Stefanie

I recommend sticking to reading news and not wasting your time with the rumors.

By SAAD ABDUL-KADIR, Associated Press Saad Abdul-kadir, Associated Press – 18 mins ago BAGHDAD – Iraqi fishermen killed a Kuwaiti coast guard member during a shootout in one of the more serious incidents between the neighboring countries in years, Iraqi officials said Tuesday. Tensions between Iraq and Kuwait have been strained since the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein and the narrow body of water between the two countries has yet to be clearly demarcated making it a lingering flashpoint. There have been constant, low-level incidents between the two countries along the narrow waterway that separates them, with Iraqi fishermen complaining of harassment by Kuwaitis and the Kuwaiti government maintaining that the fishermen do not respect their boundaries. But the latest incident was one of the most serious between the two countries in years. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement that a Kuwaiti officer was killed in the skirmish Monday in the Gulf, and his men responded by sinking the Iraqi boat. Al-Dabbagh said four Iraqi fishermen were then detained by the Kuwaitis. Iraqi authorities are questioning another five Iraqis involved in the incident. He gave no details about how the shootout began and said "such regrettable incidents" should not affect the good relations between the two countries. "This incident shows the necessity of joint work between Iraq and Kuwait to control the borders," he said. Local Iraqi officials blamed the Kuwaiti coast guard for the incident. The mayor of Faw, one of the southernmost towns in Iraq, told The Associated Press that Kuwaiti forces opened fire on nine Iraqi fishermen near an Iraqi oil platform in the Gulf, sinking the boat. "The Kuwaiti and Iranian forces have been trying to control the Iraqi waters since 2003 and target the Iraqi fishermen's boats from time to time," said Waleed al-Sharefi. But Kuwait's government said Iraq was to blame; in a press release, the Kuwaiti government said an Iraqi fishing vessel strayed into Kuwaiti waters, the Iraqi sailors ignored requests to leave and then opened fire on the coast guard. One Kuwaiti coast guard member was killed while four Iraqi fishermen were detained, said the statement. Elsewhere in Iraq there was scattering of violent incidents including a car bomb targeting a passing police patrol which killed one policeman and wounded four others in the town of Shurqat, 155 miles (250 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, security officials said. Dr. Ahmed Mawlood of the town's hospital confirmed the casualty figures. Also in Baghdad, five people were wounded in separate blasts in the capital, police and hospital officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

