Wednesday, 5 January 2005
HEADLINES
IRAQI NEWS
· Mosque said shelled as Sunni meeting in progress
· Four Iraqis, Turkish driver killed in separate attacks
· Constitutional monarchy leader says government fears elections
· Zebari to seek support for elections at Amman conference
· Sunni conference calls for election delay
· Iraq's former Al-Chalabi aide plans protests in front of Iran embassy
· Muslim cleric reported killed in Baghdad
· President rules out attack on Mosul
· Former local official killed in Ba'qubah
PRESS COMMENTS ON ELECTION
· As media campaigns continue, a noticeable escalation in terrorist attacks is under way - Al-Bayan
· Iraqi tribal chiefs called on the Iraqi people for unity and to abandon violence- Al-Da'wah
· ``Why the upcoming elections should be postponed (Al-Pachachi) - Al-Mu'tamar
· "Whom Should We Elect?''- Al-Adalah
· ``Current Iraqi situation; what is next?"- Al-Adalah
· Neither the current nor the elected government will be able to control the situation- Al-Zaman
HEADLINES AND QUOTES FROM IRAQI PRESS 4 JAN
· Headlines: Al-Nahdhah [Baghdad, political daily newspaper]
· Headlines: Al-Dustur [Baghdad, independent political daily newspaper]
· Al- Qa'idah is staggering and will never be capable of bringing down any state- Al-Sharq al-Awsat
· ``Advocates of fake agendas had better steer away from Iraq''- Al-Dustur
· The government has failed to address the collective Iraqi psyche positively- Al-Zaman
· Iraqis will no longer accept someone dictating to them what to do- Al-Dustur
PROGRAMME SUMMARIES, 4 JAN 05
· Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic
· Iraqi Al-Furat satellite TV
UPDATES FROM IRAQI KURDISH PRESS, 5 JAN 05
· Explosion Perpetrators Arrested In Erbil
· IEC banns KDP and PUK from Kirkuk Election
· Five Political Parties Withdraw Candidacy lists for Kirkuk Elections
· Iraq President Requests UN to Reconsider Election Timing
· Kurds Condemn Baghdad Governor Assisinatin
· Iraqi Constitution to Be Drawn by Consensus
· US Copters Bomb Erbil for First Time
· Iraqi News Agency Omits ``Federalism'' from Kurdistani Elections Propaganda
IRAQI NEWS
Mosque said shelled as Sunni meeting in progress
(Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad, in Arabic 4 Jan 05): Two mortar shells fell on the Umm al-Qura Mosque, in the west of Baghdad, as the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) was holding a meeting to discuss its position on the upcoming elections, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 4 January. An Al-Sharqiyah correspondent covering the meeting said no one was hurt, although there was material damage. The correspondent added that the association continued its meeting, and will issue a statement renewing its call for postponement of the elections.
Four Iraqis, Turkish driver killed in separate attacks
(Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad, in Arabic 4 Jan 05; AFP 4 Jan 05): Iraqi police sources on 4 January said that four Iraqis and a Turkish truck driver had been killed in separate attacks that took place north of Baghdad. Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV said that three members of the Iraqi Army's 7th Brigade were killed when an explosive device went off as their patrol was passing through Al-Mu'tasim neighbourhood, in Samarra. Another Iraqi was killed, and five others were wounded in clashes near the city of Al-Dulu'iyah and, in Samarra, a Turkish truck driver was killed after coming under fire from gunmen in an ambush. AFP mentioned that the driver had been working under contract with the US military.
Constitutional monarchy leader says government fears elections
(Al-Dustur, Baghdad, in Arabic 30 Dec 04 p 6): Al-Sharif Ali Bin-al-Husayn, leader of Iraq's Constitutional Monarchy Movement, has said that many Iraqis suspect that the government is fomenting tension in order to have a pretext not to hold the elections. Speaking in a newspaper interview, Al-Sharif rejected the idea that the elections should be postponed and said that he expected a good response to the monarchist movement's election list because of dissatisfaction with the government. "The Iraqi nation is not pleased with the security conditions or the services' situation, and it is clear it will vote for our list," he said. He also expressed confidence about the security situation, saying: "We are confident that we will succeed in offering peaceful solutions and entering into negotiations with the resistance, and succeed in integrating them in the peaceful political equation."
