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Operations
Deployments
US Policy
United Nations
Reconstruction Issues
Foreign Reactions
News Reports

Current Operations

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 20 May 2003 -- "The only thing we've done that I know of is that we have proposed that the absolute ban on the study of a deep-earth penetrator has been removed from the bill at our instance, because we do intend to study a variety of types of deep earth penetrators, for very good reason. (...) That's why we want to study it. And we're kind of inclined to think that the idea that we should not be allowed to study such a weapon is not a good idea. We think it -- for one thing, I -- and then I'll ask Dick to comment on the possible use against, for example, chemical or biological storage areas, where a conventional weapon could have a disastrous effect and a low-yield nuclear weapon conceivably could have an effect that would be -- that would mitigate some of the problems with a conventional weapon. But the -- it's important to appreciate that to the extent the United States is prohibited from studying the use of such weapons -- for example, for a deep earth penetrator -- the effect in the world is that it tells the world that they're wise to invest in going underground. And that's not a good thing, from our standpoint"
• V CORPS ENGINEERS HELP BAGHDAD CITIZENS IN 'TASK FORCE NEIGHBORHOOD' V Corps Release 20 May 2003-- V Corps soldiers are helping local citizens here improve their neighborhoods as coalition forces help Iraqi leaders create a new government.
• Coalition Progresses in Iraq, Challenges Remain on the Path AFPS 20 May 2003 -- Each day the conditions in Iraq are improving and the life for the Iraqi population is starting to return to the "normal pre-war standard," said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
• MEMBER OF 'IRAQI TOP 55' IN COALITION CONTROL CENTCOM 20 May 2003 -- Ugla Abid Saqir Al-Kubaysi in now in custody of Coalition forces. Saqir was a former Ba'ath Party Regional Chairman in the Maysan Governorate.
• COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY (May 20) CENTCOM 20 May 2003 -- Coalition Forces continue to assist in developing a safer and more secure environment in Iraq.
• COALITION AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE (MAY 20) CENTCOM 20 May 2003 -- Coalition Forces continue to aggressively patrol to make Iraq safer for everyone by eliminating smuggling and trade in weapons and explosives.
• U.S. MARINES DIE IN HELICOPTER CRASH CENTCOM 20 May 2003 -- A 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Ch-46 Sea-Knight helicopter crashed shortly after take-off yesterday afternoon in the Shat Al Hillah Canal.
• TASK FORCE VIGILANT JUSTICE CENTCOM 20 May 2003 -- Fifteen Iraqi personnel were detained Monday night in the first Task Force Vigilant Justice raid here.
• THIRD INFANTRY SOLDIER SHOT CENTCOM 20 May 2003 -- A 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) soldier was shot in the chest at a traffic control point Monday evening.
• U.S. MARINES DIE IN HELICOPTER CRASH ARCENT CJTF-7 19 May 2003
• NEWS RELEASE ARCENT CJTF-7 20 May 2003 -- Coalition and Iraqi Police Work to Make Iraq Secure / Secretary of Ba'ath Party's Southern Region in Custody / Coalition Activity / Police Activity in the Last 24 Hours
• Third Infantry Division Soldier Shot ARCENT 3ID(M) Public Affairs Office 20 May 2003
• Coalition Efforts Aid Iraq's Recovery ARCENT 20 May 2003

Deployments

US Policy

• Senator Edwards Charts Path From Chaos To Secure And Independent Iraq May 20, 2003 -- Senator John Edwards on Tuesday called United States policy in postwar Iraq "confused and chaotic," and outlined steps America and our allies should take to make Iraq a stable democracy that is a model for the Arab world.
• U.S. Works on New Security Council Resolution for Iraq Washington File 20 May 2003 -- Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman said the United States is working with France, Russia, Germany and other members of the international community on a U.N. Security Council resolution for Iraq.
• More Americans Permitted to Travel to Iraq for Humanitarian Purposes Washington File 20 May 2003 -- U.S. passport restrictions for travel to Iraq have been further amended to allow U.S. citizens to conduct humanitarian and reconstruction aid activities in the country under the scope of a U.S. Government contract or grant, according to a May 20 State Department media note.
• PENTAGON/IRAQ VOA 20 May 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says he now believes it would be a good idea for the International Atomic Energy Agency to return to Iraq to check on that country's nuclear sites.
• U-S-IRAQ-U-N VOA 20 May 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell engaged in telephone diplomacy Tuesday, seeking early U-N Security Council action on an American-backed resolution lifting sanctions against Iraq and allowing its oil revenue to finance reconstruction. Bush administration officials hope for final council action this week.
• Wolfowitz Thanks Macedonia for Support on Iraq Washington File 20 May 2003 -- Macedonia is setting an example -- "particularly valuable in this part of the world" -- that differences can be settled peacefully through negotiations rather than the use of force, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said May 17 in Skopje. He said the United States views Macedonia as "an important partner" in efforts to bring peace and stability to southeast Europe.

