UNAMI: Iraqi Media Monitoring

From the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)

Sunday, 13 June 2004

Political Developments and Comments:
Yawar Asserts Iraq to Be Example of Democracy in Middle East
Turkomans in Kirkuk hold Brahimi, CPA, Iraqi Ethnic Groups Responsible for Discrepancy
Al-Mashriq Publishes Reactions to UNRCR 1546
Ulema Council on UN Resolution :``Disappointing All Hopes and Expectations''
Talabani Welcomes UNSC Resolution 1546
Al-Mutamar US, Interim Government Incapable Of Handling Iraqi File
Al-Dustur Calls On Kurdish Parties to Wager on Nation Rather Than Ethnic Groupings
Al-Sistani Aide: Al-Sistani is Not Against Kurds, but Does not Recognize Transitional Administration Law
Allawi Dismisses Cooperation with CIA ``Shameful''
Unified Democratic Iraq Conference Criticizes Mechanism of Interim Govt Formation
Justice Minister: IGC Formed De-Ba'thification Committee without Consulting
3,000 Bathiest Allowed Back to Their Previous Posts
Iraqi Daily Calls For National Reconciliation
Problem of Dissolved Information Ministry Staff to be solved in Two Weeks
Jordan Denies Negotiatmg with Baghdad on Chalabi
Mortar Attack against the House of Iraqi President in Mosul
Pipeline Sabotage Act Deprives Iraqis of 80 Megawatts of Electricity
Ukrainian Forces Arrests Dozens of Iranian Gunmen Who Entered Iraq Illegally
Mahdi Al-Hafiz: Planning Ministry Allocates $60 Million for Census
Transport Minister: Tunisia Agrees To Return Iraqi Planes
SOMO Reduces Iraqi Oil Price for US and Europe
Environment Ministry Discovers Radiation Pollution In Several Places

Updates from Iraqi Kurdish Press
Talabani: New Resolution OK Although Kurds Not Mentioned
Kurdistan Parliament, Political Parties Approve SCR1546
Assyrian to Represent Kirkuk at Iraqi National Conference
Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Killed in Baghdad
Kirkuk Governor, Coalition Official Discuss Security Improvements
CPA Promises Serious Settlement of IDPs Issue
German Company to Rehabilitate Tasluja Cement FActory

I. Political Developments and Comments:

Yawar Asserts Iraq to Be Example of Democracy in Middle East

(Al-Bayan, Baghdad, thrice weekly by the Islamic Dawa Party, 12 June 04) - Runs a front-page report on the meeting between the Iraqi President Ajil al-Yawar and leaders of the G-8 meeting. The report says that Al-Yawar met with the leaders of the G-8 meeting and discussed with US President Bush the security situation in Iraq. The report adds that Al-Yawar asserted to the leaders that Iraq will be the example of democracy in the Middle East.

Turkomans in Kirkuk hold Brahimi, CPA, Iraqi Ethnic Groups Responsible for Discrepancy

(Al-Shira, independent, political and general weekly, 12 June 04) - Publishes on its front page a report stating that the National Turkoman Conference recently held in Kirkuk and attended by Turkoman movements and parties, issued a statement holding the Coalition Authority, Iraqi ethnic groups, and UN Envoy Brahimi responsible for the ``discrepancies in the political equation and the Turkoman position.'' The statement criticized the formation of the new interim government for neglecting the Turkomans, who constitute the third largest ethnic group in the country.

Al-Mashriq Publishes Reactions to UNRCR 1546

(Al-Mashriq, Baghdad, by Al-Mashriq Institution for Media and Cultural Investments, 11 June 04) - Publishes on its front page a report discussing the reactions of Iraqi political and religious leaders on the new UNSC resolution, citing Labour Minister Nisrin Barwari as saying that the Kurdish ministers will resign if the Kurdish leaders Barzani and Talabani ask them to do so. The report cites an aide to Ayatollah al-Sistani yesterday, 9 June, as saying that not including the State Administration Law in the new UNSC resolution is a "positive gesture." The report adds that the Kurdish leaders who threatened to withdraw from the interim government and boycott the upcoming elections unless the new UNSC resolution includes a clause highlighting the State Administration Law, are still studying the resolution, and have so far not taken any decision in this regard.

