Iraqi lawmakers lift ban on Sunni politicians

Iraqi lawmakers lift ban on Sunni politicians
BAGHDAD - Iraq's parliament on Saturday lifted a ban on three Sunni Muslim politicians barred from running in national Elections last March after being accused of having ties to Saddam Hussein's ousted regime. The vote brings Iraq closer to a unity government and an end to months of political turmoil that began when the March 7 election failed to produce a clear winner. It paves the way for broader Sunni participation in the emerging government, headed by Shiite Incumbent Prime Minister No...

Iraqi lawmakers lift ban on Sunni politicians
Baghdad — Iraq’s parliament took a major step Saturday toward creating a unity government, lifting a ban on three Sunni Muslim politicians who were barred from running in national Elections last March after being accused of having ties to Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime. The vote brings Iraq closer to ending months of political turmoil following the March 7 election, which failed to produce a clear winner. It also paves the way for broader Sunni participation in the emerging go...

Iraqi PM To Name Cabinet Monday
(NewsCore) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki will present his cabinet Monday, potentially bringing an end to nine months of political impasse after inconclusive March Elections. The announcement came Saturday as parliament voted to overturn Controversial bans placed earlier this year on three members of a Sunni-backed political bloc for their alleged ties to ex-dictator Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. "Mr. Maliki has officially asked to present his cabinet to parliament on Monday," an aide sa...

Iraqi lawmakers lift ban on Sunni politicians
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s parliament has lifted a ban on three Sunni Muslim politicians who had been kept from running in national Elections in March because of accusations they had ties to Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime. Saturday’s vote brings Iraq closer to getting a unity government after months of political turmoil. One of the three politicians is Saleh al-Mutlaq, a former lawmaker and vocal critic of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Al-Mutlaq was the most prominent...

A barrier to new Iraq government falls with vote by parliament
Reporting from Baghdad — Iraq's parliament knocked away one of the last barriers to forming a new government Saturday when it struck down a ban on three Sunni Muslim politicians. The reinstatement of former lawmaker Saleh Mutlaq and two other politicians virtually guaranteed that their Secular Iraqiya bloc, popular with Iraq's Sunnis, will join Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's government. Different Iraqi political groups and U.S. officials have pushed for a Coalition Government with a big ...

Iraqi lawmakers lift ban on Sunni politicians
Parliament voted 109-61 to allow former lawmaker Saleh al-Mutlaq and two other Sunnis to return to political jobs. Al-Mutlaq, an al-Maliki critic and member of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya political coalition that won the most seats in the March vote, is expected to take a government post instead of rejoining parliament. Iraqiya spokesman Haidar al-Mullah said Saturday's decision marked a major step toward assuring Sunnis that they will not be sidelined in the new Shiite-dominated government. The tw...

Grim Xmas for Iraqi Christians as many flee north
IRBIL, Iraq - They saw their brethren murdered during Mass and then were bombed in their homes as they mourned. Al-Qaida vowed to hunt them down. Now the Christian community of Iraq, almost as old as the religion itself, is sensing a clear message: It is time to leave. Since the Oct. 31 bloodbath in their Baghdad church, Iraqi Christians have been fleeing Sunni Muslim Extremists who view them as nonbelievers and agents of the West. At a time when Christians in various parts of the Muslim w...

Grim Xmas for Iraqi Christians as many flee north
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — They saw their brethren murdered during Mass and then were bombed in their homes as they mourned. Al-Qaida vowed to hunt them down. Now the Christian community of Iraq, almost as old as the religion itself, is sensing a clear message: It is time to leave. Since the Oct. 31 bloodbath in their Baghdad church, Iraqi Christians have been fleeing Sunni Muslim Extremists who view them as nonbelievers and agents of the West. At a time when Christians in various parts of the Mus...

Iraq to unveil new government Monday
By Suadad al-Salhy Baghdad | Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:08am EST Baghdad (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will unveil his new cabinet on Monday, retaining the Oil minister who forged ambitious plans to turn the war-ravaged country into a top global Oil producer, senior officials said. Iraqis have been waiting for a new government since a parliamentary election in March failed to produce a clear winner and displayed the depth of Iraq's ethnic and sectarian divisions. Months of politica...

Iraq to unveil new government Monday
By Suadad al-Salhy Baghdad | Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:08am EST Baghdad (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will unveil his new cabinet on Monday, retaining the Oil minister who forged ambitious plans to turn the war-ravaged country into a top global Oil producer, senior officials said. Iraqis have been waiting for a new government since a parliamentary election in March failed to produce a clear winner and displayed the depth of Iraq's ethnic and sectarian divisions. Months of politica...

Maliki to name Iraq government Monday
Baghdad | Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:32am EST Baghdad (Reuters) - Hussain al-Shahristani will be reappointed Iraqi Oil minister when a new cabinet is unveiled on Monday, senior officials said, keeping in place the architect of plans to turn Iraq into a top global Oil producer. Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd, also will remain at his post but a final selection of a new Finance Minister had not yet been made, sources close to Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said. Shahristani, a Shi'ite, ...