United Nations

• UN / IRAQ VOA 20 May 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote Thursday on a draft resolution that not only lifts sanctions but also defines the powers of the U-S and British led coalition in Iraq and clarifies the role of United Nations in reconstruction.
• UN agencies push on with relief work in Iraq UN News Centre 20 May 2003 -- United Nations relief agencies continued to step up their activities in Iraq today, both from the overall standpoint of general coordination and from the more specific focus of settling special issues.
• Annan says he'll move quickly on Iraq envoy once Security Council acts UN News Centre 20 May 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he would move "very quickly" to appoint a Special Representative for Iraq as soon as the Security Council passes a resolution to that effect.
• Iraq: U.S. Introduces New Draft Resolution RFE/L 20 May 2003 -- The United States has introduced a new draft resolution in the UN Security Council on lifting Iraqi sanctions, giving the proposed UN representative "independent responsibilities" in efforts to reconstruct Iraq.

Reconstruction Issues

• Transcript: Briefing from the Team Investigating Antiquity Loss in Iraq 20 May 2003 -- Live briefing from the team investigating antiquity loss from the Baghdad museum, Baghdad, Iraq. Also participating was Bryan Whitman, deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
• IRAQ / REBUILDING VOA 20 May 2003 -- The United States has come under fire for the slow pace of reconstruction in Iraq. In New York Tuesday, officials of the U-S Agency for International Development (USAID) defended the progress made so far.
• Iraq: Unexploded Ordnance, Unfired Munitions Kill, Injure Children RFE/L 20 May 2003 -- One month after the cessation of hostilities, unexploded ordnance and unfired munitions continue to take a heavy toll on Iraq's civilian population. Reports say that in northern Iraq, children account for more than half of the casualties recorded in that area since the war officially ended.
• Iraq: Palestinians Evicted From Their Homes Face Uncertain Future RFE/L 20 May 2003 -- Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, many Palestinian refugees in Iraq have been harassed, subjected to violent attacks, and forcefully evicted from their homes. The anger against the Palestinians is rooted in the preferable treatment Saddam Hussein gave them in his efforts to represent a pan-Arabic cause. The Palestinian refugees are now largely based in two camps.
• Rumsfeld Says Iraqi Reconstruction Continues Despite Challenges Washington File 20 May 2003 -- There are problems and challenges in rebuilding post-war Iraq, but there is also ample evidence that conditions are improving, says U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Foreign Reactions

• CHINA / IRAQ VOA 20 May 2003 -- China says the Security Council is making progress toward an agreement on how to rebuild war-torn Iraq, after serious differences over U-N involvement.
• Troop dispatch for U.S. opposed in South Korea KCNA 20 May 2003 -- The Solidarity of Youth and Students for the Implementation of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration reportedly issued a statement on May 15 under the title "Immediate Stop to Troop Dispatch for the U.S., Root Cause of War Crisis on Korean Peninsula."
• IRAQ: Assessing IDPs in the south IRIN 20 May 2003 -- A clearer picture of the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in southern and central Iraq is emerging as initial data begins to come in. Chris Petch, the deputy programme manager for IDPs in Iraq for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), told IRIN that while there were still large areas of the country to be covered and assessed, it was clear there were many thousands of Iraqis who had shifted from their homes during the war and had not yet returned. IOM is the lead agency for IDPs in the south and centre of the country.

News Reports

• SOROS / IRAQ VOA 20 May 2003 -- International philanthropist and chairman of the Open Society Institute, George Soros, has launched a new initiative to monitor Iraq's oil industry and ensure that revenues benefit the Iraqi people.
• Iraq: Dollar's Fall Hurting Ordinary Iraqis RFE/L 20 May 2003 -- The value of the U.S. dollar has fallen around the world with respect to major currencies like the euro, but -- surprisingly perhaps -- it has also dropped against one of the world's weakest currencies, the Iraqi dinar. The reasons for the dollar's fall in Iraq are mostly local and unrelated to the U.S. currency's problems in the rest of the world. Nevertheless, the drop is making life difficult for ordinary Iraqis, many of whom are paid in dollars yet must buy their goods with dinars.
• IRAQ: UXOs injure 350 in Kirkuk IRIN 20 May 2003 -- Unexploded ordnance (UXOs), left by Iraqi forces fighting around Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, was injuring an average of 25 people per day following the fall of the city to coalition forces on 10 April, according to an international NGO working on UXO and mine clearance in the region.