From the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)

 

This document is provided as a service by UNAMI. The material is drawn from non-UN sources and does not reflect the opinions of the United Nations, nor can the UN vouch for its accuracy

 

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

HEADLINES, Click to follow link

IRAQI NEWS, 13 June 05

Iraqi TV shows footage of former Iraqi president's interrogation

Legal aide: tribunal's interrogation of Saddam "illegal"

Iraqi police find six more dead bodies near Baghdad - TV

Four Iraqi soldiers, four gunmen killed in clashes in Ninawa

Four US soldiers killed in Al-Anbar

Two Iraqis killed in car-bomb explosion in Al-Yarmuk area

Multinational forces deny killing -civilians in western Iraq - TV

Iraqis question "US claims" on killing 40 gunmen

Two Iraqi parties announce merger to form "liberal" movement

Al-Hakim says constitution will be ready on time

Iraq imposes curbs on export of money, gold

IRAQI PRESS HEADLINES, 13 June 05

Baghdad [Baghdad daily, Arabic, the Iraqi National Accord Movement]

Al-Bayan [daily, Arabic, the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party paper]

Al-Hadath [Baghdad, weekly independent newspaper in Arabic]

Al-Mu'tamar [daily in Arabic by the Iraqi National Congress]

Al-Sharq al-Awsat [Baghdad edition]

Al-Zaman [Baghdad edition ]

IRAQI PRESS QOUTES & EDITORIALS, 13 June 05

“Many of government decisions need much courage and boldness”

Operation “Lightning” clear Baghdad of terrorism and armed elements

IRAQI BROADCAST MEDIA, 13 June 05

Al-Iraqiyah TV news summary 13 June 05

Al-Sharqiyah TV TV news summary 13 June 05

KURDS & Kurdish News, 13 June 05

Iraqi Kurdish official, US envoy discuss development, ties

Kurdistan Satellite TV news summary 13 June 05

KurdSat TV news summary 13 June 05

 

IRAQI NEWS, 13 June 05

Iraqi TV shows footage of former Iraqi president's interrogation

A special Iraqi tribunal on 13 June said that an Iraqi judge had interrogated ousted Iraqi President Saddam Husayn over the killing of scores of people in a village where he escaped an assassination attempt in 1982, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported . The court released a video tape showing the interrogation of the former Iraqi president and members of his cabinet. (Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad , in Arabic 13 Jun 05)

Legal aide: tribunal's interrogation of Saddam "illegal"

A member of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Husayn's defence panel has said that interrogating the former president without the presence of a lawyer is illegal, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 13 June. On 13 June, a special Iraqi tribunal interrogated former Iraqi President Saddam Husayn about the killing of scores of people in Al-Dujayl village where he survived an assassination attempt in 1982. (Al-Sharqiyah 13 Jun 05)

Iraqi police find six more dead bodies near Baghdad - TV

The Iraqi police have found six bodies, including the bodies of two policemen, in two different areas in northern and eastern Baghdad , Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 13 June. A police source said that police detachments found three bodies of unidentified persons on 12 June. The source added that the victims were blindfolded and handcuffed. Their bodies, which carried the signs of gunshot wounds, were placed inside a car belonging to unidentified people. The source indicated that three other bodies were found in the Al-Baladiyat area in eastern Baghdad yesterday afternoon. Two of the three bodies were of two policemen, who were brothers working at the police station in Al-Dawrah, south of Baghdad, while the third was the body of an unidentified person. The Iraqi police announced yesterday that they had found 20 decomposed bodies of unidentified people in the Al-Nahrawan area in the southeastern part of Baghdad on 10 June. (Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad , in Arabic 1000 gmt 13 Jun 05)

Four Iraqi soldiers, four gunmen killed in clashes in Ninawa

The Iraqi Army has said that four Iraqi soldiers were killed in clashes with gunmen near Tilul al-Baj area in Ninawa Governorate, in northern Iraq , on 12 June, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported the following day. A military source in Mosul area said that four gunmen were also killed in the clashes which lasted three hours. In another development, Al-Dawr police said that the body of an Iraqi soldier was found in the River Al-Rusafi, one of the tributaries of the Tigris . It said that the body carried the signs of several gunshot wounds. (Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad , in Arabic 1200 gmt 13 Jun 05)