By YAHYA BARZANJI, Associated Press Yahya Barzanji, Associated Press – Tue Jan 11, 6:37 am ET SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq – Dozens of men gathered in the smoky little club to watch five scantily clad dancers sway their hips to the beat of a drum and the grooves of an electric piano. Once a common sight in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, the scene can now only be found in the more liberal Kurdish north. Dozens of dance halls and clubs have opened across the Kurdish region during the past months, capitalizing on a crackdown against alcohol in Baghdad, where officials in November began closing clubs serving booze and banned alcohol sales at stores. That prompted the capital's nightlife — its musicians, dancers and impresarios, and the patrons who flock to them — to migrate north. "Baghdad has become a dead city where there is no more amusement, no drinks and no music. They have dressed the capital in religious clothes," said Hameed Saleh, a Baghdad Academy of Music graduate who plays the drums and oud, the Arabic forerunner to the lute, at Kurdonia Club. "Now I play music in Sulaimaniyah and my life is secure." Baghdad in the 1970s and 1980s was renowned for being the capital of Middle East nightlife with the most raucous nightclubs and an endless flow of whiskey. U.N. sanctions and Saddam Hussein's newfound piety dimmed its star a bit in the 1990s, but it was the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, the violence that ensued and the rise of conservative Islamic militias that all but snuffed it out. Nightlife in Baghdad tried to rise from the dead after violence declined in 2008, but the final blow came when religious conservatives began enforcing a Saddam-era ban on alcohol in clubs and added a ban in stores. Now artists and entertainers have joined the refugees who over the past seven years streamed from other parts of Iraq into the three provinces that make up the Kurdish Autonomous Region in the north, seeking a safe haven from violence. At the Love Club in Sulaimaniyah, Muhanad Hamad, a 26-year-old trader from the city of Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, was showering one of the singers with wads of cash. "This is the only place in Iraq where I can enjoy my personal freedom and seek joy far from security worries. Nobody can question me about what I am doing," he said. Many of the clients in these places hail from Baghdad and other provinces to the south, said club owner Haithem al-Jabouri, himself from Baghdad. He picked Sulaimaniyah to open his club in November because it's so much more secure than the rest of Iraq. It was security that also drew Raghad Abdul-Wahab to the city. The 26-year-old used to dance at clubs in one of Baghdad's wealthier neighborhoods but religious leaders near her home tried to convince her family it was immoral. She always felt unsafe when she would leave the club in the evening, and then when Baghdad officials turned off the alcohol, she decided to move north. "I am free here, and I can dance as I like. I just do my job and I get some money," she said. The Kurdish government's tourism department has given licenses to at least 10 clubs and bars in the province over the last month, said Mustafa Hama Raheem, director of the licenses office in the tourism department. Many more clubs have opened in people's homes or private buildings without licenses, he said. He said the clubs and dance halls are a boost for the local economy. "We have to attract tourists to stay for a longer time here and our young men who used to travel to other countries seeking their personal freedoms," he said. The clientele is a mixture of Kurds and people who come from the rest of Iraq for entertainment, he said. The women are mostly from Baghdad, Basra and some southern provinces. Many of them went to places such as Syria and the United Arab Emirates in 2006 and 2007 but returned to work when things became safer in Iraq. The nightlife boom has not been to everyone's liking. An imam at a mosque in Sulaimaniyah, Hamza Shashoi, said the government should be more concerned with addressing issues like unemployment among young people than opening clubs that promote vice. "Opening the nightclubs is very risky. ... We are a Muslim society," he said. But the difference between Baghdad and Sulaimaniyah is that those religious beliefs don't dictate society's rules for everyone, said a spokesman for the Kurdish Ministry of Religious Affairs, Meriwan Naqshabandi. "In the Kurdish region, the clerics or religious men have no role in the government of the region, they cannot exercise any pressure on the government's resolutions," he said. Until nightclubs can once again freely operate in Baghdad, artists and dancers like 23-year-old Muna Maad will stay in Kurdistan. One recent night she was dancing among a group of young men, her eyes lined darkly with black eyeliner and wearing a short white skirt. Periodically the men would slip Iraqi dinars into her tight white shirt in a show of appreciation. It's a long way from a moment six months ago in Baghdad, when a group of gunmen raided the dance hall where she was working. "When they found us dancing they insulted us ... and forced us to leave," she said, adding "I will not return to a place where no rules and laws exist." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_kurdish_club_scene

I got the same email forwarded to me from a friend. At least it's posted in the rumor section where it belongs.

http://articlesofinterest-kelley.blogspot.com/2011/01/jan-10th-imf-monday-jan-10th-new-sdr.html Is this it?

