Saturday, December 08, 2012

I Hate The War

Rudaw reports "Amid a tense stand-off between Erbil and Baghdad over troop deployments in disputed territories, Iraq’s Kurdish president and Arab prime minister are expected to meet this week to discuss the crisis, a senior official said."

No, the stand-off hasn't ended.  There has been no solution and there's still no agreed upon proposal.

Why does that matter?

Because AP filed a false report.  We've covered this:


 Thursday morning they filed what was an untruth.  Antiwar.com, Press TV and others ran with it.  AP falsely 'reported' and it was picked up.  It was amplified.  There was no reason for that.  There was never any reason for it.  Thursday morning, AP 'broke news' by announcing something that had happened.  They announced it while we were doing the Thursday morning entry and it was obvious that AP had some problems:


AFP also notes, "The visit also comes at a time of high tensions between Iraq's federal government and the autonomous Kurdistan region, during which military reinforcements have been sent to disputed areas in the country's north.All Iraq News notes Nouri held a news conference with Ban Ki-moon today and he declared that there were proposals (plural) to resolve the current standoff between Baghdad and Erbil.
Qassim Abdul-Zahra (AP) has a 'breaking news' bulletin about Nouri announcing that a preliminaty agreement has been reached.  I don't think that's accurate.  I think AP is reporting on the press conference this morning.  If so, again, Nouri said "proposals."  Alsumaria reports Nouri said there were two proposals.  (The two proposals -- one is locals are in charge of security, two is a joint patrol by Nouri's Tigris forces and the Peshmerga.  The key on the second proposal would be whether or not the Peshmerga remains under Kurdish control.) Second, since when the hell did Massoud Barzani develop a case of the shys?  Meaning, if an agreement was reached, it stands to reason the the KRG President would be announcing it as well.
Also if it's all wrapped up, shouldn't Jalal Talabani know that?  He is the President of Iraq.  But All Iraq News reports he gave a speech today noting that the crisis is threatening the security and the peace.  Al Mada adds that Talabani declared that threatening language -- a reference to Nouri's speech on Saturday -- has no place in this discussion. 


No agreement was reached -- preliminary or otherwise -- nor did Nouri declare that in the press conference.

We established that in the snapshots and a Friday morning entry.  If an agreement were reached, Ban Ki-moon, at the same press conference, would not be talking about how both sides needed to figure out how to come to an understanding.  Nor would Jalal Talabani be meeting with various people -- including Ahmed Chalabi -- later that day.  Nor would the US State Dept and the US Defense Dept -- both represented in Baghdad that day and both holding news-conferences with the acting Minister of the Defense talking about the ongoing stand-off.  Meetings continued on Friday, clerics called for the crisis to be resolved, etc.

AP was wrong.  And others picked up on it and amplified it.  Why Antiwar.com hasn't corrected their repetition of AP's false story is a puzzle and really questions the integrity of the site.

Thursday morning, AP got the story wrong.  And by doing so, they ensured that all English outlets were immediately paralyzed.  AP's reporting it?  Where's our story?  And if our story is about the conflict, we better bury that story, not running that because AP says that it's all over. 

That's what AP's lie did, it shut down the reporting on Iraq.  This was huge day, Thursday, for Iraq.  If AP hadn't lied, you would have had a ton of stories.  Ban Ki-moon was in Baghdad.  The US military and the Iraqi military have signed a new agreement and you had DoD officials in Baghdad.  The State Dept had a high ranking official in Baghdad.

And all of that was lost because AP 'reported' -- lied -- and it stopped the whole flow of news.

That can be bad reporting.  That can just be bad reporting.

Except November 26th found AP doing the same thing.  The stand-off was getting attention, NPR sent Kelly McEvers back to file on Iraq.  There was serious interest in what was going on.  Just as that was building, AP announced the conflict is over.

It wasn't over.

But there little announcement served to kill the coverage.

So that's twice where AP has been 'wrong' and managed to kill off building interest in Iraq. 

It happens once, you think, "Okay, everybody makes mistakes."  It happens twice? 

We're still going to pretend this was just bad reporting?

This was an outright lie.

It was an intentional lie.

Was AP present at the news conference?  Presumably they were.  If everyone else heard two potential approaches were being discussed, why did AP hear something different -- something that wasn't said?

It's very hard with this happening twice to pretend that this was anything but propaganda  -- intentional propaganda. 

Propaganda always has a purpose.  Sunday, Nouri wanted the world to know the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq was captured!

And if we were idiots, we would have run with it.  But the Iraq War has had how many 'leaders' captured? 

Like it happened every time before, as soon as the headlines and spin died down, it was quietly announced that it wasn't the leader of Iraq.


I'm really troubled by Antiwar.com running with that lie about an agreement reached.  They made the opening in their late Thursday night filing

It was never plausible.  We had Ban Ki-moon's remarks from the same press conference, we knew AP was lying.  We knew by everything that happened Thursday.  But at midnight, Antiwar.com wants to pimp that lie? 

I think that goes to the level of 'coverage' we're getting from Antiwar.com and I think it also goes to a lack of standards and a lack of concern about Iraq. 

AP achieved the desired goal of stopping the coverage.  The question that needs to be answered is whose desired goal was it?  The US government, the Iraqi government, who was AP serving because they sure as hell weren't serving the public.





It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)


The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4488.



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









Friday, December 07, 2012

Iraq snapshot

Friday, December 7, 2012.  Chaos and violence continue, a day after bad reporting finds AP looking even more foolish with their false 'report' as tensions continue between Baghdad and Erbil, a Shi'ite leader explains how Shi'ites end up siding with the Kurds over Nouri's current attack, we look at Syrian refugees in Iraq, and more.
 
