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Weekly Report with Unusual Twist
Highlights. Best (the twist) saved for last.Prime Minister Maliki told parliamentarians November 12 in a closed session that he was planning a comprehensive reshuffle of ministers in his national unity government, and scolded lawmakers for failing to show their loyalty to a united Iraq. The move is aimed at addressing the six-month-old government's failure to curb widespread corruption, reduce sectarian violence and improve public services. Speaking to a closed session of Parliament, Maliki did not disclose which ministers he planned to replace, but legislators close to the Prime Minister said he intends to maintain the political distribution of the current cabinet seats. Prime Ministerial Press Adviser Yassin Majid said that the reshuffle could include between seven and nine ministers, but did not give specific names. Iraqi parliamentarians have been forecasting a reshuffle for months, but this is the clearest indication from the government so far that a change in the government is imminent. During the week of November 8-14, electricity availability averaged 6.5 hours per day in Baghdad and 10.5 hours nationwide. Electricity output for the week was three per cent below the same period in 2005. Down 25% from last week (8.6 hours), but nearly three times what the WaPo had on the front page November 12. The Agriculture Reconstruction and Development Program for Iraq (ARDI) is importing 173 seed cleaners to be distributed throughout the country. Normally, seeds available to the Iraqi farmers have extraneous material such as rocks, twigs, dirt and seeds of multiple types of crops. Test plots with cleaned seed have produced two to-six times the yield of fields without the cleaned seed. ARDI conducted a workshop with Iraqi veterinary organizations. Fluffy bunnies and baby ducks will be pleased! The course began with a discussion on the transition of Iraq's economy from central planning to market-orientation and an introduction to basic economic principles. The Veterinary Syndicate will be able to use these skills immediately as they develop and maintain private service providers. Oil production is up, from last week, at 82% of the goal, and refining production is way up. The Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI) convicted 23 individuals October 27- November 1 for various crimes including possession of illegal weapons, possessing fake civil affair and fake military identifications, using or taking advantage of someone elses identification, heading, leading, joining armed groups and illegal border crossing. Hmph. They have that problem, too? The trial court found a Saudi Arabian man guilty of joining armed groups to unsettle the security and stability of Iraq and endangering peoples lives in violation of Article 4/1 of the Iraqi Penal Code. The defendant admitted to coming into Iraq illegally to fight. The trial panel sentenced the man to the death penalty November 1. The trial court found four Iraqi men guilty of possession of illegal weapons in violation of Section 6, Paragraph 2B. The men were apprehended after conducting an attack on Multi-National Forces. A search of their vehicle revealed two RPG launchers, two PKM and one RPD machine guns, five AK-47s and a video camera used to film the attack. All four defendants were sentenced to 30 years imprisonment November 1. Since its establishment in April 2004, the CCCI has held 1,683 trials for Coalition apprehended insurgents. The proceedings have resulted in 1,447 convictions with sentences ranging up to death. Contributors to Iraqi Stability Operations Albania Armenia Australia Azerbaijan Bosnia-Herzegovina Bulgaria Czech Republic Singapore Slovakia South Korea Ukraine UK Denmark El Salvador Estonia Georgia Italy Japan Kazakhstan Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Moldova Mongolia Poland Romania *Note: Fiji participating as a part of the UN mission in Iraq. *32 includes the 28 countries listed above, the US, Fiji, and four NATO, non-MNF-I countries: Hungary, Iceland, Slovenia, Turkey Here's the twist. Remeber, this is the Official State Department Report - to Congress, I thought. The editor-in-chief and two reporters at the Berlingske Tidende one of Denmarks largest newspapers went on trial November 13 for publishing classified intelligence reports concerning former Iraqi leader Saddam Husseins weapons program. No wonder the MSM doesn't read this! The journalists face charges of publishing confidential government documents, which is punishable by fines or up to two years in prison; prosecutors say the newspaper violated a law prohibiting media from publishing information that can harm national security. Oh, but the New York Times said they made a teeny, tiny mistake in blowing the cover of the banking intelligence. A former intelligence officer has already been sentenced to prison for leaking the documents in the case. Posted by: Bobby 2006-11-17 |
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