Four US soldiers killed in Al-Anbar

Four US soldiers were killed when two explosive charges went off in the Al-Anbar Governorate, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 13 June. The TV quoted a statement issued by the US Army on the day as saying that two soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit an explosive charge 18 miles southwest of Al-Qa'im on the Syrian-Iraqi borders. The statement added that the two other soldiers were killed when an explosive charge went off near their vehicle during combat operations 12 miles southeast of Amiriyat Al-Fallujah. (Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad , in Arabic 0800 gmt 13 Jun 05)

Two Iraqis killed in car-bomb explosion in Al-Yarmuk area

A car-bomb explosion targeting a US military convoy in Al-Yarmuk area, west of Baghdad , led to the death of two residents of the area and the wounding of five others on 13 June, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported. An Iraqi police source said that the incident took place near Al-Yarmuk Police Centre at 1420 (1140 gmt). It said that a US military vehicle and a number of civilian vehicles were damaged in the explosion. In addition, nearby houses were damaged. The source said that there were probably casualties among the US soldiers. It said that helicopters were seen evacuating a number of US soldiers from the scene of the incident. The US Army has not yet commented on the incident. (Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad , in Arabic 1200 gmt 13 Jun 05)

Multinational forces deny killing -civilians in western Iraq - TV

The multinational force has denied that it killed two Iraqi civilians and wounded a third in the Hadithah Dam area in western Iraq on 12 June, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 13 June. The TV quoted a statement by the media office of the multinational force in Iraq as saying that the most recent of such incidents had taken place at 1800 [1400 gmt] on 10 June when US troops opened fire on a civilian car, killing one of its occupants and wounding another. The media office pointed out that the US troops fired warning shots when the civilian car approached the military patrol to warn its driver that he had to keep away from the patrol. Nonetheless, the driver did not heed the warning shots, which prompted a Marines soldier to fire six to eight shots at one of the front windows of the car. As a result, a man was killed and another was wounded. However, eyewitnesses told the TV's correspondent that having surrounded the residential compound of the Hadithah Dam project, the US troops opened fire indiscriminately, killing two people, one of whom was a veterinarian while the other was a student, and wounding five others. (Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad , in Arabic 1000 gmt 13 Jun 05)

Iraqis question " US claims" on killing 40 gunmen

Iraqis who checked the damage caused by US air strikes against the Al-Karabilah area in western Iraq on 12 June questioned US claims that the air raids killed 40 armed men, Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 13 June. They said that there were no armed men in the area. While checking the ruins of a house, an Iraqi who requested anonymity said that there were no armed men in the area, and that the aircraft bombarded the area indiscriminately. Neither the death toll nor the identities of those killed have thus far been determined. (Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad , in Arabic 0400 gmt 13 Jun 05)

 

Two Iraqi parties announce merger to form "liberal" movement

The Al-Ummah Party and the New Iraq Movement announced that they would merge to form a joint political grouping, Iraqi TV station Al-Iraqiyah TV reported on 12 June. In a joint statement, they said the objective from the merger was to inject the spirit of citizenship and a sense of belonging among Iraqis. Mariam al-Rais, a member of the Transitional National Assembly, said the merger was "to form a nucleus of a liberal reformist movement". Mithal al-Alusi, the Secretary-General of the Al-Ummah Party, said: "It is an honour for me and the Al-Ummah Party to be able to say the new alliance is in the interest of Iraqi citizens and Iraq ." In a statement handed out at a press conference, Al-Alusi called for rejecting sectarianism and injecting a spirit of good citizenry. (Al-Iraqiyah TV, Baghdad , in Arabic 1600 gmt 12 Jun 05)

Al-Hakim says constitution will be ready on time

Al-Sayyid Abd-al-Aziz Al-Hakim, the head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq [SCIRI] and the head of the United Iraqi Alliance bloc told a news conference in Al-Kut on 11 June 2005 that the new Iraqi constitution would be completed on time, SCIRI web site reported. Asked if the constitution would be endorsed on schedule, Al-Hakim said: "We will work towards achieving that. The main issues have already been agreed on. On the political level, there are conformities that will make the process easier. We will do our best to avoid any delay. However, if something else comes up, then it will be examined at the right time". (Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq website in Arabic 11 Jun 05)

Iraq imposes curbs on export of money, gold

The Central Bank of Iraq [CBI] has issued instructions restricting the taking of foreign and Iraqi currencies as well as gold out of Iraq , Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV reported on 13 June. The CBI said that the maximum amounts a traveller may take out of Iraq are 10,000 US dollars, and 100,000 Iraqi dinars. Similarly, the amount of gold jewellery allowed to be taken out of Iraq should be for exclusively personal use. The purpose of these instructions is to try to stem the smuggling of gold and currencies out of Iraq . It is noteworthy that the Jordanian authorities had aborted an operation aimed to smuggle more than 5m US dollars out of Iraq . (Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad , in Arabic 13 Jun 05)

