Monday, April 08, 2013

The real news out of Iraq (all that the western media continues to ignore)

UNAMI released a statement today which includes:

UNAMI remains concerned at the rise in violence in Iraq and the increasing toll on lives of Iraqi civilians and its detrimental impact on civilian infrastructure, Iraqi continues to suffer from attacks perpetrated by a number of terrorists groups, among them Al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Islamic STate of Iraq.  The most affected areas remain Baghdad, and the governorates of Anbar, Salahuddin and the disputed areas of Ninewa and Kirkuk.


Through Saturday, Iraq Body Count counts 123 violent deaths so far this month.   Violence continues today.  National Iraqi News Agency notes that a Hilla roadside bombing has claimed 1 life and left another person injured.  Alsumaria notes a Kirkuk Province bombing has left two people injured,  a sticky bombing in south Baghdad claimed the life of 1 person, and a Kirkuk sticky bombing claimed the life of Sahwa leader Abboud Mahmoud Lhalboi.  All Iraq News adds that a Falluja sticky bombing has left one Sahwa injured,


Last week, Nouri al-Maliki, chief thug and prime minister of Iraq, was supposed to appear before Parliament; however, he refused to do so.  He insisted that he should host just a few select members of Parliament and take questions from them.  That's not what the Constitution dictates but Nouri never follows the Constitution (which is why he should be removed from office).  All Iraq News reports today that MP Abdul Hussein Raysan, with the Sadr bloc, declared, "Maliki's request to host him outside the parliament, if being related to his latest statements over forming majority government, it will collapse the national partnership in Iraq."  Oh, yeah, Nouri's Friday speech.  Ignored by AFP, Reuters, AP, CNN, BBC, Antiwar.com, etc, etc.  That speech wasn't minor and it's not going away.  It has major implications and if you doubt it look at how the western media scurries from the light to avoid covering it.

NINA reports today that Kurdistan Alliance MP Mahmoud Othman states it is impossible for Nouri to get his wish to have a majority government and that "it woul fail because of the political conflicts and problems among the blocs."

Nouri was supposed to appear before Parliament today but again was a no-show.  All Iraq News notes he says he was too "busy with peparing the documents of the security file."

We covered Nouri's Friday speech on Friday.  So most reading should have already been aware what Nouri spoke of.  For those late to the party -- try to find a seat quickly without making a lot of noise, please -- Nouri announced that he would be forming a majority government and it was the only way to solve the political problems in Iraq.  He also stated that he will call for early parliamentary elections within two months.  This was a major speech putting forward major issues.  It's a damn shame that except for the Iraqi press, there is no functioning press.  While western outlets repeatedly ignored this news -- and continue to today -- the Iraqi press reported on Friday, on Saturday, on Sunday and today -- again this is major news.  It's a damn shame that western reporters couldn't even find the time to do a Tweet about it.  A damn shame and incredibly telling.




Parliamentary elections are scheduled for March 2014.  April 20th, provincial elections are supposed to take place in 12 of Iraq's 18 provinces.  Provincial elections determine who runs the provinces.  Parliamentary elections determine who runs the country.


 All Iraq News reports Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi met today with Martin Kobler. Kolber is United Nations Secretary-General Ba Ki-moon's Special Representative to Iraq.  Kobler raised the issue of Nouri's push for early parliamentary elections.  Nujaifi replied not happening without a tempoary government being formed.  NINA quotes from a statement:  "Nujaifi answered Kobler about the possibility of early parliamentary elections, saying, 'This matter is conditioned with the necessity forming an interim government that does not represent any political party and its members do not aspire to nominate for election'."  Kitabat cover it here.


 But then, the Iraqi media has been silent on this.  They know their jobs.  Do others?  Arwa Damon (CNN) reports on comedy TV shows in Iraq.  It would appear she doesn't know how to do her job.


 Why is Nujaifi proposing what he's propsoing?  Because that's what was needed in 2010.  Some realized ahead of time.  The then top-US commander in Iraq, Gen Ray Odierno knew it.  The idiot ass Chris Hill shot it down.  He emerged from one of his bi-polar, manic depressive episodes long enough to whine to the White House that Odierno was taking the spotlight away from him.  Odierno wasn't the only one who saw a problem.  (Though credit him with realizing Nouri wouldn't step down if his political slate lost.) (For those who didn't pay attention, Iraqiya beat Nouri's State of Law in 2010.  Nouri refused to step down.)  France led with the proposal for a caretaker government as the political stalemate dragged on (it would eventually last eight months).  They attempted to get the UN to appoint one but the Susan Rice, representing Barack, stopped it at the UN and ensured the plan died.

That's how the Iraqi people were stripped of their votes, how the US government stole democracy from the Iraqi people.  A caretake government should be a non-neogotiable demand for the next parliamentary elections.




On this week's Law and Disorder Radio,  an hour long program that airs Monday mornings at 9:00 a.m. EST on WBAI and around the country throughout the week, hosted by attorneys Heidi Boghosian, Michael S. Smith and Michael Ratner (Center for Constitutional Rights) topics addressed include political prisoner Lynne Stewart, an update on the Guantanamo hunger strike from CCR attorney Omar Farah, Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi joins the hosts to discuss how the US government de-stabilizes the Middle East and NLG attorney Larry Hildes addresses the 9th Circuit ruling that allows the lawsuit against the US military for spying on peace activists to go forward.



The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.





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