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IRAQI NEWS, 13 APRIL 05
·         Several explosions reported in Baghdad
·         Interior Ministry official escapes assassination attempt
·         Iraqi commander sees end of Baghdad operations within one month
·         Three policemen wounded diffusing bomb near Kirkuk
·         Iraqi paper quotes "reliable source" on top government posts
·         Allawi demands 4 ministries for list's participation in government
·         Al-Anbar University students, staff continue sit-in
IRAQI PRESS HEADLINES, 13 APRIL 2005
·         Al-Zaman
·         Baghdad
·         Al-Dustur
·         Al-Mu'tamar
IRAQI PRESS QUOTES, 13 APRIL 2005
·         ``Involvement of all parties in new government, a positive sign'' Al-Adalah
·         ``Democratic Constitution'' -Al-Mada
IRAQI BROADCAST MEDIA, 13 APRIL 05
·         Al-Sharqiyah TV news 13 Apr 05
·         Al-Iraqiyah TV news 1600 gmt 13 April 05
UPDATES FROM THE KURDISH PRESS, 12 APRIL 2005
·         www.peyamner.com
·         Aso, private weekly newspaper issued in Sulaymanya by Xandan Publishing House
·         Kurdistani Nwe, daily newspaper issued in Sulaymanya by PUK
·         Khabat daily issued in Erbil by the KDP
·         Hawler Globe weekly magazine in English, issued in Erbil

IRAQI NEWS, 13 April 05
Several explosions reported in Baghdad
An explosive charge went off when a US patrol was travelling in Baghdad's al-Jadidah area, southeast of the capital, destroying a Hummer vehicle, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 13 April.
Another explosive charge went off on Al-Qanat street, continued the report, destroying a fuel tanker that was travelling within the US convoy targeted by the operation. The US forces sealed off the area.
A third explosion destroyed a US vehicle and five civilian cars in the west of the Iraqi capital early on 13 April, said the report. Quoting the Interior Ministry, it said that a car bomb was detonated while a US military patrol was travelling on the road to Baghdad International Airport. (Al-Sharqiyah 0800 gmt 13 Apr 05)
Interior Ministry official escapes assassination attempt
A prominent official at the Iraqi Interior Ministry escaped an assassination attempt on 13 April when unidentified gunmen opened fire south of Baghdad. A ministry source quoted by Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV said that gunmen opened fire and wounded Col Naji Sa'b Husayn from the Interior Ministry's Department of the Inspector-General. Husayn and Commissioner Hazim Hannun were injured in the incident near the Al-Bu'aytha checkpoint in the south of the capital and were taken to Al-Jun al-Asabi Hospital for treatment for serious injuries. (Al-Sharqiyah 0800 gmt 13 Apr 05)
Iraqi commander sees end of Baghdad operations within one month
An Iraqi field military commander has vowed to end all aspects of armed operations in Baghdad within one month. Brig-Gen Faysal Qasim al-Khuza'i, commander of Baghdad Protection Detachment, said that new armed units were performing progressively better in the city and its outskirts. (Al-Sharqiyah 0800 gmt 13 Apr 05)
Three policemen wounded diffusing bomb near Kirkuk
Three Iraqi policemen were wounded while trying to defuse an explosive charge near Kirkuk early on 13 April, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. Police Colonel Sarhat Qadir explained that they were working to remove the timer from an explosive charge, which they found planted in Badwan area, 10 km in the north of Kirkuk. He said that the explosive charge went off as soon as the policemen approached it, wounding them seriously. (Al-Sharqiyah 13 Apr 05)
Iraqi paper quotes "reliable source" on top government posts
Iraqi political daily Al-Furat on 12 April quoted a "reliable source" at the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) as saying that most of the top posts in the new government had already been decided. According to the report, three deputy prime ministers will be appointed instead of one, and that the Arab Sunnis will hold six ministerial posts including the Defence Ministry. Regarding the deputy prime ministers, the source asserted that the first deputy prime ministerial post will be held by Dr Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, and Rozh Nuri Shawes, former vice president and a member of the Kurdistan Alliance, will hold the second deputy prime ministerial post. A candidate for the third deputy post has not yet been nominated. The source added that the UIA will hold three sovereign ministerial posts, namely: the Oil Ministry - to be given to Dr Bahr al-Ulum; the Interior Ministry that will be given to Bayan Jabr; and the Finance Ministry.
The source added that Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari would keep his post, as would Minister of Public Works Nisrin Barwari and Water Resources Minister Dr Abd-al-Latif Rashid. Moreover, Adnan Pachachi's four ministers, namely, Planning Minister Mahdi al-Hafiz, Layla Abd-al-Latif, minister of labour and social affairs, Housing and Construction Minister Umar al-Faruq and Environment Minister Mashkat al-Mu'min would leave their posts. (Al-Furat 12 Apr 05)
Allawi demands 4 ministries for list's participation in government
Outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said in an interview with Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV on 12 April that his Iraqi List had demanded four out of the 31 ministries to be allocated by the new leadership. Speaking in a pre-recorded interview, he said that his list had demanded either the Interior or Defence Ministry, and two public service ministries and a ministry in charge of the economy. "We did not specify any ministries except for the Interior or Defence Ministry. These were our demands," he said. (Al-Sharqiyah TV 12 Apr 05)
Al-Anbar University students, staff continue sit-in
Students and teaching staff of Al-Anbar University have continued their sit-in to protest against US presence and "repeated encroachment on the university", Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 13 April. The sit-in started on 9 April. The TV said US forces constantly raid the campus, impose security cordons on roads leading to the university, and search teachers and students forcing them to stand in long queues during working hours. (Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad, in Arabic 1420 gmt 13 Apr 05)