By Muhanad Mohammed Muhanad Mohammed – 1 hr 12 mins ago NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) – The return of anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr from exile elicited a mixture of euphoria and cautious hope among Iraqis on Thursday, with many looking to him to help stabilize the war-torn country. Hundreds of Sadr's followers in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf celebrated his homecoming from Iran, and the possible transformation into a mainstream politician of a man once associated with black-clad death squads that roamed Iraq. Sadr, who led two uprisings against U.S. forces after the 2003 invasion, cemented his movement's position in Iraq's new coalition government after playing a kingmaker role in putting Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki back in power for a second term. His return was possible also because of declining U.S. clout ahead of a full military withdrawal by the end of this year. Sadr's support of a Maliki return to power is thought to have been brokered at least in part by Iran. Sadr's years in exile under Iranian patronage may have increased Iranian influence on him. But diplomats say that ultimately he is an Iraqi nationalist, and an unpredictable and enigmatic leader unlikely to pay much heed to the wishes of external players. His followers were seen to be behind much of the sectarian violence at the height of fighting in 2006-07 between majority Shi'ites and the once dominant Sunnis, and are still regarded with suspicion by many, particularly Washington. In Baghdad's sprawling Shi'ite slum of Sadr City, a Sadr stronghold, many rejoiced. "We Iraqis are delighted at the return of Sayyed and leader Moqtada al-Sadr, above all because he is now part of the political process," said Sadr City resident Salih al-Daraji, giving Sadr the title accorded in the Islamic world to descendants of the Prophet Mohammed. "The Sayyed does not differentiate between Sunnis and Shi'ites or Christians; all Iraqis are equals." SADR TELLS FAITHFUL TO CALM DOWN Sadr, who on Thursday met with some leaders of his tribe, chastised his followers for the jubilant welcome he received on Wednesday, saying it could hurt the Sadr movement's reputation. His statement suggested that he wanted to put what critics called his rabble-rousing past behind him and anchor himself and his movement in a more mainstream light. "The lack of discipline of some of you during my performance of religious rituals and public matters bothers me and harms me, so I hope that you will exercise discipline and stop the excessive chants and stampedes," Sadr said in a statement. Sadrist officials said he had indicated he intended to remain in Iraq, but the Shi'ite cleric himself did not make any announcements. His officials say the government had guaranteed his safety and freedom from arrest. Politicians, both among his allies and former foes, welcomed Sadr, saying his return showed his support for the government. "The return of the Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr to Iraq shows evidence of peace and security in the Iraqi political atmosphere generally," said Mustafa al-Hiti, a leader in the Iraqiya bloc, which is heavily supported by minority Sunni Muslims. The Sadrist movement secured 39 seats in the new parliament and has seven ministries in Maliki's new government. Sadr's Mehdi Army militia was once seen by the United States as the biggest threat to Iraq's security. The group, which says it has laid down its arms, was crushed by Iraqi and U.S. forces in 2008 and Sadr has forbidden it to commit violence against other Iraqis. "I am sure there are people who are trying to taint the reputation of the Mehdi army and the Sadr movement because we entered the political process," said Fadhil Issa, 50, a jobless Baghdad resident who traveled to Najaf to see Sadr. "We, as the Mehdi army and the Sadr movement, support the security forces, and things of the past will not be repeated." While diminished in stature by years of self-imposed exile, Sadr retains a zealous following among the young and poor. He fled Iraq in 2006 or 2007 due to an old arrest warrant, and is believed to have pursued religious studies in Shi'ite Iran. "God willing, the political process will continue with his return, and reconstruction will begin because of it," Mohammed Khalef, a Sadr City resident, said. (Additional reporting by Khaled Farhan in Najaf, and Aseel Kami and Suadad al-Salhy in Baghdad; Writing by Serena Chaudhry; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

