Tuesday, 22 February 2005
HEADLINES, Click to follow link
IRAQI NEWS, 21 FEB 05
· Allawi said surprise nominee for prime minister
· Mosul police officer killed
· One killed as US soldiers reportedly fire on students
· Two wounded in attack on US site
· Tribal chief arrested near Al-Ramadi
· Man killed in explosion near government offices
· Eleven arrested in US raids in western Iraq
· Driver killed in attack on lorries north of Ba'qubah
· Iraqi killed, three wounded in US shooting in Samarra
· US medics ambushed evacuating soldiers in south Baghdad
· Border guards arrest nearly 200 "illegals" crossing from Iran
IRAQI PRESS HEADLINES, 21 FEB 05
· Al-Adalah [by the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI)]
· Baghdad [Baghdad, daily by the Iraqi National Accord Movement]
· Al-Manar al-Yawm [Baghdad, daily independent newspaper in Arabic]
· Al-Mu'tamar [Baghdad, daily published by the Iraqi National Congress]
· Al-Zaman [daily, independent, Baghdad edition of London-based Al-Zaman]
IRAQI PRESS QUOTES, 21 FEB 05
· ``An attempts to ignite a civil war ``- Al-Mu'tamar
· ``Iraqis need actions not promises'' - Al-Zaman
· ``The impossibility of applying Islam as a government system''- Al-Sabah al-Jadid
· Negroponte, ``The man of difficult tasks"- Al- Dustur
IRAQI MEDIA PROGRAMME SUMMARIES, 21 FEB 05
· Al-Diyar TV 21 Feb 05
· Al-Sharqiyah TV news 21 Feb 05
· Al-Iraqiyah TV news 21 Feb 05
KURDISH NEWS &UPDATES FROM THE KURDISH PRESS, 21 FEB 05
· Kurdish officials call for recognition of peshmerga
· PUK's Talabani meets British official
· Hillary Clinton meets Kirkuk officials
· US forces raid Turkoman Front office in Mosul
· Kurdistan satellite TV News Summary 21 Feb 05
· KurdSat satellite TV News Summary 21 Feb 05
· Updates from the Kurdish Press, 21 Feb 2005
IRAQI NEWS, 21 Feb 05
Allawi said surprise nominee for prime minister
Prime Minister Iyad Allawi announced on 21 February that his list has nominated him for the post of prime minister in the new government, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. According to the TV, this announcement surprised political circles in Iraq. Al-Sharqiyah's correspondent noted that until the announcement, competition for the post was between Islamic Da'wah Party leader Ibrahim al-Ja'fari and Iraqi National Congress head Ahmad al-Chalabi. Allawi's announcement followed lengthy discussions with Al-Ja'fari on the race for the post of prime minister, the TV said. ((Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
Mosul police officer killed
Gunmen assassinated an officer in the Mosul Police department on 21 February, Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. Police sources said that gunmen assassinated Brig-Gen Sabah Fathi near his home in the Al-Sukkar neighbourhood while he was on his way to work. ((Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
One killed as US soldiers reportedly fire on students
A student enrolled at the Al-Anbar University was killed and four others were wounded when US soldiers "indiscriminately" fired at them, Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 21 February. Eyewitnesses said that the US soldiers fired indiscriminately at the students after their patrol was targeted by an explosive charge planted along a highway west of Al-Ramadi. All five students are registered at the Faculty of Education. ((Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
Two wounded in attack on US site
Two people were wounded in Ba'qubah when a mortar round landed near a complex being used by the US army, Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 21 February. ((Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
Tribal chief arrested near Al-Ramadi
US soldiers have arrested Muhammad Nasir Turki, chief of the Albu-Farraj tribe, in an area five kilometres west of Al-Ramadi, Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 21 February. Turki and 11 members of his family and tribe were arrested as part of a raid-and-search operation around Al-Ramadi. ((Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
Man killed in explosion near government offices
A man was killed, when an improvised explosive device exploded, as he drove by the Telecommunication Ministry's offices in Al-Ghazaliyah, west of Baghdad, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 21 February. ((Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
Eleven arrested in US raids in western Iraq
US forces have arrested 11 people in raids in two towns in the western Al-Anbar Province, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 21 February. It said five people were arrested in Rawah and six in Anah in a campaign of raids in the two towns. It also reported that a curfew had been imposed on the town of Al-Rutbah, on the border with Jordan, from 2000 to 0600 local time (1700-0300 gmt), and that travel into and out of the town had been banned between 0900 and 1600 local time. (Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
Driver killed in attack on lorries north of Ba'qubah
Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported that the attackers, who were wearing Iraqi police uniforms, set up a fake checkpoint on the road and opened machine-gun fire at the convoy, killing one of the drivers and destroying three lorries. The TV also reported that one civilian was killed in a separate incident in Ba'qubah, when three shells landed on a medical centre for the treatment of chest diseases. ((Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