Ulema Council on UN Resolution :``Disappointing All Hopes and Expectations''

(Al-Manar, Baghdad, Comprehensive & political, 12 June 04) - Publishes on its front page a report stating that the Muslim Ulema Council issued a statement criticizing the recent UNSC Resolution on Iraq, describing it as "disappointing all hopes and expectations." The statement said that "the resolution did not specify a clear schedule for ending the occupation, and allows for the possibility that the occupation forces will remain in Iraq to manipulate the country and the decisions made by the so-called legitimate Interim Government through the signing of security agreements."

Talabani Welcomes UNSC Resolution 1546

(Al-Shira, independent, political and general weekly, 12 June 04) - Publishes on its front page a report saying that unlike other Kurdish leaders, former IGC member Jalal Talabani welcomed UNSC Resolution 1546. the reports adds that the Kurdish leaders' pressure forced Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi to exempt the peshmerga from being dissolved like the other militias in Iraq.

Al-Mutamar US, Interim Government Incapable Of Handling Iraqi File

(Al-Mutamar, Baghdad, daily by the Iraqi National Congress, 12 June 04) - Publishes on page 6 a report commenting on the new UNSC resolution on Iraq saying that "the US and the interim government want international legitimacy but without handing the Iraqi file over to the UN, because it is incapable of handling it."

Al-Dustur Calls On Kurdish Parties to Wager on Nation Rather Than Ethnic Groupings

(Al-Dustur, Baghdad, by Movement for the Hashimite Constitutional Royal Union, 12 June 04) - publishes on its front page a 250-word editorial criticizing Kurdish leaders who threatened to withdraw from the interim government and boycott the upcoming elections, and the Kurdish ministers who threatened to resign unless the new UNSC resolution included a clause highlighting the State Administration Law. The editorial calls on all parties to wager on the nation, rather than on certain ethnic or religious groupings or political parties.

Al-Sistani Aide: Al-Sistani is Not Against Kurds, but Does not Recognize Transitional Administration Law

(Al-Mutamar, Baghdad, daily by the Iraqi National Congress, 12 June 04) - Publishes on its front page a report citing Al-Sistani aide in Europe Murtada al-Khasmiri as saying: "Al-Sistani's stand was clear from the very beginning, and it is not against the Kurds, Sunnis or Shi'is, but it does not recognize the State Administration Law because it was issued under occupation." Al-Khasmiri added: "The Kurds have no right to impose this law on Iraqis because it does not provide stability to Iraq."

Allawi Dismisses Cooperation with CIA ``Shameful''

Al-Mashriq publishes on its front page a 100-word report on remarks made by the Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to this newspaper, in which he comments on the New York Times' report suggesting that Allawi led a campaign supervised by the CIA to topple Saddam regime in the nineties. Allawi said "it is not shameful to cooperate with these agencies."

Unified Democratic Iraq Conference Criticizes Mechanism of Interim Govt Formation

(Al-Manar, Baghdad, Comprehensive & political, 12 June 04) - Publishes on page a report stating that the Unified Democratic Iraq conference held a news conference attended by Jawdat al-Ubaydi and Tawfiq al-Yasiri, in which they criticized the mechanism used for the formation of the new interim government, demanding that a better and transparent mechanism be adopted in the formation of the national assembly and in the upcoming elections.

Justice Minister: IGC Formed De-Ba'thification Committee without Consulting

(Al-Manar, Baghdad, Comprehensive & political, 12 June 04) - Iraqi Justice Minister Malik Duhan al-Hasan says that the former IGC formed the De-Ba'thification Committee without consulting his ministry or the Iraqi Lawyers Association, adding that de-Ba'thification was a rash measure, which excluded a large number of Iraqis from the political process." The report cites Mithal al-Alusi, director general of the De-Ba'thification Committee as saying that his committee has so far returned 12,000 Ba'thists to their posts. The report adds that the new government adopts a more lenient policy, which in effect marks the end of the de-Ba'thification process.

3,000 Bathiest Allowed Back to Their Previous Posts

(Al-Mashriq, Baghdad, by Al-Mashriq Institution for Media and Cultural Investments, 11 June 04) - Publishes on its front page a report stating that in a first of its kind development, the Deba'thification Committee returned 3,000 former Ba'thists to their previous posts.