IRAQI PRESS HEADLINES, 13 APRIL 2005
Al-Zaman
·         Al-Zaman [daily, independent, Baghdad edition of London-based Al-Zaman]: Talabani: New government to be announced by weekend; Talabani denies request against Iraqi security purges
·         Talks between EU, Islamic Party
·         Twenty gunmen caught in Jalawla, tribe leader assassinated in Diyala; attempt to plant bombs on Al-Kut-Baghdad road foiled
·         Pentagon limits US military service in Iraq, combat zones to 12 months
·         Sunni endowment office calls for end to mosque attacks
·         Explosive charge detonated in Al-Amal al-Sha'bi Street in Baghdad
·         Mosul environment department: Inspection visits carried out to test drinking water
·         Migration minister: Forcible expulsion without compensation rejected
·         Civil society activists demand honorary seats in National Assembly
·         Nine thousand jobless people employed in Basra
·         Iraqi-Iranian talks to open Al-Shalamjah line for holy shrine visitors
Baghdad
Baghdad [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Iraqi National Accord Movement]:
·         Allawi demands review of prisoners' files
·         Talabani tells Rumsfeld: Government to be formed before weekend
·         Car bomb blast in Mosul; four terror leaders surrender to security forces
·         Washington may withdraw 40,000 troops in early 2006 (news agencies quoted)
·         Poland to pull out troops from Iraq by 2005 (AFP quoted)
·         Car bomb, three mortar shells explode in Al-Za'faraniyah [Baghdad]
·         Ten Iraqis killed in assassinations, murders in Baghdad
·         Policeman wounded in bomb explosion; munitions found in Zayyunah, Al-Silaykh [Baghdad]
·         Three explosive devices discovered in Al-Durah; policeman killed
·         Kidnappers of Pakistani demand ransom (AFP quoted)
·         Passenger train operated between Al-Samawah, Basra
·         Al-Fallujah hospital offers free services for six months
·         Thirty-one schools rebuilt in Diyala