Iraqi killed, three wounded in US shooting in Samarra
One Iraqi civilian was killed and three others were wounded when US forces opened fire overnight after being ambushed in the town of Samarra, north of Baghdad, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 21 February. It said the US troops fired "indiscriminately" after unknown persons attacked a US patrol near an intersection in the city centre. ((Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
US medics ambushed evacuating soldiers in south Baghdad
A US medical team were ambushed on 21 February while evacuating US soldiers who had been wounded in a bomb explosion in the Al-Dawrah area of southern Baghdad, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. It cited the US military as saying that, in the initial incident, an unspecified number of soldiers were wounded when a US military police patrol was targeted by a roadside bomb. Subsequently, a helicopter carrying a medical team was dispatched to the scene to evacuate the wounded but was ambushed by armed men, the report continued. The number of casualties was not yet known, "but eyewitnesses reported seeing many dead bodies lying around", the TV said. ((Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
Border guards arrest nearly 200 "illegals" crossing from Iran
Iraqi border guards in the past week arrested 193 people who had crossed illegally into the central Diyala Province from Iran, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 21 February. Diyala border guard commander Brig-Gen Nazim Sharif was quoted as telling the TV that those detained were Afghan and Iranian nationals and were being prosecuted on charges of trying to cross the border without official travel documents or permission to enter the country. (Al-Sharqiyah Satellite Channel, Baghdad, in Arabic, 21 Feb 05)
Negroponte, ``The man of difficult tasks"- Al- Dustur
Delegates at a meeting of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on 20 February agreed to work towards the reunification of the Kurdistan peshmerga forces and to have it recognized as a regular army, Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan satellite TV reported the following day. They also decided to activate the Interior Ministry's committees in the Kurdistan Regional governments to deal with the reunification of the two administrations. (KurdSat TV, Al-Sulaymaniyah, in Sorani Kurdish 21 Feb 05)
PUK's Talabani meets British official
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani has met an official from the British consulate in the northern city of Kirkuk for discussions on the outcome of the Iraqi elections, the PUK's KurdSat TV reported on 21 February. Talabani and Neal Carlin - described as being from the political section at the British consulate in Kirkuk and the Foreign Office official responsible for the Iraqi Kurdistan file - "discussed the positive outcome of the general elections in Kurdistan and Iraq", the TV said. Talabani was quoted as saying it was "imperative to adopt the principle of consensus as one of the most prominent and positive solutions for the political reconstruction of a new Iraq in a way acceptable to its three main constituents, the Kurds, the Shi'is and the Sunnis". He also reiterated the Kurds' insistence on "the Kurdistani nature of Kirkuk, federalism, the share of the people of Kurdistan in their country's wealth and resources and official recognition of the Peshmerga Forces as the region's regular army". (KurdSat TV 0800 gmt 21 Feb 05)
Hillary Clinton meets Kirkuk officials
US forces have raided the office of the Iraqi Turkoman Front branch in Mosul, Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 21 February. The paper said the troops "smashed doors and windows in a confrontational manner and in breach of human values and international conventions, without giving any reason". The paper said: "This operation is part of a series of actions designed to wipe out our Turkoman people, and excluding the Turkoman voice in the political landscape...". The head of the [Iraqi Turkoman] Front in Mosul has submitted a protest to the US army and demanded an official apology for the incident, the paper added. (Turkomaneli, Arbil, in Arabic 21 Feb 05)
Kurdistani Nwe daily issued in Sulaymanya by PUK
The elections proved that none of Iraqi components could rule Iraq alone, the PUK leader Jalal Talabani said during his reception Sunday to the political officer at the UK consulate at Kirkuk, who is also in charge of the Kurdish file at the UK Foreign Office. On the Kurdistan priorities for the current stage, Talabani reiterated the importance of Kurdistan federalism and fair share from the Iraqi revenues, as well as inclusion of Kirkuk into Kurdistan Region [boundaries] and recognition of Kurdistan peshmarga as an official army defending the Region. ·
The KDP and PUK politburos convened another meeting to follow up matters pertaining to uniting both KRG administrations. Both side agreed on further activating the joint committee tasked to unite both interior ministries and Kurdistan peshmarga forces.
