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Iraq

Talks on U.S. troops staying in Iraq stuck on issue of immunity

2011-10-05

The question of whether American troops who stay in Iraq to train Iraqi forces would have immunity from local prosecution is shaping up to be the most contentious issue as the two countries try to hammer out an agreement on whether to keep a small training force here next year. Iraqi leaders, desperate to assert their sovereignty, say immunity isn’t necessary for any American forces who stay in Iraq to train their security forces. But for Americans worried about their soldiers ending up in Iraqi courts, the lack of immunity is a deal-breaker. “Immunity is the main disputed point. If we do not have agreement on the immunity, there will be no agreement on the number” of trainers, said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. Iraqi political leaders met Tuesday night to discuss whether to have American forces stay in Iraq when the 2008 security agreement expires at the end of this year and all American forces are supposed to leave the country. After the meeting they announced that Iraq does need American training help but that the trainers should not have immunity, setting the stage for protracted negotiations. American officials seemed to be scrambling Wednesday to understand what exactly the Iraqi politicians, who excel at brinkmanship politics, really meant.

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Iraq

Iraq raises salaries for Basra oil workers

2011-06-25

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s government said Thursday it was raising salaries at its southern oil terminals, following threats of a strike that would paralyse oil exports. “The cabinet decided to grant a 30 percent increase in salaries of employees at the oil terminals in Basra and in Khor al-Aamaya” near the southernmost Faw peninsula, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said. He said the initiative was meant to demonstrate the government’s keenness “to develop this sector and show its willingness to be fair to staff.” He said authorities wanted to “show their appreciation for the efforts of employees, and demonstrate they are aware of the hardships and difficult working conditions” related to the hot southern heat. In late April, a large number of workers at the Southern Oil Company (SOC) staged a demonstration in Basra asking for more money.” In early May they had threatened to strike, and an oil ministry delegation sent to negotiate had promised to meet their demands. Nearly 80 percent of Iraqi oil is exported through the southern ports. In April, 49.7 million barrels were exported through the southern ports, at a value of $5.6 billion, according to oil ministry figures.

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Iraq

Iraqi forces clash with Iran exiles in camp

2011-04-09

BAGHDAD - Iraqi security forces clashed with residents of an Iranian dissident camp north of Baghdad overnight, the Iraqi government said on Friday, and an Iranian opposition group said residents were attacked and killed. The government spokesman said five members of the Iraqi security forces were wounded in the incident at Camp Ashraf. Representatives of the camp called the incident a “criminal attack” and said 25 residents were killed and 320 wounded. An Iraqi medical source at nearby Baquba hospital said they had received the bodies of three Iranians, while 16 Iranians, five Iraqi soldiers and one Iraqi policemen were brought to the hospital with injuries. The source requested anonymity since he was not authorised to speak to the media. The 25-year-old camp, home to some 3,500 people, is the base of the People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran (PMOI), a guerrilla group that opposes Iran’s Shia cleric leaders. Iran, Iraq and the United States consider the PMOI a terrorist organisation. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Ashraf residents threw rocks at security forces in what he called a “riot”. Troops had not opened fire, he said, contrary to reports by camp residents. “The security forces have pushed back residents of Camp Ashraf inside the camp by force,” Dabbagh said. “The situation is now controlled.” “I do not have any information about any deaths or injuries among the residents of the camp,” he said. The National Council of Resistance of Iran, the PMOI’s political wing, said Iraqi security forces had been ordered by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to attack the camp, in restive Diyala province about 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Baghdad in a remote location largely inaccessible to journalists. “Al-Maliki, under orders of (Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei, has commenced an unprecedented murder in Ashraf,” the group said in a statement. “Forces under his command used Colts, automatic weapons and machineguns installed on armoured vehicles to open fire on residents.” Ashraf has been a sore point for Washington, Baghdad and Tehran for years. The PMOI began as a group of Islamist leftists opposed to Iran’s late Shah but fell out with the Shi’ite clerics who took power after the 1979 revolution. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who is visiting Iraq, said the U.S. military had reports of deaths in clashes at Ashraf but could not confirm them. “We’re very concerned with reports of deaths and injuries resulting from this morning’s clashes... I urge the Iraqi government to show restraint and to live up to its commitments to treat residents of Ashraf according to Iraqi law and their international obligations.” Asked about any US military role, Gates said nearby forces might render medical help “but that’s about the extent of it”.