Al-Dustur
Al-Dustur [Baghdad, daily independent newspaper in Arabic]:
·         Talabani calls on UN to live up to its responsibilities, stresses need for combating corruption ...
·         Rumsfeld meets Al-Ja'fari, warns against delay of political process
·         Muqtada al-Sadr defines tasks of Al-Mahdi Army
·         Barham Salih pleased with Iraqi List's participation in government
·         Interior Ministry official escapes assassination attempt (news agencies quoted)
·         Allawi receives Pakistani president's envoy ...
·         Iraqi Journalists Union, National Journalism Council denounce assassination of Journalist
·         Ahmad al-Rubay'i Leading member of dissolved Ba'th Party captured
·         Iraqi police free 20 civil servants immediately after kidnap ..
·         Former Ba'thist official assassinated in Jalawla; 26 Iraqis wounded in Samarra; 13 terrorists killed in Baladruz, 24 others wounded in Mosul (news agencies quoted)
·         Iraq UN envoy appeals to UN for lifting sanctions off Iraq US contractor abducted in Iraq Iraqi criminal court issues sentences in ten cases
·         World Bank grants 40m dollars to Agriculture Ministry ...
·         Al-Diwaniyah traffic police demonstrate to demand commander change
Al-Mu'tamar
Al-Mu'tamar [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Iraqi National Congress]:
·         Al-Ja'fari pledges to fight corruption, admits challenges;
·         Rumsfeld warns against purges in defence, interior ministries (Reuters quoted)
·         Differences over distribution of portfolios ongoing; Sharif Ali questions credibility of Electoral Commission
·         Al-Sistani prohibits excesses against electrical power lines
·         Endorsement of Arab, foreign employment contracts suspended
·         Iraq envoy to UN appeals to Security Council to treat Iraq like any other state, calls for stopping salary payment to weapons inspectors
·         Environmental teams visit schools in Al-Sadr City, Al-Karradah, Al-Baladiyah [Baghdad]
·         Karbala local council unanimously agrees to dismiss council chief

IRAQI PRESS QUOTES, 13 APRIL 2005
``Involvement of all parties in new government, a positive sign'' Al-Adalah
Al-Adalah[Baghdad, twice-weekly newspaper in Arabic published by the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI)]; From commentary by Ali Khalif
"The formation of the new Iraqi government is reaching its final stages after political forces have settled all outstanding issues The involvement of all parties in the new government holds positive signs for a future full of optimism since all have realized that the higher interest necessitates effective contribution to pushing the political process forward, far from personal gains The stage through which Iraq is passing requires true and sincere action in service of Iraq. Iraqis are faithful to those who are faithful to them and sacrifice for them The coming days will witness the emergence of a national elected government not from a vacuum, but rather from immense sacrifices made by the Iraqi people and national and Islamic forces "

``Democratic Constitution'' -Al-Mada
Al-Mada [Baghdad, daily, independent newspaper published by Al-Mada Media, Culture and Arts Corporation]; From editorial by Fakhri Karim

"We have to distinguish between the state and the political system, and clear the former from the claims of the winners and the resentment of the losers. But first of all, we have to convert it into a machine that responds to people's aspirations by turning it into a democratic medium without blowing it up with disputes from within The state is not the right place for party action, nor is it a vital space for expression to parties, sects and ethnic groups. Moreover, it is not a ladder to climb or seize power with an iron fist. If the democratic constitution can define the tasks of the state, it cannot, overnight, create human beings who respect the collective will expressed in the constitution. Many Arab constitutions are flawless, if put into effect, but who will ever do so? "

