rockhound60

Parliamentarians (range): necessity require the establishment of a national oil company holding Monday 05/03/2012 8:18 Baghdad / Ahmed Abed Rabbo Attributed parliamentarians sudden drop in the exports of the country's oil to the reasons for regarding the actual infrastructure for the oil sector in addition to the lack of openness of the ministry's regulatory authorities in the country, pointing out that some of the problems announced by the ministry alone is not convincing. And confirmed in conversations (range) on the need to establish a Petroleum Company national holding her arms Issar from the local private sector in order to prevent the monopoly of the oil industry by international companies. and MP for the Commission on oil and energy parliamentary Odai Awad and the Ministry of Oil as closed to all regulatory authorities in the country. Said Awad's (long): The oil ministry dealing Banglaq full of all regulatory authorities in addition to the absence of a transparent process to oversee oil and gas resources He said Awad: We have asked the Ministry of Oil a formal explanation about the reasons for the sudden drop in exports and the statement of the problems that led to it, pointing to the announcement of the ministry in advance reasons related to weather and other technical matters simple, compelling, according to his opinion, viewing it as a tool for the purpose of media consumption. For his part, said a member of former House of Representatives Abdul Hadi al Hassani (range) that the announcement by the ministry about the weather and the instability of the sea alone is not sufficient for low levels of exports, indicating the presence of some other factors that led to this decline, including the reality of the infrastructure, calling for the need to develop production and transportation. . He said Hassani: necessity for attention to the private sector, rehabilitation and training so as not to so they can be the monopoly of the oil industry by international companies in addition to the need to form a national oil company holding, pointing out that interest in the private sector is one of the most important dimensions in the consolidation of national experience in the country and increase income in the the reality of economic strategy. earlier criticized the MPs reduced the country's exports of oil for the second month in a row despite the presence of government plans to increase the rate of export. The company State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) has said that Iraq's exports of crude oil fell to 2.014 million barrels per day in February / February from 2.106 million barrels per day in January. A member of the Commission on oil and energy Furat al-Shara, according to (Rn) that the continued decline in Iraq's oil exports due to administrative problems, technical hinder the process of stability and the promotion of exports of oil in addition to the problems of poor weather conditions as well as political problems in the region . According to the report of the SOMO, Iraq shipped 1.639 million barrels per day from the port of oil south of Basra in February, down from 1.711 million barrels per day in January, while the shipments from the northern fields around Kirkuk, 375 thousand barrels per day in February compared with 395 thousand in January. The report added that the reason for the decline in exports in February is the bad weather around the port of Basra as well as some technical problems in the northern Kirkuk oilfields. Said Shara that "the most prominent technical problems and management is the need for the ministry to strengthen the capacity of system pipe to raise oil exports, especially through a tube Ceyhan In addition to providing additional staff to raise the level of production of oil fields and follow-up field development projects and rehabilitation. " . He continued: we recommended the Oil Ministry to follow the clear mechanisms in the disclosure of its imports and on a monthly basis and not to be shortened to some foreign agencies but has not committed to do so for reasons unknown. Iraq seeks to raise exports to 2.6 million barrels per day during the year, according to the plan included in the budget of the country's financial dependent on oil imports by 95 per cent. And Iraq has the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world is estimated at 115 billion barrels, and entered into agreements with international energy companies to raise production to 12 million barrels per day by http://translate.goo...dm2Yibz_-ykHOPg

Parliamentary calls for unification of political speech before the Arab summit 04/03/2012 BAGHDAD - Al Sabah Called for a number of deputies to the unification of the political discourse of Iraq before the Arab summit scheduled in the twenty-ninth of this month, The call comes after it was put on hold the fifth meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the meeting of the National. Seen many politicians and citizens of great importance to this meeting to the outcome of the results of the task of helping to purify the political atmosphere in the Iraqi house procedure, in spite of the calls coming from some political blocs that demands to postpone the meeting until after the summit in a move to displace the internal problems to another time, while you see other blocs should be held before the summit so as to solve problems outstanding, but the supporters of the delay they see in the other element down to hold the meeting in order to achieve their demands for investors within the summit in Baghdad, which drives them to be postponed to a later time and to discuss problems in an atmosphere away from the elements and the atmosphere of political pressure of the year. توحيد الخطاب Unifying discourse She had seen an MP for the coalition in Iraq to meet with the pink that not to hold a national meeting before the Arab Summit dispersing discourse Iraq at this summit. Stressed in a press release yesterday on the need to hold a national meeting before the Arab Summit "to unite the speech of Iraq at the top, do not be some people with some issues and others against it. "She said," that change the name of the National Congress to the national meeting, in addition to the postponement of the meetings of the Preparatory Committee, a clear indication of the presence of delays by some not to hold the meeting. "and pointed out that" the Iraqi List, was determined to discuss the internal problems in the Arab summit, if some action to resolve them before the summit, "indicating that the ongoing delays to meet the national waste of time, and procrastination by others in order to get additional gains." تأجيلات Delays See the MP for the "Iraq," Hamza Alkrtani "The postponement of the meeting of the ongoing preparations for the upcoming national meeting of the leaders of political blocs sends a negative message to the coalition that there is no sincere desire and intentions to the National Alliance for the contract." . He said in a press statement, "The" Iraqi "and the repeated delays as a result of the continued meeting of the Preparatory Committee began questioning the possibility of a national meeting that was before the Arab summit Baghdad or later because of procrastination exercised by the National Alliance." He added: "This delay will negatively impact one way or another on the overall situation in the Iraqi arena and gives further evidence of the unwillingness of some to reach national consensus required." At the time of detection in which a member State of Law Coalition MP Ammar Al-Shibli said the absence of the Iraqi List for Friday's meeting led to the postponement, the MP for the Iraqi Ahmed electrodes refer reason to postpone the meeting to "busy most of the members of the preparatory meeting, in addition to the travel section of them outside Iraq." said Al-Shibli said that "the absence of Iraq from the meeting is to involve the Arab summit issues, Iraq . "and added:" Iraq wants to gain time and calling for a national meeting before the Arab summit and used the paper to put pressure on the National Alliance. "For his part, announced the head of the Liberal parliamentary Bahaa al-Araji, said in press statements on the postponement of a meeting of the Preparatory Committee to further notice due to failure to attend the" Iraqi ". توافق وطني National consensus The MP for the coalition "forces of Kurdistan" Sheriff of Solomon that "Iraq is a country independent, sovereign and do not allow that to be an arena for settling international accounts." He said in a press statement that "Iraq rejects any intervention for privacy does not allow it to be an arena for international conflicts, especially with the region is witnessing developments The rapid escalation of statements between the regional parties. " . He called the political blocs "of the importance of reaching a national consensus and desired to look at what is happening in the region at a glance serve Iraq http://translate.goo...MCWwP27PSvOuLwA

Nassif: I have evidence and proof to receive some of the officials of gifts from Kuwait 03/03/2012 19:09:00 03/03/2012 19:09:00 The independent Iraqi news agency / Baghdad / follow-up confirmed ... the white list MP for the high Nassif intention to appeal the sentence which was released right on the basis of a lawsuit filed against it was Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. Nassif said in a statement Transfer news reporter (and the independent Iraqi news agency) that Zebari used his influence rather than through the court but by some experts in court was based on the judge in his ruling on the testimony of these experts Court if it continues to consider Zebari as Foreign Minister I will make your documents and archives that are under my hand under the reach of the media (as she put it )Confirmed Nassif said of my concern for the interest of the country and being a member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, it is my right to hold negligent and that the Integrity Commission had received gifts from the State of Kuwait and the refusal of some officials, receiving, and the other part accepts to consider it as a gift and I have evidence and proof that it is my duty to show archives ] http://translate.goo...kUjcNlwLcJ5rngA

The law of parties at the table of Parliament 04/03/2012 Legal expert for «morning»: 306 parties operate according to the law of Bremer BAGHDAD - The Rashid Shaima Revealed the Legal Committee in the House of Representatives near the inclusion of the law of political parties on the agenda of its future. And exercise of political parties currently work according to procedures described by observers as "inaccurate", especially as there are dozens of political parties registered and received a very small number of votes during the the last election, in addition to the concentration in the province or provinces. MP Hussein said in a statement net of the "morning": that "the law of parties still have the legal committee in the House of Representatives have been many changes to it .. We are completing for submission next week to be under discussion. "Said Safi," The Legal Committee has made great efforts for the enactment of this law and held several seminars in the presence of intellectuals, experts and taken the views of many of them to get to the best we can with the terms of this law. "He knew the law of parties according to version published by the "morning" recently, the political party that: "Every Iraqi group organized on the basis of common principles and objectives contribute to the formation of political will at the federal level or the regions and governorates not organized province, and participate in public affairs and seeking to participate in elections and referendums to achieve specific programs relating to the affairs political, economic, or social or cultural development of countries and operates through democratic means to peaceful transfer of power or to participate in it. "As A member of the Legal Committee Hassan Jubouri that" all parties gave their suggestions regarding this law, "noting that" the law of parties will be put in the coming days under Dome of the House of Representatives in order to read it and discuss it. "in turn, said the legal expert Tariq Harb, the" morning ": that" the enactment of the parties is very important and urgently needed and necessary and can not be delayed more. "He said the war to be" the current law and applicable is the law of Paul Bremer , noting that "the number of parties which are now 306 parties, is a very large number in all countries of the world there is no such number," adding that the law passed at the party will organize a number of parties and work and where certain conditions. " Extensive details are published tomorrow http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dal%2Bsabah%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26biw%3D1101%26bih%3D718%26prmd%3Divnsu&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ar&twu=1&u=http://www.alsabaah.com/ArticleShow.aspx%3FID%3D22847&usg=ALkJrhhiGqjy4iburD24K5EuDKj1_JTlaw