Iraqi Daily Calls For National Reconciliation

(Al-Furat, comprehensive & political daily, by Al-Furat Establishment for Press, 12 June 04) - Runs an editorial by Chief Editor Shakir al-Juburi, calling for national reconciliation. Al-Juburi says that no one thought the ``occupation'' would call for starting a new page with the former high-ranking employees. Al-Juburi adds that there are good and bad Ba'thists and Iraq should be able to gather all its honest sons to be able to rebuild itself. Al-Juburi says that the current situation requires tolerance and avoiding the mistakes of the past.

Problem of Dissolved Information Ministry Staff to be solved in Two Weeks

(Al-Manar, Baghdad, Comprehensive & political, 12 June 04) - Publishes on its front page an ``exclusive'' report citing an official source in the Finance Ministry as saying that the problem of the employees of the dissolved Information Ministry, who have not received their salaries since the fall of the former regime, will be solved within two weeks.

Jordan Denies Negotiatmg with Baghdad on Chalabi

(Al-Mashriq, Baghdad, by Al-Mashriq Institution for Media and Cultural Investments, 11 June 04) - Publishes on its front page a report citing Jordanian Government Spokeswoman Asma Khadir denying that Jordan has sent anybody to Baghdad to negotiate the Petra Bank issue with Chalabi. Khadir added: "We are viewing the case from a legal point of view, while he tries to politicize it."

II. Security And Military Developments:

Mortar Attack against the House of Iraqi President in Mosul

(Al-Mada is issued daily by Al-Mada institution for Media, Culture, and Arts, 12 June 04) - Runs a front-page report on a mortar attack against the house of Iraqi President Al-Yawar in the Mosul Governorate. The report says the president's house was targeted by two mortar grenades. The report adds that the grenades hit the garden but did not explode.

Pipeline Sabotage Act Deprives Iraqis of 80 Megawatts of Electricity

(Al-Shira, independent, political and general weekly, 12 June 04) - Publishes on page a report citing official sources in the Electricity Ministry as saying that the pipeline carrying fuel to the Dibis power generating plant was subjected to an act of sabotage, causing the complete shutdown of the plant. This deprived Iraqis of 80 megawatts of electricity.

Ukrainian Forces Arrests Dozens of Iranian Gunmen Who Entered Iraq Illegally

(Ittijah al-Akhar, political weekly published in The Hague, by the Iraqi Homeland Party, 12 June 04) - Carries a report citing a security source as saying that the Ukrainian forces arrested dozens of Iranian gunmen who entered Iraq illegally. The source adds that those Iranians intended to join the resistance in Iraq.

III. Economic And Public Services:

Mahdi Al-Hafiz: Planning Ministry Allocates $60 Million for Census

(Al-Shira, independent, political and general weekly, 12 June 04) - Publishes a report citing Planning Minister Mahdi al-Hafiz as saying that his ministry has allocated 60 million dollars for the census, which is the largest of its kind in Iraq.

Transport Minister: Tunisia Agrees To Return Iraqi Planes

(Al-Mashriq, Baghdad, by Al-Mashriq Institution for Media and Cultural Investments, 12 June 04) - Publishes on its front page a report citing Transport Minister Lua'y Hatam al-Iris as saying that Tunisia has agreed to return Iraqi planes which have been in Tunisia since 1991. Al-Iris added that his ministry will send delegations to Jordan and Iran to discuss the return of the other Iraqi planes.

SOMO Reduces Iraqi Oil Price for US and Europe

(Al-Bayan, Baghdad, thrice weekly by the Islamic Dawa Party, 12 June 04) - Runs a report on a statement by the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) on reducing the price of Iraqi oil for the US and Europe by 30 cents a barrel as of next July. SOMO adds that the price of oil sold to Asian countries will not change.

IV. Health and Human Rights Issues:

Environment Ministry Discovers Radiation Pollution In Several Places

(Al-Dustur, Baghdad, by Movement for the Hashimite Constitutional Royal Union,) 12 June 04) - Publishes a report citing an official source at the Environment Ministry as saying that his ministry discovered radiation pollution in a number of places. The source attributed the radiation to the scrap stored in these places by the former Iraqi Army.

V. Iraqi Dailies in Brief:

(Ansar al-Mahdi, Islamic & Political weekly, issued by Ansar Foundation, 12 June 04) - Publishes a report criticizing both Al-Sistani and the Kurdish leaders for sending letters to the UN, saying: "if they are patriotic, they would not need to attract sympathy or threaten others, but they could go to their people."