IRAQI BROADCAST MEDIA, 13 April 05
Al-Sharqiyah TV news 13 Apr 05
·         Iyad Allawi, the former Iraqi prime minister says in an interview with Al-Sharqiyah TV that his Iraqi List wants to take part in the new Iraqi cabinet ...
·         Four explosions rock the Iraqi capital and other parts of Iraq today after US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld concluded visit to Iraq ...
·         Bomb blast destroy US armoured vehicle in Baghdad today ...
·         Iraqi senior army officer pledges to end all acts of terrorism in Baghdad within one month ...
·         Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says geographical realties make it impossible for Iraqi Kurds to establish an independent state ...
·         The UN appoints former aide to Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, as head of the UN team that will help Iraqi experts in preparing new constitution ...
·         Hoshyar Zebari, the outgoing Iraqi foreign minister says he expects the new Iraqi government to be announced next Sunday during the coming meeting of the Iraqi National Assembly ...
·         Robert Zoellick, the US deputy secretary of state starts visit to Iraq by going to city of Al-Fallujah ...
·         The students and professors of Al-Anbar university continue their sit-in inside the university to protest the presence of American forces in Iraq ...
·         Senior official of the Iraqi Interior Ministry escapes assassination attempt in southern Baghdad today ...
·         Nine Iraqi police officers killed today in city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq while trying to diffuse a bomb planted under an oil pipe ...
·         US forces continue their siege of Al-Saqlawiyah [phonetic] area in Al-Anbar Governorate in western Iraq for the second day ...
·         The Romanian president says the Romanian government is continuing contacts with the abductors of three Romanian journalists in Iraq.
Al-Iraqiyah TV news 1600 gmt 13 April 05
·         Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says cabinet to be announced on 17 April ...
·         National Assembly speaker Hachim al-Hasani says next meeting to discuss internal regulations ...
·         Member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq Rida Jawad Taqi says cabinet to be announced within two days ...
·         Former Vice-President Nuri Shawes says Iraqi List should be included in cabinet
·         Prime Minister designate Ibrahim al-Ja'fari says visit of US Under-secretary of State is part of ongoing assessment of Iraq democracy
·         President Jalal Talabani says Kurds want right of self-determination but this remains dream
·         Main groupings say all forces should be represented in cabinet
·         Baghdad province council calls for week marking birth of Prophet to be week of national unity
·         Mass grave found in Al-Nassiriayh
·         National Guard arrests terror network south of Baghdad
·         Police arrest 18 terror suspects; terror suspects killed near border with Syria
·         Report says new passports to be issued; travel restrictions eased
·         Students at University of Al-Anbar call for security restrictions to be eased