Parliamentary calls for unification of political speech before the Arab 04/03/2012 BAGHDAD - Al Sabah Called for a number of deputies to the unification of the political discourse of Iraq before the Arab summit scheduled in the twenty-ninth of this month, The call comes after it was put on hold the fifth meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the meeting of the National. Seen many politicians and citizens of great importance to this meeting to the outcome of the results of the task of helping to purify the political atmosphere in the Iraqi house procedure, in spite of the calls coming from some political blocs that demands to postpone the meeting until after the summit in a move to displace the internal problems to another time, while you see other blocs should be held before the summit so as to solve problems outstanding, but the supporters of the delay they see in the other element down to hold the meeting in order to achieve their demands for investors within the summit in Baghdad, which drives them to be postponed to a later time and to discuss problems in an atmosphere away from the elements and the atmosphere of political pressure of the year. Unifying discourse She had seen an MP for the coalition in Iraq to meet with the pink that not to hold a national meeting before the Arab Summit dispersing discourse Iraq at this summit. Stressed in a press release yesterday on the need to hold a national meeting before the Arab Summit "to unite the speech of Iraq at the top, do not be some people with some issues and others against it. "She said," that change the name of the National Congress to the national meeting, in addition to the postponement of the meetings of the Preparatory Committee, a clear indication of the presence of delays by some not to hold the meeting. "and pointed out that" the Iraqi List, was determined to discuss the internal problems in the Arab summit, if some action to resolve them before the summit, "indicating that the ongoing delays to meet the national waste of time, and procrastination by others in order to get additional gains." Delays ". See the MP for the "Iraq," Hamza Alkrtani "The postponement of the meeting of the ongoing preparations for the upcoming national meeting of the leaders of political blocs sends a negative message to the coalition that there is no sincere desire and intentions to the National Alliance for the contract." He said in a press statement, "The" Iraqi "and the repeated delays as a result of the continued meeting of the Preparatory Committee began questioning the possibility of a national meeting that was before the Arab summit Baghdad or later because of procrastination exercised by the National Alliance." He added: "This delay will negatively impact one way or another on the overall situation in the Iraqi arena and gives further evidence of the unwillingness of some to reach national consensus required." At the time of detection in which a member State of Law Coalition MP Ammar Al-Shibli said the absence of the Iraqi List for Friday's meeting led to the postponement, the MP for the Iraqi Ahmed electrodes refer reason to postpone the meeting to "busy most of the members of the preparatory meeting, in addition to the travel section of them outside Iraq." said Al-Shibli said that "the absence of Iraq from the meeting is to involve the Arab summit issues, Iraq . "and added:" Iraq wants to gain time and calling for a national meeting before the Arab summit and used the paper to put pressure on the National Alliance. "For his part, announced the head of the Liberal parliamentary Bahaa al-Araji, said in press statements on the postponement of a meeting of the Preparatory Committee to further notice due to failure to attend the" Iraqi ". National consensus The MP for the coalition "forces of Kurdistan" Sheriff of Solomon that "Iraq is a country independent, sovereign and do not allow that to be an arena for settling international accounts." He said in a press statement that "Iraq rejects any intervention for privacy does not allow it to be an arena for international conflicts, especially with the region is witnessing developments The rapid escalation of statements between the regional parties. " . He called the political blocs "of the importance of reaching a national consensus and desired to look at what is happening in the region at a glance serve Iraq." http://translate.goo...MCWwP27PSvOuLwA

Najafi to visit Kuwait on Sunday and Iraqi political blocs calling for the postponement of the National Conference On: Saturday 03/03/2012 0:58 Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia confirm the presence of the Arab Summit UAE's Al Ittihad newspaper Friday, 2/3/2012 Hoda Jasim and agencies (Capitals) - The Higher Education Minister Ali al-Adeeb special envoy to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to the Maghreb yesterday that Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia stressed the presence of the Arab summit scheduled on March 29 in Baghdad, while visiting Iraqi parliament speaker Osama Najafi Kuwait Sunday to participate Conference in the Arab Union, amid calls by some Iraqi political blocs to postpone the National Congress until after the Arab summit. The writer said in a press statement that "the four countries of the Maghreb confirmed its presence." Prior to the Iraqi Minister that visited Morocco, Mauritania, met yesterday with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. “ He added that "the four countries confirmed to attend, and I will go on Thursday to Tunis, Tunisia is very welcoming to hold the conference." أ As for Libya, the fifth in the Arab Maghreb Union, they have the last envoy, according to the source of an Iraqi diplomat. The Iraqi envoy said after his meeting with Algerian President on Wednesday that "President Bouteflika and the Algerian delegation to head back to the top." "The current developments in the Arab world requires the participation of all states that you must take a stand on the challenges faced." The writer had not been invited to Syria, and explained that "the invitations went in coordination with the Department of the Arab League, if there was a decision not to invite Syria, Iraq Sansaa for this decision." In regard to the last statement of the Office of the President of the Iraqi parliament said that "House Speaker Osama Najafi will leave Baghdad on Sunday on his way to Kuwait on an official visit at the head of a parliamentary delegation of senior" level. He added that "the visit to participate in the activities of the eighteenth meeting of the Conference of the Arab Parliamentary Union to be held in Kuwait with the participation of heads of parliaments of the 18 Arab countries." ي The media office of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced two weeks ago that al-Maliki will visit Kuwait before the Arab Summit to be held in Baghdad end of March. Him and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday the first letter of invitation to attend the Arab summit. According to a statement posted on the Iraqi Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Emir of Kuwait to "his eagerness to participate in the Baghdad summit personally." In the meantime, called for a block of virtue in the Iraqi Council of Representatives yesterday to postpone the meeting until after the national Arab summit, arguing that the preoccupation with the political will to meet the national lack of preparedness for the Summit and the good payout diversion. The MP for the mass Susan Saad said that "supposed to be preparing the government and all politicians to receive the Summit to be held end of March, in Baghdad, and everyone works to make it a success," calling to "postpone the national meeting until after the Arab summit conference because the former is an internal can be treated at any time while the summit must be held as scheduled. " She said Saad that "the preoccupation of politicians to meet the national will not prepare well for the Summit and will be spent sight with him, especially as there has been an unusual and should be given high priority", stressing the need to "preoccupation with what will be presented at the Summit and how Snousel Iraq experience democracy for participants so that we can to restore his standing regional and Arab. " The Iraqi List led by Iyad Allawi, announced earlier it had begun to lose hope in a national meeting, stressing that there are no guarantees of any political party to the contract and threatening to delay it until after the summit of Baghdad, but a proactive step to repeal it, pointing out that even the "patron of the conference" did not do anything until now to take place. And threatened to Allawi, that if not resolved the political crisis, "off" the list will be forced to provide a memo to the Arab League offer a political crisis in Iraq in the next summit to address them and deal with crises in other Arab countries, stressing that the Iraqi List, do not want to be exploited National Congress as a bridge to secure the hosting of the summit but without addressing the internal problems. On the other hand called on the member of the Iraqi Khudeir Talal Zobaie Iraqi government pass a law of amnesty and political blocs agreed upon prior to the next Arab summit conference in Baghdad. He added that "the Iraqi government and the political blocs to expedite the required consensus on the general amnesty law fully and without delay." The Zobaie that "the Iraqi government and the political blocs demand the adoption of this law prior to the coming Arab summit in order to give a real message that it is serious in achieving national reconciliationhttp://translate.goo...XagCrR3LwZGnSQA

Zebari win a lawsuit against the Iraqi parliamentary On: Sun 04/03/2012 1:03 UAE's Al Ittihad newspaper ا Saturday, 3/3/2012 . BAGHDAD (Union) - The spokeswoman for "mass white" in the Iraqi Council of Representatives High Nassif yesterday dismissed Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari after winning a lawsuit against it, where Olzimtha Iraqi court to pay a fine of $ 20 million Iraqi dinars in compensation to him, asserting ownership of evidence and documents prove her innocence in the case. Nassif said, in a press statement, "The members of the House of Representatives in the event of their silence on the issue of the Bmkadati Zebari, Vsircn the door open to any government official threatened to sue any deputy dared to discuss any flaw or bypass is committed in a State enterprise." "The Scott House on Mkadati means that the oversight role of Parliament will disappear completely during the next few years, to become deputy to a person who is unable to turn him or force him not only the role of the role of spectator. Saljo to my right to appeal and the appeal court's decision, and I gain a case in accordance with the law, because I am I have evidence and documents that support the health of my position. " The Iraqi media that the Court of issues publishing and media of the Supreme Judicial Council issued yesterday ruled in favor of Zebari serving fine high Nassif 20 million dinars, because they accused him of Baltota with Kuwait in the case of port project Mubarak Al-Kabeer Kuwait in the north of the Gulf, which objected to by Iraq. For its part, said "white mass" in a statement issued in Baghdad, "The difference between the high Nassif and Deputy Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, going on a national issue which expressed its concern for the interest of Iraq and the promise of above any personal considerations." أ She added, "This is the first time we hear about the prosecution of Deputy Minister is keen on the interest of his country and his people, and we regret to deal with the issue Zebari as personal. Instead of associating himself with her to exercise its role in the resort to international courts to prosecute any state beyond the sovereignty of Iraq. " http://translate.goo...u5cDE2pdrtKupyA