Zebari to seek support for elections at Amman conference
(Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad, in Arabic 4 Jan 05):: Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on 4 January said Iraq would seek "a clear political stand" in support of elections at the Amman conference on 6 January, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. "We are looking forward to this meeting to come up with a clear political stand to support the electoral process and the political process in Iraq, in addition to adhering to the agreed-on constants in support of the unity, sovereignty and independence of Iraq, and against interference in its internal affairs," Zebari told a news conference ahead of the conference.
Sunni conference calls for election delay
(Dar al-Salam radio, Baghdad 4 Jan 05): A conference of Sunni representatives held in Baghdad on 4 January called for the postponement of the elections, Iraqi Islamic Party radio Dar al-Salam reported. In its final statement, the conference, held in Baghdad's Umm al-Qura mosque, said elections could not be held in the "current atmosphere". It also rejected any moves encouraging sectarianism and ethnic cleansing, and condemned what it called the "horrific crimes" in Al-Fallujah and Al-Najaf. The statement urged the "occupation forces" and the Iraqi National Guard to release all prisoners and refrain from storming mosques and arresting "innocent people", and also called for former army members to be reinstated. The conference's chairman, Muhammad Adnan Salman al-Dulaymi, told the TV that Iraq's Sunnis would not allow themselves to be marginalized, adding that any attempt to sideline them would result in Iraq's "destruction".
Iraq's former Al-Chalabi aide plans protests in front of Iran embassy
(Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad, in Arabic 4 Jan 05): Mithal al-Alusi, secretary-general of the Democratic Party of the Iraqi Nation, on 2 January lashed out at Iran and Syria over "exporting terrorism", threatening another sit-in protest in front of the Iranian embassy. In a discussion programme called "Encounter" carried by Iraq's Al-Sharqiyah TV, Al-Alusi, who was expelled in the autumn from the Ahmad al-Chalabi-led Iraqi National Congress for attending a counter-terrorism conference in Tel Aviv, called on all parties to take part in the protests his party was planning. During the interview he also reiterated that he favoured recognition of the state of Israel but stopped short of calling for outright normalization.
Muslim cleric reported killed in Baghdad
(Dar al-Salam radio, Baghdad t 4 Jan): A Muslim cleric was shot dead in Baghdad's Al-Za'faraniyah district on 4 January, Iraqi Islamic Party radio Dar al-Salam reported. The radio said Shaykh Mahdi al-Janabi, imam and preacher at the district's Al-Aqsa Mosque, was found lying near the mosque covered with blood after an armed group claiming to be members of Iraqi National Guard and police forces reportedly took Shaykh Mahdi al-Janabi to an unknown location and shot him.
President rules out attack on Mosul
(Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad, in Arabic 4 Jan 05):: Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar has said that the military operation carried out by US-led forces in Al-Fallujah will not be repeated in Mosul, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 4 January. In remarks broadcast on the channel, Al-Yawar warned of the high death toll that would result from any such attack. "What has taken place in Al-Fallujah should not take place in Mosul. We will not allow that to take place in Mosul. What has taken place in Al-Fallujah was very painful and harsh to us in Iraq. By no means will we allow a similar thing to take place in Mosul, namely, a comprehensive battle. We do not accept a comprehensive battle being launched on Mosul because there would be many victims. The number of residents in Mosul City is more than one-and-a-half million, and they cannot be subject to aircraft and artillery bombardment. By no means can this take place," he said.
Former local official killed in Ba'qubah
(Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad, in Arabic 4 Jan 05): Unidentified gunmen assassinated a former municipal council member in Ba'qubah on 4 January, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. Unidentified gunmen shot dead Thafir Sami as he was getting on his car in Al-Sina'i district, southwest of the city, Iraqi police sources were quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the house of Husayn al-Tikriti, a municipal council member in Baladruz district, southeast Ba'qubah, was targeted by a hand grenade attack carried out by unidentified gunmen, the TV added. A Diyala Governorate media source was quoted as saying that Al-Tikriti was not hurt, although his 10-year-old daughter 10 was slightly wounded.
