These are the archives for the week ending 17th November 2006
Blair envoy opposes early withdrawal
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's human rights envoy for Iraq warned against an early withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on Wednesday, saying it would accelerate rights abuses against ordinary Iraqis. But Ann Clwyd, a member of parliament for Blair's Labour Party, also urged Iraq's government to press harder to investigate police abuses, weed out corruption and free thousands of mostly Sunni prisoners in Iraqi prisons.
"I personally would be totally opposed to an early withdrawal," she told Reuters before delivering a speech at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. "It is dreadful that people are forced to flee from certain areas where there is sectarian violence, but a lot of Iraq is living normally. Children are going to university, people are going to the markets and going about their everyday lives."
She said those hard-won gains would be undone if U.S. and British forces began a phased withdrawal, as suggested by some U.S. Democrats, who seized both houses of Congress last week partly because of voter anger over the war.
Reuters, 15/11/06
Bush prepares to up troop levels for one last push
President George Bush has told senior advisers that the US and its allies must make "a last big push" to win the war in Iraq and that instead of beginning a troop withdrawal next year, he may increase US forces by up to 20,000 soldiers, according to sources familiar with the administration's internal deliberations.
Mr Bush's refusal to give ground, coming in the teeth of growing calls in the US and Britain for a radical rethink or a swift exit, is having a decisive impact on the policy review being conducted by the Iraq Study Group chaired by Bush family loyalist James Baker, the sources said. Although the panel's work is not complete, its recommendations are expected to be built around a four-point "victory strategy" developed by Pentagon officials advising the group.
The strategy, along with other related proposals, is being circulated in draft form and has been discussed in separate closed sessions with Mr Baker and the vice-president Dick Cheney, an Iraq war hawk. Point one of the strategy calls for an increase rather than a decrease in overall US force levels inside Iraq, possibly by as many as 20,000 soldiers.
Guardian, 16/11/06
Rice rejects Blair approach
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice refused to make a link between the lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the unrest in Iraq, as her British ally Tony Blair had done earlier. British Prime Minister Blair, the United States' closest ally in Iraq, said Monday he favored a refocusing of US Middle East policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Rice, who is going to Hanoi to attend the Asia-Pacific Forum, also refused to hold dialogue with Iran or Syria, as the Iraq Study Group co-chaired by former US secretary of state James Baker is expected to recommend, according to the American press.
"I think the question is: is there anything about Iranian behavior that suggests that they are prepared to contribute to stability in Iraq. And I have to say that at this point I don't see it," Rice said.
Turning to Syria, she went on: "I think the question is what is it that Syria is doing? And right now, it appears to have aligned itself with the forces of extremism."
AFP, 15/11/06
Most kidnap victims released
Most of the hostages seized in a raid by gunmen on a Baghdad higher education facility have been released, Iraqi officials have said. A government spokesman told the BBC that the hostages were freed in a number of police raids across the city. Five top officers were later held - including the police chief of Karrada district where the abductions occurred.
Prime Minister Maliki said the abductions were part of ongoing disputes among groups linked to various political factions. "What is happening is not terrorism, but the result of disagreements and conflict between militias belonging to this side or that," the Associated Press reported him as saying.
BBC News, 15/11/06
Dozens abducted from Baghdad ministry
Gunmen dressed in police uniforms seized scores of hostages from an Education Ministry building yesterday in what appeared to be Baghdad's biggest kidnapping.
In a chillingly efficient raid, about 20 armed men stormed the offices, brushing aside five armed guards at the door. The scale shocked a city where kidnappings of 50 people at a time have become the norm.
Abed Theyab, the higher education minister, first reported that up to 130 people were taken. Later the office of Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's Prime Minister, said 45 to 50 had been taken and some released.
Alaa Makki, head of the Iraqi parliament's education committee, called the abductions a national catastrophe. They came on a day when at least 82 Iraqis were reported killed in violence across the country.
The gunmen had a list of names and talked their way into the compound, identifying themselves as representatives of the Government's anti-corruption body making a security check for a planned visit by a US diplomat, Mr Makki said.
It was not clear if the kidnappers targeted one religious group or whether the attack was aimed at the country's dwindling professional class. A university dean and a prominent Sunni geologist have been murdered in the past four weeks, bringing the death toll for academics to at least 155 since 2003.
Major-General Abdel Karim Khalaf, the interior ministry spokesman, said five police commanders were arrested after the kidnapping.