[/url]Iraqi government challenged the federal budget. On: Sun 04/03/2012 0:55 Al-Hayat newspaper Arabia Saturday, 3/3/2012 BAGHDAD - Jawdat Kazem The Iraqi government has justified reasons to challenge the General Budget Law Baknaatha of what the Finance Minister Rafie al-Issawi said paragraphs amended, inconsistent with the policy of the Ministry of Finance. The government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement to «life» that «the reasons put forward by the Minister of Finance before the government was logical, legal, and in the light of these observations in regard to some transfers of Finance and the like have been proposed some amendments to the budget to match the ambitions of the government in implementing programs of reconstruction and building the country ». He stressed that «the proposal to amend some paragraphs on the budget will be referred back to parliament for consideration and approval». Objection and the Council of Ministers to repeal Article 36 of the budget relating to the adoption of payment on credit to companies for the implementation of projects, only al-Dabbagh said that «the government adopted the observations and objections of the Ministry of Finance announced that it and its frank». The Cabinet instructed the Minister of Justice set up irregularities in the budget from a constitutional standpoint to appeal before the Federal Court and ask the legal department of the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers set up the challenge. The MP for the coalition «state law» Hussein Assadi that «the reason for the dispute over the budget 2012 and the objection by the government is to abolish the House of Representatives concerning the adoption of Article 36, payment on credit». He explained that «the Council of Ministers is not entitled to amend the budget because that is the jurisdiction of the House of Representatives in accordance with Article 61 of the Constitution». MP Abdul Hadi al-Hassani said in a statement to «life» that «one of the most important reasons that prompted the government to appeal or object to the budget is not included paragraphs that promote investment and has sufficient funds to monitor». He pointed out that «the commitment to the budget law voted by Parliament finally embarrass the government often will not enable them to fulfill their promises, especially regarding projects related to infrastructure and activating the movement of investment and reconstruction, let alone intercept and the Ministry of Finance on many of the points included in budget». The parliament approved last Thursday, the state budget for 2012 after the abolition of the paragraphs proposed by the Government, including Article 25 concerning the closure of final accounts and exchange outside the budget in addition to paragraph 36. He said Hassani, that «the parliament will consider the details of the budget that had been introduced some amendments, including the issue of purchase of armored vehicles to members of Parliament». He stressed that «the government took over 400 cars were armored contracted with a specialized company to be used during the Summit to be held in Baghdad at the end of this month». The «There is a proposal to distribute those cars after the end of the summit to the members of Parliament Kaahdh be returned to the State after the end of the term of the MP». http://translate.goo...Qx93M_w6jUfU_Eg

Baghdad put the finishing touches to the Arab summit On: Sun 04/03/2012 10:10 Baghdad / term Today begins the actual procedures for the Baghdad Arab summit climb, through a campaign of meetings conducted by the representative of Iraq in the Arab League with the technical committees and media-related, says a senior government official that there is coordination between the Council of a major university and the Secretariat for the success of this summit. The Secretary-General of the Arab League has stated Nabil Arab previous Thursday that the security arrangements in Baghdad "very good" and Iraq is ready to receive the delegations of Arab leaders and Arab kings and presidents to hold the Arab summit. It is scheduled to start the summit in Baghdad on 29 March will begin with the current preparatory meetings in Cairo with effect from 21 March to the current level of permanent representatives and senior officials. Will add Baghdad on 27 and 28 March the current preparatory meetings at the level of Ministers of Economy and Foreign Affairs. In a later development, said Qais Al-Azzawi representative of Iraq, the university after the news conference held by the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil el-Arabi, "It will be launched on Sunday work and intensive meetings with the technical committees and administrative and information set up by the Arab League, where I will meet with the Secretary-General for Media Affairs Ambassador Alkhmlishe to arrange media and the names of journalists and media professionals who will participate in the Arab Summit of the Arab League approved and licenses on the devices that accompany journalists from reporters channels. " Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said in the 25 of February, informed us that the Arab League summit that would be great and the level of leaders and presidents, asserting that Iraq has full sovereignty and independence and qualifications of all his will. Azzawi said that there is coordination with high-level representation of Iraq, the Arab League and the Secretariat for the success of the Arab summit that there was also a joint cooperation with the Embassy of Iraq in the Arab League to obtain visas to enter Iraq and other matters. . And postponed the Arab League, the earlier, the Arab summit which was scheduled to be held in March 2011 in Baghdad to March 2012, at the request of Iraq after the consensus Arab member states in view of the Arab reality the "new and inappropriate" caused by the revolution which was then in Egypt, Libya and Yemen and Tunisia and Syria. For his part, said Iraq's ambassador in Cairo Nizar goodness of God to the need for concerted efforts by all parties to the success of the Arab summit in Baghdad in this historical juncture that Iraq is going through, stressing that the security situation in Baghdad is very good and that the Iraqi police and army have taken all measures to maintain security. The Arab summit in the Iraqi capital Baghdad international event larger, organized by the country since 2003, accounting for the Municipality of Baghdad for the committee to create and insurance requirements for the Conference of the Arab summit and to provide insights, ideas, and the preparations necessary to improve and develop the interface construction of the city, commensurate with its history and its place in coordination with the ministries and agencies competent, has announced at the end of the month of January last that the preparations for the summit is now Closed 100%. For his part, said committee member of the House Foreign Iraqi MP Hassan Chored "Iraq is ready at the diplomatic and technical support to receive the delegations participating in the Arab Summit." He said in a telephone conversation with (range) yesterday, "The Arabs and through their delegations to Baghdad, repetitive briefed on preparations for the summit climb, because the government was prepared from earlier but delays prevented its completion." ". Abizaid and Chored that "more than 15 countries have confirmed they will attend an Arab summit in Baghdad presidential delegations, which in itself is a success for Iraq as the most prominent Arabs will discuss hot issues in the region and all of these factors are in the success of the Arabs next meeting." For his part, the Minister of Industry and Minerals Iraqi Ahmed Nasser Karbouli, Saturday, welcoming Presidents of Yemen, Djibouti and the Union of the Comoros to attend the Arab Summit to be held in Baghdad at the end of March current, stressing the need to strengthen joint Arab action to confront the challenges of the next phase. Karbouli said in a statement issued yesterday, at the end of his tour for the transfer of calls by President Jalal Talabani of the heads of the Arabs to attend the Arab summit, "The Presidents of Yemen, Djibouti and the Union of Comoros confirmed welcome to attend the Arab Summit to be held in Baghdad at the end of March current," noting that the transfer " congratulations to President of the Republic Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to the Republic of Yemen Government and people, the democratic achievements made during the past period and the blessed Ptsnm President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, President of the Republic. " http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://almadapaper.net/news.php%3Faction%3Dview%26id%3D61226&usg=ALkJrhicF0-cd8PVrd_t6kNqvnn3_54mLw

Calls for enacting laws to curb the import of random On: Sun 04/03/2012 9:06 Baghdad / term follow-up He noted the President of the International Federation of businessmen Iraq Hamid punitive importance of activating the laws in support of the Iraqi economy that protects the product locally. Said punitive, according to the Agency (news): The local markets suffer from dumping commodity specification bad and which are imported from neighboring countries due to the absence of the local product which compete with the foreign product in the Iraqi market. He added, must activate the laws that have been legislation in the House of Representatives and supporting the national economy and production, Into law the customs tariff and quality control to limit the import of random goods and the protection of the domestic product. Said: that the domestic product suffered a lot of circumstances that led him away from the market since the eighties and until now as a result of war and siege, calling for the rehabilitation of laboratories produced to raise domestic producer of good quality and meet specifications World to the Iraqi market to compete with the foreign product and surpasses him http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://almadapaper.net/news.php%3Faction%3Dview%26id%3D61174&usg=ALkJrhhTAOABZOBXvVHA9yDleIgkYvf8yw

Sources suggest a meeting of leaders of the three substitute for National Conference On: Sun 04/03/2012 10:17 Baghdad / menopausal Hossam Acommok Sources informed about the possibility of replacement of the national conference called by President Jalal Talabani to meet for the three presidencies is done through the settlement of political differences, to the inability of the Preparatory Committee of the National Congress until the moment of completion of even a fraction of the tasks entrusted to them despite held 5 meetings. Is not waived by the Iraqi List, which have expressed their disappointment towards the political movement, expected that the list will not get the entitlements in the coming period, in turn accused the State of Law Coalition led by Nuri al-Maliki, his opponents of the Iraqi obstruction meetings by insisting on discussing matters have been agreed in advance. Have been unsuccessful in the Preparatory Committee held its sixth meeting, which was scheduled to be yesterday at the home of Vice President of the Republic Khodair al, for the absence of some parties with him, and decides to deport him on Tuesday. Informed sources confirmed (range) yesterday, "a trend among the leaders of political blocs to limited national conference meeting for the three presidencies; Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Parliament Speaker Osama Najafi, may climb by Iyad Allawi, in order to settle political disputes in one basket, except for those related to the judicial side, are carried over to the specialized agencies. " The sources added that "this trend is certain came after most of the leaders of political blocs of the futility of the Preparatory Committee, because most of her meetings did not come out to remember the outcome, most of the tasks assigned to it has not achieved because of the large intersection between the political blocs." Contrast did not confirms the leadership of the coalition of state law Saad logistical this news as he did not deny them, he said in a telephone conversation with (range) yesterday, "we heard the news but did not reach us through formal means, but we the JPY its findings to the next meeting, though this true not hidden from us, a day after Tuesday. " On the reason for repeated postponement of the meetings of the Preparatory Committee, explained logistical "Frankly, that insists on discussing the Iraqi file has been agreed upon earlier, it is unreasonable that they are looking after the formation of the Court of Cassation agreed to leave it to the side with the recommendation of the judicial authorities concerned to expedite the provide judges the candidates. " For her part, the Iraqi List, the replacement of the National Congress meeting for the three presidencies is normal, it said Rep. unit Jumaili "They exchanged the Conference to meet national, which means a meeting of the leaders who are not more than five, and thus is the use of the three presidencies to resolve the political crisis." Denied Jumaili strongly accused the National Alliance to disrupt the Preparatory Committee, explained in a statement (range) yesterday, "they cite their inability to come to meetings for several reasons, but we know their intentions, they want us to be a bridge passable for the Summit of Arab and thus postpone the dialogues between the Onah and other for the composition of a good political climate, "adding" I will not get anything from meetings in the presence of hardening of positions by the National Alliance and the approaching election cycle to finish second. " http://translate.goo...0OG7C2u3DRjqKmw