(Al-Mashriq, Baghdad, by Al-Mashriq Institution for Media and Cultural Investments, 12 June 04):

- Publishes on its front page an editorial praising the Iraqi prime minister's decision to dissolve armed militias in Iraq because "security and unlicensed weapons cannot live under the same roof."

-        Publishes a report calling on Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi to solve the unemployment problem in order to reduce the high crime rate in the country.
-        Publishes a report citing a coalition forces source as saying that coalition forces arrested eight Iraqi citizens in Bayji, 200 km north of Baghdad, for possessing 170 mortar rockets.
-        Publishes on its front page a report citing police sources as saying that Al-Najaf police requested the help of Mosul police to control the deteriorating security situation in the city.
-        A health source says that a number of malaria cases were recorded in Basra.

(Al-Mutamar, Baghdad, daily by the Iraqi National Congress, 12 June 04) - Publishes a report citing a health source as saying that his ministry recorded 50 food poisoning outbreaks in Diyala Governorate and six others in Basra during last month.

Updates from Iraqi Kurdish Press
From UNAMI - Erbil

Talabani: New Resolution OK Although Kurds Not Mentioned

(Kurdistani Nwe, Sulaymaniyah 13 June 2004) - The PUK leader Jalal Talabani told Sawa Radio that he OK'ed the latest Security Council resolution on Iraq but the Kurds would have been happier if the resolution endorsed the interim constitution that recognized the rights of the Kurds. Talabani and his aids in Sulaymaniyah have received yesterday a Coalition senior delegation to boost their ``strategic'' alliance between the Kurds and the Coalitions.

Kurdistan Parliament, Political Parties Approve SCR1546

(Kurdistani Nwe, Sulaymaniyah 13 June 2004) - Kurdistan Parliament members and representatives of Kurdistani political parties convened a meeting at the Parliament House Friday to reach a common stand on the latest Security Council resolution on Iraq, which failed to mention the Iraqi interim constitution that recognizes Kurdistan people's rights. The meeting participants approved the international resolution but said it would have been better if the interim constitution was mentioned and officially recognized.

Assyrian to Represent Kirkuk at Iraqi National Conference

(Kurdistani Nwe, Sulaymaniyah 13 June 2004) - Kirkuk Governorate municipal council members convened yesterday in the presence of the Governor and elected an Assyrian member to represent the Governorate at the forthcoming Iraqi National Conference to be held in Baghdad next month. The representations will be of a technical nature and will not have any political impact, a council member commented.

Iraqi Deouty Foreign Minister Killed in Baghdad

(Kurdistani Nwe, Erbil 13 June 2004) - Gunmen killed this morning the Iraqi deputy minister of foreign affairs Bassam Kubba while he was leaving his residence in Al-Adhamiya to his work place. Kubba died in a Baghdad hospital after sustaining serious injuries during this morning's firing at his car from automatic guns.

Kirkuk Governor, Coalition Official Discuss Security Improvements

(Kurdistani Nwe, Erbil 13 June 2004) - The Governor of Kirkuk received yesterday a coalition delegation headed by the Security Chief Col. De Herts. They discussed ways to improve the security in the city by increasing the number of police patrols and strengthening the checkpoints outside the city. The improvement of the IDPs' living situations was another discussion topic. The visitor announced the Coalition was considering increasing the Governor's entitlements to enable him distribute plots of lands to the returning IDPs for the construction of housing units.

CPA Promises Serious Settlement of IDPs Issue

(Kurdistani Nwe, Erbil 13 June 2004) - A senior CPA delegation visited the KRG Ministry of Human Rights, IDPs and Anfal Victims of the Sulaymaniyah administration and promised the minister to take serious measure to ensure a fair settlement for the IDPs issue and a quick return of the displaced Kurds to their places of origin in Kirkuk.

German Company to Rehabilitate Tasluja Cement Factory

(Kurdistani Nwe, Erbil 13 June 2004) - A German company will rehabilitate the Tasluja Cement Factory (20 km West Sulaymaniyah) and provide spare parts. It is the same manufacturer company that established the factory long time ago. The project cost is not identified. The decision was taken after yesterday's meeting between a CPA delegation and the Minster of industry and Energy in the Sulaymaniyah administration of Kurdistan Regional Government.

*****
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 -4629/4630/4631 or Cell. + 962 77619725. Taveau@un.org <mailto:Taveau@un.org>

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