Times on line 14/11/06
Airstrike protest
In Shula, a predominantly Shia area of western Baghdad, mourners protested about what Iraqi officials said was a US raid that killed six people.
The US military declined to confirm any operation in the neighbourhood.
Interior ministry sources said 13 people were also wounded after US troops called in an air strike when they came under fire from al-Mahdi Army fighters loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Angry mourners chanted slogans criticising the US and supporting al-Sadr.
Aljazeera.net 14/11/06
Solution to Israeli-Palestine conflict central
In his annual foreign policy speech, seen as a chance to recalibrate Britain's Iraq strategy, Mr Blair said a solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict was central to a strategy that "pins back the forces trying to create mayhem inside Iraq".
Mr Blair again argued that coalition forces would be able to leave Iraq within 18 months. He said "A major part of the answer to Iraq lies not in Iraq itself, but outside it, in the whole region where the same forces are at work, where the extremism flourishes with a propaganda that may be - indeed is - totally false, but is none the less attractive to the much of the Arab street."
Mr Blair believes Syria and Iran have a long-term interest in a stable Middle East, including an end to the sectarian conflict inside Iraq.
But Mr Blair shifted his rhetoric only slightly, insisting that the west should not talk to Iran or Syria, part of Mr Bush's so-called axis of evil, at any price.
He repeatedly condemned Iran's posture, saying "they are using pressure points in the region to thwart us. So they help the most extreme elements of Hamas in Palestine, Hizbullah in the Lebanon, Shia militia in Iraq."
Guardian 14/11/06
US intelligence reveals size of problem
While Australia and the US remain committed to staying in Iraq until local security forces are strong enough to keep the peace, a report to US Congress has revealed that the task could take a long time to achieve. The quarterly report, measuring stability and security in Iraq, was presented to Congress in August.
It reveals that more than 6000 Iraqi police have been killed since the war officially ended in 2003. At least 20 per cent of those joining the police force were quitting each year. It said record keeping was so poor that it was not known how many police on the payroll were still reporting for duty. But up to 40 per cent of police were believed to be absent. Up to 8 per cent of soldiers were likely to be absent without leave at any time.
The Age, Australia, 11/11/06
Maliki orders 'extreme force'...
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki scolded lawmakers today at a closed Parliament session for placing sectarian concerns over the national interest, promising sweeping Cabinet changes following complaints that his unity government has been ineffective at containing ongoing violence that killed more than 50 people today.
Sunni political leaders have threatened to walk out of Maliki's six-month-old government, formed after months of wrangling between the country's main ethnic and religious blocs. There has also been pressure from U.S. officials, who want Maliki to commit to timelines to take the tough political and security decisions needed to contain the violence.
"There cannot be a government and militias together. One of the two should rule," Maliki said in a session today with Iraqi newspaper editors broadcast on national television. "I personally will not be in a government based on militias."
He said militia activity increased in response to terror attacks but said that needed to stop. "I issued an order to use extreme force against anyone using arms without government's permission," Maliki told journalists.
Los Angeles Times, 13/11/06
...while Iraqi government defends general
Iraq's Defense Ministry on Sunday rejected charges by U.S. military commanders that a general in the volatile Diyala province was targeting Sunni leaders and turning a blind eye to Shi'ite death squads. The New York Times described tension between the U.S. military and Shakir, who was appointed this summer to command the Iraqi Fifth Division in the province which is home to a volatile mix of Sunni Arabs, Shi'ites and Kurds
"I think the sectarian war is coming this way," Colonel Brian Jones, the outgoing commander of U.S. troops in the province, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "Recent operations conducted by the Fifth Iraqi Army seem to be focused strictly on the Sunnis," U.S. Major General Benjamin Mixon, commander for all of northern Iraq, told the paper. Mixon said U.S. forces were investigating allegations of death squad involvement by Iraqi troops under Shakir, who was quoted as denying any knowledge of death squads.
Jones was quoted as saying he had concluded Shakir's ambition was to destroy the Sunni political movement in the province, possibly on orders from Baghdad. "It just seems to be a deliberate attempt to make sure that the Sunnis are unable to organize politically here and represent themselves well in the next round of elections," Jones said. "I believe this is a larger plan to make Diyala a Shia province, rather than a Sunni province," he said.
Reuters, 12/11/06
US vetoes Gaza motion
The United States Saturday vetoed an Arab-sponsored draft resolution in the UN Security Council that would have condemned Israel's deadly attack in the Gaza Strip, calling the text "unbalanced" and "biased." US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement the United States was "compelled to vote against" the draft resolution because "we do not believe (it) was designed to contribute to the cause of peace."