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Iraq

Iraqi forces structure incomplete to protect borders – Dabbagh

2010-08-20

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Iraqi forces’ structure are incomplete to protect the country’s borders and sovereignty, according to the Iraqi government’s official spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh on Thursday. “Iraq’s army forces cannot be built in one or two years. Until the year 2011, the Iraqi security forces would not be ready to protect the nation’s borders and sovereignty,” he said in an interview aired by the semi-official al-Iraqiya channel. The U.S. government had announced the end of its combat troops’ missions in Iraq and actually embarked on pulling out forces as of mid-August, and supposed to be completed by August 31. The U.S. military presence in Iraq, however, will be confined to logistical and training support for Iraqi forces as well as backup in the civilian field. Dabbagh pointed out that the pending issues regarding encroachments on Iraqi territories must be settled by the Iraqi government. “The political decision-making establishment in Iraq is taking into account the need to strike a balance between having U.S. forces to stay for a long time or facing a tough situation in which we have to defend the nation ourselves,” he said. The Iraqi army’s chief of staff, General Babakr Zebari, had said in a press conference a few days ago that the Iraqi army would not be capable of fully shouldering the security responsibilities before 2020, proposing that the U.S. army should stay in Iraq until the Iraqi army is completely ready. Zebari’s statements triggered varied reactions and concerns by some Iraqis who are afraid Iraq would slide into another cycle of violence, particularly with the delayed formation of a new government five months after the country’s second legislative elections since 2003 were held and the mounting differences among the winning blocs.

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Iraq

Iraq political crisis deepens

2010-07-28

Sorta like the Dhimmicrats in Congress but less conniving, backbiting and despicable ... 28 July 2010 BAGHDAD — Iraq’s parliament indefinitely postponed on Tuesday what would have been only its second session since March elections, extending a deadlock that has prevented formation of a new government. The delay is the latest setback in a nearly five-month process, and comes barely more than a month before US combat troops are set to withdraw from Iraq. “We are postponing the session until further notice because the political entities failed to reach any agreement,” Fuad Massum, who as the oldest member of parliament holds the post of caretaker speaker, told a news conference. “We held a meeting this morning with the heads of the parliamentary blocs and we agreed to give more time to political entities to reach agreement regarding the selection of a speaker and his two deputies.” He added: “The representatives of the political entities insisted on calling the current government a caretaker administration.” Tuesday’s session was to have been only the second since March 7 parliamentary elections. The first, on June 14, was adjourned after only 20 minutes. The selection of a new speaker and president — ahead of the naming of a new premier — is likely to be part of a grand bargain among Iraq’s competing political blocs, further complicating the formation of a new government. Iraq’s four main political groups, none of which has the 163 seats required for a parliamentary majority to form a government on their own, have been unable to hammer out a coalition deal since the nationwide vote. The political vacuum continues to dog Iraq only around a month before US combat troops are due to leave the country at the end of August. “It is a disappointing decision,” said Salim al-Juburi, an MP with the Sunni Tawafuq party. “Each day that passes means the suffering is increasing, the security situation is aggravating, and we are moving far from the interests of the people.” However, Kurdish MP Saeed Rasul said the postponement was “positive,” arguing it was “better than entering the parliament hall without having reached an agreement.” In a statement following confirmation of the postponement, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh confirmed that the government had not “signed any strategic accords or treaties, nor made any special nominations, and has only distributed funds that have been approved by parliament.” US and Iraqi officials have warned of the dangers of an upsurge in violence as negotiations on forming a coalition drag on, giving insurgent groups an opportunity to further destabilise the country. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staffs, arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday to review plans for the American troop drawdown and efforts to form a governing coalition. “We don’t see anything right now that will affect the transition and the continued troop drawdown,” he told reporters at a press conference in Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone. Former premier Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc finished first in the election with 91 seats, followed closely by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law alliance with 89. The Iraqi National Alliance, a group of Shiite religious parties, finished third with 70 seats.

