For the seventh anniversary of the launching of the Iraq War
Jassim al-Azzawi interviews Juan Cole and Juergen Todenhoefer
samedi 20 mars 2010
samedi 13 mars 2010
The Hidden massacre in Falluja (VIDEO)
The Hidden massacre in Falluja
For the video please click on:
http://izenjero.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/653/
For the video please click on:
http://izenjero.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/653/
jeudi 11 mars 2010
Initial figures on election in Iraq set for release today
MICHAEL JANSEN in Sulaimaniya, Iraq
Thu, Mar 11, 2010
IRAQ’S ELECTION commission announced yesterday a second postponement of the release of preliminary results of Sunday’s national parliamentary election.
The election commission and the UN mission in Iraq said initial figures will be released today.
Projections made by party observers who monitored both voting and counting put the moderate sectarian Shia “State of Law” coalition of incumbent prime minister Nuri al-Maliki ahead of the secular Iraqiya list, headed by former premier Iyad Allawi.
Mr Maliki’s coalition is said to have won about 90 seats in the 325-seat assembly, and Mr Allawi’s party a slightly lower number.
Third place is expected to be taken, once again, by the Kurds, who, according to sources in the three main Kurdish parties, could take 60-65 seats. The Shia religious faction list dominated by the pro-Iranian Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and the party of radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has, reportedly, come in fourth.
If this estimate is correct, it would seem many Iraqis have turned away from frankly sectarian parties with a fundamentalist agenda and Iranian connections.
If the Kurds come in third they could be the kingmakers in the new parliament, as they were in the old. Salam Abdullah, Sulai-maniya director of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), told The Irish Times that the Kurdish parties could be expected to act as a bloc on issues of primary interest to the Kurdish community. The KDP is also committed to the re-election of current President Jalal Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Once the results are declared, the election commission will have to deal with a flurry of complaints. More than 100 have already been registered in Basra, while two key races are already generating tension and could precipitate violence.
The victory of the PUK/KDP alliance in Kirkuk (Tamim) province, which lies outside the Kurdish autonomous region, has already produced a flurry of official complaints from the Kurdish opposition Goran or “Change” party, and from Turkoman and Arab parties, which argue that the PUK/KDP bloc could not have won eight out of the province’s 12 seats.
Mr Chalabi’s panel, which has no legal status, earlier barred 511 candidates from standing for election, the majority secular persons. Reidar Visser, an expert on Iraq, said a fresh round of disqualifications could “create a major problem for the whole process” since it could undermine the legitimacy of the entire election.
© 2010 The Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/0311/1224266045248_pf.html
Thu, Mar 11, 2010
IRAQ’S ELECTION commission announced yesterday a second postponement of the release of preliminary results of Sunday’s national parliamentary election.
The election commission and the UN mission in Iraq said initial figures will be released today.
Projections made by party observers who monitored both voting and counting put the moderate sectarian Shia “State of Law” coalition of incumbent prime minister Nuri al-Maliki ahead of the secular Iraqiya list, headed by former premier Iyad Allawi.
Mr Maliki’s coalition is said to have won about 90 seats in the 325-seat assembly, and Mr Allawi’s party a slightly lower number.
Third place is expected to be taken, once again, by the Kurds, who, according to sources in the three main Kurdish parties, could take 60-65 seats. The Shia religious faction list dominated by the pro-Iranian Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and the party of radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has, reportedly, come in fourth.
If this estimate is correct, it would seem many Iraqis have turned away from frankly sectarian parties with a fundamentalist agenda and Iranian connections.
If the Kurds come in third they could be the kingmakers in the new parliament, as they were in the old. Salam Abdullah, Sulai-maniya director of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), told The Irish Times that the Kurdish parties could be expected to act as a bloc on issues of primary interest to the Kurdish community. The KDP is also committed to the re-election of current President Jalal Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Once the results are declared, the election commission will have to deal with a flurry of complaints. More than 100 have already been registered in Basra, while two key races are already generating tension and could precipitate violence.