Khabat daily issued in Erbil by the KDP
The PUK and KDP politburos met Sunday in Dokan to consider ways of uniting both KRG administrations. Both sides agreed to convene joint meetings every 15 days to better coordinate their efforts wit regard to the unification process and other related matters, in relation to the liberated areas [outside Kurdistan Region boundaries], both parties decided to coordinate their national-orientated action, particularly in terms of awareness' raising. ·
The Iraqi federal security forces raided a house in a Baghdad suburb and killed Adil Muhtajab, the webmaster of Zarqawi's terrorist network and one of his associates.
Aso, issued in Kirkuk 3 times a week by Xendan Publishing House
Four leading members of Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party (KSDP) and other senior members announced their resignations. KSDP leader Muhammed Haji Mahmoud confirmed the resignations to the weekly and said the party activities would not be affected. ·
The Director of Education Department in Kirkuk appointed another 123 teachers for the Turcoman schools. A key member of the Iraqi Turcoman Front, The Director continues hampering the appointment of Kurdish teachers to weaken Kurdish education in the governorate.
KurdistanObserver.com <http://www.kurdistanobserver.com>
Kirkuk, the capital of South Kurdistan… A crucial first step
Al-Adalah [by the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI)]
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Cabinet forms ministerial committee to investigate death of three members of Badr Organization in custody; Human Rights Ministry denounces criminal act ...
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SCIRI leader condemns attacks on mosques ...
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Kurdish officials: Our coalition with any bloc based on common interests ...
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New National Assembly to convene after consultations by end of month ...
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Iraqi security forces in charge of Baghdad security ...
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Missing US reconnaissance plane found south of Baghdad ...
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US forces begin Operation River Blitz to strike terrorist targets in Al-Anbar province ...
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Al-Najaf police and border police arrest terrorist group close to Saudi Arabia Twenty-five terrorists apprehended, one of them involved in Arbil bombings ...
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Armed group assassinates Health Ministry official Turkey: We have no secret agenda over Iraq ... Italians demand release of kidnapped journalist in Iraq ...
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Iraqi official: Terrorists failed to penetrate during Ashura ... Roadside bomb explosion wounds two policemen, one civilian in Basra ...
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Romania: Iraq can repay its debts with help of partners ...
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Iraq to take part in round table meeting in Paris Justice Ministry sets up committee to consider compensation claims Reconstruction Ministry rebuilds Samarra holy city damaged by military operations Problem of former Information Ministry staff on way to solution
Baghdad [Baghdad, daily by the Iraqi National Accord Movement]
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Consultations to decide date of National Assembly meeting ...
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Tight security measures in Al-Anbar ...
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UK officer involved in setting investigation rules at Abu-Ghurayb prison ...
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Jakarta sends crisis management expert over two hostages ...