 
The month isn't even ten days old yet, through Thursday, Iraq Body Count counts 39 people killed from violence in Iraq so far this month (13 alone yesterday).   Violence continues today.  Alsumaria notes a Diwainya armed dispute lead to 2 people dead and a third injured, and a Baghdad home invasion killed 1 SahwaAll Iraq News adds a Mosul attack left 1 police officer dead and two more injured, a Musayyib mortar attack left six people injured, a Mosul internet cafe owner was shot dead and 1 person was shot dead outside their Mosul home. and a Babylon roadside bombing left one person injured.
 
Yesterday, Al-Shorfa reports, Nouri al-Maliki's Baghdad government announced that 7 previously armed groups were joining the political process and they "include the 20th Revolution Brigades, Malek al-Ashtar Brigade, Khalid Bin al-Walid Brigade, Arab Tribes Sons Brigade, Omar Bin al-Khattab Brigade, Children of Iraq Brigade and Saqr Quraish Brigade." This as Al-Bayyna reports a member of the Parliament's National Reconciliation Committee issued a statement declaring that reconciliation does not mean bringing in former Ba'athists. He asserts that de-Ba'athifcation is the law of the land. De-Ba'athification is the policy Paul Bremer oversaw in Iraq that forced Iraqis out of jobs. That was the military, that was the government. The reason? Belonging to the Ba'ath political party. That's a part that Saddam Hussein would eventually head in Iraq. It's also a player throughout the Middle East and part of a pan-Arab movement. De-Ba'athifcation is seen as a huge mistake. And Nouri agreed to what we call de-de-Ba'athifcation. He agreed to that in 2007. But he never implemented it and, judging by the remarks today, there is no governmental interest in healing that division.

Alsumaria reports that Minister of Transportation Hadi al-Amiri declared today that 15,000 families have suffered as a result of the refusal to implement Article 140.  al-Amiri states that this has led some families to be denied Iraqi nationalities. As the leader of the Badr Organization, al-Amiri is part of the National Alliance (also known as the Ntional Iraqi Alliance which is led by Ibrahim al-Jaafari).   What is going on?  Why are so many Shi'ite politicians turning on Nouri publicly as he goes after the Kurds and the threat of a war with the Kurds looms?   Qassim Khidhir Hamad (Niqash) spoke with the Islamic Supreme Council's Bashir Adel Gli this week.  The Islamic Supreme Council is another Shi'ite political party which belongs to the National Alliance.

NIQASH: How do you feel about the current relationship between the Shiite Muslims of Iraq and Iraq's Kurdistan people?

 

Bashir Adel Gli: The relationship between Iraq's Shiite Muslims and the Kurdish people is a historic one. It goes back to the time that [religious leader] Grand Ayatollah Muhsin al-Hakim [the grandfather of Ammar al-Hakim, current leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council] issued a fatwa [religious edict] in 1965 that forbade Shiite Muslims to fight with the Kurdish.  

This decree was copied and distributed all over Iraq and it had a big impact on Shiite Muslim soldiers.

He issued that decree after some Sunni Muslim clerics issued a totally different fatwa saying that their followers were allowed to kill the Kurdish. The [Sunni Muslim-dominated] authorities were trying to find some way of justifying their ethnic cleansing and killing of the Kurdish people. And what al-Hakim said at the time made them very angry.

As a result, 70 members of al-Hakim's family were arrested and later killed.

Basically Shiite Muslim ideology says that Shiites must support the oppressed at all times; and that they must not support the dictator, no matter who that dictator is.

 

 

NIQASH: So how do you see the current problem between Erbil and Baghdad: is it a Shiite Muslim-Kurdish problem?

 

Bashir Adel Gli: No, it is the problem between the Dawa Party [headed by Nouri al-Maliki] and the government of Iraqi Kurdistan. It is not a problem between Shiites and Kurds in general.

 
 
And that is part of the how and why Nouri is losing ground at present on this issue.  Turning to a Twitter conversation.  Derek Brower is the editor-at-large of Petroleum Economist and he just left the KRG.
 
 

If Maliki still pushing idea of Peshmerga replaced in territories by local force, don't see KRG accepting that since implies Pesh withdrawal

@IraqiPolitics I agree. Just returned from Kirkuk, where the two sides are v close to

a scrap. Either serious brinkmanship or impending war.

@derek_brower hi, thanks for your coverage, AP now reporting initial agreement between both sides, any signs from the ground.

@jamesbr01 I'd be sceptical, unless things changed in the few hours since I've returned from Kirkuk. But always possible.

 
"I'd be skeptical" of the AP report "unless things changed in the few hours since I've returned from Kirkuk" Twetted Derek Brower yesterday afternoon.  Apparently we're all going to have to learn to be skeptical of AP because their report was wrong.
 
There has been no agreement.  Tonight, Alsumaria reports that KRG President Massoud Barzani issued a statement stating that the only way to end the current crisis is to implement Article 140.  The main part of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution reads:
 
The responsibility placed upon the executive branch of the Iraqi Transitional Government stipulated in Aerticle 58 of the Transitional Administrative Law shall extend and continue to the executive authority elected in accordance with this Constitution, provided that it accomplishes completely (normalization and census
and concludes with a referendum in Kirkuk and other disputed territories to determine the will of their citizens), by a date not to exceed the 31st of December 2007.
 