Updates from the Kurdish Press, 12 April 2005
www.peyamner.com <http://www.peyamner.com>      
·         The US Secretary of Defense appeared in Baghdad in a sudden visit to be the first American minister who visits Iraqi elected president Talabani and his Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafary. Whiel stillon plain from DC to Baghdad, Rumsfeld told reporters he was concerned of the new Iraqi government's continuation of de-Baathification plans. The President told his US visitor that the new Iraqi government would be announced in a week time. In related news, Rumsfield flied northward to Salahuddin town north of Erbil, where the KDP leader Barzani received him warmly. The two sides are to hold a meeting this afternoon.
·         No decision has been taken to shut down the private Ayinda University, KRG-Sulaymanya Higher Education Minister Dr. Akhter Najmaddin told the sit-in students of the university. adding that there were only suggestions to eliminate corruption. A high-level KRG ministerial delegation comprising Najmaddin and 4 of her fellow ministers visited the sit-in students of the university Monday afternoon and expressed support to them. The students staged a sit-in in front of the Council of Ministers building since last week in protest to a decision by the PUK politburo to shut down the private university. Their sit-in comes after the end of a 5-week strike by Sulaymanya University students unhappy with the opening of the private university on grounds of corruption in the admission system. The Sulaymanya University students ended their strike when PUK politburo member Nawsherwan Mustafa divulged to them the shut down of the private University, a move that led to the current sit-in. The private university students on strike complain that the media does not pay enough attention to their case and some outlets misinform the public.
·         A senior KDP official told Al-Hayat newspaper that the Kurdish leadership is engaged in talks with the former Baathists who did not commit crimes against the Iraqi peoples. Recalling long-time relations between the Kurds and Sunni Arab tribes, Jaleel Feili in charge of the KDP 14th Branch of Baghdad added that the KDP and PUK agreed to deal with the Iraqi insurgents on basis of peace and dialogue.
Aso, private weekly newspaper issued in Sulaymanya by Xandan Publishing House
·         The KRG-Sulaymanya Minister of Education Shawnim Abdulqadir said she would join the next demonstration of teachers if their demands were not fulfilled. She said that the Council of Ministers issued a directive for a travel allowance reaching 50% of the salary to teachers in rural areas but she refused to implement the directive because her ministry proposed a 100% rate. The Minister apologized for a statement attributed to her deputy, who also heads Kurdistan Teachers' Union, describing the demonstrating teachers as insane and unfair. That statement reflected his personal views not that of the Ministry, the Education Minister said.
·         Kirkuk Governor Abdulrahman Mustafa said his office was negotiating with a Swedish company the construction of 5,000 housing units in the city to be distributed to the returning IDPs who could not afford proper accommodation for their families. Once a proper plot of land is allocated the project and the Iraqi government grants due approval, the beneficiaries would pay $200 in advance per one housing unit and then another $1,000 when they receive their houses. They would have to pay the remainder of the payment in 84 monthly installments.
Kurdistani Nwe, daily newspaper issued in Sulaymanya by PUK
·         President Jalal Talabani received a senior US delegation on Monday and discussed with them Iraqi status quo and issues of common concern. The delegation relayed the US government's congratulations for his election as president.
·         The Kurdistan and Shiite alliances continue their meetings for power distribution and formation of a new Iraqi government. The two sides agreed Monday that the new cabinet would have 31 ministries portfolios. The Kurdistan Alliance (KA) negotiator Fouad Maasoumin said the Kurds will get the post of deputy prime minister and 9 portfolios adding that it was too soon to disclose the names of the ministers. He also confirmed the participation of Allawi's List in the cabinet recalling that the number of portfolios allocated to the list was not determined yet.
·         In a regular cabinet meeting chaired by PM Omer Fattah Monday afternoon, the KRG-Sulaymanya decided to expand the measures for granting marriage and house construction loans to cover all citizens rather than only government civil servants. The cabinet also decided to establish a specialist committee from the ministries of public works, finance, education, health and reconstruction and send to the liberated areas of Kurdistan [outside KRG control] in preparation for the set up of a proper mechanism for the reconstruction of those areas.
·         The KRG-Sulaymanya Human Rights Minister plans to organize a massive festival in a number of Kurdistan cites to recall the 17th anniversary of the former regime's genocidal Operation Anfal. The Minister said that the activities would start on 14 April in Sulaymanya and certain activities would be carries out in Kirkuk, Khanaqeen, Chamchamal cities as well as some villages in Kalar, Kifri and Qaradagh areas. Many NGOs and inter-governmental organizations are cooperating with the ministry in recalling the notorious Operation Anfal that resulted in death and disappearance of about 200,000 Kurds and destruction of 4,500 villages throughout Kurdistan.
Khabat daily issued in Erbil by the KDP
¾        

The KDP leaeder Massoud Barzani received on Monday the commander of the MNFI forces in the border areas of Mosul Governorate. Their discussions focused on the latest political and security developments in Iraq and Mosul. Both sides reiterated the need for commitment to implementation of Transitional Administrative Law (TAL).

¾        

The interim chairperson of Kirkuk's elected municipal council Ali Salihi warned that the frontrunner Kirkuk Fraternity List (KF) would form a new administration in the governorate in a near future if the efforts to reach an agreement with the other lists failed. Salihi further attributed the reason for disagreement to the demand of other lists for certain position recalling that his KF List would not abandon the posts of Governor and Council Chairperson. For the other posts, we will make deals with those lists believing in restoration of Kirkuk to Kurdistan and implementation of TAL Article 58.
¾         Another mass grave was found in Samawa governorate desert. That mass grave that contains the corpses of tens of Kurds dates back to year 1985. It is located near the prison that the ousted regime constructed in Salman district in Samawa desert in 1983. Tens of mass grave have been unearthed in that area so far and most of the victims were the Kurds whom the former fascist regime forcibly moved from Kurdistan to the southern deserts of Iraq.