By Saad Sarhan and Aaron C. Davis Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, January 6, 2011; A01 NAJAF, IRAQ - Anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose militia contributed to the bloodiest days of the Iraq war, made a surprise return to Iraq on Wednesday, ending nearly four years of self-imposed exile in Iran and raising new questions about U.S. influence here. Sadr's remarkable trajectory brought him home just as his political faction attains significant power, allied in Iraq's new national unity government with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who just a few years ago moved to crush Sadr's Mahdi Army. It was Sadr's recent decision to support Maliki for a second term, in a deal brokered by Iran, that ended eight months of political deadlock and allowed Maliki, also a Shiite, to cobble together his new government two weeks ago. In another sign of Iran's significant influence in Iraq, just as U.S. troops prepare to leave the country by the end of the year, Iran's new foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, met in Baghdad on Wednesday with Maliki and more than a dozen other government officials. The Sadrist faction controls at least eight of about three dozen ministries in Maliki's new cabinet and has vowed to become a full participant in the political process. But the return of Sadr leaves open the question of whether he will seek to reassert his influence solely through political means, or will instead revert to violence. "That's what everybody is holding their breath about," said J. Scott Carpenter, who was serving as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs during Sadr's rise and most violent clashes with U.S. forces. "There are two views about Moqtada Sadr," Carpenter said. "He is either trying to create a bastion for himself in the south of Iraq with his militia, like Hezbollah, or become part of the political process as a leader." The State Department reacted cautiously to the news of Sadr's return, saying that it was an internal matter for Iraqis. Spokesman P.J. Crowley acknowledged that the cleric's fiery rhetoric had helped fuel anti-American violence, but "what happens with him going forward is a matter for him and the government of Iraq," he said. "It is not for us to be for or against any particular leader or party in Iraq," Crowley said. He suggested that Iraq's government and police could contain any new flare-ups of sectarian violence that might be triggered by Sadr's return. "It's one of the reasons we have worked so hard to build up the capacity of Iraqi security forces to handle whatever unrest might occur," Crowley said. A political journey Sadr, believed to be in his 30s, shot to prominence in 2003 as the most outspoken Shiite opponent of the U.S. occupation. By 2004, his Mahdi Army was fighting pitched battles with U.S. forces in the streets of Baghdad and Najaf. He fled to Iran in early 2007 after President George W. Bush's announcement of a surge in U.S. troops, fearing he would be pursued under the terms of a 2004 arrest warrant against him in the killing of a rival Shiite cleric. Sadr said he wanted to become an ayatollah and was studying in Qom, Iran's main center of Shiite Islamic learning. Sadr said he was working under Ayatollah Kazim al-Haeri, an Iranian cleric who became his chief religious guide after Sadr's father, a grand ayatollah, was assassinated by Saddam Hussein's forces in 1999. But several analysts said it's now clear that Sadr traveled to Iran not just for religious purposes, but for political ones. "Sadr left Iraq because his political influence was waning and he thought he could regain that by achieving religious authority," said Babak Rahimi, an Islamic studies professor at the University of California, San Diego who visited Qom in December and is preparing a paper on Sadr's religious development. "Now things have changed. He's already gained that influence. He was able to get Maliki's attention and he's returning a confident man, thinking it's time for him to play a significant role in Iraqi politics." After Sadr arrived by plane in the Shiite holy city of Najaf with a team of bodyguards, he was quickly surrounded by a crowd of cheering supporters. He visited the Imam Ali shrine and the grave of his father, then returned to his family's home around nightfall as well-wishers gathered outside. A spokesman for Sadr's Najaf office said that the cleric has returned to Iraq permanently and plans to transfer his religious studies to a renowned Shiite center in Najaf, adding that Sadr would "announce his agenda to the public" in coming days. In October, Sadr and Maliki embraced publicly at a meeting in Qom, ending years of bitter rivalry that peaked with Maliki's 2008 attempt to crush the Mahdi Army. Many Iraqis speculated that Sadr did not dare to go home for fear of being detained, but his return suggests that his understanding with Maliki includes guarantees that he would not be arrested. The warrant for his arrest was issued by an Iraqi judge in 2004, during the rule of the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority. But under the terms of the U.S. security agreement with Iraq, U.S. troops no longer have the authority to act on arrest warrants. Khalid al-Assadi, a lawmaker and Maliki's spokesman in the State of Law party, said Sadr's return was welcome but nothing that the government would comment on. "The returning of Moqtada is a very normal thing because he is an Iraqi, and he is most welcome in his country," Assadi said. "In the past, there were circumstances that prevented his coming. Now the situation is different." Iranian connections There are large gaps in what is known about Sadr's Islamic tutelage in Iran, Rahimi said, including whether he ever worked one-on-one with Haeri. Rather, there were suggestions in Qom that Sadr was actually studying more in Tehran, under Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's spiritual adviser, or that he was working with a combination of clerics, Rahimi said. A senior Sadrist in Najaf said Wednesday that Sadr was studying under a cleric close to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "The thing that seems most likely is that he trained under someone with hardline influence . . . and therefore he has the backing of Tehran," Rahimi said. Mehdi Khalaji, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who studied for 14 years in Qom to become an ayatollah, said that, no matter who he was working with, Sadr had not studied long enough to become an ayatollah and was not among the small number in Qom known to be taking high-level classes. To supporters in Najaf, meanwhile, Sadr's academic pedigree was less important than his presence. In a crowd of thousands outside Sadr's home on Wednesday, Ali al-Asady, 33, identified himself as a member of the Mahdi Army and said it was important that the cleric returned at a such a critical time for Iraq, when U.S. forces are leaving. "We thank God for the return of our good and wise leader," he said. Sarhan is a special correspondent. Davis reported from Baghdad. Correspondent Liz Sly and staff writer Joby Warrick in Washington and special correspondent Ali Qeis contributed to this report.

Thank you for the post.

29 December 2010 Last updated at 07:32 ET Two suicide bombers have attacked a police compound in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing a commander, police say. The explosions brought down the building, burying the commander and possibly others under the rubble. A third suicide bomber was killed by police before he could enter the building. Military commanders say Mosul is the last major urban stronghold of al-Qaeda in Iraq. The commander was asleep in his ground-floor office when one of the attackers entered early in the morning and blew himself up, police at the scene said. The other bomber set off his device shortly afterwards. A police source told Reuters news agency the commander "was known to be active in pursuing al-Qaeda members in Mosul and for this reason he was targeted." Militants had tried to kill him several times before. Although the overall level of violence has fallen in Iraq in recent years, attacks remain common. On Monday two suicide bombers killed at least 14 people in the town of Ramadi, in Anbar province. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12088145

Link?

Thanks for posting. Do you have a link?

