held on time
· Russian President Putin says doubts that fair election can be held in Iraq in presence of foreign forces .
Al-Sharqiyah TV news 8 Dec 04:
· US Troops reinforcements begin to arrive in Iraq ...
· Al-Sharqiyah correspondent says Mosul population is angry at targeting of Christian churches in city. Locals, both Muslims and Christians, blame "outsiders who hate Iraq" for these criminal acts ...
· President Bush "acknowledges difficulty of US troops' task in Iraq" ...
· US troops carry out raid in Al-Qadisiyah district, western part of Baghdad ...
· Suicide bomber blows himself up near US forces' base in Al-Ramadi ...
· Gunmen attack police station in Samarra ...
· Bomb blast kills Iraqi policeman, wounds others in Basra ...
· British defence secretary meets Basra governor at British embassy in the city ...
· British defence secretary arrives in Basra to visit troops ...
· Car bomb blast targets US troops' convoy on road south of Baghdad ...
· Two senior US intelligence officials issue warning about security situation in Iraq, New York Times reports ...
· Leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Jalal Talabani calls on followers to mobilize electorate to take part in forthcoming poll. Still picture of official ...
Al-Iraqiyah TV news , 8 Dec 04:
· Attacks leave Iraqi civilians dead in Samarra and Baghdad ...
· Iraqis denounce attacks on Mosul churches ...
· Karbala police storm terrorist hideout ...
· Prime Minister Iyad Allawi praises strong ties with Russia ...
· Ministry of Interior backs Allawi proposal on extending voting period ...
· World experts to discuss in Canada Iraq polls monitoring ...
· American President George Bush says further terror acts expected ahead of Iraq polls
· UK Secretary of Defence Geoff Hoon arrives in Basra to meet soldiers ...
· Minister of oil expected to cut short Arab tour to address problem of fuel shortage in Baghdad ...
· Government increases pilgrimage allocations South Korean President makes surprise visit to Iraq ...
· Allawi thanks Russia for Iraq debt relief ...
· Rumours on alleged government decision to close down Baghdad mobile phone firm
· World Bank to give loans and grants to Iraq. Oil smuggling attempt foiled in Basra
Iraqi Al-Diyar TV news 1230 gmt 08 Dec 04
· Six Iraqis wounded in bomb blast targeting US patrol in Al-Dawrah, southern Baghdad,
· Explosive charge targets police patrol in Basra, killing one policeman, wounding five others ...
· British Defence Secretary visits Basra to meet British military units there ..
· British spokesman says he'll meet members of Black Watch unit ...
· Iraqi Vice President Al-Ja'fari calls on Kuwait, other creditors to waive Iraq debt .. holds talks with Syrian officials ...
· Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi says in Geneva that elections can be held over two or three weeks to ensure participation of all groups ...
· Deputy PM Salih accuses neighbouring countries of not doing much to stop foreign fighters infiltrating into Iraq in address to National Council ...
· Iraqi electoral commission spokesman says commission has nothing to do with UN laws or views on elections .. says UN envoy Brahimi's opinion is a personal one ...
· Spokesman for Constitutional Monarchy says elected National Assembly will have major missions to accomplish .. members must be chosen accurately and carefully ...
· CIA conveys pessimistic image of situation Seventy per cent of Iraq funds wasted illegally
· US forces storm Palestinian residential complex in Baghdad Car bomb explodes in Mosul;
· Passport official abducted
· Barham Salih promises drastic solution to fuel crisis
· Al-Anbar University to resume study Saturday;
· Higher education minister accuses parties of imposing their will on universities
Baghdad [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Iraqi National Accord Movement]:
· Electoral commission spokesman: Submission of candidate lists not to be extended; [Lakhdar] Brahimi's view not binding [news agencies quoted]
· PM arrives in Russia, confirms elections will be held on schedule [AFP quoted]
· US forces' role in Iraq to change [BBC quoted]
· Syrian president meets [Vice-President Ibrahim] al-Ja'fari [AFP quoted] Ministers: Our neighbours cause great harm to our country [AFP quoted]
· Eighteen terrorists captured in raids near Tikrit
· Education minister: Ministry ready to take part in election preparations
· New power station to be installed in Samarra
· Terrorists caught in Baghdad suburbs Finance Ministry official assassinated with his driver in Baghdad Three civilians killed by unidentified gunmen in Baghdad.
Al-Bayan [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party]:
· During meeting with Syrian leader in Damascus, Vice-President Al-Ja'fari calls for supporting Iraq to help it establish security, achieve its national goals
· President Al-Yawir: Armies of darkness will not derail Iraq elections [news agencies quoted]
· Moscow receives premier, pledges to take part in reconstruction [news agencies quoted]
· Qasim Dawud: Saddam not the first to appear before tribunal [news agencies quoted]
· Rumsfeld hopeful of US troop withdrawal during Bush's second term
· Communication Ministry warns Iraquna mobile phone company \
· Justice Ministry sets plan to build new jails
· Iraqi ambassador to Egypt: Iraqis will not bow again to any dictatorship [news agencies quoted.]