ATLEAST THEY ARE GETTING THERE!!!!!!!! rockhound60 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 663 Joined: 15-August 11 Posted 29 February 2012 - 02:43 PM Deputy Governor of Central Bank: the project to delete the zeros from the currency-based and will be announced as soon as government approval BAGHDAD / Conference Description of the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the appearance of Mohammed Saleh project to delete the three zeroes from the currency as a strategic country as it will reduce the mass of cash circulating in the local markets. Saleh said (of the Agency news) said on Tuesday: The central bank exceeded the advanced stages in the preparation of studies and preparations logistics task for the project to delete the three zeroes from the currency and within a specific timeframe as a reform project of the Iraqi currency. He added that in the event of obtaining approval by the federal government on the implementation of the project work will be on the tactical level up and will be announced on its implementation and contract with advertising companies and the media to educate citizens on how to use the new currency and to answer all questions raised by him. He said: that the ongoing meetings with the relevant committees in both houses of the Iraqi economy ministers, MPs, and we are now awaiting approval from them to get to the final stages of project implementation. http://translate.goo...Lf_sgrZW4sCbRCA Read more: http://dinarvets.com/forums/index.php?/topic/107782-deputy-governor-of-central-bank-the-project-to-delete-the-zeros-from-the-currency-based-and-will-be-announced-as-soon-as-government-approval/#ixzz1o5K2SxdF

CAN SOMEONE MAKE UP THERE MIND ALREADY ! LOL THANKS FOR THE POST

Cash Only: Why the Messy Banking Sector Endangers Iraqi Development Posted on 02 March 2012. Iraq could be one of the richest countries in the world. Yet over three quarters of Iraqis do not have bank accounts. So where do they keep that wealth, asks this article from NIQASH, and can the Iraqi banking system be dragged into the 21st century? Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The banking sector in Iraq reflects the economic mess that the country is in. Basic modern banking practices – like electronic funds transfers for payroll or other banking needs – are almost non-existent and credit facilities are hard to come by. Automatic teller machines remain a novelty while mortgages and loans are a rarity. Iraq has only a few banks with the ability to transfer funds electronically and the number of branches able to undertake this sits at around 240. Transferring funds directly to Iraqi banks remains a patchy process and it is more often done through other banks in the region, such as more reliable sister bank in Jordan or the United Arab Emirates. Latest research estimates that around 80 percent of Iraqis do not have a bank account or even access to one. The public’s trust in the Iraqi banking sector remains low. Which is why most banks in Iraq simply act as a glorified safety deposit box. Meanwhile Iraq is on track to become one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with the fourth largest oil reserves in the world and the potential to be one of the globe’s leading oil exporters, eventually matching, or even surpassing, Saudi Arabia, currently one of the largest oil exporters in the world. But despite incoming revenue and the potential for growth, economic progress remains slow – and this is partly due to dysfunctional banking sector. There is talk of sector reform and new electronic banking systems – yet this vital sector is still underdeveloped. http://www.iraq-busi...qi-development/ THIS ARTICLE FOUND BY VIETNAM1969

Russia to Strengthen Ties with Iraq Posted on 03 March 2012. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (pictured) announced on Thursday that Russia would continue helping Iraq to become a democratic, independent country and to preserve its territorial integrity, something that meets the Iraqi people’s interests and is in line with regional stability and security. In a letter delivered to Iraqi Prime Minister, he also signaled Russia’s readiness to deepen bilateral trade and economic relations between the two countries, including in the energy and agriculture sectors. This message was handed to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during his meeting with a Russian delegation in Baghdad. http://www.iraq-busi...ties-with-iraq/ THESE ARTICLES FOUND BY VIETNAM1969

Disputed Territory: Talabani Tries to Create Another Article 140 Talabani Tries to Create Another Article 140 Posted on 29 February 2012. Tags: Federalism, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Reidar Visser The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. For some time, Iraqi politicians have been discussing a bill proposed by President Jalal Talabani, of the Kurdistan Alliance, on the subject of administrative changes to boundaries of governorates that were altered by the Baath [ba'ath] regime. In principle, this discussion has been kept separate from the bigger question of article 140 of the Iraqi constitution on disputed territories. Some politicians have presented the bill as a preparatory step towards the implementation of article 140. Others, including Prime Minister Nuri a-Maliki, have cited the Talabani bill as something that necessitates postponement of the creation of federal regions in parts of Iraq affected by the bill. For a long time, the Talabani bill was known mainly through paraphrases. By now, it is however clear that the proposed law is very short and basically just involves the cancellation of all “unjust” boundary changes by the former regime in pursuance of its “political goals”. If implemented to the letter, this would mean altering the administrative boundaries of Iraq to the pre-1968 situation, roughly as on this map from 1966: Baghdad would swallow Salahaddin, Kirkuk would grow a good deal, Najaf and Muthanna would cease to exist. Importantly, in a consistent implementation, Kurdish-majority Dahuk would also revert to Mosul/Nineveh! Now, presumably that is not what Talabani wants (the Kurds mainly want a bigger Kirkuk), and presumably he is using the words “unjust” and “political aims” in order to create a justification for going back to 1968 generally speaking – but not, of course, when it comes to land given to the Kurds by the Baathists. But that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Dahuk was given to the Kurds by the Baath precisely in pursuance of political “aims”, namely that of creating the first zone of administrative autonomy for a Kurdish minority in any modern Middle Eastern state. To the many Arabs in northern Mosul who suddenly found themselves in a Kurdish-majority governorate, the decision may well have been seen as “unjust” first and foremost. That is why the new Talabani draft law is just another article 140 in disguise. It is trying to create a cloak of objectivity but it has in fact exactly the same failings of subjectivity as article 140 has – disputed territories exist only in the eye of the beholders. As such, the new draft law of Talabani is likely to prove inflammatory to the derailed Iraqi political process rather than a means of facilitating greater rapprochement. http://www.iraq-busi...egory/politics/

Kurdish lawmaker: if the government insisted on the appeal in the budget, we will enter a new crisis between the government and the House of Representatives Saturday, 03 March / March 2012 06:50 [/url] [baghdad - where] According to the Kurdistan Alliance MP Hassan Jihad said the Cabinet if he insists on appeal in the budget, we will enter a new crisis between the government and parliament Jihad said Iraq told every [where] that "the Parliament voted on the budget nor the government can revoke or challenged because the great damage on the government itself," adding that "the House of Representatives passed the budget the government is supposed to work out He added that "the government raised the budget to the House of Representatives has held a Council of amendments to it and the members voted unanimously on all materials article after another," noting that "if the government requested the amendment it or change or transfers, it will take a long time until the approval again, and everyone knows that the budget approved late and with difficulty. " He noted that "regardless of the paragraphs objected to the government to Adarjha Delays not in the interest of the country and everyone is waiting for the implementation of this budget," stressing that "the injured and the only loser in this matter is the citizen." The Cabinet instructed during its meeting last Tuesday, the Minister of Justice to expedite the deployment of the budget law and to prepare violation of the terms contained therein or the constitutional challenge before the Federal Court on those violations and ask the legal department of the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers set up to challenge irregularities. و One of the things that the Government intends to appeal the decision to abolish the House of Representatives Article 36 of the budget for the implementation of some projects in a payment term. و The House of Representatives has approved on 23 February, the financial budget of the State for the year 2012 and the amount of [105] billion dollars after a number of amendments. / End 2. http://translate.goo...R07kgHRb4v3Id4g

Central Bank: the phenomenon of dealing in riba pose a threat to the national economy and the size of inflation in the market Saturday, 03 March / March 2012 11:00 [baghdad - where] Said the deputy governor of the Central Bank of the appearance of Mohammed Saleh said that the phenomenon of dealing in riba has become a threat to the internal economy of Iraq has not been paying attention in advance by any party و Saleh said Iraq told every [where] that "the phenomenon of usury, a year in Iraq up to 86%, which is very serious," calling "the competent authorities to consider the matter and put an end to that." The Islamic religion calls for not dealing with riba Almighty said: (O ye who believe! Devour not usury, doubled and fear Allah, that ye may prosper) [al: Imran - verse 130], and the law also called for to combat the phenomenon of usury out of the system is intended outside of system is the phenomenon of usury among the citizens as well as their impact on the national economy. " And that "lenders are very dangerous on the size of inflation in the Iraqi market and this has not been paying attention to him in advance which constitutes a large proportion of financial transactions in the market." Ended 2 http://translate.goo...XIKzSEQJ7wOWEIw

Iraq: UN envoy hails electoral commission for promoting democracy Voting at a Baghdad polling station in Iraq's parliamentary elections on 7 March 2010. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas 27 February 2012 – The United Nations top envoy in Iraq today underlined the central role played by the country’s electoral commission in enhancing the democratic process and praised members of the current body for laying the foundation that ensures that voters can exercise their franchise fairly. “There cannot be democracy without elections, and since its establishment in 2007, IHEC [independent High Electoral Commission] has been fulfilling its constitutional mandate to plan, administer and conduct elections,” said Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). “Your efforts have created a solid foundation for your successors to ensure the rights of Iraqi voters to choose their leaders and policies in a fair, legal process,” he said when in met with the IHEC Board of Commissioners in Baghdad. Mr. Kobler encouraged Iraq’s Council of Representatives to select a new IHEC Board of Commissioners, in accordance with the electoral law, before the expiration of the current board’s term in April. He praised the professionalism of the IHEC staff in Baghdad and electoral offices in the country’s governorates, commending them for their sacrifices, including those killed or injured while serving the cause of democracy in Iraq. “IHEC’s professional staff is a valuable resource for the future of elections. It should be retained and supported as it continues to build its capacity to professionally deliver upcoming elections,” said Mr. Kobler. “Iraq and its people can take pride at the fact that IHEC has emerged as a model for most countries in the region and its expertise was solicited by a number of countries who invited Iraqi commissioners and staff to observe their elections,” he added. The Kurdistan Region governorate council elections, scheduled to take place on 27 September, are the next polls in Iraq. They will be followed by governorate council elections nationwide early next year. Since 2004, the UN has supported seven major electoral events in Iraq. “We are currently working with IHEC on the Kurdistan Region governorate elections and will continue to provide technical advice to our IHEC counterparts. Our objective is to contribute to further strengthening and consolidating a professional and sustainable electoral administration in Iraq,” said Mr. Kobler http://www.un.org/ap...386&Cr=iraq&Cr1=