Hawler Globe weekly magazine in English, issued in Erbil
The new Iraq and taking the first step
Editorial By Sero Qadir

The Iraqi national assembly gathered last Wednesday and for the first time in the country's history, a Kurd was elected as the president. Mr. Talabani was proposed by the Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani as the Kurdistan Alliance nominee and was approved by all political forces in Kurdistan. The presidency of Mr. Talabani confirms that Kurds as expected, had the legal space to appoint one of the two leading positions in the new Iraqi governing structure.
Kurds find it important to be recognized firstly as a nation and then as one of the two cofounders of this new Iraqi republic. Kurds were at deep odds with the former regimes fighting against it for the last 83 years. They did not see themselves as the citizens of the old Iraq and never even considered to recognize a forced government that systematically worked against them as a nation, a country that rejected them the right to their nationhood and culture. Kurds did not hide their cooperation with the international coalition forces in toppling the former Iraqi state. Neither did they hide their joy when the former regime was replaced by a new one headed by a Kurd.
The old Iraqi state with Saddam Hussein as its symbol, tried much to eradicate the Kurds. During its thirty years in power, hundred thousands of Kurds were disappeared; the Anfal and Halabja are named frequently although there are many other examples.
This is the reason why Kurdistan after the collapse of Saddam and its state apparatus, was not willing to accept Iraqiness easily. An identity Kurds successfully refused to accept. Kurds are eager to preserve and establish their Kurdish identity before accepting their identity as Iraqis, and this remains a condition set by them when they accepted to take part in the forming of the new Iraq. Thus, the post of the president is the only means in protecting their national rights within the future Iraqi constitution.
Kurds want to stress two things within this constitution, the right to self-determination and the principle of an approved union.
No presidential elections were held in Iraq. The president was elected in accordance to months of negotiations between the election winners and the kingmakers of the January polls. Mr Talabani is Kurdish representative in Baghdad to ensure that Kurdish rights are preserved in the future. Kurds will watchfully require from their representative to work in that direction. This will in no ways make obstacles on his way to complete his other commitments as the leader of the new united, federal Iraq. Iraq has taken its first step toward democracy and basically all national, political and religious factions are satisfied. The path that led here was not an easy one, there are, however other steps that should be taken.

A Kurd as Iraqi president - symbolic for now, important later?
By Seb Walker, Globe staff writer
The most noteworthy aspect to the appointment of Jalal Talabani - Kurdish leader and former peshmerga fighter - as president of Iraq is, at the moment, the symbolism. It is a stunning demonstration of Iraqi Kurds' new-found political clout. To have a non-Arab president of a supposedly ``Arab'' state is one thing, but Iraq is a special case and the Kurds' history here has been one of constant persecution and political marginalization. While the presidency is largely ceremonial, the role has enormous prestige if little real power.
The fact that a Kurd who has spent much of his adult life in open revolt against Baghdad can now be occupying a post formerly filled by Saddam Hussein, just two years after the USled invasion, speaks volumes about the Kurdish success in the national polls. Internationally, the Iraqi presidency is hugely significant. Ghazi al Yawar was regarded as the country's ``leader'' but the fact he was appointed rather than elected was always an obstacle towards global acceptance. Mam Jalal does not have this problem - it is he rather than the prime minister who will be invited to represent his country on ceremonial visits to the White House or the United Nations. A Kurd representing Iraq. The full weight of this reality will be felt more strongly within the Middle East than outside it. To western newspaper readers, the ethnicity of Iraq's president is a small and largely unimportant detail.
Mildly interesting, but ``so what?'' Of course, things are markedly different in Iraq's neighbourhood. Turkey, Iran, Syria all live in fear of rising Iraqi Kurd strength, fearing the impact this could have on their own Kurdish communities. All three countries have a less-than-perfect record of tolerance towards ethnic minorities, especially Kurds. However, the character of Talabani is important here. He is a consummate politician who has cultivated good relations with governments around the region, sometimes to the detriment of his alliances within Iraq. The reaction of Turkey, long-opposed to manifestations of Iraqi Kurd strength is a good measure of how he will be accepted in the region. See, for instance, the guarded yet positive comments of Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul: ``He is someone who values Iraq's integrity. Therefore I congratulate him.'' Talabani has that special ability to be all things to all men, building relations in places where other Kurdish leaders would find it more difficult. He has allies in all sectors of Iraq's political landscape - revered on the Kurdish street, accepted by Sunni tribal leaders, friendly with Ayatollah Ali Sistani… he bridges many divides. He is the sweetener to that bitter pill and, as such, is perfect for the job - as long as he can keep everybody happy. For while Talabani is giving reassurances to Ankara that he is committed to a unified Iraq, he will also be under pressure from his core supporters, the Kurds, to extract for them the maximum possible benefits during his tenure. Since these, at minimum, include a constitution granting the Kurds federal autonomy, control of their natural resources and inclusion of oil-rich Kirkuk within Kurdish territory, Talabani will have to use all his juggling skills. True, his job is theoretically a ceremonial post - but other than being a figurehead, there are real responsibilities and duties, which Iraq's president is supposed to fulfill.
Add to that the ebullient, charismatic nature of this 72-year-old politician and its clear there will be a much more high-profile presidency than that of al Yawar. The political process ongoing in Iraq is without precedent, so it is unclear how much President Talabani will be able to assert himself. But given the political history of the post within Iraq, nobody should be surprised if this Iraqi president of Kurdish origin turns out to be less ``ceremonial'' than first thought.