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Two staff members of Iraquna mobile phone company assassinated Part of Iraqi marshland revived Washington acknowledges:
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Iraq turned into base for training terrorists Environmental experts warn of threat of industrial waste flowing into rivers
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Training courses for Health Ministry staff in Riyadh, Amman, Abu Dhabi, Beirut
Al-Manar al-Yawm [Baghdad, daily independent newspaper in Arabic]
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Officers, non-commissioned officers from radio, computer units invited to join new Iraqi army
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Clashes in Al-Ramadi; US forces storm Al-Fallujah
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Over 30 killed in Baghdad on Ashura day
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Efforts exerted to secure release of two Indonesian journalists in Iraq
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US Marines in Iraq begin operation to establish security in Al-Ramadi
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Occupation opponents: Seven conditions for dialogue in Iraq
Al-Mu'tamar [Baghdad, daily published by the Iraqi National Congress]
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United Iraqi Alliance consultations continuing;
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Al-Chalabi strong candidate to hold post of first elected Iraqi PM
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Two Iraqis killed in clashes between US forces, gunmen in Al-Qa'im
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US Congress delegation observes progress made by Iraqi security forces
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Trial of former regime officials due in July
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Human Rights Watch: Chemical Ali involved in Basra massacre
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Baghdad Municipality discusses implementation of projects funded by World Bank
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Iraqi appoints financial advisors to negotiate with creditors
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Iraqi economist: Oil price rises did not change
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Iraqis' conditions because of government mismanagement
Al-Zaman [daily, independent, Baghdad edition of London-based Al-Zaman]
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United Iraqi Alliance closer to hold secret ballot to choose PM; failure to agree on top posts delays National Assembly meeting
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Iranian intelligence agent leading armed ring captured in Balad Ruz
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Gunmen attack village in Al-Shirqat; marines clamp curfew on Al-Ramadi
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Huge fire breaks out in drug depository in Mosul
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Allawi: Ministerial committee formed to investigate killing of three Badr members
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Al-Najaf governor Al-Zurfi: Armed ring led by former army officer broken
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Association of Muslim Scholars denounces attacks on Shi'i mosques, holy places
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Environment Ministry official assassinated; suspects arrested over charges of stealing cars, forging official documents
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Car bomb blast in Al-Hawijah; two killed in Kirkuk ...
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Armed attack on Mithal al-Allusi's home Al-A'zamiyah council suspends work in protest against arrest of chairman UNESCO discusses means of developing higher education in Iraq;
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Iraqi delegation reviews negative aspects of involving international operations
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Education minister: 50 schools rehabilitated in Al-Fallujah
IRAQI PRESS QUOTES, 21 Feb 05
``An attempts to ignite a civil war ``- Al-Mu'tamar
Al-Mu'tamar [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Iraqi National Congress] 21 Feb 05: Mortar shells, car bombs and explosive belts wrapped around the bodies of suicide attackers targeted mosques in poor districts of Baghdad and other Iraqi cities this week, while assassinations and kidnappings of politicians and government employees, policemen and national guards increased... Are these attempts to ignite a civil war, after all the efforts and funds spent over nearly two years failed to abort the nascent political process in Iraq? Who benefits from fuelling enmity among the people and maintaining tension, insecurity and lawlessness?... They have to realize that they themselves will be the first to burn as inflammable fuel in any civil war that might happen in Iraq, God forbid... They have to understand that there will be no chance for outside players to decide its course or consequences... Its result is settled even before they succeed in sparking it, and the victor will be only those millions who challenged death and booby traps to say "Yes" to change through the ballot box on 30 January.
``Iraqis need actions not promises'' - Al-Zaman
Al-Zaman [daily, independent, Baghdad edition of London-based Al-Zaman] 21 Feb 05: The new Iraqi government may face more popular demands than expected, which will be beyond their capabilities... The voters who brought the government to power firmly believe they have contributed to creating these posts and will look for quick results in return for the votes that they cast for the winners... The time has come to turn the promises into action and results. Anything other than this will not make Iraqis trust the faces portrayed in various gold, ivory, steel and decorated frames.
``The impossibility of applying Islam as a government system''- Al-Sabah al-Jadid
Al-Sabah al-Jadid, political Daily in Arabic, 21 Feb 05: publishes an article discussing the impossibility of applying Islam as a government system in Iraq. The author says that Islam as a theory of values and ethics is perfect, but it will be distorted if it is imposed on people as a government system. He adds that what the Islamist parties must do now is to "Islamize" the society by "activating the Islamic values of cooperation, toleration, and working to solve the economic and social problems."