Thanks for the update

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/21/AR2010122105532.html By Liz Sly and Aaron Davis Washington Post Foreign Service Wednesday, December 22, 2010 BAGHDAD - Iraq's new national unity government was sworn into office Tuesday, ending nine months of paralyzing political deadlock that at times had threatened to unravel Iraq's fragile new democracy. A special gathering of the nation's parliament endorsed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a second term in office, with lawmakers then voting one by one for 31 of the eventual 42 ministers who will be in his cabinet. Although Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds were represented in the previous government, this is the first time that all the major factions have been included, lending hope that Iraq can put behind it the bitter sectarian struggles and divisive politics of the past five years. Reconciliation was the watchword as all the leading figures who have dominated Iraqi politics since the fall of Saddam Hussein gathered in the chamber, embracing, shaking hands and congratulating one another. Ayad Allawi, the secular Shiite leader whose mostly Sunni Iraqiya bloc narrowly beat Maliki into second place in elections in March and who had long insisted that he should be named prime minister, pledged cooperation with the new government and called for a new era of "real reconciliation." "We should close the page of the past, and we should all work together," he said in an address to the parliamentary session. "We wish all success to this government." In Washington, President Obama hailed the development as "a significant moment in Iraq's history" and a "major step" toward national unity. For the first time, the predominantly Sunni bloc can claim that it has a real share of power, in the form of such influential ministries as electricity and finance. Altogether, the bloc received nine ministries, and it is expecting also to take control of the powerful Defense Ministry when that post is finally announced. In addition, one of the bloc's most controversial leaders, Saleh al-Mutlak, was awarded one of three deputy prime minister's positions. Mutlak had been one of Maliki's fiercest critics, and his disbarment from participation in the elections because of his alleged ties to the Baath Party further polarized the country. The ban was lifted last Saturday, and Mutlak's presence on the stage alongside Maliki and the other ministers seemed to symbolize the new spirit that has taken hold among the formerly feuding political elite. "Reconciliation is our main objective," he said as he left the hall surrounded by bodyguards. "They made mistakes, and they have corrected them." The Sadrist faction headed by the anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was given eight relatively junior ministries, including housing, tourism and labor. The government's inclusiveness may be its biggest shortcoming, however. That it took nine months for the factions to agree on the government's structure indicates the likely struggles they will face reaching decisions on many crucial and potentially divisive issues, such as oil and the disputed boundaries of the northern enclave of Kurdistan. "It has all the hallmarks of a government susceptible to paralysis," said Reidar Visser, a Norwegian scholar and author of "A Responsible End? The United States and the Iraqi Transition." "It's so oversized it's unclear whether it will be able to decide anything." Maliki appointed himself acting minister of interior, defense and national security and said the three powerful positions would be filled with permanent appointees once suitable candidates have been agreed on.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101222/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq By YAHYA BARZANJI and SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Yahya Barzanji And Sameer N. Yacoub, Associated Press – 1 hr 20 mins ago KIRKUK, Iraq – Iraqi Christians on Wednesday called off Christmas festivities in three cities across the country as al-Qaida insurgents threatened more attacks on a beleaguered community still terrified from a bloody siege on a Baghdad church. Church officials in the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul along with the southern city of Basra said they will not put up Christmas decorations, have canceled evening Mass and urged worshippers to refrain from decorating their homes. Even an appearance by Santa Claus has been called off. "Nobody can ignore the threats of al-Qaida against Iraqi Christians," said Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako in Kirkuk. "We cannot find a single source of joy that makes us celebrate. The situation of the Christians is bleak." Christians across Iraq have been living in fear since a Baghdad church attack in October that left 68 people dead. Days later insurgents targeted Christian homes and neighborhoods across the capital with a series of bombs. An al-Qaida front group that claimed responsibility for the church siege vowed at the time to carry out a reign of terror against Christians. The Islamic State of Iraq renewed its threats in a message posted late Tuesday on a website frequented by Islamic extremists. The group said it wants two women it claims are being held captive by Egypt's Coptic Church to be released. Muslim extremists in Egypt say the church has detained the women for allegedly converting to Islam. The church denies the allegations but extremists in Iraq have latched onto the issue. The message Tuesday was addressed to Iraq's Christian community and said it was designed to "pressure" Egypt. Since the deadly church siege, the U.N. estimates some 1,000 Christian families fled to the Kurdish region in northern Iraq which is generally much safer. For those who remain, this Christmas will be a subdued affair. In the northern city of Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Sako said church officials will not put up Christmas decorations outside the church and urged worshippers to refrain from decorating their homes. A traditional Santa Claus appearance outside one of the city's churches has also been called off, he said. In Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Syrian Orthodox priest Faiz Wadee said there will be no public Christmas celebrations there either. Christians in Iraq's second-largest city of Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad decided to cancel all celebrations. Saad Matti, a Christian legislator on the Basra provincial council, said the decision was made out of respect for the victims of the Our Lady of Salvation church siege and because of the al-Qaida threats. "There will be only small Mass in one church in Basra without any signs of joy or decoration and under the protection of Iraqi security forces," he said. "We are fully aware of al-Qaida threats." ___ Yacoub reported from Amman, Jordan; Associated Press writer Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Good find. Thanks

