Women MPs push for greater involvement in govt

Sulaimaniyah, Dec. 30 (AKnews) – Iraqi women continue to press on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and their blocs to secure a quarter of the government posts. Women MPs in the Iraqi parliament have collected some 100,000 signatures to support their cause. The campaign followed the announcement of the new cabinet by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki where in a total of 33 announced ministries only one had been allocated for a woman MP. Mr Maliki passed the buck onto the political blocs for not submitting to him names of women candidates. He said he would not announce the remaining ministries because he wanted the blocs to put forward women candidates for the posts. The campaign to collect signatures from government officials, former and current MPs, NGOs and the different slates of the society is to force the Iraqi political blocs who still have share in the nine remaining ministries to nominate women. "So far, no other positions have been assigned to women and the issue has not been resolved therefore we continue in our effort" Kurdish MP Lana Mohammed told AKnews, "After the next parliamentary meeting the total number of signatures to support women to receive 25%  of the positions will be announced in a press conference" Iraqi parliament is expected to convene after the New Year day holiday. Iraq's constitution states that 25% of the government positions have top be given to women. "What we have heard from the women MPS of the other blocs like the al-Iraqiya and the State of Law (Maliki's bloc) indicate that no significant ministerial portfolios have been allocated for women," Mohammed said. She said a delegation of women is expected to meet with President Jalal Talabani and PM Nuri al-Maliki for the purpose. Viand Dakhil, candidate of the Kurds to the Ministry of Women Affairs rejected the post in support of women demands to receive a quarter of the posts. The only woman candidate now for a state ministry post in Maliki's government, Bushra Muhsen, said she did not want to withdraw from the cabinet only because she had seen equality in his Fadhila Party which has two ministerial portfolios; one man and one woman. Mohsen's position is not a public services ministry and is not considered to be one of the ministerial portfolios. Ala Talabani, another Kurdish woman MP says the women are also expected to meet UN officials to win their support in an attempt to gather pressure on the new government. Reported by Dilshad Saifaddin, edited by Raber Y. Aziz Thursday, December 30th 2010 12:25 PM

