Iraq's weak 'partners' deal of Green Zone government crumbles

2011-12-18

By Salam Faraj – BAGHDAD

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called on lawmakers on Sunday to withdraw confidence from one of his deputies, as the country's political crisis deepened as US forces completed their withdrawal.

Maliki's push for the ouster of Saleh al-Mutlak, a Sunni Arab who described him on television as "worse than Saddam Hussein", came a day after the deputy prime minister's Iraqiya bloc said it was boycotting parliament in protest at the premier's alleged centralization of power.

The latest moves come with the US military having completed its withdrawal from Iraq on Sunday morning, nearly nine years after the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam from power.

"The prime minister sent an official letter to parliament, asking it to withdraw its confidence in Saleh al-Mutlak after his recent statements," Ali Mussawi, media adviser to Maliki, said.

Mutlak, who had been accused of being a supporter of Saddam's outlawed Baath party in the run-up to March 2010 elections that he was barred from standing in, told CNN on Tuesday that Washington was leaving Iraq "with a dictator".

And in a separate interview with his own Babiliyah satellite television channel, Mutlak charged: "Maliki is worse than Saddam Hussein, because the latter was a builder, but Maliki has done absolutely nothing."

Meanwhile, security officials said at least two guards of Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, also a Sunni Arab and an Iraqiya member, were arrested in connection with a November 28 attack on parliament.

Local Iraqi news outlets reported that an arrest warrant had also been issued for Hashemi himself, but judicial and police officials declined to comment.

On Saturday, Iraqiya, which emerged as the largest bloc in March 2010 elections and has 82 lawmakers in the 325-seat parliament, issued a statement saying it was suspending its participation in parliament to protest what it said was Maliki's centralization of decision-making.

"We can no longer remain silent about the way the state is being administered, as it is plunging the country into the unknown," it said.

Iraqiya, which garnered most of its support from Iraq's Sunni Arab minority, was out-maneuvered for the premiership by Maliki, who, after finishing second in the elections, struck a deal with another grouping to broaden his power base and lead the government.

The bloc, which controls nine ministerial posts, has not pulled out of Iraq's national unity government, however.

Iraqiya said the government's actions, which it claimed included stationing tanks and armored vehicles outside the houses of its leaders in the heavily-fortified Green Zone, "drives people to want to rid themselves of the strong arm of central power as far as the constitution allows them to."

Provincial authorities in three Sunni-majority provinces north and west of Baghdad have all moved take up the option of similar autonomy to that enjoyed by Kurds in north Iraq, drawing an angry response from Maliki.

Key political issues such as reform of the mostly state-run economy and a law to regulate and organize the lucrative energy sector also remain unresolved, to say nothing of an explosive territorial dispute between Arabs and Kurds centered around the northern oil hub of Kirkuk.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=49557.

Qatar embraces Wahhabism to strengthen regional influence

2011-12-18

DOHA - Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani inaugurated on Friday the “ Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab” Mosque in Doha.

During the opening, Sheikh Hamad reaffirmed his commitment to spare no efforts to carry the message and spread the teachings of Islam in the whole world, noting that the Muslim nation is now in need of renewal and inspiration of the experience of Wahhab’s da’wah (call) while keeping pace with the era and its developments.

The inauguration started with a recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an followed by the screening of a documentary on the mosque.

Ibn Abdul Wahab (1703-1792) preached a return to "pure Islam" and called for purging Islam of what he considered "impurities and negative innovations."

In his teachings, he urged Muslims to uphold only "the original principles of Islam as typified by the Salaf" and to reject "corruptions introduced by bidah (negative innovations and heresy). The scholar emphasized that there could be no intercession between God and worshipers.

Located in the Jubailat district of Doha the newly-built State Mosque will be formally opened for prayers on Friday.

Situated on the northern side in the central part of Doha city, it overlooks the Qatar Sports Club.

The mosque covers a total area of 175,164 sq.m. As many as 11,000 men can offer prayers in the air-conditioned central hall of the mosque and the adjacent special enclosure is spacious enough for 1200 women.

Ideologically, in recent years Qatar, which like Saudi Arabia is Wahhabi, has assisted Islamic movements in the Arab world.

Islamists, of course, have proved to be major players so far, and with influential clerics such as Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi theologising for years on al-Jazeera's screens, Qatar has since long had a direct channel to most Islamist parties in the region.