"The resolution would have used the tragic incident in Beit Hanoun to advance a one-sided political agenda," she said, referring to what Israel called an accidental shelling on November 8 that killed 19 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, in the Gaza town of Beit Hanun.
As one of the council's five permanent members along with Britain, China, France and Russia, the United States has veto power which it has now used 82 times, often to shield Israel from censure. Ten of the council's 15 members voted in favor the amended text, introduced by Qatar on behalf of Arab member states, and four -- Britain, Denmark, Japan and Slovakia -- abstained.
Middle East Online, 12/11/06
Democrats push for phased withdrawal
Leading Senate Democrats vowed today to use their new majority in Congress to press for troop reductions in Iraq within a matter of months, stepping up pressure on the administration just as President Bush is to be interviewed by a bipartisan panel examining future strategy for the war.
The Democrats - the incoming majority leader, Senator Harry Reid; the incoming Armed Services Committee chairman, Senator Carl Levin; and the incoming Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. - said a phased redeployment of troops would be their top priority when the new Congress convenes in January, even before investigating the conduct of the war.
"We need to begin a phased redeployment of forces from Iraq in four to six months," Senator Levin, of Michigan, said on the ABC News program "This Week." Later, in a telephone interview, he added, "The point of this is to signal to the Iraqis that the open-ended commitment is over and that they are going to have to solve their own problems."
But the White House held firm, saying it would resist any timetable for drawing down troops.
New York Times, 12/11/06
Bechtel leaves Iraq
Bechtel, whose board members have close ties to the Bush administration, announced last week that it was done with trying to operate in Iraq.
The company has received 2.3 billion dollars of Iraqi reconstruction funds and U.S. taxpayer money, but is leaving without completing most of the tasks it set out to.
On every level of infrastructure measurable, the situation in Iraq is worse now than under the rule of Saddam Hussein. The average household in Iraq now gets two hours of electricity a day. There is 70 percent unemployment, 68 percent of Iraqis have no access to safe drinking water, and only 19 percent have sewage access. Not even oil production has matched pre-invasion levels.
Bechtel's contract included reconstruction of water treatment systems, electricity plants, sewage systems, airports and roads.
iraq_dispatches@dahrjamailiraq.com 11/11/06
Brown backs stronger anti-terrorist powers
Chancellor Gordon Brown, favourite to succeed Tony Blair as prime minister, said he supported police calls to extend a 28-day maximum limit on holding terrorist suspects without trial.
Saying fighting terrorism should be a prime minister's "first priority", Brown also backed police demands to allow intercept evidence to be used in court to help secure convictions against terrorists.
Both measures are expected to form part of the government's legislative plans for the next session of parliament, to be unveiled on Wednesday by the Queen.
Reuters 12/11/06
Iraq health care deteriorates
Once, Iraqi health care was first-rate. Medicine and hospital care were free; doctors were well-educated and respected. But neglect by Saddam Hussein and years of U.N. sanctions laid waste to the system.
Since 2003, U.S. agencies have spent at least $493 million of Iraqi reconstruction funds on health care, but no new hospitals and only a few local clinics have been built. The hospital rehabilitation program has been plagued by cost overruns and complaints of shoddy but expensive work.
The nation's health has deteriorated to a level not seen since the 1950s, said Joseph Chamie, former director of the United Nations' Population Division and an Iraq specialist. "They were at the forefront," he said, referring to health care just before the 1991 Gulf War. "Now they're looking more and more like a country in sub-Saharan Africa."
At the outset of the 2003 war, the U.S. administration pledged to cut the child mortality rate in half by 2005. But the rate has worsened, from 125 deaths per 1,000 births in 2002 to 130 deaths per 1,000 births this year, according to Health Ministry figures. By comparison, the child mortality rate in the U.S. was 8 per 1,000 births in 2005.
Indianapolis Star 12/11/06
Blair to face US examination
Tony Blair, who narrowly defeated a recent parliamentary attempt to call an inquiry into the Iraq war, is facing a new threat from Washington, where victorious Democrats are expected to call British witnesses as they launch congressional investigations into the war.
Democratic Senators are also expected to seek hearings aimed at throwing light on how Downing Street and the White House co-ordinated efforts to claim that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. All the claims that led to war, from allegations that Saddam was reconstituting a nuclear weapons programme to his alleged links with al-Qa'ida, could come under examination. Unlike their counterparts in Britain, congressional committees have the crucial power to subpoena witnesses and documents.