Al-Mu'tamar [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Iraqi National Congress]:
· Saddam's aides confess against their master during interrogations;
· Tyrant killed former health minister, ripped his body because he suggested to him to step down CIA paints bleak picture of political, economic, security situation in Iraq
· Qasim Dawud: We seized documents confirming involvement of regional state in supporting, funding terrorism
· Most government members outside Iraq
· Iraqi experts receive training in mass grave searches
· Health Ministry sets plans to control spread of hepatitis
· Kuwaiti authorities release, repatriate six Iraqi prisoners Arab, foreign companies to have offices in Iraqi sea, air ports.
Al-Sharq al-Awsat [Baghdad edition of London-based daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Saudi-owned]:
· Two churches blown up in Mosul; 38 suspects arrested in Baghdad, Tikrit
· Rumsfeld, Abizaid optimistic;
· CIA head in Baghdad pessimistic over Iraq; US forces to stay till end of Bush's term; their tasks may change after elections
· Al-Ja'fari in Damascus: Shi'i entity in south possible;
· Syria ready for security cooperation
· Jordan presses new Iraq terrorism charge against Al-Zarqawi
· Putin cannot imagine election under occupation;
· Allawi: Election could be held in phases [AFP quoted.]
Stability cannot be achieved through the use of weapons- Al-Manarah
Al-Manarah [Basra, daily independent newspaper in Arabic published by the Voice of the South Press, Printing and Publishing Corporation]: Stability cannot be achieved through the use of weapons, artillery or planes. These are temporary solutions that solve only a small part of the problem, leaving the larger part with no remedy Iraq will become stable only after the withdrawal of foreigners The occupation has indeed rid us of the hateful regime. Still, we have to pay dearly for this deliverance. The longer the foreign forces stay on Iraqi lands, the fainter the light gets at the end of the tunnel It is unlikely that all the solutions they find can solve the problem. Even the general elections will not solve the problem. The problem is greater than holding elections amid such wide national rift and extensive security chaos. The solution lies in finding a political way of the crisis while taking decisive measures everywhere and closing and curbing terror outlets. This requires the presence of powerful, professional security forces and a regular army as well as a strong government chosen by a parliament elected democratically and freely
Iraq now faces a situation similar to that eighty years ago - Al-Sharq al-Awsat
Al-Sharq al-Awsat [Baghdad edition of London-based daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Saudi-owned]: [From opinion by Adnan Husayn]Iraq now faces a situation similar to that eighty years ago However, to build its future and make up for the disasters still befalling the country, Iraq needs to lay the foundation for a genuine federal, democratic system. For this to be achieved, all Iraqis should enjoy equal and balanced representation at the constituent assembly that is supposed to emerge early next year. Such representation can only materialise through free elections held in an atmosphere of security, peace and stability, which are not available now because of the large-scale terrorist activity intensively supported by neighbours Probably it is safer for Iraq, for the time being, to limit the task of 30 January elections to forming bodies of an elected transitional authority responsible for providing a favourable climate to elect a national assembly in which all various sections of Iraqi people are represented fairly and freely. Accordingly, a permanent constitution can be drafted to prevent another snowball similar to that formed in 1924 which crashed in 2003, with Iraq destruction not yet over.
Kurdistani Nuwe, 8 Dec 04: Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani has said there is a "possibility of an alliance" with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the upcoming Iraqi National Assembly, the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) newspaper Kurdistani Nuwe reported on 8 December. Speaking to nearly 1,500 party members in Qalachwalan in Sulaymaniyah on 7, he said he and KDP leader Mas'ud Barzani had "agreed that one of the key posts in Iraq, the post of president or prime minister, should go to a Kurd as Kurds were the second nation in Iraq."
Kurdistan Satellite TV news 1130 gmt 8 Dec 04: Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Mas'ud Barzani discusses security in Mosul with commander of US forces in Mosul, Mosul city governor at his HQ in Salah-al-Din ... Barzani meets delegation representing As'ad Agha Rosti family, a prominent Kurdish family with history of taking part in Kurdish uprising in Iraqi Kurdistan ... Meeting held at Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) branch office in Kirkuk to discuss minority relations, security situation, postponement of elections in Kirkuk with some political parties, organizations ... Head of KDP political bureau Fazil Mirani discusses elections in Kurdistan at seminar in Arbil ... Five southern Iraqi cities urge establishment of federal region in south ... Explosions, attacks in Mosul, Kirkuk, Tikrit result in casualties ... US US forces arrest number of suspected insurgents in Kirkuk ... Deputy PM of KDP-led regional government Sargis Aghajan holds discussions in Arbil with economy and finance minister in PUK-led regional government