Top UN envoy in Iraq calls for durable solutions for the internally displaced Special Representative Martin Kobler. UN Photo/Bikem Ekberzade 26 February 2012 – The top United Nations envoy in Iraq today stressed the need to ensure that internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country continue to receive the care and protection they need, while efforts are made to help them return to their areas of origin, resettle or integrate into host communities. “Our collective responsibility is to ensure that the displaced are adequately cared for as long as they live in displacement, while measures are being taken to plan for their sustainable return, resettlement and local integration, the three key pillars of a durable solutions strategy,” said Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). “No durable solution can be achieved without the express consent of those on whose behalf it [the strategy] is being implemented,” Mr. Kobler told the High-Level Meeting on Displacement and Durable Solutions in Iraq, organized in Baghdad by the Iraqi Ministry of Development and Migration, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The aim of the meeting was to brief the international community on the plight of the more than 1.3 million people who remain displaced in Iraq and discuss the way forward to finding a durable solution to the problem. “By ensuring that those who fled the cruelty of violence that befell this country in the past years can safely return to their homes – or, where return is not possible, that they are given a free choice of resettling or integrating in a place of their choosing – we help restore their rights,” said Mr. Kobler. “We recognize them as citizens of this country, who are entitled to a life in dignity, like all other Iraqis.” Despite the return of some one million IDPs since 2003, large numbers of displaced Iraqis remain unable or unwilling to return to their places of origin. Baghdad hosts the largest number ?,347 people or 57,194 families – registered with the Ministry of Displacement and Migration. News Tracker: past stories on this issue Iraq: UN refugee chief proposes government-led plan to end displacement http://www.un.org/ap...379&Cr=Iraq&Cr1=

ROCK ON !!!!!!!!

Who's who in Iraq after the US exit? The US troop surge in 2007 helped quiet Iraq's bloody civil war. But it failed to deliver on what US officials and officers said was crucial for Iraq's future at the time: sectarian reconciliation. Rather than forging a new national identity out of the horrors of Iraq's war, Iraq's Shiite and Sunni Arabs and ethnic Kurds sullenly retreated to their own sectarian corners, and the country's political parties remain vehicles for ethnic or sectarian interests. The next year is probably going to be the most crucial for determining the future of Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003, as Iraq's various political factions compete for power and influence without foreign troops getting in the way. Here are a few of the major players. - Dan Murphy, Staff writer Who's who in Iraq after the US exit? The US troop surge in 2007 helped quiet Iraq's bloody civil war. But it failed to deliver on what US officials and officers said was crucial for Iraq's future at the time: sectarian reconciliation. Rather than forging a new national identity out of the horrors of Iraq's war, Iraq's Shiite and Sunni Arabs and ethnic Kurds sullenly retreated to their own sectarian corners, and the country's political parties remain vehicles for ethnic or sectarian interests. The next year is probably going to be the most crucial for determining the future of Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003, as Iraq's various political factions compete for power and influence without foreign troops getting in the way. Here are a few of the major players. - Dan Murphy, Staff writer [/url] Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki walks off stage after addressing US Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Washington, on Dec. 13, 2011. (Cliff Owen/AP) 1. Nouri al-Maliki and the Dawa Party is a Shiite Arab and leader of the Dawa, or Islamic call, party. It was one of the two main Shiite Islamist groups opposed to during his reign, with much of its leadership living in exile until the 2003 invasion. Mr. Maliki, like many of 's Shiite Islamists, was supported by during Mr. Hussein's reign and maintains warm relations with . He's proven himself an adept politician, outmaneuvering fellow Shiite politicians and Sunni Arabs alike to retain the premiership after 2010's parliamentary election, though that successful effort did come at the cost of not forming a government until nine months after the election. Even then, he managed to convince his rivals to allow the crucial question of who would run the interior and defense ministries to be set aside, which has made him the de facto boss of the country's soldiers, police, and counterterrorism forces ever since. The (formerly the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq), another Shiite Islamist group whose leadership was exiled until 2003, is backing Maliki for the moment. Since the departure, Maliki's government has issued an arrest warrant for Sunni Vice President and he's called for Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Mutlaq, another leading Sunni politician, to be removed from his post. He appears to be pursuing a strategy of consolidation, but he won't be unopposed. In Pictures:

Update on Iraq: Not quite freedom on the march The crackdown on political protest in Iraq, from Baghdad to autonomous Kurdistan, shows that the country is far from a flourishing democracy. By Dan Murphy, Staff writer / March 2, 2012 President Obama leads guests to a toast as he hosts a dinner for a select group of veterans and officials involved with the Iraq war at the White House in Washington on Wednesday. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/APToward the end of February, Iraqis took to the streets to commemorate the anniversary of their own – ultimately unrealized – attempt at starting an uprising against a corrupt, increasingly authoritarian political order. 03.02.12 What happened?Those efforts, in imitation of the uprisings that upended the political orders of Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, were shot down by the country's security services. "Security forces blocked access to protest sites in Baghdad; beat and arrested peaceful demonstrators in Sulaimaniya, Kurdistan; and briefly detained, beat, or confiscated equipment from media workers and prevented others from covering the protests," according to Human Rights Watch. Meanwhile for the US, the expensive and bloody Iraq war is already a fading memory. RELATED: Who's who in Iraq, post US exit? On Wednesday President Obama hosted a dinner for a select group of veterans and officials involved with the Iraq war. "The nation's gratitude dinner," remembered the more than 4,000 soldiers who died, the thousands more who lost limbs and suffered permanent injury, and the sacrifices made by the families at home. Obama called the men and women who fought in Iraq "the patriots who served in our name." He went on to say that "after nearly nine years in Iraq, tonight is an opportunity to express our gratitude and to say once more, welcome home." But the stated purposes that war was fought – to remove Saddam Hussein from power and bring democracy to Iraq – is far from fulfilled. Sure, Mr. Hussein is gone, hung by his own people after being captured by US troops. But a flourishing democracy, Iraq is not. Take Kurdistan, the pro-American ethnic enclave that was protected by a NATO no-fly zone from Hussein's troops in the '90s and has often been held up as a model by US policy makers about what all of Iraq could become. On Feb. 17, a few hundred democracy protesters sought to gather in Sulaymaniyah. Here's what happened next, according to Human Rights Watch: http://www.csmonitor...om-on-the-march