The death of the old Iraq
By Aso Kerim

After More than two months of political rustling, the new Iraqi parliament elected a Sunni Arab speaker from the Iraqi List, and two deputies-- one Shiite, from the United Iraqi Accord, and another one from the Kurdistan Alliance. Despite the fact that there has been a mutual agreement between the list of candidates, in particular between the Kurds and the Shiites, yet the outcome of the voting of the 241 members of parliament last week spoke its true language: Hajim al Hasani received 215 votes, Hussein Shahristani 157 votes and Arif Taifour gained only 96 votes.
A close reading of the resultsof the parliament voting shows that the Kurdish contender received fewer votes from other lists despite previous agreements. Kurds should hang around for a moment and revise their open deals with the other lists, especially their agreements with the Shiites. Doesn't the parliament voting mean that what the Shiite list says is not what they really mean? Iraq cannot be rebuilt this way. Three days later, Iraqi parliament, abided by previous arrangements, elected Mr
Talabani as the president, Adil Abdulmahdi Ghazi and Ghazi Yawar, a Sunni Arab, were also elected the first and second vice presidents of the Federal Republic of Iraq.
The appointment of Mam Jalal as the head of the state, marks a new era in the history of Iraq as a country in which an Iraqi of Kurdish origin, representing the people of Kurdistan, takes a top leading position. This is, in deed, of great moral importance for the Kurds and it also implies that the sectarian era in which citizens were categorized in first and second citizenship, according to their national, religious or ethnic orientation has passed. Being appointed to hold a leading post within the Iraqi government is not the main objective for the Kurds.
Kurds cannot depend on their agreements with the Shiites and the Sunnis as the only source of guaranty and in order to secure their legal and political status in the future. The permanent constitution should specifically and explicitly refer to Iraq as a federal republic, which is made up of a non-compulsory union between the Kurdish region and other Iraqi regions. It should also be enshrined in the constitution that the people of Kurdistan abided by it can decide on their future and breakaway from it if that becomes the agenda.
Kurds keep a worried eye on how the permanent constitution is being formed and how it is being put to practice; hence, the international community should watchfully monitor the steps the new Iraq is taking. Since in a country like Iraq, with its complex and violent history, there is a notable difference between reaching agreements and putting the agreements into practice. If such international guaranties are not given to the Kurds, their remaining within Iraqi state is pointless. After inaugurating the president, the next step is to form a government. The coalition sides, Kurds and Shiites, are still in talks on the formation of the new administration and the cabinet members. Shiite
Alliance tries to fully take over the cabinet and make the power centralized. It is yet not too late for the Kurdish Alliance and the Shiites to come to a reasonable agreement regarding the actual power sharing and a just solution to the Kirkuk crises. The old Iraq has collapsed and there is no return for the new Iraq, yet much is needed to be done before one can see Iraq as a democratic country.
Establishing peace in Iraq firmly depends on reinforcing justice; in this regard, one should look upon other experiences in other countries like in the Balkans.