Al-Dustur [Baghdad, daily independent newspaper in Arabic] 21 Feb 05: carries an editorial by Chief Editor Basim al-Shaykh, commenting on the US Ambassador in Baghdad John Negroponte, describing him as the "man of difficult tasks" in the US Administration. Al-Shaykh says that Negroponte once told him that it is the Iraqis' "responsibility to build their country, and the departure of US forces depends on a decision by Iraq's legitimate institutions." He adds that now it is "our task to bolster the democratic process to establish the legitimate institutions, and maintain friendly relations with the countries that participated in occupying Iraq."
IRAQI MEDIA PROGRAMME SUMMARIES, 21 Feb 05
Al-Diyar TV 21 Feb 05
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US Time magazine says the United States is holding secret negotiations with Sunni "resistance" groups to end violence ...
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US and Iraqi forces launch security operations in Al-Ramadi, Hadithah, Hit, and nearby areas ...
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Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi rules out the establishment of an Islamic state in Iraq at this stage ...
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Ahmad al-Chalabi says he has the support of the majority to head the Iraqi government ...
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Adnan Pachachi says he rules out the possibility of Al-Chalabi becoming the prime minister ...
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The spokesman for an election observer group says the next government has many duties to perform to serve the interests of the Iraqi people. He says the post of prime minister is almost settled in favour of Ibrahim al-Ja'fari. He praises the progress of the political process in Iraq noting that it is based on dialogue and cooperation ...
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American and Iraqi forces arrest 97 suspects in raids in Al-Ramadi and Mosul ...
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Bodies of three Iraqi soldiers were found between Al-Fallujah and Samarra. Armed men assassinate the Health Ministry's chief engineer ...
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At least seven Iraqis were killed in separate attacks in northern Iraq ...
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The tight security measures in Karbala proved effective in protecting Ashura processions
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Iraqi National Congress official Intifad Qanbar strongly attacks Allawi's government, blaming it for administrative corruption in government departments ...
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The two kidnapped Indonesian journalists in Iraq have been released ...
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Report on a conference in Baghdad for a number of Iraqi parties from six governorates to discuss a unified political vision for Iraq's future ...
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The Iraqi cabinet allocates 30m for roads in the Babil Governorate ...
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The oil ministry sets new fuel prices ...
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Interview with the spokesman of the Oil Ministry on measures to fight administrative and financial corruption in the ministry ...
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The Iraqi Trade Ministry says ration cards will continue to be used in 2005 and 2006 ...
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A meeting was held in Al-Nasiriyah Governorate to discuss water and electricity projects
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A number of water projects have been implemented in Al-Anbar ...
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The Japanese unit in Samawah signs a contract to pave a 26-km road
Al-Sharqiyah TV news 21 Feb 05
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Al-Da'wah party expects its leader Ibrahim al-Ja'fari to be nominated for prime minister, Al-Chalabi confident he is the one to be nominated for the position ...
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Armed men ambush US medical team attending wounded US soldiers south of Baghdad; eye witnesses say many bodies seen at the site ...
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Christian leaders condemn attacks on religious targets in Iraq, call for unity ...
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Armed men attack lorries carrying supplies for the Iraqi army in Ba'qubah; three missiles hit hospital in Ba'qubah. Map of Iraq ...
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Two Indonesian journalists released following their kidnapping in Al-Ramadi ...
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One Al-Anbar university student killed, four injured in random US shooting following an attack on their patrol vehicle; US forces arrest tribal leader in Al-Ramadi ...
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US forces storm targets in two towns in Al-Anbar Province, arrest eleven ...
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Iraqi border forces arrest 193 Iranian and Afghani infiltrators near the Iranian border last week ...
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Armed men assassinate high ranking police officer in Mosul ...
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Iraqi TV presenter, 10 year old daughter kidnapped in Mosul ...
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One civilian killed, three injured in random shooting by US forces in Samarra following an attack on a US patrol vehicle ...
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Unknown group threatens to kill three people it kidnapped because they work for the Americans ...
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Iraqi immigration minister announces intention to delay return of Iraqi refugees to Iraq to avoid possible problems ...
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US forces kill driver, injures passenger of a car which over took their convoy in Bayji ...