That's from Iraq's 2005 Constitution.  In the spring of 2006, after the Iraqi Parliament wanted Ibrahim al-Jafaari as prime minister (it would have been his second term) and the White House nixed the choice and insisted that Nouri al-Maliki be made prime minister, Nouri took an oath to uphold the Constitution.  Article 140 is a part of the Constitution and it is very clear in its wording that it must be implemented by December 2007.  Yet for Nouri's entire first term he refused to honor the Constitution.  Kirkuk is oil-rich and it is claimed by Nouri's central government out of Baghdad and by the Kurdistan Regional Government with both set of players making historical arguments on why they should be the one to lay claim to Kirkuk.  The way to settle it, as the Constitution made clear, was a census and a referendum.  But Nouri refused to implement Article 140.  His term came to an end in early 2010.  Iraq held parliamentary elections in March 2010.  Nouri's State of Law came in second to Iraqiya.  2010 saw the continuation of a trend that emerged in the 2009 provincial elections.  Iraqis were not interested in sects.  They were interested in a national identity. 
 
Having come in second to Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya, Nouri quickely stepped down -- and, no, he didn't.  He refused to.  He refused to let Iraqi move forward.  From the November 1, 2010  snapshot:
 
March 7th, Iraq concluded Parliamentary elections. The Guardian's editorial board noted in August, "These elections were hailed prematurely by Mr Obama as a success, but everything that has happened since has surely doused that optimism in a cold shower of reality." 163 seats are needed to form the executive government (prime minister and council of ministers). When no single slate wins 163 seats (or possibly higher -- 163 is the number today but the Parliament added seats this election and, in four more years, they may add more which could increase the number of seats needed to form the executive government), power-sharing coalitions must be formed with other slates, parties and/or individual candidates. (Eight Parliament seats were awarded, for example, to minority candidates who represent various religious minorities in Iraq.) Ayad Allawi is the head of Iraqiya which won 91 seats in the Parliament making it the biggest seat holder. Second place went to State Of Law which Nouri al-Maliki, the current prime minister, heads. They won 89 seats. Nouri made a big show of lodging complaints and issuing allegations to distract and delay the certification of the initial results while he formed a power-sharing coalition with third place winner Iraqi National Alliance -- this coalition still does not give them 163 seats. They are claiming they have the right to form the government. In 2005, Iraq took four months and seven days to pick a prime minister. It's seven months and twenty-five days and still counting.
 
The stalemate would continue for over a week more.  Nouri was able to stamp his feet and stop the political process because the US government refused to side with the Iraqi voters.  Instead of calling for the will of the people to be honored, the Barack Obama White House demanded that Nouri get a second term.  From  John Barry's "'The Engame' Is A Well Researched, Highly Critical Look at U.S. Policy in Iraq" (Daily Beast) last September:



Washington has little political and no military influence over these developments [in Iraq]. As Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor charge in their ambitious new history of the Iraq war, The Endgame, Obama's administration sacrificed political influence by failing in 2010 to insist that the results of Iraq's first proper election be honored: "When the Obama administration acquiesced in the questionable judicial opinion that prevented Ayad Allawi's bloc, after it had won the most seats in 2010, from the first attempt at forming a new government, it undermined the prospects, however slim, for a compromise that might have led to a genuinely inclusive and cross-sectarian government."
 
 
When your preferred candidate loses the vote, how do you install him to a second term?  You ignore the Constitution and create a new 'understanding.'  So in November 2010, the White House brokered a new contract known as the Erbil Agreement.  The contract was signed by the leaders of Iraq's various political blocs.  In the contract, Nouri agrees to give political party A various concessions if political party A will allow him a second term as prime minister.  So Nouri promises various things to the various parties.  To the Kurds, he promises, among other things, that he will finally implement Article 140.
 
The US government vouches for the contract with the White House pledging they will uphold it.  But Nouri pretty much breaks it immediately.  Iraqiya calls him out and the US press treats it as a misunderstanding and swears Nouri's going to honor the contract. But he doesn't.  And months turn into a year and he still hasn't and his State of Law is insisting the contract is illegal (if Nouri was installed prime minister by an illegal contract, grasp this, then Nouri is not prime minister).  By the summer of 2011, those calling for Nouri to honor the contract include Iraqiya, the Kurds and cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr.   That's when the second political stalemate is evident.  This is kicked up to a crisis in December when, following the departure of most US troops, Nouri decides to go after Iraqiya.  For weeks, he'd been targeting Sunnis and Iraqiya members (sometimes they are the same thing) in various provinces, having them rounded up as terrorists.  But now he was demanding that Iraqiya's Tareq al-Hashemi be arrested and that Iraqiya's Saleh al-Mutlaq be stripped of his post.  Tareq al-Hashemi is Iraq's Vice President.  Saleh al-Mutlaq is Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister.  To remove either from their post requires the consent of Parliament.
 
Nouri couldn't get the votes.  But he does control the Baghdad judiciary.  Which is how Iraq ended up the only country in the world with a sitting Vice President convicted of terrorism.  Tareq remains the Vice President -- despite being found guilty of 'terrorism' and despite being sentenced to death multiple times.  That crisis sent off alarms in Iraq and out of Iraq as a Sunni dominant region looked askance at Nouri and his puppet court in Baghdad. 
 