Iraq Michael Kamber for The New York TimesUpdated: Feb. 24, 2012 For most of the last decade, Iraq occupied center stage in the Arab world, as it was swiftly invaded and occupied by American forces in March 2003 before being wracked by the insurgency that sprang up in opposition and then by waves of sectarian killing that grew into something close to a civil war. Since the bloodshed peaked in 2006, order was gradually restored, though violence remained high by any but wartime standards. The fairest elections in the country’s history in March 2010 led to the creation of a government of national unity, although after eight months of political stalemate that played out mostly along sectarian lines. On Dec. 15, 2011, the American military formally ended its mission in Iraq, one that cost the lives of 4,487 service members, with another 32,226 wounded in action; more than one million service members served in Iraq during the course of the conflict. Tens of thousands of Iraqis died in the fighting that followed, although there are no firm estimates. The closing ceremony in Baghdad sounded an uncertain trumpet for a war that was started to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction it did not have. It ended without the sizable, enduring American military presence for which many officers had hoped, and with the country facing a political crisis. Even after the formal withdrawal, the military still has two bases in Iraq and roughly 4,000 troops. At the height of the war in 2007, there were 505 bases and more than 170,000 troops. More than one million service members served in Iraq during the course of the conflict. The end of America’s military involvement reflected the messy, sectarian state of Iraqi politics — both in terms of the political forces that led to America’s withdrawal and in the sectarian political strains that boiled over as soon as the last troops had left. Rising Strife Threatens Tenuous Stability Violence and political instability have escalated across Iraq since the withdrawal of American forces, as political and sectarian factions have fought for power and influence in a struggle that, within weeks, threatened to undo the stability that allowed the pullout in the first place. The Iraqiya party, which represents most Sunnis, began a boycott of Parliament days after the American’s departure in December 2011 to protest what it saw as moves by the Shiite-dominated government to sideline Sunnis from power. In January 2012, the government accused Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni, of running a sectarian death squad; he fled to the semi-autonomous Kurdish region. In February, a panel of Iraqi judges said that that death squads commanded by Mr. Hashimi carried out 150 attacks over six years against religious pilgrims, security officers and political foes. Iraqiya agreed to return to Parliament in late January, paving the way for the political leadership to hold a national summit meeting to discuss reconciliation. Earlier that month, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch said the Americans had left behind a “budding police state,” with the country’s Shiite leadership increasingly ruling by force and fear. Insurgent groups have also stepped up attacks in the face of rising instability. The turmoil comes at a time when Iraqis had hoped their leaders would be emboldened by their new independence to tackle the nation’s multitude of problems — finally confronting the social, economic and religious divisions that were papered over by the presence of American troops. But while there remains hope that Iraqis can still unite, the country is far from the “sovereign, stable and self-reliant” place that President Obama described at the time of the American military withdrawal. The criticisms from Human Rights Watch were released in their annual report on human rights in various countries. The group said that the Iraqi government had significantly restricted freedom of expression in the nation over the past year and that security forces had intimidated, beaten and detained activists, demonstrators and journalists. At the same time, Al Qaeda has increased its attacks. On three different days in the month since the withdrawal, the daily death toll rose past 60, and on more than a dozen days the toll was more than 10. Without the help of American Special Operations forces, the Iraqi military and police forces have appeared unable to curb attacks on religious pilgrims, civilians and security officers. As problems have persisted inside Iraq, its leaders have struggled to deal with neighbors, including Turkey, one of the largest foreign investors. According to members of Mr. Maliki’s bloc, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called Iraqi politicians in mid-January and told them that they should peacefully deal with one another as they try to resolve their differences. Around the same time, Mr. Erdogan called Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to express his concern about the tensions between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq, warning that the crisis could lead to a sectarian war. The calls angered Mr. Maliki because he felt that Mr. Erdogan, a Sunni, was criticizing how he was dealing with the country’s affairs. In a television interview, Mr. Maliki said that Mr. Erdogan was acting as though he controlled Iraq, and said that Mr. Erdogan should stop meddling. The issue has lingered. Soon after, the head of Iran’s Quds Force was reported to have said that Iraq and southern Lebanon were under Iranian control. In response, top Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite politicians in Iraq called on Mr. Maliki to reprimand the Iranians as he had the Turks. Widening Sectarian and Political Conflicts Within days of the departure of the last American convoy, the country was in political turmoil that was extreme even by its own standards. The Shiite-dominated government issued an arrest warrant for the Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashimi, one of the country’s most prominent Sunni leaders, accusing him of running a personal death squad that assassinated security officials and government bureaucrats. Mr. Hashimi denied the charges and accused Mr. Maliki’s government of using the country’s security forces to persecute political opponents, specifically Sunnis. Almost as significant as what Mr. Hashimi said was where he said it: in Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous northern region of Kurdistan. Because of the region’s autonomy, Mr. Maliki’s security forces cannot easily act on the warrant. Mr. Hashimi said he would not return to Baghdad, effectively making him an internal exile The following day Mr. Maliki threatened to abandon the American-backed power sharing government created a year previously, and ward Kurdish leaders that there would be “problems’' if they did not hand over Mr. Hashimi. On Dec. 26, 2011, a powerful political group led by the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr called for Parliament to be dissolved and early elections to be held, the first open challenge to Mr. Maliki from within his Shiite coalition. The move by the Sadr bloc is not enough to immediately bring down the Maliki government. But even the prospect of a new vote adds more uncertainty to Iraq’s fragile political landscape, possibly setting the country’s main factions — Shiites, Sunnis and ethnic Kurds — and its byzantine networks of political allies scrambling for turf, influence, money and votes. Less than two weeks later, Mr. Maliki’s government indicated that it was welcoming an Iranian-backed militia, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, into Iraq’s political system. The Shiite-led government’s support for the militia, which had only just sworn off violence, opened new sectarian fault lines in Iraq’s political crisis while potentially empowering Iran at a moment of rising military and economic tensions between Tehran and Washington. It could also tilt the nation’s center of gravity closer to Iran. Asaib Ahl al-Haq — the name translates as League of the Righteous — broke away from the militia commanded by Moktada al-Sadr. The American military has long maintained that the group, led by a former spokesman for Mr. Sadr, Qais al-Khazali, was trained and financed by Iran’s elite Quds Force — something that Iran denies. One of the deadliest insurgent groups operating in Iraq, Asaib Ahl al-Haq bombed American military convoys and bases, assassinated dozens of Iraqi officials and tried to kidnap Americans even as the last soldiers withdrew. Military officials said the group was responsible for the last American combat death in Iraq, a November 2011 roadside bomb attack in Baghdad. Thousands of other militants, both Sunni and Shiite, cut deals with the government to stop fighting, and few officials see a meaningful peace in Iraq that does not include reconciling with armed groups. Yet critics worry that Mr. Maliki, facing fierce challenges to his leadership from Sunnis and even his fellow Shiites, may be making a cynical and shortsighted play for Asaib’s support. They say Mr. Maliki may use the group’s credentials as Shiite resistance fighters to divide challengers in his own Shiite coalition and weaken Mr. Sadr’s powerful bloc, which draws its political lifeblood from the Shiite underclass. By doing so, Iraq’s government could embolden a militia with an almost nonexistent track record of peace while potentially handing Tehran greater influence in a country where the United States spent billions of dollars and lost nearly 4,500 American soldiers in nearly nine years of war. Moreover, some American and Iraqi officials are leery about whether Asaib Ahl al-Haq is truly ready to forswear violence, especially with thousands of American diplomats and security contractors still in the country. Mr. Maliki’s attempts to marginalize the country’s Sunni minority and consolidate power have amplified their fears and, not coincidentally, precipitated a political crisis. The arrest warrant for Mr. Hashimi that ignited the first spark of the the political crisis followed a near breakdown of relations between Mr. Maliki, a religious Shiite, and his adversaries in the Iraqiya coalition, a large political bloc that holds some 90 seats in Parliament and is supported by many Sunni Iraqis. Members of the Iraqiya coalition walked away from Parliament, accusing Mr. Maliki of seizing power and thwarting democratic procedures through a wave of politically tinged arrests. In calling for the Kurds to turn over Mr. Hashemi, Mr. Maliki risked alienating a powerful minority that operates in its own semi-autonomous region and whose support he would need to form a new government without the support of the Sunni-dominated Iraqiya. While in the north, Mr. Hashemi is largely out of reach of Mr. Maliki’s security forces, and from there could easily flee the country. A New Level of Insurgent Violence After the American military withdrawal, a fierce string of attacks added a new level of violence to the political and sectarian feuds. Assaults against Iraqi civilians and government officials swelled in late December 2011 and January 2012, as the country was gripped by a political crisis rooted in imbalances of power and festering conflicts between the Shiite prime minister and his largely Sunni and secular political opposition. The crisis eased somewhat as opposition politicians ended their boycott of the Parliament and cabinet. But Iraq’s leaders have punted on deeper questions of how to share power, deliver services and divide control of disputed territories and oil resources, leaving plenty of room for insurgents to attempt to exploit a persistent sense of instability and dissatisfaction with the government. After week of relative calm, violence exploded again in late February. Al Qaeda in Iraq: A Deadly Presence Many of the attacks of late 2011 and early 2012 could be attributed to the Sunni insurgent group Al Qaeda in Iraq. The terrorist group, an offshoot of Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in Baghdad on Dec. 22, 2011. The explosions, which transformed the morning commute into a bloodbath, killed more than 63 people. On Jan. 5, 2012, insurgents launched a series of bombings against Shiite pilgrims making their way to the holy city of Karbala for Arbaeen, one of the holiest Shiite holidays. According to security officials, 68 people were killed in the attacks and more than 100 wounded. On Jan. 14, insurgents mounted another attack against Shiites, as an explosion in the southern city of Basra killed 64 pilgrims traveling to a mosque in the city of Zubayr, just west of Basra, to commemorate the last day of Arbaeen. The next day, in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, insurgents detonated car bombs, and gunmen dressed as police officers wearing vests filled with explosives attacked a police compound where a top insurgent leader was being held, security officials said. Nine people, including five police officers, were killed; six insurgents, including three who detonated their explosives, also died. No group claimed responsibility for the Jan. 14 or Jan. 15 attack, which appeared similar to others carried out by Al Qaeda in Iraq. On Jan. 27, a suicide bomber detonated a car filled with explosives near a funeral procession in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad. The procession was for a man who had been fatally shot, along with his wife and son, a day earlier by insurgents. According to security officials, 31 people, including 8 police officers, were killed in the attack and 60 were wounded. After weeks of relative calm, on Feb. 19, a suicide car bomber struck at the gates of Baghdad’s police academy as recruits were leaving the compound. The attack killed 20 and wounded 28, according to the Associated Press. On Feb. 23, insurgents unleashed a barrage of coordinated car bombings and small-arms attacks across the country, killing at least 55 people and wounding more than 200. The worst of the violence was concentrated in Baghdad, where dozens of people were killed in explosions and fusillades of gunfire that transformed the morning commute into a landscape of carnage. Although civilians suffered the worst casualties, most of the attacks were aimed at police officers, security convoys and other signposts of government authority. Bombs exploded outside a police station, a court, a political office and a local council building. Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility. Diplomatic Overture From Saudi Arabia Moving to repair a long-fractured diplomatic relationship, Saudi Arabia named its first ambassador to Iraq in more than two decades, Iraq’s foreign minister announced on Feb. 21, 2012. The Saudis did not, however, say they were reopening an embassy in Baghdad. Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq’s foreign minister, said in a Twitter posting that the Saudi ambassador to Jordan would serve as the new “nonresident” Iraqi envoy. He is Fahd al-Zaid. Still, the Saudi move restores normal diplomatic relations between the oil-rich neighbors for the first time since Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. It may also signal Saudi Arabia’s desire for a stronger presence in Iraq to buttress against the influence of Iran, a longtime nemesis of the Saudi kingdom. Ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq have been especially strained since the 2003 American invasion toppled Mr. Hussein’s Sunni-dominated government and ushered in a Shiite-led one which has cultivated closer relations with Iran and Iranian-supported political movements inside Iraq. Crackdown on Foreign Contractors In the weeks following the military withdrawal, Iraqi authorities detained a few hundred foreign contractors, including many Americans who work for the United States Embassy, in one of the first major signs of the Iraqi government’s asserting its sovereignty since American troops pulled out of the country in December 2011. The detentions occurred largely at the airport in Baghdad and at checkpoints around the capital after the Iraqi authorities raised questions about the contractors’ documents, including visas, weapons permits and authorizations to drive certain routes. Although no formal charges were filed, the detentions have lasted from a few hours to nearly three weeks. The crackdown came amid other moves by the Iraqi government to take over functions that had been performed by the U.S. military and to claim areas of the country it had controlled. In the final weeks of the military withdrawal, the son of Iraq’s prime minister began evicting Western companies and contractors from the heavily fortified Green Zone, which had been the heart of U.S. military operations for much of the war. Just after the last American troops left in December, the Iraqis stopped issuing and renewing many weapons licenses and other authorizations. The restrictions created a sequence of events in which contractors were being detained for having expired documents that the government would not renew. The Iraqi authorities have also imposed new limitations on visas. In some recent cases, contractors have been told they have 10 days to leave Iraq or face arrest in what some industry officials call a form of controlled harassment. Negotiations and an Exodus In 2008, Iraq and the United States signed a status of forces agreement, negotiated in the last days of the Bush administration, that called for the withdrawal of all American troops by the end of 2011. But the agreement was reached with a wink-and-nod understanding that a politically palatable way would be found to keep a substantial American troop presence in the country after that date. But a number of Iraqi political factions publicly resisted the idea of a continued American military presence — notably the Sadrists, led by Moktada al-Sadr, an anti-American Shiite cleric who has called on his followers to attack American forces if they remain after the deadline. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki had gained a second term only when Mr. Sadr through his support behind him after indecisive parliamentary elections in 2010. The departure of American troops had coincided with rising concerns — in Iraq and in Washington — over Mr. Maliki’s increasingly aggressive use of power. Frequent raids in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone and the arrest of 600 former Baathists in November 2011, purportedly to head off a coup, fanned fears that Mr. Maliki will use the threat of terrorism and unrest as a pretext to strike political foes — and over whether Iraq’s fragile democracy will slide into a return to one-man rule. Negotiations regarding American troops will continue. Possibilities being discussed are for some troops to come back in 2012, an option preferred by some Iraqi politicians who want to claim credit for ending what many here still call an occupation, even though legally it ended years ago. Other scenarios being discussed include training in the United States, in a neighboring country such as Kuwait or having some American troops come back under the auspices of NATO. In the meantime, an agreement is in place to keep more than 150 Defense Department personnel, both military and civilian, in Iraq to secure the American Embassy, manage military sales and carry out standard duties of a defense attaché and office of security cooperation. They will operate under the authority of the State Department, which will be taking the leading role in Iraq. Leaders among the Kurds and Sunnis would like some American troops to stay as a buffer against what they fear will be Shiite political dominance, coupled in turn with the rising influence of neighboring Iran. And the senior American commander in Iraq, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, had proposed keeping as many as 14,000 to 18,000 troops there. Even as the military reduces its troop strength in Iraq, the C.I.A. will continue to have a major presence in the country, as will security contractors working for the State Department. No Iraqi Spring The one kind of turmoil Iraq has seen little of is the pro-democracy movement that sprang to life in early 2011 across the region, the so-called Arab spring. In February, demonstrators turned out, not seeking to topple their leaders but demanding better government services after years of war and deprivation. But security forces responded with a heavy hand. In a country where the demographics skew even younger than in places like Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, the wave of political change in the region has laid bare a generation gap split by old resentments nurtured by dictatorship and war and a youthful grasping for a stake in the new Iraq. But the forces of youth are blunted by the same forces that have robbed Iraqi society of so much for so long — violence, a stagnant economy, zero-sum politics and sectarianism — and that have prevented a new political class from emerging to take Iraq into a new democratic future. History of the Invasion of Iraq Almost immediately after ousting the Taliban from power in Afghanistan following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 — some argue, even before — President George W. Bush began to press the case for an American-led invasion of Iraq. He cited the possibility that Saddam Hussein still sought nuclear, biological and chemical weapons in defiance of United Nations restrictions and sanctions. Mr. Bush and other senior American officials also sought to link Iraq to Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden that carried out the Sept. 11 attacks. Both claims have since been largely discredited, though some officials and analysts continue to argue otherwise, saying that Mr. Hussein’s Iraq posed a real and imminent threat to the region and to the United States. In his State of the Union address in 2002 , Mr. Bush linked Iraq with Iran and North Korea as an " axis of evil. '' In his 2003 address , Mr. Bush made it clear the United States would use force to disarm Mr. Hussein, despite the continuing work of United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq, and despite growing international protests, even from some allies. A week later Secretary of State Colin L. Powell made the administration’s case before the United Nations Security Council with photographs, intercepted messages and other props, including a vial that, he said, could hold enough anthrax to shut down the United States Senate. The invasion of Iraq began on March 19, 2003 — the early hours of March 20 in Iraq — when Mr. Bush ordered missiles fired at a bunker in Baghdad where he believed that Saddam Hussein was hiding. Within weeks, with a “coalition of the willing” and disputed legal authority , the United States quickly toppled Mr. Hussein’s government, despite fierce fighting by some paramilitary groups. The Iraqi leader himself reportedly narrowly avoided being killed in the war’s first air strikes. The Army’s Third Infantry Division entered Baghdad on April 5, seizing what was once called Saddam Hussein International Airport. On April 9, a statue of Mr. Hussein in Firdos Square was pulled down with the help of the Marines. That effectively sealed the capture of Baghdad, but began a new war. Chaos and Insurgency The fall of Iraq’s brutal, powerful dictator unleashed a wave of celebration, then chaos, looting, violence and ultimately insurgency. Rather than quickly return power to the Iraqis, including political and religious leaders returning from exile, the United States created an occupation authority that took steps widely blamed for alienating many Iraqis and igniting Sunni-led resistance. They included disbanding the Iraqi Army and purging members of the former ruling Baath Party from government and public life, both with consequences felt to this day. On May 1, 2003, Mr. Bush appeared on an American aircraft carrier that carried a banner declaring " Mission Accomplished ,” a theatrical touch that even the president years later acknowledged sent the wrong message. In the security and political vacuum that followed the invasion, violence erupted against the American-led occupation forces and against the United Nations headquarters, which was bombed in August 2003, killing the body’s special representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello. The capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003 — the former leader was found unshaven and disheveled in a spider hole north of Baghdad — did nothing to halt the bloodshed. Nor did the formal transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people in June 2004, which took place a few months after the publication of photographs showing the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib had further fueled anger and anti-American sentiment. In January 2005, the Americans orchestrated Iraq’s first multi-party elections in five decades, a moment symbolized by Iraqis waving fingers marked in purple ink after they voted. The elections for a Transitional National Assembly reversed the historic political domination of the Sunnis, who had largely boycotted the vote. A Shiite coalition supported by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most powerful Shiite cleric, won a plurality, and put Shiites in power, along with the Kurds. Saddam Hussein stood trial, remaining defiant and unrepentant as he faced charges of massacring Shiites in Dujail in 1982. A new constitution followed by the end of the year, and new elections in January 2006 cemented the new balance of power, but also exposed simmering sectarian tensions, as many Sunnis boycotted. In February 2006, the bombing of the Askariya Mosque in Samarra, one of the most revered Shiite shrines, set off a convulsion of violence against both Sunnis and Shiites that amounted to a civil war. In Baghdad, it soon was not unusual for 30 bodies or more to be found on the streets every day, as Shiite death squads operated without hindrance and Sunnis retaliated. That steady toll was punctuated by spikes from bomb blasts, usually aimed at Shiites. Even more families fled, as neighborhoods and entire cities were ethnically cleansed. Ultimately, more than 2 million people were displaced in Iraq, and many of them are still abroad to this day, unable or too afraid to return. Arab and Kurdish tensions also ran high. In Mosul, a disputed city in the north, Sunni militants attacked Kurdish and Christian enclaves. The fate of Kirkuk, populated by Arabs, Kurds and smaller minority groups, remains disputed territory, punctured routinely by killings and bombings. After a political impasse that reflected the chaos in the country, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a little-known Shiite politician previously known as Jawad al-Maliki, became Iraq’s first permanent prime minister in April 2006. At Home The messy aftermath of a swift military victory made the war in Iraq increasingly unpopular at home, but not enough to derail Mr. Bush’s re-election in November 2004. Almost immediately afterwards, though, his approval rating dropped as the war dragged on. It never recovered. By 2006, Democrats regained control of Congress. Their victory rested in large part on the growing sentiment against the war, which rose with the toll of American deaths, which reached 3,000 by the end of the year, and its ever spiraling costs. Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death just before the Congressional elections, and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld resigned the day after the vote, widely blamed for having mismanaged the war. In the face of rising unpopularity and against the advice of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan group of prominent Americans, Mr. Bush ordered a large increase in American forces, then totaling roughly 130,000 troops. The “surge,” as the increase became known, eventually raised the number of troops to more than 170,000. It coincided with a new counterinsurgency strategy that had been introduced by a new American commander, Gen. David H. Petraeus, and the flowering of a once-unlikely alliance with Sunnis in Anbar province and elsewhere. Moktada al-Sadr, the radical anti-American Shiite cleric, whose followers in the Mahdi Army militia had been responsible for some of the worst brutality in Baghdad, declared a cease-fire in September. These factors came together in the fall of 2007 to produce a sharp decline in violence. Political progress and ethnic reconciliation were halting, though, fueling calls by Democrats to begin a withdrawal of American forces, though they lacked sufficient votes in Congress to force one. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, an early opponent of the war, rose to prominence in the Democratic race for the nomination in large part by capitalizing on the war’s unpopularity. But by the time Mr. Obama defeated Senator Hillarious Rodham Clinton for the nomination in 2008 and then the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, Iraq hardly loomed as an issue as it once had, both because of the drop in violence there and because of the rising economic turmoil in the United States and later the world. Bush Reaches for an Agreement At the end of 2007, Mr. Bush and General Petraeus had succeeded in maintaining the level of American forces in Iraq above what it was before the “surge” began. Mr. Maliki’s government, increasingly confident of its growing military might, expanded operations against insurgents and other militants that had once been the exclusive fight of the Americans. The militias loyal to Mr. Sadr, who had gone into exile, were routed in a government-led offensive in southern Iraq, though significant assistance from American forces and firepower was needed for the Iraqis to succeed. By May, the offensive extended to Sadr City in Baghdad, a densely populated neighborhood that had been largely outside of the government’s control. American and Iraqi officials spent most of 2008 negotiating a new security agreement to replace the United Nations mandate authorizing the presence of foreign troops. Negotiations proceeded haltingly for months, but Mr. Bush, who for years railed against those calling for timetables for withdrawal, agreed in July 2008 to a “general time horizon.” That ultimately became a firm pledge to remove all American combat forces from Iraqi cities by the end of June 2009 and from the whole country by 2011. He also agreed to give Iraq significant control over combat operations, detentions of prisoners and even prosecutions of American soldiers for grave crimes, though with enough caveats to make charges unlikely. Plans for Withdrawal The American military returned control of military operations to Iraq’s military and police on Jan. 1, 2009. The American combat mission — Operation Iraqi Freedom, in the Pentagon’s argot — officially ended on Aug. 31, 2010. President Obama marked the date with a prime-time address from the Oval Office, saying that the United States had met its responsibility to Iraq and that it was time to turn to pressing problems at home. The mission’s name changed from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn, and the 50,000 remaining transitional troops were scheduled to leave by the end of 2011. At the end of June 2009, also in keeping with the security agreement, the vast majority of American troops withdrew from Iraq’s cities, garrisoning themselves on vast bases outside. Mr. Maliki declared June 30 a national holiday, positioning himself as a proud leader who ended the foreign occupation of Iraq. But Mr. Maliki’s fanfare about ending the occupation rang hollow for Iraqis who feared that their country’s security forces were not yet ready to stand alone. A series of catastrophic attacks in August, October, December and January 2010 — striking government ministries, universities, hotels — only heightened anxiety and suspicion among Iraqis. Iraq’s Fractious Postwar Politics Iraq’s latest parliamentary election was originally scheduled for December 2009, but was delayed for months by political bickering. A parliamentary commission with disputed legal standing disqualified more than 500 candidates on the grounds they were former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party or remained sympathetic to it. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, hoping to build on his success in the 2009 provincial elections, sought to form a broader, cross-sectarian coalition that would include Sunnis, Kurds and other minority groups. Other parties followed suit, appealing for “national unity” in a country where it has rarely before existed, and only then a unity ruled by an iron hand. They faced a formidable challenge from a coalition led by Ayad Allawi, a Shiite who served as interim prime minister before the 2005 elections. Mr. Allawi’s alliance, called Iraqiya, drew broader support across the country’s sectarian lines. The pre-election turmoil unfolded against a backdrop of violence and intimidation, and a steady withdrawal of American troops. On Feb. 12, 2010, the Islamic State of Iraq, the insurgent group that now includes the remnants of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, vowed to disrupt the elections. While the level of violence plunged from the shocking carnage of 2006 and 2007, suicide bombers continued to attack, seemingly at will, plunging Baghdad into chaos on a regular basis and undercutting Mr. Maliki’s claims to have restored security. Political disputes between Arabs and Kurds in the north continued to fester, prompting the Americans to intervene. Mr. Maliki’s use of the military and security forces to settle political disputes also raised alarms, and put the Americans in the awkward middle. Election Day in March 2010 was marked by violence that left at least 38 dead, but that did not dissuade voters from turning out in large numbers. The vote counting process proved to be more chaotic than expected, with accusations of fraud by leading parties, divisions among highly politicized electoral officials and chaos in disclosing the results. The initial results showed the coalition led by Mr. Allawi taking a slim lead over the slate of Mr. Maliki. Mr. Allawi, although himself a Shiite, benefited from a surge in voting by Sunnis, many of whom boycotted earlier elections. Mr. Maliki vigorously challenged the results, but Mr. Allawi’s narrow lead survived a recount. Mr. Maliki also forged an alliance between his coalition and the other major Shiite bloc, a move that cleared the way for a Shiite-dominated government for the next four years. Together they were only four votes short of a majority, leading many in Iraq to expect that a deal could be reached with Kurdish parties, once the Kurds extract new promises of expanded autonomy. But as weeks dragged on, the Shiite alliance had not agreed on a candidate for prime minister, as many of its members strongly oppose giving Mr. Maliki a second term. The leader of one Shiite faction, Moktada al-Sadr, an anti-American cleric, even met with Mr. Allawi in an apparent effort to increase pressure on Mr. Maliki to step aside. American efforts to have the two men share power also failed to resolve the issue. On October 1 it was announced that Mr. Maliki’s party, State of Law, and another Shiite party with ties to the cleric Moktada al-Sadr shut out a third, the Iraqi National Alliance, and its contender, Adel Abdelmehdi, in negotiations within the Shiite bloc. The Kurds, with 57 seats in the new 325-member Parliament, emerged as powerbrokers in the final talks, throwing their support behind Mr. Maliki in exchange for holding onto the presidency. The Obama administration had for months urged Iraq’s quarreling factions to create a government that included all major ethnic and sectarian groups, lest the country descend into the chaos that consumed it in the worst years after the invasion of 2003. Under the new pact, the county’s current president, Jalal Talabani, a Kurdish leader, remaiedn as president, solidifying the role of Iraq’s Kurds. The new government that will oversee the withdrawal of American troops on paper looked much like the one that has governed in the past four tumultuous years. But Mr. Allawi’s role in the new government was ill-defined. Mr. Maliki was formally granted a second term on Dec. 21, when Parliament unanimously voted to accept the cabinet he had painstakingly assembled. By the following summer, feuding between the two men had brought the government into a state of paralysis. Mr. Maliki and Mr. Allawi, who still refused to speak to each other, had not even been able to agree on choices for the two most important ministries, defense and interior. Deadly attacks in August 2011 heightened political tensions as Mr. Maliki appointed a member of his governing coalition as acting defense minister. Sunni leaders criticized the appointment as reneging on the earlier political deal. The Drawdown The protracted election turmoil, and the strengthened position of the fiercely anti-American Mr. Sadr, cast doubt on establishing any enduring American military role in Iraq after the last of nearly 50,000 troops withdraw. Given Iraq’s military shortcomings, especially in air power, intelligence coordination and logistics, American and Iraqi officials had long expected that some American military presence, even if only in an advisory role, would continue beyond 2011. But strong opposition, especially from Mr. Sadr, complicated the question. Militias linked to Mr. Sadr produced a burst of violence against American forces in the spring of 2011, and he gave hints that he might renew such attacks if troops stayed on past the deadline. Military experts and some Iraqi officials had said that U.S. forces should stay to help with tasks that included training Iraqi forces to operate and logistically support new M-1 tanks, artillery and F-16s they intend to acquire from the Americans; protecting Iraq’s airspace until the country can rebuild its air force; and perhaps assisting Iraq’s special operations units in carrying out counterterrorism operations. But with the year-end deadline looming large because of the lead time the Pentagon needs to withdraw forces from Iraq, the combination of the political and logistical questions led to Mr. Panetta’s proposal for a 3,000-member training force, which analysts called a bare-bones approach. But even that foundered in the face of the Iraqi decision to revoke legal immunity. The departure of the soldiers is by no means the end of a large American presence. The administration had already drawn up plans for an extensive expansion of the American Embassy and its operations, bolstered by thousands of paramilitary security contractors. It also created an Office of Security Cooperation that, like similar ones in countries like Egypt, would be staffed by civilians and military personnel overseeing the training and equipping of Iraq’s security forces. And the State Department was to assume responsibility for training the Iraqi police, a task that will largely be carried out by contractors. With no American soldiers to defuse sectarian tensions in northern Iraq, it will be up to American diplomats in two new $100 million outposts to head off potential confrontations between the Iraqi Army and Kurdish pesh merga forces http://topics.nytime...iraq/index.html