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Allawi holds meeting with Ibrahim Al-Ja'fari, discusses the subject of choosing the new prime minister ...
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Allawi announces he will be nominated by his party for the position of prime minister ...
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Al-Ja'fari announces discussions with Allawi were about the inclusion of all factions in the new government
Al-Iraqiyah TV news 21 Feb 05
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Vice-President Ibrahim al-Ja'fari holds talks with Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi over ongoing political process ...
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Islamic Al-Da'wah Party says United Iraqi Alliance in talks to pick premier ...
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Jawad al-Malaki, member of the United Iraqi Alliance says premier to be selected on Tuesday 22 February ...
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Salama al-Khafaji, member of United Iraqi Alliance says Ahmad al-Chalabi best candidate for post of prime minister ...
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Spokesman for Independent Electoral Commission Farid Ayar says elected National Assembly opening to be decided by government ...
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Iraqis say they trust elected members of National Assembly ...
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Allawi sends condolence message to Shi'a marja Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani marking anniversary of death of Imam Al-Husayn, praises role of Al-Sistani ...
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Iraqi force takes over security in Baghdad areas from multinational force ...
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Iraqi police arrest terrorist, seize weapons in Baghdad ...
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Mosul police chief announces arrest of members of terror network ...
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Terror suspects arrested in Mosul. Video report shows video of security operation, terror suspect captured, Iraqis praising security force ...
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Abducted Indonesian journalists released in Al-Ramadi ...
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Iraqi woman presenter abducted in Mosul ...
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Police arrest terror suspects in Muthana ...
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Sunni waqf diwan condemns attacks targeting Shi'i mosques ...
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Minister of Culture says committee to look into re-employment of staff of former Ministry of Information ...
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Iraq visitors undergo Aids tests ...
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American President George Bush urges EU to increase help to Iraq ...
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Iraq housing fund set up
Kurdish News &Updates from the Kurdish Press, 21 Feb 05
Kurdish officials call for recognition of peshmerga
A US Congress delegation including Senator Hillary Clinton met Kurdish officials in the northern city of Kirkuk on 20 February, the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) newspaper Kurdistani Nuwe reported on 21st. Kirkuk governor Abd-al-Rahman Mustafa told the newspaper that they had "discussed the unlawful intervention by some government departments in the city's affairs, which was reminiscent of the practice of the former regime". He said the local officials demanded that Kirkuk be given a share of oil revenues, and he added that the US delegation "showed understanding for our demands and pledged to draw the US president's attention to them". (Kurdistani Nuwe 21 Feb 05)
US forces raid Turkoman Front office in Mosul
Kurdistan satellite TV News Summary 21 Feb 05
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Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Mus'ud Barzani meets prominent figures from Warta town in Salah-al-Din ...
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KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan political bureaus met in Dukan yesterday ... Reuters interviews PUK leader Jalal Talabani ...
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US congress delegation visits Kirkuk ...
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Pro-KDP Kurdistan Student Union and Youth Union celebrate their 52nd anniversaries ...
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Students in Dahuk celebrate creation of friendship society between Kurdish and British students ...
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Shi'is mark Ashura anniversary ...
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Ministry of Construction and Development officials meet South Korean Olive military unit representatives ...
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Minister of agriculture meets trade union representatives ...
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Kurdistan Women's Union meets representative of Swedish Kurdistan Women's Union in Arbil ...
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Support committee for Kurdish refugees in camp near border with Jordan calls for international support
KurdSat satellite TV News Summary 21 Feb 05
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Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader meets official at British consulate in Kirkuk ...
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PUK and Kurdistan Democratic Party political bureaus met in Dukan yesterday ...
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US president meets Belgian king ...
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Twenty terrorists arrested in operation against terrorism in Kirkuk; round up of recent anti-terrorist operations in Kirkuk ...
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Opposition forces in Lebanon demonstrate against government ... Israel releases 500 Palestinian prisoners ...
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Bomb explodes in southern Baghdad killing one US soldier and injuring another ...
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Former US presidents visit South Asia to supervise US aid for reconstruction ...
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Official from Japanese embassy visits PUK representative in Tehran ...
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Japanese foreign minister meets US secretary of state ...