Rather than imposing an Islamist agenda on the region, as some have accused it, Qatar is taking advantage of the clout it has built with them over the years to position itself as a leading interlocutor.

Equally at ease with Islamist and secular parties, with liberals and conservatives, Qatar is reaping what it sowed and patiently nurtured years ago, giving it enough political capital on top of its formidable wealth to influence the region.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=49555.

Deadly clashes rock Cairo as Islamists rejoice in election lead

2011-12-19

By Samer al-Atrush - CAIRO

Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom, Justice party says it won 39 percent of votes, while Salafis claim more than 30 percent of votes.

Deadly clashes pitting troops and police against protesters rocked Cairo's political center for a third straight day on Sunday, overshadowing the count in the first post-revolution vote which shows Islamists in the lead.

At least 10 people were killed in the violence that also destroyed a historic library housing priceless archives.

The violence marred the count in the second round of a multi-stage election which saw a 67 percent turnout and in which the largest Islamist parties claimed victory.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party (FJP) said it won 39 percent of votes in the party lists, while the Al-Nur party, which represents the more hardline brand of Salafi Islam, claimed more than 30 percent of votes in the lists.

The ruling military, which took power when Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February, has decided on a complex election system in which voters cast ballots for party lists, which will comprise two thirds of the lower house of parliament, and for individual candidates for the remaining third.

"The FJP is definitely number one, we have come second," Al-Nur spokesman Mohammed Nur said.

In central Cairo, armed forces detained over 180 people including minors, the prosecutor's office said, as street battles raged outside parliament and government offices where protesters are demanding an end to military rule.

The clashes were the deadliest in weeks and have sparked a furious debate over the army's role during the transition.

Some argue that the protesters are sabotaging the elections, while others say the army is stalling in ceding power to a civilian authority.

Much remains unclear about how the new parliament will function and how much power it will be given by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), headed by Mubarak’s former defense minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.

Demonstrators hurled stones and pieces of metal over a concrete wall erected by troops on a wide avenue leading from Tahrir Square to the seat of government, journalists reported.

By afternoon, troops retreated and riot police faced off with the protesters, who used metal sheets as barricades.

Men in civilian clothes on the roof of a building threw stones at protesters, who shot fireworks back.

Outrage flared as furious protesters brandished the front page of a local paper showing military police clubbing a veiled woman after having ripped her clothes to reveal her bra.

In the picture and YouTube footage of the incident, the woman is sprawled on the ground, helmeted troops towering over her. One is seen kicking her, and later she appears unconscious, her stomach bared and her bra showing.

Other pictures circulating on social media networks that have enraged protesters include one of a military policeman looming over a sobbing elderly woman with his truncheon.

More footage showed army troops beating two protesters, a man and woman, before leaving their motionless bodies on the ground.

The health ministry said late Saturday that 10 people had been killed and at least 500 wounded since Friday.

The clashes also left the Institute of Egypt in flames.

The center for the advancement of scientific research was founded in 1798 during Napoleon Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt, and contained more than 200,000 precious documents and manuscripts.

On Sunday, a group entered the premises to recover manuscripts, some of which were burned, correspondents said.

"We are trying to save whatever we can of these historic documents. The building can collapse any minute," said Olfa, clutching a bag of partly burned papers.

Culture Minister Shaker Abdel Hamid called the fire "a catastrophe for science."

"The building contained important manuscripts and rare books which have no parallel in the world," he said on state television late on Saturday.

The authorities have blamed the protesters for the deadly unrest.

The military council late on Saturday posted footage on its Facebook page and on YouTube of protesters ransacking a government office on Friday.

"Is it not our right to protect the people's property?" said a brief message.

Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzuri raised tensions on Saturday by accusing the protesters of being counter-revolutionaries and denying security forces had opened fire on them.

"Those who are in Tahrir Square are not the youth of the revolution," he told reporters.

"This is not a revolution, but a counter-revolution," added Ganzuri, who also served as premier under Mubarak.

His appointment last month by the SCAF had prompted protesters to launch a sit-in outside the cabinet offices.

The demonstrators want the SCAF to hand over full powers to a civilian administration.

The military has said it will step down only once a president has been elected by the end of June in the final stage of a protracted transition.

The clashes pushed stocks down 3.46 percent on Sunday, with the main EGX-30 index plummeting to 3,782.74 points, the lowest since Mubarak was toppled.