It created a major crisis and Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi (a member of Iraqiya) and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (a Kurd) both started calling for a National Conference on December 21, 2011.  But Nouri refused it.  Iraq was still dealing with that unresolved crisis -- which the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq Martin Kobler called a political stalemate when reporting to the United Nations Security Council back in his July 19th presentation to the UN Security Council (see the July 19th snapshot and the speech is also covered in the July 20th snapshot).  But Iraq is the land where Nouri piles crazy on top of crazy so with an ongoing stalemate already taking place as a result of a crisis Nouri caused, he set out to create another.  After refusing for years to implement Article 140 to resolve the dispute of Kirkuk and other disputed lands, Nouri, a few months ago, sent a new group of forces under his command (Tigris Operation Command) into the disputed areas.  The Kurds saw this as an attempt by Nouri to 'settle' the dispute in Baghdad's favor by having Nouri's forces occupy and control the areas.
 
                                         
The tensions increased and increased until last month the Kurds sent the Peshmerga into the same areas.  The military standoff continues.  Al Mada reports Islamic Superme Council of Iraq leader Ammar al-Hakim is calling for calm.   As the report continues, you'll note something in all the Iraq reporting today on this topic, consider it the Iraqi press saying "Suck it, AP," that Nouri al-Maliki has spoken with Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi about what al-Nujaifi spoke to KRG President Massoud Barzani on Tuesday about; however, Nouri's not spoken to Barzani.  Translation, there is no deal.  We noted it yesterday, the AP got it wrong when they 'reported' that Nouri said a deal had been reached.  That is not what he said.  Sadly, some US outlets have picked up on AP's garbage and have presented as fact. 
Rudaw reports:


As many Iraqis worry about a possible war between Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in the disputed northern territories, the country's senior Shia clerics have issued religious prohibitions against such a conflict. 
The latest reaction came on Wednesday from the Najaf Hawza, the prominent Shia religious institution, which issued a fatwa saying that, "Fighting the Kurds is haram (religiously prohibited)."
"Those Iraqi soldiers who die in battle against the Kurds are not considered martyrs," the Hawza said in a statement. Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ignited tensions by sending in his controversial Dijla forces into the northern disputed territories that are also claimed by the Kurds. 
The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government dispatched thousands of its own Peshmerga forces into the territories, setting off a tense stand-off that has endured for weeks.

All Iraq News reports that this morning Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, in a prayer sermon, declared that the conflict should be resolved by the Constitution.  Juma Abdulla (Al-Bayyna) adds that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has warned that Nouri al-Maliki is playing with fire by his actions.  Last night, Al Mada filed a lengthy report on the press conference that AP distorted.  Al Mada notes -- as other Iraqi outlets did yesterday -- that Nouri's remarks were that there were two proposals currently -- not that the situation had been resolved (as AP falsely reported) and that he declared this at the joint-conference he held with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (AP also 'forgot' that fact). (For Ban Ki-moon's remarks at the news conference see yesterday's snapshot.)  All Iraq News adds that the Secretary-General spoke with KRG President Massoud Barazni over the phone yesterday.  Al Mada reports that Ban Ki-moon also met with Osama al-Nujaif and Parliament.  UNAMI provides the remarks he made to Parliament:
 
Your Excellency, Osama al-Nujaifi, Speaker of the Council of Representatives,
Distinguished Heads of Political Blocs,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for your warm reception. I am honoured to be here. 
The democratic transition over the past decade has advanced thanks to the leaders and people of this great country. Iraq has re-emerged as a leader on the regional and global stage. And as current Chair of the Arab League, you are steering the region at a critical time in its history.
Iraq is making important progress in strengthening its state institutions. I welcome the establishment of the independent Human Rights Commission and the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission. Your task now is to guarantee the independence of these bodies.
You face many challenges. I am especially concerned about strained relations among Iraq's main political leaders. This problem hampers the adoption of necessary reforms and constitutionally mandated legislation. It impedes effective governance, the delivery of services and the fair distribution of resources.
Above all, I worry that increased political polarization could stoke sectarian violence and reverse the precious security gains against terrorism in recent years.
 To guard against this, I urge all political leaders to engage in an inclusive dialogue to resolve their differences in the spirit of the Constitution.
 Your role is critical. As elected representatives of the people, you have immense responsibility to promote democracy, safeguard political freedoms and advance social progress and well-being.
There is no alternative to national reconciliation and peaceful co-existence for all communities in a united, federal Iraq. There is no alternative to reaching a mutually agreeable understanding over the issues of wealth-sharing and disputed internal boundaries.
The Iraqi people will have another important chance to choose their representatives during the Governorate Council elections.
Credible elections will be crucial to consolidating the democratic transition.
This is particularly important for the overdue elections in Kirkuk. I urge the communities there to forge consensus on a way forward.
The United Nations remains steadfast in supporting the Government and the new Board of the Independent High Electoral Commission to ensure fair and credible elections across Iraq.
Excellencies, This is a time of tremendous challenge across the region. There is a real threat of a destabilizing spill-over of the violence in Syria. This crisis is at the forefront of international concern -- and it is a legitimate source of worry for Iraq.
I thank Iraq for its constructive engagement in the search for a solution, and for its generosity in hosting numerous Syrian refugees. The United Nations will continue working to provide humanitarian assistance.
On the important goal of normalizing relations between Iraq and Kuwait, I was encouraged earlier this year by steps taken under the leadership of Prime Minister al-Maliki and the Emir of Kuwait. But I am concerned that progress could be threatened by the lack of confidence between the two countries and lack of progress on outstanding issues.
It will take courage and statesmanship to move beyond a difficult past and embark on a new era of cooperation. I have made this clear in my meetings with leaders from both countries. Today, I again call on you to unite behind this goal so that Iraq – a founding member of the United Nations – can regain its rightful place in the community of nations.
I am confident that decisive steps to fulfil this country's outstanding international obligations on boundary maintenance, compensation for farmers and missing persons and property will enable the Security Council to positively consider restoring Iraq's international standing. I – along with my Special Representative – will spare no effort to help achieve this goal.
Excellencies, Iraq has vast human resources, especially the country's youth. Half of all Iraqis are under the age of 18. I hope you will nurture these future leaders.
Women are another powerful force -- but they are still marginalized. Quotas have made it possible for women to make up one quarter of the Council's representatives, but there is only one female electoral Commissioner and one female State Minister. Iraqi women are bright and talented. They should be empowered to engage in building the future of this great country.
The United Nations is also working with Iraq to protect the environment,  preserve natural resources and fight the menace of dust storms.
I have just come from the Doha Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
I am committed to advancing progress on climate change and to addressing the challenges it poses for Iraq. Dust storms have doubled over the past two years and they are expected to double again in the next two. This is a serious regional issue which demands a regional response.
In all these areas, the United Nations will continue to be your partner.
As always, we will listen to your concerns and your ideas. We are here to support you as the Iraqi people forge a shared future of lasting stability and peace.
Thank you very much.
Shukran Jazeelan.
 