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South Koreans demonstrate against
Updates from the Kurdish Press, 21 Feb 2005
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A US Congressional delegation headed by Senator Hillary Clinton visited Kirkuk and met with the Governor and representatives of the political parties there. The Kirkuki officials reiterated the necessity of implementing Article 58 of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) and speeding up service projects, as well as allocating a fair share of the oil revenues for servicing the governorate, the Governor told the daily. He further said that the delegation was told that some of the Iraqi ministries were interfering in Kirkuk affairs just like the former regime. The delegation reportedly expressed understanding to the Kurdish demands and promised to relay them to the Congress.
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The Arab settlers return to their places of origin, Kirkuk Deputy Governor Ismael Hadidi said in a special interview with the daily. The implementation of TAL Article 58 was one of Kirkuk's pending priorities, Hadidi said adding that the implementation of the Article meant not only the return of displaced IDPs to Kirkuk but also sending back the Arab settlers to their original places [in central and southern Iraq]. Hadidi, a genuine Arab from Kirkuk is a successful candidate on the Kurdish list for Iraq elections.
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A medical warehouse was burnt mistakenly in Mosul Sunday afternoon during clashes between the US forces and a number of terrorists. One civilian worker was slightly injured in the incident, in addition to great material damages.
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A Kurdish officer of the Iraqi new army survived an assassination attempt but his wife and cousin were killed in the attempt days ago. A Police commander in the city expected increase of terror operations by ex-Baathists in the aftermath of the election results that showed the success of the Kurdish list.
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A ten-member armed group attacked the camp of Democratic Union Party (DUP) near Chamchamal town on Kirkuk-Sulaymanya highway days ago and seriously wounded Party leader Kamal Shaheen, who died on the way to a Sulaymanya hospital. KUP is a new group established by the Syrian Kurds who broke away from Kongra Gal (former PKK). Speaking on condition of anonymity, a KUP source held Kongra Gal responsible for the assassination. The KRG security forces in Chamchamal arrested 7 of the attackers who were affiliated to Kongra Gal and sent them to Sulaymanya for further investigation.
The elections in Kirkuk represent not only a great victory for freedom loving democrats who fought for many decades to highlight the threat posed by demographic changes to the city after it was emptied from its Kurdish population, it is a victory for everyone who has an interest in human rights.
The very fact that barring more than 100,000 Kurds - a figure which is well below actual number of original Kurds driven out of Kirkuk - from voting in the much reduced size of Kirkuk governorate would have posed a great threat to the integrity and credibility of the new Iraq.
As the Kurdish leadership involved in redressing the ills of the past know, it would not be an easy task. There are a many powerful players who do not see it in their interests to recognize, let alone accept the rightful return of original inhabitants of Kirkuk.
The obstructive stance of Turkey and its ally, the Turkoman Front, did not make one iota of difference to the task of reversing decades of oppressive measures, which were aimed at ethnically cleansing this historically Kurdistani province and characteristically Kurdish city of Kirkuk.
Turkey and its ally that welcomed and applauded Arabization and the de-Kurdification of Kirkuk city and its province, have tried to undermine the inclusion of all of Kirkuk Kurds in the province's council election at every opportunity.
To this end they funded a campaign of disinformation and paid for false reports intended to discredit the right of Kirkuk's indigenous population to reclaim their land and their history, and attempting to create mistrust when confidence is required, fear when peace is required and malicious lies when truth is required.
So today is a great victory. But it is only the first battle in the campaign against falsehood and deception because there is much to do to undo decades of inhuman and deliberate neglect and marginalization of Kirkuki Kurds, which Turkey and its ally want to preserve.
The international community has made it clear during years leading to the conflict in former Yugoslavia, that it finds ethnic cleansing as an abhorrent and criminal act that should be reversed, and that such practices destabilise the country which pursues such polices. This word of warning should have also been extended to the biggest enthusiast of such practices, Turkey.
The next candidate for EU membership makes no apology for its relentless campaign to assimilate and Turkify every non-Turkic element within Turkey, be it 20m-25m Kurds, Armenians, Arabs as well as Greco-Byzantine history and many more historical and cultural aspects of this once non-Turkic region of Anatolia.