More than 40 people were killed in similar clashes between protesters and security forces just before the election's first round in November.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=49570.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il dead, youngest son hailed as heir

2011-12-19

By Jung Ha-Won – SEOUL

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has died aged 69 of a heart attack, state media announced Monday, plunging the nuclear-armed, famine-ridden and deeply isolated nation into a second dynastic succession.

Pyongyang urged people to rally behind Kim's youngest son Jong-Un, describing him as "great successor" to the leader who presided over the deaths of hundreds of thousands from hunger but still built an atomic arms arsenal.

State television, which delivered the shock news in a tearful announcement from a female news reader, aired footage from Pyongyang of hysterical North Koreans, young and old alike, pounding the ground in a display of abject grief.

South Korea put its military on emergency alert but urged its people to stay calm, and swiftly closed ranks with its close ally the United States. Analysts said there would likely be little turbulence in the North -- at least for now.

The leader "passed away from a great mental and physical strain" at 8:30 am on Saturday (2330 GMT Friday), while traveling by train on one of his field trips, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

It urged people to support the Swiss-educated Kim Jong-Un, who is in his late 20s and was last year made a four-star general and given top ruling party posts despite having had no public profile.

"All party members, military men and the public should faithfully follow the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-Un and protect and further strengthen the unified front of the party, military and the public," the female announcer, clad in black, said on television.

KCNA said Kim died of a "severe myocardial infarction along with a heart attack". He suffered a stroke in August 2008 which triggered an acceleration in the succession plans.

Kim's funeral will be held on December 28 in Pyongyang but no foreign delegations will be invited, KCNA said. National mourning was declared from December 17 to 29.

"We must hold high the flag of songun (military-first) policy, strengthen military power a hundred times and firmly defend our socialist system and achievement of revolution," it said.

At the North Korean embassy in Beijing, the capital of its main ally China, the national flag was flying at half mast. China offered its "deep condolences".

North Korea's propaganda machine has rolled into action to build up the same personality cult for Jong-Un that surrounded his father and late grandfather Kim Il-Sung, the founder and "eternal leader" of North Korea who died in 1994.

"The North's top guys have already sorted out everything and the regime seems to be stable under the new leadership," said Paik Hak-Soon of Seoul's Sejong Institute.

"I don't expect any major turbulence or power struggle within the regime in the foreseeable future.

"The Kim Jong-Un era has already started."

Kim Jong-Il's only sister Kim Kyong-Hui and her husband Jang Song-Thaek, the country's unofficial number-two leader, are expected to act as the younger Kim's mentors and throw their weight behind the son's leadership.

Analysts stressed that North Korea was entering an uncertain period, although its senior figures were likely to stick closely together for now.

"The North Korean elite has a vested interest in maintaining the system and will assess Jong-Un's ability to protect its interests," said Bruce Klingner, a Northeast Asia expert at Washington's Heritage Foundation.

South Korea summoned a meeting of the National Security Council and President Lee Myung-Bak called an emergency cabinet meeting.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had increased monitoring along the border along with US forces in the country but no unusual activity had been observed.

North and South Korea have remained technically at war since their three-year conflict ended only in an armistice in 1953. The United States stations 28,500 troops in the South.

Lee had a phone conversation with US President Barack Obama about two hours after Kim's death was announced at noon (0300 GMT), officials said.

"The president reaffirmed the United States' strong commitment to the stability of the Korean peninsula and the security of our close ally, the Republic of Korea," the White House said in a statement.

Japan, which has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, offered its condolences over the death but also called an emergency security meeting while Britain raised hope for a "turning point" in the hermit nation.

The news shocked South Koreans and some expressed fears of renewed conflict.

"I'm worried there will be a war. I thought it wasn't true at first," said student Song Bo-Na, 22.

KCNA, quoting a statement from the national funeral committee headed by Jong-Un, said Kim Jong-Il's body would lie in state in Kumsusan palace where his father's embalmed body is on display.

It said mourners would be allowed to visit from December 20 to 27.

Following the funeral, another event to mourn the leader would be held on December 29. Mourning shots are to be fired and three minutes of silence would be observed. All trains and ships will sound their horns.

Kim took over after his father and founding president Kim Il-Sung died in 1994, coming to power with a reputation as a playboy with a taste for the high life.