Roundup of Most prominent political events in Kurdistan in 2010

Erbil, Dec. 30 (AKnews) – The Kurdistan Region of Iraq witnessed significant developments in the year 2010 and below is a chronological summery of the events. On January 11, Parliament of Kurdistan Region voted Roj Nuri Shawayis as deputy Prime Minister to take over from Barham Salih who had officially stepped down earlier to head the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as Prime Minister. On January 17, After 36 trial sessions, Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Hasan Majid, notoriously dubbed "Chemical Ali" was sentenced to death for his role in a gas attack on the Kurdish town Halabja town in 1988 which killed 5,000 people and injured thousands. the sentence was the fourth passed by the Supreme Court against him. But the chemical attack was labeled "crime against humanity" rather than "Genocide" which the Kurds were seeking. Majid was first sentenced to death in June 2007 for his role in the Anfal military operations against the Kurds in 1988. In December 2008 he also received another death sentence for his role in crushing the Shias in a revolt following the 1991 Gulf War. Also in March 2009, he was sentenced to death, along with others, for the 1999 killings of Shias in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. On January 25, President of Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani met with the US President Barrack Obama in Washington D.C. to discuss the disputed issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the central government of Baghdad. On the same day, Chemical Ali was executed. On March 1st, The Iraqi Supreme Court recognized the chemical attack on Halabja and the Anfal Operations against the Kurds as "Genocide" after the prosecution appealed with the court's previous decision to recognize them as "crime against humanity". On March 7, Iraqi elections were held in the Kurdish region where political actors contested for 41 seats allocated to the three provinces of Erbil (14 seats), Sulaimaniyah (17 seats) and Dohuk (10 seats). The Kurdistan Alliance list formed of the two major ruling parties - Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - won the majority of the seats. On March 11, the first Turkish consul in Erbil city Aydin Selcen officially started working. On March 9, seat-winning Kurdish list in the Iraqi parliament  joined to form the Kurdish Blocs Coalition (KBC) to unite their forces in the capital Baghdad. KBC was formed of the Kurdistan Alliance which had won 43 seats in the March 7 selections, Gorran (8 seats), Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU 4 seats) and the Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG 2seats). On May 21, the KIU led by Salahaddin Mohammed Bahaaddin held its party convention where elections for the party leader, leadership committee and the Consultative Council were held. On June 1, the patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Jalal Talabani held its third party conference attended by 1600 members in Sulaimaniyah. Talabani remained the leader of the party. On June 2, invited by Turkey, for the first time as the President of Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani visited Turkey and met with Turkish President Abdulah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan, and the Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu. On July 15, the Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG) led by Ali Bapir held its second party convention with 690 members attending where Bapir was reelected Emir of the group. On July 8, the New York Times newspaper published a story about oil smuggling in Kurdistan accusing the two major ruling parties of profiteering millions of dollars from the business prompting Kurdish officials to reject the accusations. The report also set off another dispute between Baghdad and the KRG. On July 19, The KRG Council of Ministers ordered the prohibition of illegal exportation of oil. On September 29, Gorran movement officially broke away from the KBC in the Iraqi parliament over disputes with the two ruling parties in the parliament of Kurdistan Region On November 3, after long disputes and arguments between the factions in the Kurdish parliament, a bill to organize demonstrations was passed with a majority vote and the law was passed to the presidency of the region for final signature. On November 8, the Iraqi political blocs gathered in Erbil in response to an initiative by the President of Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani to break an 8-month stalemate over government formation. After three meetings streched over three days, Barzani announced on November 11 in a press conference in Baghdad that the political blocs had reached a power-sharing deal to form the new Iraqi government. On December 11, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Massoud Barzani, held its 13th party congress where 1501 members attended the seven-day congress and Massoud Barzani was reelected the leader of the party. For the first time in its history, the KDP allocateda quota of five women in the leadership committee. After the four party conventions, the years 2010 was referred to by some observers as the year of the party conventions in Kurdistan. On December 12, the President of Kurdistan Region signed on the demo bill prompting several successive protests in the cities and towns of Kurdistan Region organized by the opposition groups in Kurdistan (Gorran, KIU and KIG), journalists, and civil society organization on grounds that the law restricts the rights of people to demonstration because the law requires beforehand permit for any demonstration in the region. On December 26, Egypt's Foreign Minster Ahmed Abul Gheit officially opened the Egyptian consulate in Erbil city, the capital of Kurdistan Region. Prepared by Omar Ali, edited by Raber Y. Aziz Thursday, December 30th 2010 10:10 AM

New police chief appointed in Anbar following bombings

Anbar, Dec. 28 (AKnews) -  Brigadier General Abdul Hadi Arzij has been officially announced by Anbar provincial council as new police chief after dismissing the former chief following Monday bombings that targeted government compounds and killed nine.   The Anbar provincial council voted unanimously on Friday to dismiss police chief Baha al-Qaisi from his office and appoint Brigadier General Hadi Arzij instead. In an official announcement in Ahmed Abu Rish place in Ramadi city, Arzij was officially assigned as the new police chief in the province to replace al-Qaisi who was fire by the provincial council for poor management. "The dismissal of al-Qaisi who served as commander of the police came as a result of his poor management for security situation (in the province) and the security breaches" recently that. On Monday, two bombers attacked government buildings killing nine and injuring 53 others, most of them civilians. In mid-December, too, bombers attacked the government buildings in a similar scenario and killed 13 and wounded more than 45 others. "We wish the new leader of the Anbar provincial police to enforce new security plans to protect the lives of innocent people in the province." the governor of Anbar, Qassim Mohammed Abed, told AKnews. The move was welcomed by the tribal leaders of the mainly Sunni province, as well, who took up arms in 2006 against the insurgents like al-Qaeda in Iraq and formed the Awakening Councils to help Iraqi security forces. Anbar was enjoying relative stability since 2006 when the Awakening Councils drove out insurgents from the province. "The tribes in Anbar welcomed the new police leader as he represents them, and he is one of the people of Ramadi" said Aifan Saadoun, head of the security committee in Anbar provincial council. Saadoun says the council requested ending the work of al-Qaisi not because of security breaches, but because they wanted a a police commander who "represents its sons and be familiar with the geography of the province,"   Al-Qaisi said in an interview with AKnews that he accepted the dismissal and that he was at least happy that he was able, during the time he served as police chief, to thwart numerous organized crimes and bombings. "The maintenance of security in Anbar was one of my priorities" he said. Reported by Ali al-Qaisi, edited by Raber Y. Aziz Rn/AKnews Tuesday, December 28th 2010 1:46 PM