By BARBARA SURK and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Barbara Surk And Qassim Abdul-zahra, Associated Press – 42 mins ago BAGHDAD – Parliament swore in a new Iraqi government Tuesday after nine months of bitter political haggling, solidifying the grip that Shiites have held on political power since Saddam Hussein's ouster while leaving open the question of whether the country's disgruntled Sunni minority will play a meaningful role. The new government led by incumbent Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki got off to a shaky start as disagreements among coalition partners prevented al-Maliki from naming some of his more than 40 Cabinet ministers. And this fragile coalition must address enormous and pressing challenges such as the heavy cost of rebuilding from the devastation seven years of war has wrought and lingering sectarian tensions that periodically explode into violence. Another urgent priority will be leading the country through the withdrawal of American troops, scheduled for the end of next year. More than 4,400 American troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis died in a war that has yet to bring stability and prosperity to this oil-rich Middle Eastern nation. Lawmakers approved about 30 ministers including al-Maliki to form the new government. The remainder of the 42-member Cabinet is made up of acting ministers who will be replaced at a later date because of ongoing disputes between coalition partners. "The most difficult task in the world is forming a national unity government in a country where there is a diversity of ethnic, sectarian and political backgrounds," al-Maliki said speaking before the vote. He vowed to create a government that would combat terrorism, address the still-festering sectarian divisions and repair relations with neighboring, Sunni-dominated Arab countries, who are largely suspicious of the Shiite-led government. The new Cabinet members were immediately sworn in following the nationally televised vote that approved them. President Barack Obama called the government formation a "significant moment" in the country's history and a "major step forward." Obama also said it was a "clear rejection" of sectarian extremism. A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described it as "a major step forward in Iraq's democratic progress" while calling on the new government to now get to work on national reconciliation, reconstruction and long-term stability. Iraqis elections on March 7 did not give any single bloc a majority in the 325-member parliament, leading to nine months of political jockeying to form the new government. Although al-Maliki's coalition came in a close second to a Sunni-backed coalition led by former prime minister Ayad Allawi, it was al-Maliki who was able to eventually patch together the necessary support needed to keep his office. The new government includes members of all of Iraq's major political and sectarian factions, including Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. The vote Tuesday was largely a display of unity that belies the still festering problems between the Shiite majority and the Sunni minority that used to make up the backbone of the insurgency. Sunnis dominated the regime under Saddam. Allawi, who at one point had vowed to never join an al-Maliki-led government, told lawmakers ahead of the vote that his bloc of 91 lawmakers would support and cooperate with the new government. One of the key questions leading up to the government formation was the role that the Sunni-backed Iraqiya coalition would play. U.S. officials had lobbied heavily for Allawi to be included in some fashion, fearing that leaving him and the Iraqiya coalition out of the government entirely or excluding them from meaningful roles would incite a return to the type of sectarian violence that at one point almost tore the country apart. Allawi is slated to head a new council overseeing foreign policy and security related issues but there are already disagreements between his coalition and al-Maliki's about how much power the council will have. Iraqiya only recently dropped its long-standing demand that Allawi should have the first shot at forming the government. Allawi's concession came after he was assured that Sunnis will not be excluded from the government. Other members of Iraqiya to garner top Cabinet posts were Saleh al-Mutlaq, who will be deputy prime minister and Rafia al-Issawi, who will be finance minister. Kurdish lawmaker Hoshyar Zebari will hold onto the influential foreign ministry post. But some of the ministries are still to be decided, reflecting the challenges al-Maliki faces including all the country's sects and political affiliations in the new government. He has named acting ministers to fill those ministries after disputes with his erstwhile Sadrist allies about who among the Sadrists would get Cabinet posts. It was al-Sadr's support — in a deal brokered by Iran — that largely enabled al-Maliki to build the framework for a majority coalition. The Sadrist alliance holds 40 of parliament's 325 seats. Their partnership with al-Maliki has always been tenuous, and came as a surprise because the two had been enemies since 2008 when the prime minister launched an offensive crushing al-Sadr's militia in eastern Baghdad and the southern city of Basra. The ministries still to be decided include the critical defense, interior and national security posts. Those positions are closely watched in Iraq for any sign that they are being abused by one side or another across the sectarian divide. The role of the those positions will become even more important as Iraq takes over more security responsibilities from American troops who are scheduled to leave the country by the end of next year. In addition to his role as prime minister, al-Maliki will also serve as acting defense, interior and national security minister. The Iraqiya alliance narrowly defeated al-Maliki at the March election, garnering 91 seats to al-Maliki's 89 seats. But after months of wrangling, Iraqiya could never find enough support to form a majority government. Al-Maliki has served as prime minister since May 2006. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101221/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