PRESS COMMENTS ON ELECTIONMeanwhile, the house of Husayn al-Tikriti, a municipal council member in Baladruz district, southeast Ba'qubah, was targeted by a hand grenade attack carried out by unidentified gunmen, the TV added. A Diyala Governorate media source was quoted as saying that Al-Tikriti was not hurt, although his 10-year-old daughter 10 was slightly wounded.
As media campaigns continue, a noticeable escalation in terrorist attacks is under way - Al-Bayan
Al-Bayan [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party]4 Jan 05: An Editorial saying that as preparations and the media campaigns of the various political forces for the upcoming elections continue, a noticeable escalation in the terrorist attacks in order to influence public participation is under way. The editorial says that successful elections are the best answer to the terrorists and will prove to the entire world that Iraqis are qualified and determined to build their new Iraq.
Iraqi tribal chiefs called on the Iraqi people for unity and to abandon violence- Al-Da'wah
Al-Da'wah [Baghdad, weekly newspaper in Arabic published by the Central Bureau of the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party] A report stating that in their meeting in Baghdad last Sunday, 2 January, a number of Iraqi tribal chiefs called on the Iraqi people for unity and to abandon violence, and affirmed that postponing the upcoming elections would increase chaos in the country. The report quotes Shaykh Humam Hammudi, member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) as saying that "the Unified Iraqi Coalition List calls for national talks to prevent civil war and sectarian conflict." In a news conference in Baghdad, they rejected the call by Usamah Bin-Ladin for boycotting the upcoming elections in Iraq. The report quotes SCIRI leader Al-Hakim as saying: "The Iraqi people do not want others, no matter who they are, to interfere in the Iraqi affairs."
``Why the upcoming elections should be postponed (Al-Pachachi) - Al-Mu'tamar
Al-Mu'tamar [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Iraqi National Congress] carries on page 6 a 1,000-word article by Adnan Al-Pachachi, leader of the Independent Democrats Grouping, explaining why the upcoming elections should be postponed. Al-Pachachi says that as Iraq is regarded as a single electoral constituent and as the security situation in several Iraqi cities will not allow people to safely participate in the upcoming elections, the candidates of other regions will benefit. Al-Pachachi calls for postponing the upcoming elections for some time, during which the Iraqi political forces focus on national reconciliation in order to persuade all factions to participate.
"Whom Should We Elect?''- Al-Adalah
Al-Adalah [Baghdad, twice-weekly newspaper in Arabic published by the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI)] carries on page 6 a 600-word article by Muzzafar Qasim Husayn entitled "Whom Should We Elect?". The writer comments on the upcoming Iraqi elections and gives a number of "qualities" to be used as criteria by which Iraqis can "select the best candidates".
``Current Iraqi situation; what is next?"- Al-Adalah
Al-Adalah [Baghdad, twice-weekly newspaper in Arabic published by the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI)] publishes on page 6 a 700-word article by Ali Khulayf entitled "What is Next?" The writer comments on the current Iraqi situation and the calls to delay or boycott the upcoming elections. He says that those who call for boycotting the elections are "the Iraqi people's enemies, such as Saddam Husayn, Usamah Bin-Ladin, and Al-Zarqawi." The writer adds that the elections will be "the truth birth of the new Iraq."
Neither the current nor the elected government will be able to control the situation- Al-Zaman
Al-Zaman [daily, independent, Baghdad edition of London-based Al-Zaman] publishes on page 3 a 300-word article by Kazim al-Muqdadi saying that neither the current government nor the elected government will be able to control the situation because the social gap is has increased and reached very a high level. Al-Muqdadi adds: "Today, we need a realistic policy to be implemented by the first and third world countries - a policy that can restore our consciousness after being penetrated by everybody else. An Arab neighbouring country hosted Saddam's opposition and now it hosts Saddam's followers!"
