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| Iraq |
| Last Week's Iraq Wrap Up (State Dept.) |
| 2007-05-21 |
| Signs of Improvement in Anbar Province: • In a May 9 press briefing, Coalition spokesman Major General William Caldwell said that, although six months ago some said al-Anbar was lost, today -due to the patience, perseverance, and commitment of the people in that province -there are encouraging signs of security progress. • Increasing collaboration between tribal and Iraqi key leaders has resulted in numerous elected municipal councils and much more active community mayors. Successful tribal engagement has also brought a dramatic rise in recruitment for both the Iraqi Army (IA) and the Iraqi police from among the Anbari population. The last three basic training courses for the IA ran over 100% of capacity just to handle all of the new recruits –in spite of al-Qaida’s continuous campaign of murder and intimidation. • Recent combined operations in Ramadi with Iraqi security and Coalition forces, including the establishment of Iraqi police stations and joint security stations throughout the city, have proven successful in clearing the majority of the city of insurgents and al-Qaida in Iraq. Iraqi Military Takes Charge of Training: • The Iraqi Army began issuing U.S. M-4 carbines and M-16 rifles to their soldiers this month. In order to account for the weapons issued, a series of biometrics, such as finger printing, eye retinal scans, and voice recordings are collected. Additionally, a photograph of the soldier with his weapon is taken, showing the serial number. Iraqi Health Care Professional Enhance Skills: • Nearly 30 Iraqi nurses, doctors, medics, and laboratory and radiology technicians completed an eight-week Trauma Clinical Rotation Program at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Baghdad May 10. The day also marked the grand opening of the Iraqi Surgeon General’s Trauma Simulation Lab, where Iraqi health care staff will now train with state of the art equipment. Iraq Makes Progress on Crucial Constitution Reform Plan: • The Iraqi constitutional reform committee sent to Iraq’s Council of Representatives (CoR) a plan to reform the constitution, an important step towards implementing national reconciliation. New Political Alliance in Iraq Parliament: • Members of Iraq’s CoR are working to form a new political alliance that includes the Kurdish list. Member of Parliament Mahmoud Othman said Iraqi President Jalal Talabani called three weeks ago to form a political bloc with the participation of all Iraqi sects in order to support the government and renounce political sectarianism. Iraq’s Parliament Objects to Security Walls, Summons Maliki: • Iraq’s CoR adopted a resolution objecting to the construction of security walls around Baghdad neighborhoods and calling on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to testify concerning security issues in the country. Harry and Nancy must be having an influence. Electricity: • For the week of May 9-15, power from the grid met 37% of total demand nationally and 29% for Baghdad. • There are currently nine 400kV lines out of service, seriously impacting the power flows around the country. As a result, the system remains very fragile and experiences frequency drops that result in units tripping, as well as blackouts in several areas of the country. The energy Fusion Cell has been tasked to assist in providing security for the repair of the Mussayib-Baghdad south lines, the Baghdad West-Baghdad South line, and the Haditha-Baghdad West line. The Ministry of Electricity is responsible for repairing the Bayji Baghdad West #1 line, and the Baghdad North to Baghdad West line. The other line outages are likewise the Ministry’s responsibility, and may be delayed as security issues are addressed. UN Envoy Gambari Will Travel to Riyadh to Discuss Saudi Debt Relief: • Just back from the official launch of the International Compact with Iraq, a five-year plan for peace and development, Ibrahim Gambari, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Adviser for the International Compact with Iraq and Other Political Issues, said that he will travel to Riyadh to discuss aid to Iraq with Saudi officials. “There are all kinds of negotiations going on, particularly between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Kuwait and Iraq, Bulgaria and Iraq in terms of the details of their commitments, ”Gambari said. Cautious Optimism on Inflation Continues: • The Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation’s Consumer Price Index for April showed that overall inflation was 1.9% for the month, which put year-to-date inflation at 2.8%, which projects a pace well below the International Monetary Fund annual target of 30%. Core inflation (which excludes fuel and transport prices) was -0.9%, with year-on-year core inflation at 17.9%, down from 23.0% in March. There is cautious optimism that the Central Bank of Iraq’s monetary tightening is having the desired effect. CCCI Convicts 33, Sentences One to Death, One to Life Imprisonment: • The Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI) convicted 33 individuals April 30-May 5 for violations of the Iraqi Terrorist Law, Penal Code, and Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Orders enforced by the Iraqi judiciary. • The trial court sentenced one individual to death April 30 after being found guilty of violating Iraq’s Terrorist Law. The individual was captured August 24, 2006 near Ramadi by Multi-National Forces and subsequently admitted to being a foreign fighter from Algeria, belonging to Jaysh al-Islam, possessing a false identification card and conducting attacks against Coalition Forces (CF) in Iraq. • CCCI sentenced one individual to life imprisonment April 30 after being found guilty of violating Iraq’s Terrorist Law. The individual admitted that he financed a ten-man insurgent group that was responsible for conducting at least six improvised explosive device attacks against Multi-National Forces in Iraq. The individual was captured November 17, 2006. • Since its establishment under an amendment to CPA Order 13, in April 2004, the Central Criminal Court has held 2,115 trials for suspected criminals apprehended by CF. The Iraqi Court proceedings have resulted in the conviction of 1,821 individuals with sentences ranging from imprisonment to death. Japan Votes to Extend Iraq Mission: • Japan’s lower house of parliament approved a two-year extension of the country’s air force transport mission in Iraq. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government has argued that the mission is needed to help stabilize Iraq and prevent the spread of terrorism. •Japan backed the U.S.-led Iraq invasion and provided troops for a non-combat, humanitarian mission in southern Iraq in 2004-2006. Last year, it expanded its Kuwait-based operations to airlift UN and Coalition personnel and supplies into Baghdad. UN Promises Support for Iraqi Constitutional Reform: • The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq Ashraf Qazi reiterated the determination of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq to assist the Committee in its efforts to deal with the core constitutional issues at the heart of how Iraq’s federal system will function, namely a balanced division of powers between the federal government and the regions, and a system for the fair distribution of oil revenues throughout Iraq. Iraqi Parliament Votes for Legal Proceedings Against al-Jazeera: • The Iraqi Parliament voted May 9 to begin legal proceedings against al-Jazeera television after the Arabic news channel allegedly made insults against Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Several deputies suggested that the network be sued before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for what they said amounted to fueling sectarian violence in Iraq. • The move by parliament follows May 4 protests in Basrah and Najaf by hundreds of Shiites who were angered by a program on al-Jazeera in which the host questioned Sistani’s leadership credentials. • The controversy has received extensive coverage by the Iraqi media, which some Shiite television channels devoting hours to the issue. They don't have Oprah, ya know. |
| Posted by:Bobby |