The victory of the PUK/KDP alliance in Kirkuk (Tamim) province, which lies outside the Kurdish autonomous region, has already produced a flurry of official complaints from the Kurdish opposition Goran or “Change” party, and from Turkoman and Arab parties, which argue that the PUK/KDP bloc could not have won eight out of the province’s 12 seats.
Mr Allawi is also disputing election eve disqualifications of 55 candidates, 30 of whom are members of his list. If even a few of his winners are excluded, his coalition could lose its second place in the race.
The committee which banned his candidates – on the basis of accusations that they are members of the outlawed Baath party – is headed by former US favourite Ahmad Chalabi, who ran on the lagging Shia fundamentalist list. If Mr Allawi’s list suffers losses, he has threatened to charge fraud on the part of the government, which supports the banning of alleged Baathists.
Mr Chalabi’s panel, which has no legal status, earlier barred 511 candidates from standing for election, the majority secular persons. Reidar Visser, an expert on Iraq, said a fresh round of disqualifications could “create a major problem for the whole process” since it could undermine the legitimacy of the entire election.
© 2010 The Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/0311/1224266045248_pf.html
Impressions on Iraqi general elections from Baghdad and Kerkuk
by HASAN KANBOLAT
Iraq went to the polls on March 7 to elect its 325-seat parliament. There were 6,200 candidates running for parliament, and Iraqis cast their votes at 52,000 polling stations in 10,000 polling centers between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The reason why there were so many polling stations and about 400 voters assigned to each station was to minimize election fraud. Before the elections on March 7, it was suggested that all ballot boxes were collected in a center without being opened and that the counting should be conducted at that center. But, at 9:00 p.m. on March 7, it was decided that votes should be counted at city centers. Voting had actually started on March 4, when members of the military, police officers, prison inmates, patients and physicians cast their votes. On March 5, 6 and 7, Iraqis living in 21countries cast their votes. In Turkey, one polling center was established in Ankara and three polling centers were set up in İstanbul, and about 7,000 Iraqis cast their votes in these centers.
Seventy percent of the votes were allegedly counted in Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is the leading politician in 9 out of 18 provinces. Given the fact that three provinces are in the Kurdish-controlled region, it can be said that Prime Minister Maliki --i.e., the State of Law Coalition -- has taken nine of the 15 provinces, while Iyad Allawi -- al-Iraqiya -- is in the lead in six. It is said that Maliki secured 40 percent and Allawi 28 percent of the national vote while the Iraqi National Alliance of the Shiites had a share of 17 percent. If the final breakdown of the votes ended up this way, a coalition led by al-Iraqiya and the Iraqi National Alliance can be established. The Kurdish Alliance is in the has the most votes in Kirkuk. It is followed by al-Iraqiya and then by the State of Law Coalition. The province of Ambar was won by Allawi by securing 79 percent of the votes. Maliki obtained 70 percent of the votes in Sadr City, the most crowded Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad. In this way, he undermined the progress of Allavi in Baghdad, which will produce 68 seats.
As for the performance of the Turkmen in Iraq, Erşad Salihi obtained 28,000 votes in Kirkuk and Ali Haşimi 12,000 votes in Salahaddin, and both of them managed to enter parliament. It seems likely that the Turkmen will be able to send three candidates to parliament, including İzettin Dele and Nebil Harbo from Mosul. Women candidate Müdriki Ahmet, running from Mosul, exhibited a surprising performance, and she is expected to enter parliament. The election of Nermin Al-Mufti from Baghdad and Jala Naftaji from Kirkuk is still risky.
Violence has been on the rise since March 4. A further increase in violence was expected. On the night of March 6, US facilities in Kirkuk received mortar fire all through the night. Mortar fire went into the green zone, and there were clashes. However, violence largely stalled on election day. Violence has become a daily part of life in Iraq, and people start to consider the death of 50-100 people every day normal. The faces of the people who went to the polls in Baghdad and Kirkuk on March 7 did not show any uneasiness. The elderly people with wheelchairs and parents carrying their nicely dressed children had come to cast their votes.
