Defending Iraq's Religious Minorities



Thursday, September 6, 2007; A20

Regarding Nina Shea's Aug. 27 op-ed, "Iraq's Endangered Minorities":


  

Up To 500 Dead In Iraq War's Worst Attack



BAGHDAD, Aug. 16, 2007

PM Announces New Unity Government, But No Sunnis Aboard; New Blast Hits Baghdad

(CBS/AP) The search continued Thursday in Iraq for victims of a coordinated string of bombings two nights earlier that killed at least 250, but possibly as many as 500 members of a small religious sect in northern Iraq.


  

Turkey's Islamsit Crossroads



By AMIR TAHERI

July 9, 2007 -- TALK to Turks of any political persuasion and you are sure to hear how proud they are that Turkey is "the only democracy in the Muslim world."

  

Kurd named as chief judge in Saddam trial


BAGHGAD (Reuters - Wed Oct 19, 2005) - The judge who will preside over the trial of Saddam Hussein on charges of crimes against humanity was named on Wednesday by U.S. officials, shortly before the trial opened, as Rizgar Mohammed Amin.

  

Profile: Iraq's new Prime Minister Nouri Maliki


Saturday, 20 May 2006

Iraq's new Prime Minister Nouri Maliki - who is also sometimes called Jawad Maliki - is a stalwart of the Dawa party, the Shia political group that for years led an armed underground resistance to the secular Baathist leadership of Saddam Hussein.

As the Baathist government hunted down its opponents, Mr Maliki followed other Dawa leaders into exile - fleeing the country in 1980 and eventually finding refuge in Syria.


  

Kurdistan gov't defies Baghdad over oil deals



Wednesday, 06 February 2008 | Randy Fabi

The Kurdistan regional government (KRG) said on Tuesday it will continue to sign contracts with oil companies despite threats from Baghdad to cut exports due to a dispute over their legality.


  

Zana faces probe for urging state of ‘Kurdistan’



23 juillet 2007

Former Kurdish deputy Leyla Zana faces an investigation after she called for division of Turkey into administrative states, including a “state of Kurdistan.”


  

Mr. Obama in Iraq



Wednesday, July 23, 2008

THE INITIAL MEDIA coverage of Barack Obama's visit to Iraq suggested that the Democratic candidate found agreement with his plan to withdraw all U.S. combat forces on a 16-month timetable. So it seems worthwhile to point out that, by Mr. Obama's own account, neither U.S. commanders nor Iraq's principal political leaders actually support his strategy.


  

Iraq: Former Official Says Political Parties 'Failing' To Work Together



Tuesday, October 16, 2007

PRAGUE, October 16, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Kamran al-Karadaghi, a former chief of staff for Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, says that Iraq's political climate will not improve until the country's leaders find the political determination to make "very hard decisions." He also discussed the current tensions between Turkey and Iraq's Kurds, as well as the issue of "normalizing" the disputed region of Kirkuk.


  

Turkey and Iran expected to boost security cooperation



Monday, April 14, 2008 | By Gareth Jenkins

Turkey and Iran will look to boost security cooperation during the 12th meeting of the Turkey-Iran High Security Commission in Ankara on April 14-18. The agenda is expected to be dominated by discussions about cooperation against violent rebel Kurdish groups: the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which targets Turkey, and the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), which is active in Iran.