But in the mid- to late-1990s he presided over a famine which killed hundreds of thousands of his people. Severe food shortages continue and the UN children's fund estimates one-third of children are stunted by malnutrition.

Kim still found the resources to continue a nuclear weapons program which culminated in tests in October 2006 and May 2009. The country is believed to have a plutonium stockpile big enough for six to eight weapons.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=49571.

Jordan's corruption hunt fails to satisfy 'skeptical' Islamists

2011-12-17

By Randa Habib – AMMAN

Jordan's King Abdullah II is spearheading an anti-corruption drive against figures once seen as "untouchable," but is failing to satisfy the powerful Islamist opposition's demands for sweeping reform.

The arrest on Tuesday of former Amman mayor Omar Maani on fraud charges, and a court's refusal to grant bail to a man once close to the monarch and Queen Rania are seen as evidence that the anti-graft campaign is serious.

The detention of Maani, who was mayor from 2006 until earlier this year, came after the king met with senior officials, MPs and members of the country's Anti-Corruption Commission to demand swift action.

"Citizens can no longer tolerate corruption. They want the corrupt who steal public funds punished. No one is above the law," the king told the meeting.

Pro-reform demonstrations, which the country has been witnessing since January, have not spared the king himself.

The palace recently issued a statement saying 4,827 dunums (each equivalent to 1,000 square meters) of state land were "registered to the king's name between 2000 and 2003," adding that "none of them has been sold."

Parliament then formed a committee to inquire into "records of public land registered to the names of influential people."

"The king's involvement demonstrates political will and Jordanians will be stunned by the way corruption will be tackled," Senate President Taher Masri said.

"The popular protests have been calling for months for corruption to be rooted out, and at one point, people felt the state was not serious about that. But things will change dramatically."

Prosecutors have summoned several former senior officials, including three prime ministers and a royal court chief, to testify in a corruption case, according to the government-owned Arabic daily Al-Rai.

Also, a travel ban has been imposed on dozens of prominent businessmen, said Anti-Corruption Commission chief Samih Bino.

The businessmen are reportedly suspected of involvement in the embezzlement of hundreds of millions of dollars of public funds.

But the measures taken have so far failed to satisfy the opposition Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood.

"Preliminary steps are being taken to tackle corruption, but they are not enough at all," Zaki Bani Rsheid, head of the IAF's political bureau, said.

"Fighting corruption requires genuine and serious political will, which is not available now," he added, warning against "attempts to thwart people's demands for real reform."

Bani Rsheid said: "Corruption files that have led to Jordan's political and economic crises have not been investigated yet.

"Corruption in Jordan is deeply rooted and enjoys the protection of parts of the regime," he added.

Jordan's external debt amounts to $18 billion, more than 65% of gross domestic product. It was $7 billion in 1999, when King Abdullah took the throne.

"These are bubbles here and there. There is no real strategy," said Mohammad Masri, a researcher at the University of Jordan's Center for Strategic Studies.

"A clear anti-corruption law should have preceded this campaign to help to restore people's trust in court decisions and refute claims that these measures are part of a witch-hunt."

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=49550.

Mujahideen eliminate death squads 'Black Hawks' ringleader in Kabardino-Balkarian capital

19 December 2011

Sources of the website ImamTv and IslamDin reported that a 36-year-old member of the invaders' gang "The Center E", or "The Center for Combating Extremism", of the main administration of the Russian police in the "North Caucasus federal district", colonel Lieutenant Vadim Sultanov, that had been eliminated in the village Khasanya on December 17, was also the ringleader of the notorious death squad of "people's avengers" - the "Black Hawks", which was actively promoted by Russian media and the FSB.

It is to be recalled that the "Black Hawks" project was launched by invaders to murder relatives of the Mujahideen, to terrorize Muslims and to carry out assassinations of Muslims, who were later proclaimed as "supporters of the militants".

In an interview to a reporter of Moscow REN TV, the "Black Hawks" repeatedly stated that they would kill family members of the Mujahideen. And Vadim Sultanov appears there on REN TV. There are other statements of the Black Hawks on the Internet.

It is to be recalled that back in March 2011 the Kavkaz Center published data of its own investigation into the appearance of the so-called "Black Hawks" on Russian television screens, which featured a fake "people's avenger" Vadim Sultanov...

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/12/19/15519.shtml.