 

IRAQI PRESS HEADLINES , 13 June 05

Baghdad [ Baghdad daily, Arabic, the Iraqi National Accord Movement]

• Allawi: Our top priorities are security, providing services and reducing unemployment
• Government spokesman admits differences with Kurds; officials dismissed with Council of Ministers' knowledge
• National Accord Movement to hold national conference to study current situation
• Barzani elected Kurdistan president (Iraq Voices quoted)
• Sunni Arabs awaiting official response to their demand Seventeen Iraqis killed, wounded, including two journalists; 40 gunmen killed, 49 suspects detained (AFP quoted)
• New batch of 498 prisoners released Italian relief aid contaminated with AIDS Senior member of dissolved Ba'th Party assassinated in Baghdad
• Thirteen Iraqis killed in criminal incidents in Baghdad
• Interior Ministry cancels gun licenses
• Smuggling dock seized in Basra Al-Samawah doctors contest union election results
• German scholarships to Karabala education directorate.

Al-Bayan [daily, Arabic, the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party paper]

• Iraqi government welcomes release of French hostage, her Iraqi interpreter [Government spokesman] Layth Kubbah: Special committee formed to follow up detainee file
• Foreign minister receives credentials of new British ambassador to Iraq
• Forty gunmen killed in air raids near Al-Qa'im on Iraqi-Syrian border
• Barzani named Kurdistan president; bad weather conditions delay inauguration until Tuesday [14 June]
• Preparations for first stage of Baghdad metro,
• Basra giant port projects
• Sandstorm closes Baghdad airport to air traffic
• Gulf states stress support for Iraqi people (news agencies quoted)
• Labour minister: Ready to cooperate with European companies to curb unemployment
• Planning Ministry calls for new mechanism to use Iraq reconstruction grants
• Phone service restored to 70 per cent of subscribers in Baghdad .

Al-Hadath [ Baghdad , weekly independent newspaper in Arabic]

• Talabani: Twenty-five seats allocated for Sunnis in constitution-drafting committee
• Allawi: Al-Ja'fari's government exercising hegemony
• Iraq war fails to provide security for Americans [Condoleezza] Rice opens door for negotiation with resistance
• Saddam's lawyers ignorant of charges pressed against their client
• Web site: Three hundred and ninety foreign fighters killed in Iraq
• Marines arrest 16 US contractors in Al-Fallujah
• UN: USA detains thousands illegal people in Iraq ; over 100 Iraqi scientists assassinated since Baghdad fall.

Al-Mu'tamar [daily in Arabic by the Iraqi National Congress]

• Salafi shaykh rebuts jihad claims, calls on Arab fighters to leave Iraq (Radio Sawa quoted)
• Layth Kubbah: No negotiations with killers, criminals (Kuna quoted)
• Talabani office: President's statements misinterpreted Constitution committee member expects constitution delay for six months
• French journalist released for 15m dollars (CNN quoted)
• De-Ba'thification commission warns of Ba'thist comeback to seize power (Kuwaiti Al-Watan newspaper quoted)
• Defence Ministry issues instructions on raids on suspicious houses
• Kuwaiti firms aspiring to resume investment in Iraq
• Finance Ministry to incorporate dissolved department staff into newly formed ministries
• Traffic directorate calls for removing concrete barriers
• Plastic artist assassinated in Baghdad

Al-Sharq al-Awsat [ Baghdad edition]

• Barzani chosen president for Iraq Kurdistan; sandstorm delays oath-taking ceremony (news agencies quoted)
• French reporter, her Iraqi translator released after 157-day kidnap
• Three Iraqis killed north of Baghdad ; twenty decomposed bodies found near Al-Mada'in; scores arrested including former senior Ba'th Party member, four Ansar al-Sunnah members
• Iraqi policemen on training mission in Jordan protest killing of colleagues
• Kurdish parliament speaker Adnan al-Mufti: Two Iraqi federalisms alongside Kurdistan
• New Iraqi Democratic Nation Movement established (AFP quoted)
• British army arrests suspects over killing of two British soldiers.