Here's another link to a similar article on Yahoo. (posted 9 minutes ago) http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101221/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Iraqi-Leaders-in-Last-Minute-Ballet-to-Form-New-Government-112190859.html The Iraqi parliament has been meeting amid intense behind the scenes negotiations to put the finishing touches on forming a new government. Iraqi politicians met behind closed doors to try to iron out last-minute glitches in order to present a new government to parliament. Afterward Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki had reportedly presented his Cabinet picks to Parliament Speaker Osama Nujeifi, but a vote to approve them was postponed until Tuesday. The Iraqi parliament had been in session for most of the day to discuss regular business, as key leaders negotiated and jockeyed for position on the nomination list in the new government. Al-Jazeera TV reported that Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki would present his new government to Speaker Nujeifi, minus key security positions on which agreement must still be reached. Lawmakers were kept waiting in vain for Mr. Maliki to address them, despite being told that he would present his government during the session. Maliki ally and former interim president Ibrahim Jaffari told lawmakers the prime minister was on his way to parliament to present his government. But the session was recessed and Mr. Maliki had not formally presented his government. Member of parliament and Maliki ally Adnan Saraj insisted the prime minister had received approval from Speaker Nujeifi to keep several top ministerial positions himself, until a dispute over who would receive them was resolved. Anti-American cleric Muqtada Sadr was reported to be insisting that top security posts, including the defense and interior ministries be given to independent lawmakers. Sadr spokeswoman Maha Douri stated that her party believes independents are best-suited for security positions. On the sidelines, former prime minister Iyad Allawi told journalists that he expected a previously reached agreement would hold up, at which point his Iraqiya bloc will join the new government. He says that if things move in a positive direction and there is good will, his bloc will necessarily join the government, assuming the recent power-sharing agreement has been respected on the basis of equality. Analysts say that Mr. Allawi's Iraqiya bloc is expected to receive nine ministerial positions in the new government, including the Finance Ministry. The Kurds are expected to receive seven positions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which they held in the outgoing government. Prime Minister Maliki formally has until December 25 to present his government to parliament for approval. Naming a new government would put an end to a nine-month political vacuum since the inconclusive parliamentary election last March.