Although vehicles were banned on election day, this rule was lifted at 11:00 p.m. Young Kurds continued to form convoys carrying the Goran and Kurdish flags in the settlement located between Tuzhurmatu and Kirkuk. Actually, the Kurdish presence showed itself starting from Tuzhurmatu with flags decorating every pole and street. It is claimed that Kurds have been carrying Kurdish voters from the northern parts of the country to Kirkuk via Altunköprü, where they showed them how to vote in the stands set up for this purpose.
Indeed, even on election day, buses continued to arrive in Kirkuk, and the 12th division of the Iraqi army, located in Kirkuk, finally stopped the buses and did not allow them to enter the city.
Kirkuk is a very important city for Turkmen. Beyond being just a city, it is the symbol of national existence. The Turkmen presence was also felt with their flags and election posters from Tuzhurmatu to Kirkuk. While Kurds only promote the Kurdish identity, Turkmen tend to promote their identity with reference to the integrity of Iraq. Thus, their flags are accompanied by Iraqi flags.
Iraq has adopted and loves democracy. The existence of violence does not lend support to anti-democratic options. The awareness of belonging to Iraq, the idea of integrity and unity of the country and strengthening the center without promoting a dictatorship are gaining ground. The fact that it is now fashionable among members of the military and intellectuals to wear brass badges showing the Iraqi geography with an inscription “Iraq” on them is the best proof of the rising awareness of being Iraqi.
09.03.2010
Iraq went to the polls on March 7 to elect its 325-seat parliament. There were 6,200 candidates running for parliament, and Iraqis cast their votes at 52,000 polling stations in 10,000 polling centers between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The reason why there were so many polling stations and about 400 voters assigned to each station was to minimize election fraud. Before the elections on March 7, it was suggested that all ballot boxes were collected in a center without being opened and that the counting should be conducted at that center. But, at 9:00 p.m. on March 7, it was decided that votes should be counted at city centers. Voting had actually started on March 4, when members of the military, police officers, prison inmates, patients and physicians cast their votes. On March 5, 6 and 7, Iraqis living in 21countries cast their votes. In Turkey, one polling center was established in Ankara and three polling centers were set up in İstanbul, and about 7,000 Iraqis cast their votes in these centers.
Seventy percent of the votes were allegedly counted in Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is the leading politician in 9 out of 18 provinces. Given the fact that three provinces are in the Kurdish-controlled region, it can be said that Prime Minister Maliki --i.e., the State of Law Coalition -- has taken nine of the 15 provinces, while Iyad Allawi -- al-Iraqiya -- is in the lead in six. It is said that Maliki secured 40 percent and Allawi 28 percent of the national vote while the Iraqi National Alliance of the Shiites had a share of 17 percent. If the final breakdown of the votes ended up this way, a coalition led by al-Iraqiya and the Iraqi National Alliance can be established. The Kurdish Alliance is in the has the most votes in Kirkuk. It is followed by al-Iraqiya and then by the State of Law Coalition. The province of Ambar was won by Allawi by securing 79 percent of the votes. Maliki obtained 70 percent of the votes in Sadr City, the most crowded Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad. In this way, he undermined the progress of Allavi in Baghdad, which will produce 68 seats.
As for the performance of the Turkmen in Iraq, Erşad Salihi obtained 28,000 votes in Kirkuk and Ali Haşimi 12,000 votes in Salahaddin, and both of them managed to enter parliament. It seems likely that the Turkmen will be able to send three candidates to parliament, including İzettin Dele and Nebil Harbo from Mosul. Women candidate Müdriki Ahmet, running from Mosul, exhibited a surprising performance, and she is expected to enter parliament. The election of Nermin Al-Mufti from Baghdad and Jala Naftaji from Kirkuk is still risky.
Violence has been on the rise since March 4. A further increase in violence was expected. On the night of March 6, US facilities in Kirkuk received mortar fire all through the night. Mortar fire went into the green zone, and there were clashes. However, violence largely stalled on election day. Violence has become a daily part of life in Iraq, and people start to consider the death of 50-100 people every day normal. The faces of the people who went to the polls in Baghdad and Kirkuk on March 7 did not show any uneasiness. The elderly people with wheelchairs and parents carrying their nicely dressed children had come to cast their votes.