Independent, 12/11/06
Mortars becoming weapon of choice
Mortar battles have erupted between Shiite and Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad, and the once-mixed city is reeling as the two sides adopt the weapons and tactics of urban civil war. Throughout the capital and in towns and villages within a 50-mile radius of Baghdad, whole populations have shifted as Shiite and Sunni flee violence from death squads and suicide bombers to the safety of places where their Islamic sect is the majority.
The highly portable though inaccurate mortar is increasingly the weapon of choice as Shiite and Sunni populations separate, because it allows sectarian fighters to fire into a district from a distance. Mortars can be quickly pulled from the trunk of a car and fired over several miles, causing death and destruction without the dangers of close-quarters combat or the sacrifice of a suicide bomber.
Associated Press, 10/11/06
Rice denies vote was against war
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the Democratic wave that won the party control of Congress did nothing to deter the Bush administration from continuing its Iraq mission until "the goal that took us to Iraq" is reached. "It's too important to our own security," Rice said in a newspaper interview distributed Thursday by the State Department.
"Iraq has to be successful for America to be secure." Rice said President Bush has promised "that we will certainly make adjustments to our policy" in Iraq. "We will certainly look to new ideas." But while "the American people clearly were voting for change, as the president said," they "were not voting for anything less than a success in Iraq."
Polling found that qualms about the Iraq war ranked high on the list of reasons given by voters Tuesday for taking away from the GOP control of both the House and the Senate.
Associated Press, 9/11/06
Blair will oppose 'cut and run'
Tony Blair will next week give evidence to the Iraq Study Group led by James Baker, the former US secretary of state, in the first indication Britain is being consulted by Washington over potential change of policy on the war. As he continues the task of presenting a range of new policy alternatives on Iraq for President George W. Bush, Mr Baker is expected to interview the UK prime minister by means of a video link on Tuesday.
Mr Blair is certain to tell Mr Baker that the US and UK must not "cut and run", remaining in Iraq until Baghdad can manage the security situation on its own. Mr Blair has told allies he is confident that the Baker-Hamilton committee will make no such recommendation.
Financial Times, 10/11/06
Blair's opportunity
America's rejection of President George W. Bush's Iraq policy is a slap in the face for his allies, but it may give British premier Tony Blair a chance to improve his standing at home by discussing exit options. Blair has been derided and rebuked by critics in Britain as the U.S. President's "poodle" for giving staunch backing to a war which is hugely unpopular with British voters and has overshadowed achievements during Blair's 9 years in power.
The Republicans' crushing mid-term election defeat toppled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, giving Bush the opportunity to change course. Now Blair may have a more willing listener, allowing him to influence events before he leaves office next year.
"It gives Blair an opportunity to show what he's really made of. Clearly nobody knows what to do. Now there's an opportunity for him to work with the Democrats to stage a graceful exit and management of the problem," said Dan Plesch, author and commentator on defense and security issues.
Reuters, 9/11/06
Beckett warns against change of policy
Iraq is at a critical juncture and faces a real risk that violence will escalate even further, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Thursday, warning against a precipitous withdrawal by the U.S.-led coalition. Beckett said the electoral wins by Democrats and the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld would prompt a reassessment of strategy in Iraq, but were unlikely to lead to a major shift in policy.
The recommendations of an independent U.S. commission led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton would be key to determining America and Britain's next moves, she said.
"What is really important is the development of the Baker-Hamilton report, the discussions, the conversations that are taking place on that," Beckett said. "I am not myself anticipating some major upheaval in policy. What I do think we will see is a reassessment ... of how the international community can best move forward."
Associated Press, 9/11/06
Iraq corruption costing billions
Corruption within the Iraqi government is costing the country billions of dollars, the US official monitoring reconstruction in Iraq has said. Stuart Bowen told the BBC that Iraq was facing a second insurgency of corruption and mismanagement. He said Iraqi government corruption could amount to $4bn (£2.1bn) a year, over 10% of the national income, with some money going to the insurgency. Many government workers also lack the skills to manage funds, Mr Bowen said.
"This money that's stolen doesn't merely enrich criminals," Mr Bowen said. "(It) frequently goes out to fund criminal militias or insurgents. That means lost lives for US troops." A clause in a military spending bill signed by President George W Bush three weeks ago will terminate the work of the auditor on 1 October next year.
BBC News, 9/11/06