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By Suadad al-Salhy and Waleed Ibrahim Suadad Al-salhy And Waleed Ibrahim – 1 hr 14 mins ago BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Political infighting and last-minute power-plays delayed the formation of a government on Monday, dashing the hopes of Iraqis and outside investors who want stability to rebuild the nation after painful years of war. Iraq has been in political limbo since an inconclusive March election and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's plan to unveil his new cabinet before parliament was derailed by squabbling over the division of ministerial posts, lawmakers said. "There will be no session today (to vote on the cabinet)," parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi told reporters. The final deadline to approve the cabinet is at the end of the week, and the lack of agreement highlights sectarian and ethnic divisions that plague the country, 7-1/2 years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. Maliki's cabinet is expected to retain Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, the Shi'ite architect of ambitious plans to turn Iraq into a top global oil producer, as well as Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd. Shahristani's reappointment is important to assure investors Iraq will honor deals to develop its vast oil reserves and return prosperity to a wounded nation. Maliki's spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh had said earlier the premier would announce "half the new government," even if there was no agreement on the entire team. The ministerial nominees need parliamentary approval, and some lawmakers vowed to reject any vote until the full cabinet was finalized and the horse-trading over. "We will not vote for an incomplete government," said Amir al-Kinani, a Shi'ite lawmaker of the bloc loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center, said Monday's delay was not surprising. "National unity agreements are difficult even in the best of circumstances but these are far from the best of circumstances," he said. "This is really an elaborate, high-wire balancing act." LONGING FOR STABILITY Iraqis, as well as foreign investors keen to develop the oil reserves and rebuild the nation's war-ravaged infrastructure, are keen to see agreement on a new cabinet which they say would be a sign of returning political stability. Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, an Iraqi political analyst, said the wrangling was an attempt by political parties to wrest concessions on important ministerial appointments from Maliki. "There are blocs that want to squeeze Maliki to make him respond to their demands," he had said, adding: "But Maliki can turn the tables on them and can go to parliament with half of the cabinet -- taking into consideration that he can ensure a majority in the assembly." Lawmakers said sticking points included the finance ministry post, the vice presidents and the deputy prime ministers. They said sensitive posts, including the interior, defense and national security ministers, were also undecided. A power-sharing deal last month between Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish blocs put Maliki on track for a second term as prime minister. The November 10 pact returned Kurd Jalal Talabani to the presidency and made Nujaifi, a Sunni, parliament's speaker. Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a secular Shi'ite whose cross-sectarian coalition won the most seats in the March 7 vote, was unable to garner enough support to secure the premiership but has said he will also join the government as head of a new national strategic policy council. Allawi's decision, announced on Sunday after weeks of wavering, could soothe worries about renewed sectarian violence. Iraq is seeking to rebuild damaged and neglected infrastructure after decades of war and sanctions. It relies on oil for 95 percent of federal revenues and has set out ambitious targets to boost output capacity to 12 million barrels per day (bpd) over the next six or seven years from 2.5 million today. (Additional reporting by Muhanad Mohammed, Ahmed Rasheed and Aseel Kami; writing by Caroline Drees; editing by Jim Loney and Peter Millership) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101220/wl_nm/us_iraq_politics;_ylt=AlEGKBc1bPveXw2gn5OKx2lvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTJob3Q1YWpqBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAxMjIwL3VzX2lyYXFfcG9saXRpY3MEY3BvcwMyBHBvcwM3BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA2luZmlnaHRpbmdkZQ--

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Qassim Abdul-zahra, Associated Press – Mon Dec 20, 5:01 am ET BAGHDAD – The long awaited announcement of Iraq's new government set for Monday will be delayed once again over disputes between the parties on how the posts will be distributed, officials said. The disagreements are the latest snag following months of delays in putting together a government after inconclusive parliamentary elections in March left Iraq's politics deadlocked. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's advisers Ali al-Dabbagh and Ali al-Moussawi insisted that at least a portion of the new Cabinet will be presented to parliament Monday as originally promised, with more than half the names put to a vote. Parliament spokesman Omar al-Mashhadani, however, flatly denied that the new Cabinet will be announced. Al-Maliki has until Saturday to present his Cabinet under a 30-day deadline imposed by Iraq's constitution. If he does not, President Jalal Talabani will assign another member of parliament to do it. The constitution does not specify how Talabani would select the next lawmaker to create the government, but it could mean that al-Maliki will lose his shot to remain prime minister after more than nine months of postelection haggling to build enough support from former opponents to remain in power. Monday's holdup was caused by foot-dragging by the secular but Sunni-backed Iraqiya political alliance that opposed al-Maliki in the March 7 vote. Iraqiya lawmaker Jabar al-Jabari said the alliance has not yet submitted its candidates for cabinet posts because the group's members are still undecided who should get what. "We have not yet handed al-Maliki the names because we are trying to come up with the best candidates for the job," he said. Iraqiya only recently dropped its long-standing demand to form the government, instead of al-Maliki, since the alliance narrowly won the most seats in the election. Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite, said his concession to al-Maliki came only after he was assured about a power-sharing agreement to fairly divide up the posts among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101220/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/15/world/la-fg-iraq-sanctions-20101216 U.N. Security Council ends key Iraq sanctions The country is now free to develop a civilian nuclear program, and it regains control of its oil revenue. December 15, 2010|By Paul Richter and Ned Parker, Los Angeles Times Reporting from Washington and Baghdad — The U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to lift key sanctions on Iraq, in a major step to restore the nation to the international standing it had before Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The council lifted restrictions aimed at preventing Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction, opening the way for Baghdad to eventually build civilian nuclear plants. It also ordered the dismantling next June of the U.N. programs that since 1995 have given foreign powers control over how Iraq has spent its huge oil revenue.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101215/ap_on_re_us/un_un_iraq

Here's a link to the same story on Yahoo. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101215/ap_on_re_us/un_un_iraq

Great post. Thanks