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Iraq

Izzat Ibrahim urges Arab support for Iraq militants

2010-03-30

Iraqi former dictator Saddam Hussein's number two, fugitive Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, has urged Arab states to talk to what he called the Iraqi "resistance" instead of the government. "The Iraqi people request that your summit adopts a historic and courageous position by inviting resistance leaders to represent Iraq and its people in the summit and in the Arab League," Ibrahim said in the purported audiotape aired on Al-Jazeera television Sunday. He asked Arab leaders meeting at their summit in Libya to "recognize resistance groups, armed and unarmed, break their diplomatic relations with the occupying authority in Iraq and annul all obligations resulting from those relations," AFP reported. Ibrahim is the most wanted of the now-executed dictator's henchmen still at large. The Baathist was second only to Saddam in the decision-making Revolutionary Command Council. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the country's Foreign Minister to quit an Arab League ministerial meeting held in Libya. Hoshyar Zebari quit the meeting in protest to a meeting granted by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to ex-members of Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath party and some opposition figures including former oil minister Issam Shalabi. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh condemned the meeting on Wednesday, describing it as "undiplomatic" and an "insult" to the people of Iraq.

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Iraq

Family lauds release of Iraqi-American contractor

2010-03-28

The Pentagon said Saturday that Salomi was back under U.S. military control but gave no details on his disappearance or return. The family says he is expected to arrive at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio within a week. Asaib Ahl al-Haq, known in English as the League of the Righteous, said the four were freed "in response to our demands following the capture of the American officer" — a reference to Salomi, who was not identified by name. The statement's authenticity could not be verified but it was posted on a Web site commonly used by the group. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Sunday he had "no information that anyone was released in return" for Salomi.

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Iraq

Qadaffy meets with Iraqi Baathists

2010-03-26

On Wednesday, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh condemned Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi's Sunday meeting with 29 Saddam loyalists, describing the move as "undiplomatic" and an "insult" to the people of Iraq. Iraq's post-Saddam governments are particularly sensitive to any contacts between foreign governments and Saddam loyalists. It views such meetings as an attempt to undermine their legitimacy and casting doubt on the right of the country's Shiite Muslim majority to be the country's most dominant political group. The head of the 22-member pan-Arab organization Amr Mussa met privately with Zebari over breakfast on Thursday to try to contain the diplomatic spat between Libya and Iraq, and convince the Iraqi foreign minister to remain for the summit. Several Arab foreign ministers also tried to persuade Iraq's top diplomat to stay but were told by Zebari that he had no choice but to return home, the diplomat added. Libya's JANA official news agency said that Gaddafi received on Sunday a high-ranking delegation of Iraqi opposition leaders, including former members of the outlawed Baath party of executed dictator Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi delegation included former oil minister Issam Shalabi as well as ex-Baathist Salah Omar al-Ali.

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Iraq

Iraq PM calls parliament over banned candidates

2010-02-05

[Al Arabiya Latest] Iraq's prime minister has convened parliament for Sunday to debate what his government branded an "illegal" decision to reinstate candidates with alleged links to ousted dictator Saddam Hussein in next month's election, state television said. The television said parliament speaker Iyad Samarrai had at the request of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called MPs to an extraordinary session "to study the decision of the seven judges." The electoral commission announced on Wednesday that the judges had ruled that around 500 candidates barred from Iraq's March 7 general election could stand after all. "Postponing implementing the law of the Justice and Accountability Commission till after the election is illegal and not constitutional," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement on his website. Shiite groups, which along with Iraq's minority Kurds bore the brunt of Baath party repression during the rule of Sunni dictator Saddam, also condemned the ruling. The candidate ban was seen by many Sunnis as a conspiracy by Shiite-led factions to keep them from a fair share of power even though the list has more Shiite names and a disproportionate number from smaller, cross-sectarian alliances.