All Iraq News reports al-Nujaafi and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani discussed ways to resolve the crisis late yesterday evening.  Osama al-Nujaifi issued a statement afterwards thanking Talabani for his continued efforts at resolving the crisis.   And the outlet notes that MP Susan Saad (with the al-Fadhila Party) issued a call today for direct dialogue to end the crisis, noting that it does not serve Iraqi interests for the crisis to continue.  In her statement, she uses "we" and makes clear she is speaking on behalf of the al-Fahila Party. None of the above is needed if, as AP wrongly 'reported' yesterday, an agreement between Baghdad and Erbil had been reached.

 
November 29th (see that day's "Iraq snapshot"  and the November 30th "Iraq snapshot"), the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq, Martin Kobler, addressed the UN Security Council on the state of Iraq.  We'll wrap up his presentation today.
 
Martin Kobler:  The exploitation of the environment and natural resources has far-reaching implications for the future of Iraq, encompassing political, security and developmental priorities.  In particular, the generation of harmful dust storms in the region continues to increase, bringing with them associated health hazards and hampering economic activities.   UNAMI and the UNCT continue to work closely together on this important issue.  I have attended several meetings to promote regional approaches to such transboundary issues and I am actively working with the governmnt of Iraq and UNEP to hold a symposium on dust storms in southern Iraq in early 2013.  Complimentary efforts by UNAMI and the Humanitarian Country Team have ensured a timely and effective response to the humanitarian dimension in Iraq of the ongoing conflict in Syria, including a range of protection and relief activities.  The flow of refugees has already exceeded projected numbers.  As of 18 November, there were more than 50,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq.  In addition, almost 55,000 Irais have returned from Syria since 18 July 2012.  We anticipate that the influx will continue thus swelling the numbers of those displaced. The UN is working closely with the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration to respond to the situation.  The Humanitarian Country Team continues to monitor the situation, and coordinates regularly with partners and government authorities to ensure preparedness and an efficient and timely response.  It has developed contingency plans in-line with the UN's Syria Regional Refugee Response Plan, which are continuously updated in response to emerging developments.  Efforts are also taking place to ensure that camps are fully equipped and prepared for the coming winter and necessary equipment distributed to refugees and returnees (like distribution of blankets and kerosene, prefabricated structures instead of tents).  I also call on the government of Iraq to reopen al-Qaim crossing point so that vulnerable persons in need of protection are able to leave Syria.  Only 30 percent of the third Refugee Response Plan is covered and many refugees continue to pour into Iraq on a daily basis and I, therefore, appeal to all member states to step up and cover the remaining 70 percent of the plan. 
 
 
In the middle of the week, Refugees International released a field report on Syrian Refugees which noted that there are 400,000 know Syrian refugees in Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.  Known?  Many refugees will never attempt to register with the United Nations.  Registering with the UN provides a document, a paper trail, and refugees often fear such a trail -- they fled due to fear and may fear being found by those in Syria that they fled, they fled for safety and may fear that a host country will force them to leave.  There are many reasons why you will never have 100% registration among refugees of any crisis.   On Iraq, the report notes:
 
Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has declared Syrian Kurds to be their brethren and has welcomed them into northern Iraq with a tremendous amount of goodwill. The KRG has done a laudable job of integrating urban refugees fleeing Syria into the national systems, and offers them the same benefits as their own nationals. However, the KRG's social services structure is feeling the strain of serving this extra population and needs outside support. To ensure that assistance is available to both camp and urban Syrian refugees in northern Iraq, the international community must support the KRG's generosity by designating funding for humanitarian assistance in northern Iraq.
When significant numbers of Syrian refugees began arriving in Iraqi Kurdistan early in 2012, they were generally well-received by their host communities. About eight months ago, the KRG opened Domiz camp in Dohuk Governorate, hoping it would help it provide for everyone more efficiently and make the best use of limited resources. Unfortunately, some of the camp's structures and programs have been slow to develop and many residents lack the assistance they need. Similarly, in the urban areas, Syrian refugees' needs have outstripped the KRG's ability to address them. While refugees have access to the KRG's own social services, those services themselves are underdeveloped in some cases and unable to serve additional clients.
[. . .]
As in other countries hosting Syrian refugees, the three governorates of Iraqi Kurdistan -- Dohuk, Erbil, and Suleimaniyah -- are feeling the strain of hosting their guests. The Domiz camp in Dohuk alone has 15,000 refugees in residence, and tens of thousands more are living in the nearby cities. The KRG has been struggling for the past year to provide for everyone. In keeping with the best practices recommended by the UNHCR, Syrian refugees outside of the camp have access to the national services of the KRG. However, the reality is that once people run out of financial means to rent a residence, they are very likely to have to move to Domiz in order to have a place to live. Getting services in the camp is a challenge in itself, as the space is overcrowded and service provision is still developing. In order to promote self-sufficiency, and to avoid creating tensions in either an overcrowded camp or an overburdened community, services in both settings must be made adequate and sustainable. 
 
