Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Iraq prepared to grant partial immunity (State of Law)

Al Mada reports that State of Law's MP Haider al-Abadi declared on Monday that there is an agreement to give US 'trainers' (in aviation and counter-terrorism) "partial immunity." al-Abadi also sites concerns that there will be an attempted coup by former Ba'athists and that Iraq does not have the capabilities currently to stop such an effort. al-Abadi is identifed in the article as a "prominent" law maker in State of Law. State of Law is the political slate Nouri al-Maliki put together for the 2010 elections. Alsumaria TV adds, "Iraqi Security and Defense Parliamentary Committee assured, on Sunday, that Iraqi Air Force needs 5 years to become ready to protect Iraqi air space. Iraqi government should agree with countries positioned in Kuwait over defense matters, the committee said, warning from current and potential threats against Iraq."

In related news, Dar Addustour notes that the Parliament was scheduled to hold the first reading of a law that would ban the Ba'ath party. Yes, the proposal does seem redundant since the Ba'ath party is already outlawed in Iraq.

Reuters notes that 1 corpse (government employee) was discovered in Kirkuk, a Baghdad bombing claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier and left one other person injured, a Baghdad roadside bombing injured four Iraqi soldiers and a Mosul suicide bomber was shot dead by police. In addition, Reuters notes that Turkish military planes bombed northern Iraq again last night in the lastest wave of attacks which began August 17th. Press TV adds, "Turkey has deployed a massive military convoy in a southeastern district that borders with Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Press TV reports. Turkish sources said the military convoy is comprised of about 200 military vehicles, including those that are resistant to mine blasts, Press TV's Ankara correspondent reported." In other news, Steve Bryant (Bloomberg News) reports that Iraq is allowing Turkey to land (commercial flights) at Iraqi airport for a week while the two countries try to iron out their dispute over Iraq supposedly owing Turkey millions (which led Turkey to deny Iraqi planes the right to land at Turkish airports).

Just to review because a few are asking: There will be a snapshot today. There will be one tomorrow. Tomorrow will also see both of the morning entries. Thursday? If the news of the day warrants a snapshot, there will be one. If not, the next snapshot will be on Friday. There will be no day off here. There will be entries posted every day. Friday will resume normal schedule (if there's no snapshot Thursday -- if there is, normal schedule went on all the way through).

Lastly, US Senator Patty Murray is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and her office notes:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Murray Press Office Monday, November 21, 2011 (202) 224-2834
VETERANS: Murray Statement on President Obama's Signing of Landmark Veterans Employment Bill Into Law
Murray: This bill takes a huge step forward in rethinking the way we treat our men and women in uniform after they leave the military
(Washington, D.C.) -- Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray released the following statement after President Obama signed the "VOW to Hire Heroes Act" into law. This bipartisan, bicameral, comprehensive legislation would lower the rate of unemployment among our nation's veterans.
It combines provisions of Senator Murray's Hiring Heroes Act (S. 951; Report #112-36), Representative Jeff Miller's Veterans Opportunity to Work Act (H.R. 2433; Report #112-242), and veterans' tax credits into a comprehensive package that will aggressively attack the unacceptably high rate of veteran's unemployment.
"Today is a historic day in our efforts to support our veterans when they return home," said Senator Murray. "This law helps our nation's heroes translate the skills they learned in their service into careers, and gives employers even more incentive to hire our veterans. After crisscrossing my home state for more than two years, hearing the concerns from highly qualified veterans who struggle to find work, I am thrilled Congress was able to come together in a bipartisan manner and do right by these brave men and women. This is an example of how Congress can and should work -- elected officials putting what's best for the American people before politics or partisanship. I thank President Obama for signing such a critical bill into law and am glad to see our veterans finally get the employment assistance they deserve."
VIDEO: Senator Murray "Vow to Hire Heroes Act" floor statement.
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Meghan Roh

Deputy Press Secretary

Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray

@PattyMurray

202-224-2834

Get Updates from Senator Murray



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