Kim's death viewed with wary optimism

December 19, 2011 — BERLIN (AP) — North Korea's closest neighbors responded to the news of leader Kim Jong Il's death by bracing for possible destabilization in the region, while across the globe, other nations expressed cautious optimism that the change of leadership could provide an opportunity to usher in reforms.

North Korea's past erratic behavior made it difficult to predict the course that its newly named leader, Kim's 20-something son Kim Jong Un, would choose during the transition. Japan and South Korea quickly held emergency meetings, while China, a key North Korean ally, pledged continued support.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu called the late Kim a "great leader" and said Beijing would continue to support its neighbor and make "active contributions to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in this region."

Kim's death was announced Monday by North Korean state television, two days after he died at age 69 of a heart attack. During his 17 years in power, Kim's pursuit of nuclear weapons and his military's repeated threats to South Korea and the U.S. stoked fears of military conflict or that North Korea might provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorist movements.

South Korea put its military on "high alert" and President Lee Myung-bak convened a national security council meeting. The Korean peninsula remains technically in a state of war more than 50 years after the Cold War-era armed conflict there ended in a cease-fire.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held an emergency national security council with top Cabinet members soon after hearing the news. He expressed condolences and said Japan hoped Kim's death would not affect the region adversely.

"First of all we hope that this sudden development would not give adverse impact on the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula," he said. The White House said it was in constant contact with South Korea and Japan, but offered no substantive comment on the implications of Kim's death, saying only that President Barack Obama "reaffirmed the United States' strong commitment to the stability of the Korean peninsula and the security of our close ally, the Republic of Korea."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is extended his sympathy to the people of North Korea, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. He added that Ban "reaffirms his commitment to peace and security on the Korean peninsula" and is closely following events.

China has long sought to convince North Korea of the need for economic reform, and Kim's death raises hopes that Pyongyang might now take heed of such advice, said Korea expert Lu Chao at China's Academy of Social Sciences in Liaoning province, which borders North Korea.

"There will definitely be change, good and positive change," Lu said. "North Korea will work more closely with the global community toward the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula." China is also expected to take a strong behind-the-scenes role to help retain its influence, which is seen as important no matter which direction North Korea takes, said U.S. Naval Academy China scholar Yu Maochun.

"If North Korea continues to be an international pariah, China will continue to benefit from its current leverage," Yu said. "If North Korea becomes less intransigent and slightly more open, then China will be greatly worried about the possible warming-up, or even reunification, between North and South Koreas."

The news jolted financial markets in Asia, raising the specter of more instability. But after Asian indexes closed lower, European stocks recovered their poise. Germany's DAX rose 0.8 percent to 5,747 and Paris' CAC 40 index rose 1 percent to 3,001. Britain's FTSE was flat at 5,388. Wall Street opened higher, with the Dow up 0.2 percent.

Moscow said it hoped for continued good relations with Pyongyang. "We have friendly relations with North Korea," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. "We hope that this loss that the Korean people have suffered will not have a negative impact on the development of our relations."

Australia's Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said Kim's death brings the situation to "one of those critical junctures" and "an exceptionally difficult period of transition." "It is critical that everybody exercises appropriate calm and restraint in what is a important development in terms of the overall stability of the region and the security of us all," Rudd said.

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed his condolences, but added "this could be a turning point for North Korea." "We hope that their new leadership will recognize that engagement with the international community offers the best prospect of improving the lives of ordinary North Korean people," Hague said in a statement, encouraging the country to resume international talks on its nuclear capabilities.

Germany's Foreign Ministry said it viewed the new leadership as an opportunity for change, spokesman Dirk Augustin told reporters. "We have clear demands to North Korea: It must abandon its nuclear program; the catastrophic situation of the people must improve; and political and economical reforms must be implemented," Augustin said.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expressed condolences and "his sincerest sorrow" at Kim's death, his government said in a statement. Chavez has maintained friendly ties with North Korea. The Venezuelan government said it stands in solidarity with the North Korean people at "the loss of their leader, while having complete confidence in the ability of Koreans to guide their own future toward prosperity and peace."

With so many questions in the air at the moment, most countries are waiting to see what comes next. "The death of a dictator is always a period of uncertainty for a dictatorship," said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on Twitter. "And North Korea is the hardest dictatorship in our time."

Associated Press Writer David Rising and other writers around the world contributed to this report.