Economist Sachs seeks job heading World Bank By Jason Lange | Reuters – 3 hrs ago Puppet show mocks Putin4 photos - 9 hrs ago James Murdoch to leave chairman role - Wed, Feb 29, 2012 Romney sweeps Mich., Arizona primaries photos - Tue, Feb 28, 2012 See latest photos »WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American economist Jeffrey Sachs threw his name into the ring for the presidency of the World Bank on Friday in an unusual public campaign for the top global development job. In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Sachs argued his credentials made him a better candidate than the bankers and politicians usually put forward by Washington. "Unlike previous World Bank presidents, I don't come from Wall Street or U.S. politics. I am a practitioner of economic development, a scholar and a writer," he wrote. He was more blunt in an interview. "I don't believe that this is a job for amateurs," Sachs said by telephone. A long-time adviser to the United Nations and to many governments on poverty issues, Sachs runs a research institute on development at Columbia University in New York. World Bank President Robert Zoellick, a former Goldman Sachs executive who held senior posts in the U.S. government, steps down in June. The World Bank provides loans and grants to emerging and developing countries to fight poverty and develop their economies. Sachs says he would bring the institution closer to cutting edge scientific research. He also says he would focus more on using technology to improve health, education and access to electricity in poor countries. Under a decades-old gentleman's agreement, Americans have always run the World Bank, while the International Monetary Fund - its sister institution - has always been led by Europeans. Secretary of State Hillarious Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice are frequently mentioned as possible candidates to succeed Zoellick. Developing nations, however, are clamoring for a bigger voice. Sachs said he has won the trust of many developing nations after advising them on how to fight poverty. He expects several to nominate him formally by letter soon. The World Bank would not comment. It has said it will only make public the names of the candidates that make its "short list" ahead of a final decision due by April. Member countries have until March 23 to submit names. (Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Jan Paschal) http://news.yahoo.co...-220324399.html