Erbil preparing for New Year Day amid fears of attacks

Erbil, Dec. 27 (AKnews) – Erbil city, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan Region, is preparing for the New Year Day celebrations amid fears of terrorist attacks. Erbil provincial council is preparing events and celebrations to mark the New Year day including live music concerts and fireworks in the public parsk and around the government building. "Dozens of artists will participate in the music concerts" said Tahir Abdullah, deputy Erbil governor. Also big screens will show live the celebrations in three different spots in the city, including one on top of the historical citadel in the center of Erbil so that people can watch the events from a better position. The provincial council has spent 60 million Iraqi Dinars (about US$49,000) on the preparations, Tahir said. Streets, public parks and the shopping malls in the city are already decorated with colorful lights during the night. Erbil's Majidi Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in Iraq, has erected a large Chrismas tree in the center of the mall. "Fireworks in Shandar Park and the surrounding of the provincial council will also add to the beauty of the celebrations" Abdullah said. But the preparations of the day come amid fears that armed groups may deal a blow on the crowds of the merry-making people in the city which enjoys greater security and stability. The last fatal attack was in 2007 when a truck packed with explosives exploded in front of the regional government's ministry of the interior killed 17 people. On Sunday night, two sound bombs exploded in Ainkawa, a predominantly Christian-populated town to the west of the city, spreading fear in the hearts of the local Christians and the displaced Iraqi Christians who have fled their homes to the town. Also, Monday morning, an improvised explosive device consisting of two mortar rockets placed in a crowded area of the city was disarmed by an explosives disposal squad. Erbil police chief Abdulkhaliq Talaat says they have their own security plan for the day, in cooperation with the other security services. "The security forces will maintain security of the hotels and public places where celebrations are held." Talaat said. The security services were expected to release later today a statement about the two explosions in Ainkawa. (Saman Ali contributed to this story, Edited by Raber Y. Aziz) Monday, December 27th 2010 4:01 PM

Sound bombs terrify Christians in Erbil ahead of celebrations

Erbil, Dec. 27 (AKnews) - Twin sound bomb explosions in Erbil city's Ainkawa town ahead of new year celebrations has spread fear among the dominant Christians of the town and the displaced Iraqi Christian residing there. The explosion took place late Sunday night in front of a restaurant "Mnqal Jan" in Ainkawa, north west of Erbil, where hundreds of displaced Iraqi Christian families from central and southern Iraq have taken sanctuary. The explosion did not cause any casualties except some damage to a nearby house. Though sound bombs cause no serious damages, it could be an alert for the Christians who had found peace after fleeing their homes in the other parts of Iraq for fear of attacks by armed groups. In November, insurgents attacked a church in Baghdad taking the church-goers and the priests hostage. while security forces were trying to raid the church to free the hostages, some 50 people including the attendants, priests, and security personnel were killed. Armed groups have always tried to penetrate the security lines of the Kurdish cities, but have considerably failed to do so. On November 1st, the suicide driver of a vehicle packed with around 450 kg of explosives was shot dead in one of the checkpoints that lead to Erbil city by security forces. In contrast to the rest of Iraq, Christians of Ainkawa town, were preparing for the the New Year day celebrations because the Christians felt safe. But the sound bombs may deter them from merry-making. Christians of other parts of Iraq have already announced plans that they will not celebrate Christmas and the new year day for fear of insurgent attacks. instead they would gather in one church. Police forces are looking into the explosions and no group has claimed responsibility yet. (Hemn Jamal contributed to this story, Edited by Raber Y. Aziz) Monday, December 27th 2010 1:43 PM