Al-Zaman [ Baghdad edition ]

• Forty gunmen killed in Al-Qa'im; Seven large weapons caches found;
• Al-Qa'im hospital confirms and US army denies: Three children killed in air raid on Al-Karabilah
• Kurdistan parliament unanimously selects Barzani president Riyadh ,
• Tehran discuss security situation in Iraq (AFP quoted)
• Talabani: Type of federalism to be defined by National Assembly, constitution
• Iraqi army receives military base in Abu-Ghurayb
• US officials: False information behind raid on [Islamic Party Leader Muhsin]
• Abd-al-Hamid Kubbah confirms indirect contacts with armed groups
• Mortar attack on police station in Mosul
• Trade Ministry official assassinated in Al-Ramadi; two hundred and fifty nine prisoners released, cleared of charges
• Electricity Ministry blames technical reasons, sabotage acts for erratic power cuts
• Al-Kut border police consolidate capabilities to hold back infiltrators
• Twenty-three persons apprehended in Jalawla, Bani Sa'd
• Gunman arrested in Samarra ; four civilians wounded by US gunfire in Bayji
• Former British minister denies involvement in oil deals with Saddam regimes
• US forces arrest political science student in Mosul .

 

IRAQI PRESS QOUTES & EDITORIALS, 13 June 05

 

“Many of government decisions need much courage and boldness”

 

Al-Bayan [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party] 13 June: [From commentary by Salim Rasul] "The work being done by the present government is immense and deserves all due appreciation and respect Many of the decisions taken needed much courage and boldness However, no one can deny the growing popular support shown for the government which has, thus, managed, in a record time, to achieve what some consider impossible, as has been the case with the security file The challenge has been so great and fraught with dangers, and needed brave hearts . Operation Lightning has not come out of nothing. It is not an operation through which the government intends to test its organs. Rather, it has been carried out in response to this challenge to state it clearly that the government that has emerged from the womb of people is ready to sacrifice as much as people did on the great election day."

Operation “Lightning” clear Baghdad of terrorism and armed elements

Al-Dustur [Baghdad, daily published by Al-Dustur Press, Publishing and Distribution House] 13 June: [From editorial by Basim al-Shaykh]" The sweeping Operation Lightning jointly launched by the Interior and Defence Ministries to clear Baghdad of terrorism and armed elements wreaking havoc with the security of Iraqis have achieved fruitful results indicative of indispensable constants, first and foremost the fact that empowering the Iraqi state through its security organs is a highly important matter, given that it reflects the rule and supremacy of law on the Iraqi street Despite many attempts discredit the operation, Lightning has proved to be a true exercise of the government will and determination to alleviate the suffering of Iraqi people and to take its active role in removing the obstacles which sceptics try to throw in the way of the government's success, being the first legitimately elected government born after the occupation."

 

IRAQI BROADCAST MEDIA, 13 June 05

Al-Iraqiyah TV news summary 13 June 05

• Ex President Saddam Husayn questioned by Iraqi magistrates over massacre. Video report shows footage released by tribunal
• Magistrates question two suspects on former regime massacre
• Transitional National Assembly discusses agriculture, energy problem, compensation packages to victims of former regime
• Constitution committee continues consultations, draws up constitution outline
• Studio interview with member of the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party, Haidar al-Abadi. He speaks about cabinet priorities: security, fighting corruption and improving economy
• Minister of the Interior Bayan Baqir Solagh meets security officials and commanders, stresses respect of human rights, meets Iranian envoy
• Minister of Defence Sa'dun al-Dulaymi says security raids in Mosul and Baghdad successful; meets Japan envoy
• Prime Minister Dr Ibrahim al-Ja'fari says cabinet plans open to discussion with any political grouping. Video report covers his meeting with press
• Six bodies found in east and west Baghdad
• Kurdistan Democratic Party says party activist abducted in Kirkuk ; multinational force launches raid in city, arrests terror suspects
• Two police officers killed in bombing in Tikrit
• Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari meets foreign envoys in Iraq to improve ties with their countries, says ties with Arab states not to up expectations. Video report covers his comments on ties with Arab states, meeting with Pakistan , Slovakia and Serbia envoys
• Foreign language studies at Iraq universities suffer teaching staff shortages. Video report highlights problem at French language colleges, lack of qualified academics
• Relative of disabled call on government to sponsor their treatment abroad
• Iranian officials accuse foreign parties based in Iraq of plotting Ahwaz blasts
• Business bulletin: Ministry of Oil orders extended working hours at oil petrol stations. Iraq to invite international firms to develop oil fields. Iraq share market report. International market reports.