Although vehicles were banned on election day, this rule was lifted at 11:00 p.m. Young Kurds continued to form convoys carrying the Goran and Kurdish flags in the settlement located between Tuzhurmatu and Kirkuk. Actually, the Kurdish presence showed itself starting from Tuzhurmatu with flags decorating every pole and street. It is claimed that Kurds have been carrying Kurdish voters from the northern parts of the country to Kirkuk via Altunköprü, where they showed them how to vote in the stands set up for this purpose.
Indeed, even on election day, buses continued to arrive in Kirkuk, and the 12th division of the Iraqi army, located in Kirkuk, finally stopped the buses and did not allow them to enter the city.
Kirkuk is a very important city for Turkmen. Beyond being just a city, it is the symbol of national existence. The Turkmen presence was also felt with their flags and election posters from Tuzhurmatu to Kirkuk. While Kurds only promote the Kurdish identity, Turkmen tend to promote their identity with reference to the integrity of Iraq. Thus, their flags are accompanied by Iraqi flags.
Iraq has adopted and loves democracy. The existence of violence does not lend support to anti-democratic options. The awareness of belonging to Iraq, the idea of integrity and unity of the country and strengthening the center without promoting a dictatorship are gaining ground. The fact that it is now fashionable among members of the military and intellectuals to wear brass badges showing the Iraqi geography with an inscription “Iraq” on them is the best proof of the rising awareness of being Iraqi.
09.03.2010
mercredi 10 mars 2010
Press TV-News Analysis-Brown at Iraq inquiry-03-05-2010(part 1)
Listen to Dahlia Wasfi
You can also watch Part 2 and 3
lundi 1 mars 2010
ITC Başkanı Ergeç'in, Musul Temasları - VIDEO
ITC Başkanı Ergeç'in, Musul Temasları - VIDEO
01 Mart 2010, Pazartesi.
Irak Türkmen Cephesi Başkanı ve Türkmen Milletvekili Dr. Sadettin Ergeç, Kara Koyun, Şerihan ve Şenef Bölgelerinden Halka Seçim Mesajı Verdi.
Irak Türkmen Cephesi Başkanı ve Türkmen Milletvekili Dr. Sadettin Ergeç, Musul, Telafer ve bölge köylerini ziyaret etti. Milletvekili Dr. Ergeç, Musul valisi Etil ElNüceyfi ve vali yardımcısı Hasan Mahmut ile bir araya geldi.İLGİLİ VİDEO AŞAĞIDADIR.
http://www.kerkuk.net/haberler/haber.aspx?dil=1055&metin=2010030119
Independent High Electoral Commission Meeting in Belgium
From left to right:
Mr. Ahmed Hisham Sabah, Consul at the Iraqi Embassy in Brussels,
Mr. Wail El-Waili, Head of the IHEC Office in Den Haag, The Netherlands,
Dr. Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU Representative
28th February 2010 -Antwerp, Belgium
The office of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in Holland organised a meeting in Antwerp (Belgium) on 28th February 2010 to inform the Iraqis living in Belgium about the upcoming Iraqi Parliamentary election.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of several political organizations as well as members of civil society organizations.
Dr. Hassan Aydinli, ITF EU Representative had been invited to attend this meeting as the representative of the Iraqi Turkmens.
During the meeting which lasted three hours, several pertinent questions were raised by the participants.
Dr. Hassan Aydinli suggested to the IHEC representatives and to the representative of the Iraqi Embassy that they should either organise the transport of the Iraqis living in Belgium who wish to cast their votes to the polling station in Utrecht (The Netherlands) or pay their train ticket from Brussels to Utrecht.
Dr. Hassan Aydinli strongly recommended that in future Iraq should adopt the same practice as all the other countries with regards to the voting of their citizens living abroad, i.e.:
Iraqis living outside Iraq who wish to vote must be able to do so at the Iraqi Embassy or General Consulate in the country where they live and reside and they should not have to travel to another foreign country to cast their vote.
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