 
Refugees International's report on Iraq only notes what the Kurdistan Regional Government is doing.  Kobler is calling for the al-Qaim crossing point to be re-opened.  That's not a KRG issue.  Most refugees coming into the KRG from Syria are doing so through the Rabi'aa crossing.  al-Qaim is in Anbar Province (which is not in the KRG).    October 21st, Nouri closed the al-Qaim crossing point.  In one weekly report after another, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) has repeatedly noted that al-Qaim refugees do not have freedom of movement. 
 
"Winter is already here and UNHCR and its partners still lack 50 percent of the funds needed to get everyone through the next few difficult months," declared Angelina Jolie who, with Brad Pitt, made a $50,000 donation to UNHCR Thursday.  "Despite all the good work being done so far, it's clear here on the ground that all resources are now stretched to the limit.  This is going to be a very tough few months.  Winter can be harsh here, even dangerous for refugees who may already be weakened by their ordeal.  Many have been brutalized in unimaginable ways.  They deserve all the support we can give them."  Anyone who would like to dnate -- at any level -- can visit this UNHCR page.  It's a bad economy, no one has to feel guilty or justify how they're spending their money.  I won't know if you donated or not and it's your business not mine.  But at this time of they year, many people look for places to donate and the UNHCR helps refugees around the world. 
 
September 28th, the US State Dept, under court order to reconsider their opinion that Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) were terrorists, announced that they had reviewed the classification and "decided, consistent with the law, to revoke the designation."  This decision is important with regards to Iraq because approximately 3,400 MEKs were in Iraq, invited in by Saddam Hussein.  When the US invaded Iraq in 2003, these people were disarmed by the US military and were told this would be in exchange for US protection.  As  CNN noted after the State Dept took the MEK off the terrorist list, "since 2004 the United States has considered the group, which has lived for more than 25 years at a refugee camp in Iraq, 'noncombatants' and 'protected persons' under the Geneva Conventions." Despite being re-classified, however, the MEKs in Iraq remain, at present, unable to find asylum in other countries.  Kobler ended his presentation to the Security Council last week by noting this group of people.
 
Martin Kobler:  Finally, Mr. President, I wish to emphasize that Camp Liberty, also called Camp Hurriayah, was only meant to be an interim facility to facilitate the Refugee Status.  Determination and subsequent resettlement in third countries.  As this process is now well in progress, I should like to take this opportunity to reiterate the Secretary-General's appeal to Member States to offer resettlement opportunities to former residents of Camp Ashraf.  Without such an undertaking, there can be no sustainable solution for the residents.  Currently, only 100 residents remain in Camp Ashraf, while over 3,100 residents have been peacefully transferred to Camp Hurriyah near Baghdad.  The government of Iraq insists to close Camp Ashraf in the next days.  It requested the last 100 residents be relocated to Camp Hurriyah.  For obvious reasons, UNAMI cannot be directly involved in negotiations on the property of Camp Ashraf residents.  My colleagues and I, however, have spared no efforts over the last weeks to facilitate meetings between various merchants and the government of Iraq.  These various merchants and the government of Iraq.  These efforts, regretfully, were unsuccessful, leading to a stalemate over the last weeks.  The government of Iraq considers this stalemate as an attempt by the residents to delay the relocation of the remaining 100 persons.  The government of Iraq's patience is, therefore, wearing thin.  I call on the residents of Camp Ashraf to cooperate with the government of Iraq to solve all outstanding questions related to property.  We have come a long way. I also call upon the government of Iraq to maintain the peaceful relocation of the residents as stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding, to demonstrate restraint, and be as flexible as possible when it comes to resolving property related issues.  UN monitors in Camp Hurriyah monitor the human rights and humanitarian situation of the residents on a daily basis.  They are, however, often denied access to certain areas of the camp by the residents.  This hinders the performance of their duties.  They are working hard in an impartial manner under very difficult circumstances.  They have my full confidence.  I urge the residents to engage constructively with the government of Iraq and the United Nations so that Camp Ashraf can be closed peacefully and efforts can focus on the residents' resettlement to third countries.  Mr. President, coming to the end, on the face of the many challenges ahead I outlined earlier in my briefing, it is imperative that Iraq stays the course to complete its transition to an inclusive democracy, provides stability and prosperity for its people and exercises a positive influence throughout the region.  With Member States' support, UNAMI will continue to assist the people and the government of Iraq in these truly worthy endeavours.  The substantial cut of USD 30 million, I regret to say, to UNAMI's budget next year will require that we do more with less.  I know I can count on UNAMI's dedicated staff to work on behalf of you towards these goals and I would in particular thank the government of Iraq for its coooperation during this year 2012 and I am looking forward to another year of good cooperation in 2013.  Last but not least, I do thank the Security Council for its continued support throughout the year.  Thank you very much.
 
 
 

Violence continues as does the conflict between Baghdad and Erbil

Through yesterday, Iraq Body Count counts 39 people killed from violence in Iraq so far this month (13 alone yesterday).   Violence continues today.  Alsumaria notes a Diwainya armed dispute lead to 2 people dead and a third injured, and a Baghdad home invasion killed 1 Sahwa.  All Iraq News adds a Mosul attack left 1 police officer dead and two more injured, a Musayyib mortar attack left six people injured, a Mosul internet cafe owner was shot dead and 1 person was shot dead outside their Mosul home.

