Meanwhile Nouri al-Maliki hit the international news cycle (AP, Reuters, etc.). They treat it like a historic visit. What it really says is Nouri's on the ropes. He wouldn't go to Erbil to meet with KRG President Massoud Barzani otherwise. As Al Mada delicately puts it, Nouri's visit was a first of its kind for Nouri. National Iraqi News Agency notes of Nouri:
He said in a press conference held today after his meeting with the President of Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani: "we discussed the latest developments in the region, and the files that were discussed during the visit of the head of the provincial government to Baghdad."
He explained that "we named the characters that will be in charge to continue the discussions to resolve the outstanding issues."
That's one of the reasons it was important to clarify the rumor or 'rumor' that US Vice President Joe Biden was implementing a plan to divide Iraq into three parts -- for such a division to take place, Nouri would have to meet with Barzani. Nouri could -- and most likely would -- cut Iraqiya leadership out of such a meet-up, avoiding Ayad Allawi and Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi to instead meet with the far less important Saleh al-Mutlaq.
With the White House refusing to release a statement denying the rumors (last week the US Embassy in Baghdad did deny the rumors), already Iraqi social media is chattering about how the real reason for the meet-up was so that Nouri and Barzani could seal the deal on Biden's plan to break Iraq up into three regions.
Meanwhile the United Nations current posted estimate of Iraqi refugees in Jordan is 450,500. Dropping back to the June 5th snapshot:
"The world has forgotten us. The west has forgotten us. Even the UNHCR, they have forgotten us," an Iraqi refugee tells the BBC. The violence is having many effects including restarting the flow of external refugees. Matthew Woodcraft (BBC World Service -- link is audio) reports on this development and I've deleted the names of two Iraqi males. Excerpt.
Matthew Woodcraft: ____ explained how he was new to Amman having decided to make the move from his home city of Baghdad to seek refuge in Jordan just a few weeks ago. "Iraq, she is beautiful," ____ said before exhaling a plume of smoke as he rolled the dice across the board. "Well, she was," he added, "but we cannot be there anymore. The religions, it's dangerous. More men arrived sounding lively, with shouts of "Salam alaikum, habibi" -- "hello, my good man" -- and handshakes all around. Amman is witnessing a new wave of Iraqi refugees as the almost daily bombings across Iraq become ever more bloody. As the click-clack of dice on wood continued, I spoke with **** one of the organizers of the backgammon evening, in a room away from the other men. I asked him about the new influx of Iraqis. This initially jocular man grew serious as he explained, "There are many who are still coming and they cannot work. They live hand to mouth," he said. going on to tell me how the new arrivals are fleeing with little and in desperate need of help.
In Jordan, Iraqi refugees cannot legally work. I'm not comfortable identifying by name refugees when it could prevent employment. Were this a brief story, it would be one thing. But the Iraqi refugees who fled to Jordan during the ethnic cleansing that began in 2006 have largely not returned.
All Iraq News reports that the United Nations office in Amman, Jordan announced today that, due to increased violence in Iraq, "The number of Iraqi refugees" in Jordan has increased.
I'm traveling in some vehicle
I'm sitting in some cafe
A defector from the petty wars
That shell shock love away
-- "Hejira," written by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her album of the same name
The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4488.
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