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Iraq

Chemical Ali executed

2010-01-25

"jeez...is it always this hot here?" Iraq's government spokesman says Saddam Hussein's notorious cousin "Chemical Ali" was executed Monday about a week after being sentenced to death for the poison gas attacks that killed more than 5,000 Kurds in 1988. News of the hanging came shortly after three suicide car bombs struck downtown Baghdad. It was not immediately clear whether the attacks were linked the execution of Ali Hassan al-Majid. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh confirmed the execution took place. Al-Majid - widely known as "Chemical Ali" for the gas attacks - was convicted on Sunday for ordering the poison gas to be dropped on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988 as part of a campaign against a Kurdish uprising. It was the fourth death sentence against him for crimes against humanity.

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Iraq

Iraq province gives Baathists 24 hours to leave

2010-01-19

[Al Arabiya Latest] Local government officials warned Saddam Hussein loyalists on Monday to move out of the Shiite province of Najaf in central Iraq within 24 hours or face an "iron fist." They demanded the exodus after a meeting to discuss security in the wake of a triple bomb attack last week in Najaf, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Baghdad, that left up to 15 people dead. "The Baath gang of Saddam has one day to leave the province or we will use an iron fist against those who have failed to distance themselves from the Baath and al-Qaeda," the officials said in a statement. The leader of the provincial council, which is dominated by the party of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, blamed the bomb attack on Baathists, referring to Saddam's outlawed Sunni-dominated Baath party. "The council's next measure will be to purge local government institutions of Baathists," said the statement, which also asked Baghdad to use its intelligence services to identify wrongdoers. The demand could further inflame Sunni-Shiite tensions after many Sunnis were among 500 candidates barred last week from the conflict-wracked country's March 7 general election, purportedly because of Baathist links. Baath party membership was a key condition for obtaining a job and gaining promotion in public sector employment during Saddam's regime. As a consequence the party included large numbers of Sunnis and Shiites. A controversial process of de-Baathification was adopted by Washington diplomat Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, following the invasion in 2003 which saw thousands of Saddam-era employees sacked. Resentment among Sunnis over that decision and a subsequent Shiite-dominated government lingers despite a national reconciliation process aimed at healing such rifts. Khaled Jashami, a member of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC), one of the country's biggest Shiite parties, however, was adamant that drastic measures were needed in Najaf. "This decision aims to target those who have refused to repudiate the Baath party and its ideas, who have on their hands the blood of innocents in Najaf and other cities," he said. "We took this decision to rid Najaf of Baathist ideas. We will seriously work to purge the security services and government institutions," he added. In response, Baghdad government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh insisted that "no plan existed" to sack interior and defence ministry employees. Attacks in Najaf are rare but last Thursday's incident caused a large number of casualties, although accounts of the numbers varied.

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Iraq

Iraq approves draft law to protect doctors

2010-01-18

[Al Arabiya Latest] Iraqi doctors would be allowed to carry weapons under a law approved by the cabinet on Sunday to help protect physicians subjected to kidnapping, murder and tribal demands for blood money from relatives of dead patients. "First, do no harm. Second, take no guff!" The law, which must still be passed by parliament, could help prevent doctors from fleeing war-shattered Iraq and encourage those abroad to come back. Many doctors, particularly in the south, complain about a tribal tradition where the family of a patient who dies while in a doctor's care demands payment. The draft law foresees a possible prison sentence of three years or a fine of no less than 10 million Iraqi dinars (around $8,000) against anyone who demands a tribal settlement from a doctor. "The draft law is a gesture from the Iraqi government for doctors and specialists ... to protect them from attacks and the tribal demands resulting from their medical work," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement. Doctors fled Iraq by the thousands during the explosion of violence between majority Shiites and minority Sunni Arabs in the years following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Considered among the elite of Iraqi society, medical specialists became a target for insurgents, militias and kidnappers in search of rich ransoms. Hundreds have been killed since 2003. The law would also allow the government to lift Iraq's usual retirement age of 63 and let doctors work until 70 if they are needed, and to build residential compounds for physicians near hospitals and other health institutions.

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