Yesterday, Al-Shorfa reports, Nouri al-Maliki's Baghdad government announced that 7 previously armed groups were joining the political process and they "include the 20th Revolution Brigades, Malek al-Ashtar Brigade, Khalid Bin al-Walid Brigade, Arab Tribes Sons Brigade, Omar Bin al-Khattab Brigade, Children of Iraq Brigade and Saqr Quraish Brigade."  This as Al-Bayyna reports a member of the Parliament's National Reconciliation Committee issued a statement declaring that reconciliation does not mean bringing in former Ba'athists.  He asserts that de-Ba'athifcation is the law of the land.  De-Ba'athification is the policy Paul Bremer oversaw in Iraq that forced Iraqis out of jobs.  That was the military, that was the government.  The reason?  Belonging to the Ba'ath political party.  That's a part that Saddam Hussein would eventually head in Iraq.  It's also a player throughout the Middle East and part of a pan-Arab movement.  De-Ba'athifcation is seen as a huge mistake.  And Nouri agreed to what we call de-de-Ba'athifcation.  He agreed to that in 2007.  But he never implemented it and, judging by the remarks today, there is no governmental interest in healing that division.

The standoff continues between Baghdad and Erbil over Nouri's decision to send forces (Tigris Operation Command) into disputed areas in northern Iraq.  Al Mada reports Islamic Superme Council of Iraq leader Ammar al-Hakim is calling for calm.   As the report continues, you'll note something in all the Iraq reporting today on this topic, consider it the Iraqi press saying "Suck it, AP," that Nouri al-Maliki has spoken with Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi about what al-Nujaifi spoke to KRG President Massoud Barzani on Tuesday about; however, Nouri's not spoken to Barzani.  Translation, there is no deal.  We noted it yesterday, the AP got it wrong.  Sadly, some US outlets have picked up on AP's garbage and have presented as fact.

You can't end a crisis without the two leaders involved speaking, I know that's difficult for the very stupid to understand but most of us on this planet can grasp what AP refuses to. Rudaw reports:


As many Iraqis worry about a possible war between Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in the disputed northern territories, the country’s senior Shia clerics have issued religious prohibitions against such a conflict. 
The latest reaction came on Wednesday from the Najaf Hawza, the prominent Shia religious institution, which issued a fatwa saying that, "Fighting the Kurds is haram (religiously prohibited)."
"Those Iraqi soldiers who die in battle against the Kurds are not considered martyrs," the Hawza said in a statement. Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ignited tensions by sending in his controversial Dijla forces into the northern disputed territories that are also claimed by the Kurds. 
The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government dispatched thousands of its own Peshmerga forces into the territories, setting off a tense stand-off that has endured for weeks.

All Iraq News reports that this morning Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, in a prayer sermon, declared that the conflict should be resolved by the Constitution.  Juma Abdulla (Al-Bayyna) adds that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has warned that Nouri al-Maliki is playing with fire by his actions. 
Last night, Al Mada filed a lengthy report on the press conference that AP distorted.  Distorted?  AP lied.  They have had more than enough time to correct their error.  They lied. Al Mada notes -- as other Iraqi outlets did yesterday -- that Nouri's remarks were that there were two proposals currently -- not that the situation had been resolved (as AP falsely reported) and that he declared this at the joint-conference he held with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (AP also 'forgot' that fact). (For Ban Ki-moon's remarks at the news conference see yesterday's snapshot.)  All Iraq News adds that the Secretary-General spoke with KRG President Massoud Barazni over the phone yesterday.  Al Mada reports that Ban Ki-moon also met with Osama al-Nujaif and Parliament.

All Iraq News reports al-Nujaafi and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani discussed ways to resolve the crisis late yesterday evening.  Osama al-Nujaifi issued a statement afterwards thanking Talabani for his continued efforts at resolving the crisis.   And the outlet notes that MP Susan Saad (with the al-Fadhila Party) issued a call today for direct dialogue to end the crisis, noting that it does not serve Iraqi interests for the crisis to continue.  In her statement, she uses "we" and makes clear she is speaking on behalf of the al-Fahila Party.


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





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The medical needs of Iraqis are not being met

November 22nd, we were noting Nouri al-Maliki's failure with regards to Iraq's medical needs.  Nouri has been the Prime Minister of Iraq since the spring of 2006.  His installation by the US government followed the 'brain drain' -- a period of time when much Iraq's professional class (including doctors and nurses) fled the country.  The term 'brain drain' was already in popular use among the press before the Bush White House picked him to be prime minister (the Iraqi Parliament -- which is supposed to select the prime minister -- wanted Ibrahima al-Jafaari).

Though he could have no impact on the brain drain that pre-dates his becoming prime minister, he could have -- and he should have -- addressed it upon becoming prime minister.  Iraq has massive unemployment.  For Iraqi youth, some figures go as high as 30%.  (Overall unemployment in Iraq stands at 15% according to the CIA.)  Six years ago, he should have addressed this issue.  Six years ago?  A program to fast track doctors and nurses would have produced a large number of doctors and nurses -- medical staff which is critically needed in Iraq.

He did nothing.

His 'answer' this year has been to fill the need by bringing medical staff in from other countries.  While Iraqis are desperate for jobs, he's bringing in people from other countries.  He's had six years to address this problem.  That's not importing labor, that's providing training to ensure that Iraqis have employment in their own country.