Al-Sharqiyah TV TV news summary 13 June 05

• Iraqi special court says that a judge has questioned former President Saddam Husayn about the killings in an Iraqi village after an assassination attempt against Husayn; video shows footage from hearing
• Car blast targeting US convoy west of Baghdad kills civilians, no information on US injured; video report shows footage from the scene, damaged cars and homes
• Iraqi police says a US diplomat has survived an attack on a US convoy in Baghdad , no information from the US on the attack
• Car blast in Tikrit kills two police, blast in Samara kills three police men; video shows footage from the scene
• Iraqi checkpoint north of Baghdad comes under attack, four police killed, three injured
• Clash in northern Iraq leaves four police and four armed men killed
• Two separate blasts in Al-Anbar province kill four US soldiers
• Iraqi official says Iraq to invite international companies to develop 11 oil fields in southern Iraq
• National assembly discusses several domestic issues, such as pensions and irrigation water shortages; video from session
• Coalition forces deny that they killed two civilians in Haditha yesterday
• Iraqi police find bodies of policemen in Baghdad ; bodies were blindfolded and shot in the head
• Iraqi foreign minister receives three new ambassadors to Iraq from Pakistan , Slovakia and Serbia-Montenegro; video shows footage from ceremonies, ambassadors speaking to reporters
• Some US republican lawmakers have criticized US President George Bush's strategies in Iraq and called for a plan to leaving Iraq
• Iraqi "independent nation council" in Ninawah province calls for dialogue to bring stability and peace to the region and the town of Tall Afar ; video shows footage from the session

KURDS & Kurdish News, 13 June 05

Iraqi Kurdish official, US envoy discuss development, ties

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Political Bureau Executive Board chairman, Kosrat Rasul Ali, received the US State Department envoy to Iraq , David Satterfield, and a delegation of the US forces in Iraq this morning at the PUK Political Bureau headquarters, Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan satellite TV reported on 13 June. In a meeting, Kosrat Rasul Ali warmly welcomed the visiting delegation and thanked them for their visit to the Kurdistan region. He mentioned the friendly bilateral relations between the US and the Kurdish people, and said: "The people of Kurdistan are loyal people and appreciate the US efforts to liberate Iraq from the dictatorial reign, they will never forget the US alliance and cooperation and will carry through their efforts to bring about freedom and democracy". He also pointed out the progress in the political process in Kurdistan and the relations between the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and said: "Our efforts to reunite the Kurdish house are under way. "The president of the Kurdistan region will take the constitutional oath in a ceremony that will be attended by as all. And in the near future the new Kurdistan coalition government will be formed; and in accordance with certain mechanisms in place, the two administration will reunite." On his part, David Satterfield introduced the delegation accompanying him and said: "After assuming this post in the State Department, I found it necessary to visit the Kurdistan region and take part in the swearing-in ceremony of the president of the Kurdistan region. "I am here, in the PUK Political Bureau, to familiarize myself, to exchange views on and discuss the current political and economic development in Iraq and Kurdistan . I look forward to discussing these issues further in my future visits." Later on, other issues such as the drafting of the new constitution in Iraq , which is a key political issue in Iraq ; and the status of the Kurdistan Peshmerga Force in Iraq and Kurdistan . (KurdSat TV, Al-Sulaymaniyah, in Sorani Kurdish 1300 gmt 13 Jun 05)

Kurdistan Satellite TV news summary 13 June 05

• Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Central Committee congratulates Mas'ud Barzani on election as president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. No video ...
• Prominent French human rights activist Daniel Meteran congratulates Barzani on new post. Organizations and institutions in Iraqi Kurdistan congratulate Barzani on the occasion. No video
• Celebrations held throughout the Kurdistan region marking the election of Barzani as president. Report over video showing celebrations
• KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) branches in Arbil advise people not to use the occasion of Barzani's election as in a partisan context. Report over video showing a meeting between the two sides
• Iraqi Justice Minister says Saddam's trial will not go ahead as scheduled due to security conditions; Al-Watan newspaper quoted. Report over video showing archive video of Saddam questioned by a judge ...

KurdSat TV news summary 13 June 05

• Mas'ud Barzani elected president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Report over video showing Kurdistan parliament during the voting
• Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Political Bureau Executive Board Chairman Kosrat Rasul Ali meets a US delegation to discuss recent development in the region
• Iraqi military and police campaign initiated to search for insurgents. Report over video showing Iraqi soldiers arresting suspects
• Two Iraqi policemen killed and six others injured in explosion in Tikrit, north of Baghdad ...

 

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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 -4631/4632 or Cell. + 962 77 619 731 jarrar@un.org or alsokhni@un.org