Forcible assimilation and ethnic cleansing pose a threat to the very essence of humanity and coexistence between nations, as we know it and have witnessed in former Yugoslavia, as well as in countries which Kurdistan is divided among them, namely Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Syria.
A regional rise in these unlawful practices as a result of Kurdish achievements will threaten millions of Kurds with increased oppression and violations of basic human rights, including summarily arrests, imprisonment, torture and death. Millions more will find their properties and life at risk from state-sponsored terror aimed at stifling dissent and moves emulating the gains made by their brethrens in South Kurdistan.
To tackle this threat with confidence Kurds from all various parts of Kurdistan and diaspora need to come together to build a strong consultative body and to act collectively.
The UN has an essential role to play in leading a regional action to stop physical and cultural crimes against Kurds in other parts of Kurdistan, and if it is to carry out the role effectively it must do it in a more vocal way not just as a bystander as in the past.
Turkey's vociferous objection of election results in Kirkuk is on the one hand part of the plot to maintain the legacies of the past and on the other to feed the anti-Kurdish Turkish media and sadly the ill-informed and indoctrinated sections of Turkish public opinion against the Kurds' lawful, legitimate and genuine results in Kirkuk, the rightful capital of South Kurdistan. This policy also forms a cornerstone of Turkey's relentless effort against the right of self-determination for the Kurds of North Kurdistan.
As the advantages of election results in Kirkuk become apparent, not just for Kurds, but also for Turkomans, Arabs and Chaldo-Assyrian-Syriac Christians, the Kurds will want the province to be reincorporated back to its rightful place, the federalist region of Kurdistan. Making Kirkuk the capital of South Kurdistan is not just good for the democracy; it will also insure ever lasting peace, stability and prosperity for all ethnic and religious groups in South Kurdistan.
Indeed, elections results in Kirkuk have sent a powerful message to governments of Turkey, Iran and Syria and the world that tackling and reversing decades of ethnic cleansing against Kurds and some Turkomans is a priority and that ignoring the problem will inevitably bear grave consequences.
However, the other more worrying message for these countries, which fought the Kurds and never sought their friendship, is that all of Kirkuk constituents will have a role to play and all will enjoy political, cultural and all the rights that are associated with a healthy democratic society.
In the short term, Turkey and its ally in Kirkuk will embark on the usual campaign of sewing seeds of hate, fear and provocation, but their current dependence on Ba'thist and anti-Kurds elements can not be sustained. There are many shifting paradigms and many unknown variables, but what's certain is that the tide of freedom is sweeping across the region and it is already blasting the shores of bastions of tyranny and oppression.
Iraq as a whole and in particular South Kurdistan, with its capital Kirkuk, have already been blessed by this change, raising international community's understanding about Kurdish issue and the absence of freedom in other neighbouring countries including the other three parts of Kurdistan, North Kurdistan in Turkey, East Kurdistan in Iran and West Kurdistan in Syria.
Reaching political agreement to protect the rights of Kurds from continued oppressive measures and cultural assimilation and to achieve political rights is no easy task in these countries, and democratic means and peaceful campaigns by Kurds, particularly in North Kurdistan, need international support in the shape of a UN resolution.
Kurdish leadership in South Kurdistan, on the other hand, has already indicated its intention to put the full implementation of Article 58 of the Interim Iraqi State Administration Law* [*Article 58 stipulates that situation in Kirkuk should be normalized and those brought in as part of Arabization campaign should be repatriated and Kurds to reclaim their properties and receive compensation] firmly on the agenda of the new government of Iraq. More importantly both Kurdish leaders must make use of their role within Iraq and South Kurdistan to insure that the Kirkuk model of governance is far more inclusive than all of Iraq's hostile neighbours and envy of all multi-ethnic societies in Middle East.
More efforts are needed to maintain the political momentum generated by the alliance between the two main Kurdish parties and to find the best way forward that works for incorporating others regions, such as Khanaqin and parts of Diyala province, Sinjar and some parts of Mosul back within the boundaries of South Kurdistan with its eternal capital Kirkuk.
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