In addition, throughout the war, doctors and nurses have regularly been targeted.  It's gotten so bad that a few clerics in the last weeks have issued statements noting that science is not in opposition to Islam.  As the attacks have continued, so have the calls for protection from the government.  But the central government in Baghdad has shown little interest in protecting Iraq's medical staff. 

Today Al Mada reports on Anbar Province where a protest took place yesterday.  What were they protesting?

The lack of medical services, the lack of medical staff, the willful neglect of the health of the community.  The population protesting noted that their medical needs are 'served' by three doctors -- for the thousands of people -- that there's a huge shortage. The Anbar hospital has medicine, it has equipment.  It just lacks medical staff -- doctors and nurses.  The article goes on to note that this problem  -- though more severe in this one area of Anbara -- is not unique to that province.  In Baghdad, for example, the shortages are forcing people to go to private hospitals in Iraq or to leave the country to seek medical treatment.  (When going to government hospitals, Iraqis have public health care, free health care.  If they go to private institutions.)

This isn't a minor problem.  This isn't something that's going away.  It's a damn shame that a foreign press (meaning non-Iraqi press) that began selling the illegal war in 2002 (and continued to sell it after the war started in 2003) can't be bothered with addressing the very real needs of the Iraqi people.  I hear a lot of excuses from friends at outlets about how Iraq is 'the same story over and over' and how the American people 'don't want to read again about violence in Iraq, they're tired of it.'  Here, we're actually picking up new readers every day.  But then we're not going through the motions, we're not providing rote.  There are thousands of stories about Iraq that are not being told -- at a time when billions of US taxpayer dollars still go into Iraq.  And the State Dept will be requesting more billions in a few more months.  It's funny that the New York Times felt the need, in the words of John F. Burns, to cover the Iraq War from  a US taxpayer point of view but now with the war supposedly over (it's not) and with new billions committed each year by Congress to Iraq, the paper doesn't feel the need to increase their coverage.  (In fairness to the Times, they're actually experiencing a high point right now in terms of talent for that coverage.  Equally true, they are one of the few US outlets which continues to file from Iraq.  However, it's not enough coverage.  And if the Times can't offer a wealth of foreign coverage, it's got no reason to exist as a national paper.  That is what made it the national paper once upon a time.  Management decisions to shrink coverage -- both in terms of the number of articles and the length of articles -- was the wrong decision and is turning the New York Times quickly into the news equivalent of Blockbuster Video -- I believe we all know how that story ends.)

The following community sites -- C-SPAN, On the Wilder Side, Adam Kokesh and Antiwar.com --  updated last night and this morning:




Professor of  International Law Francis A. Boyle is an expert on human rights and we'll close with this piece by him on Palestinians:


O Little Town of Bethlehem

Israel, Palestine and American Christian Hypocrites
It was December of 1991 and I was serving as Legal
Advisor to the
Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East Peace Negotiations in Washington DC. The Israelis were stalling,not even negotiating in bad faith, and the Americans under Baker and Ross were doing nothing to get the negotiations started.

This had been going on for 3 weeks and Christmas was fast approaching. Those of us on the Palestinian Team who were Christian were wondering if we were going to be able to get home for Christmas--many Palestinians are Christian, the original Christians, going back to Jesus Christ and the Apostles themselves. I would periodically check in with my wife and 2 sons at the time--little boys. My poor, sweet wife had to do all the Christmas
preparations by herself without me.

So the weekend before Christmas I called her up to say I still did not know if or when I would be coming home. My oldest son who had just turned 5 talked to me on the phone:

"Daddy why aren't you home for Christmas?"

"Well son, I'm trying to help the Palestinians."

"Daddy, why are you doing that?"

Hard to explain the entire Middle East conflict to a 5 year old, so I put it into terms he could understand:

"Son, you know that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem don't you?"

"Yes Daddy."

"Well I am here with the Mayor of Bethlehem and some other Palestinian leaders. They are my friends and I am their lawyer. I am working with the Mayor of Bethlehem to help all the Palestinian Children have a merry Christmas."

"Ok Daddy."
All his younger brother could say was: “DaDa come home!” He broke my heart.


We got the word we could go home for Christmas on December 23 and I got on
the first flight out of DC. getting home just on time for Christmas Eve with
my family.

Periodically I had attended UCC Christmas Season Church Services in town with my family. When it came time for prayers from the congregation, I always got up and asked everyone to help the Palestinians along the following lines: "...Bethlehem is cut-off and surrounded by the Israeli army--the Church of the Nativity too. The Israelis are inflicting ethnic cleansing upon all the Palestinian
s, both Muslims and Christians. They are also pursuing a policy of deliberately forcing Palestinian Christians out of Palestine as part of a perverse strategy to turn a war of national liberation into a religious crusade, figuring it would play better in the United States. And these are the original Christians, going back to Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Meanwhile, the United States government is financing it all to the tune of $5 billion per year. Everyone in this Congregation has gifts given to them by God. So go out and do something to help the Palestinians!"

Despite my best efforts over many years, that UCC Congregation refused to lift one finger to help the Palestinians. So several years ago, I quit their Congregation and severed all ties with them. They are just a gang of moral cowards and hypocrites. They have nothing to teach me or anyone else about Christianity, let alone about peace, justice and human rights. They constitute the paradigmatic example of what the anti-Nazi martyr and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer called Cheap Grace

Francis A. Boyle, Champaign, IL.
Professor of International Law
Legal Advisor to the Palestinian Delegation to the
Middle East Peace Negotiations (1991-93)



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





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