Christians In Iraq Flee North Before Christmas
IRBIL, Iraq — They saw their brethren murdered during Mass and then were bombed in their homes as they mourned. Al-Qaida vowed to hunt them down. Now the Christian community of Iraq, almost as old as the religion itself, is sensing a clear message: It is time to leave. Since the Oct. 31 bloodbath in their Baghdad church, Iraqi Christians have been fleeing Sunni Muslim Extremists who view them as nonbelievers and agents of the West. At a time when Christians in various parts of the Muslim...

Christian exodus as Iraq army fails them
CHRISTIAN Iraqis are again fleeing to other parts of the country and abroad amid growing fears that the security forces are unable or, more ominously, unwilling to protect them from sectarian attack. • The monastery of the Virgin Mary in Qosh has opened its doors to fleeing families. Photograph: Shiho Fukada The flight - involving thousands of Christians from Baghdad and Mosul, in particular - followed an October siege at a church in Baghdad in which 51 worshippers and two priests were kil...

Iraq to unveil new government Monday
Baghdad (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will unveil his new cabinet on Monday, retaining the Oil minister who forged ambitious plans to turn the war-ravaged country into a top global Oil producer, senior officials said. Iraqis have been waiting for a new government since a parliamentary election in March failed to produce a clear winner and displayed the depth of Iraq's ethnic and sectarian divisions. Months of political squabbling ensued. Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, a ...

Maliki to Name Iraq Government Monday
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Hussain al-Shahristani will be reappointed Iraqi Oil minister when a new cabinet is unveiled on Monday, senior officials said, keeping in place the architect of plans to turn Iraq into a top global Oil producer. Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd, also will remain at his post but a final selection of a new Finance Minister had not yet been made, sources close to Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said. Shahristani, a Shi'ite, led the Oil ministry as it set Iraq on ...

Belarus opposition calls for rally on poll eve
MINSK (AFP) – Fearing voter Fraud, the opposition in Belarus Saturday mulled a "revolution on skates" after authorities turned a key square into an ice rink to prevent rallies during a weekend Presidential Election. Few doubt President Alexander Lukashenko, 56, will sail to victory in Sunday's vote after a low-key campaign, cementing further his grip on the poor ex-Soviet nation. The sidelined opposition Candidates, who say several days of early voting would skew the result...

Bleak outlook for plans to help Sons of Iraq
BAGHDAD - A broad plan to absorb Sunni Muslim militiamen who battled al-Qaida in Iraq into National Security forces or government jobs is at risk of being derailed by lukewarm political support and limited funding, officials say. Integrating the Militias, known as the Sons of Iraq or Awakening Councils, is a key concern for Iraq's Sunni minority, which feels it has been squeezed out of power by the Shiite majority and ignored despite its role in fighting the Insurgency. Shiite Prime Minist...

Bombs kill 2 Iraqis on way to religious ceremony
BAGHDAD - Bombs hidden in trash cans exploded near a group of pilgrims in a town north of Baghdad, killing two people Thursday as millions of Shiites headed to ceremonies to mark a day of mourning. Police said four blasts struck the procession in the town of Dujail, located some 50 (80 kilometers) miles north of Baghdad. Six people were also wounded in the attack, police and Hospital officials said. Two more bombs were discovered and disarmed before they exploded, said a local police offic...

Violence mars Shiite commemoration in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Violent clashes broke out between residents of the Saudi holy city of Medina on the day minority Shiite Muslims commemorated the death of their most sacred saint, a security official said Saturday. The official refused to elaborate on the cause of Thursday's clashes, but a Shiite news website called Rasid reported that hundreds of Sunni hard-liners attacked those participating in the commemorations, known as Ashoura. The day of mourning marks the killing of the Proph...

Iraq Arrests Dozens in Terror Sweep, Offers Help to Iran
Iraqi authorities are going for the trifecta. They are finally forming a new government, nine months after the March parliamentary Elections, to be headed by Incumbent Nuri al-Maliki at the head of a Shiite-Kurdish coalition. They have finally gotten UN sanctions on Iraq, implemented after the 1990 occupation of Kuwait, lifted. And they are increasingly in charge of their own security arrangements, as US Troops draw down, to depart altogether next year this time according to al-Maliki and the St...

Unhappy Is The Land That Needs A Hero
The NY Times tells us about a heroic Sunni policeman in Iraq: In Seconds Before Blast, the Making of a Hero By JACK HEALY BALAD RUZ, Iraq — As the Suicide Bomber clutched the detonator to his explosive belt, preparing to spray fire and shrapnel into a religious procession here, an Iraqi Police Officer named Bilal Ali Muhammad faced a choice between his own life and something larger. If he ran and took cover, Mr. Muhammad, 31, had a chance to save himself, to continue supporting his widowed ...

Some Iraqis Make Ultimate Sacrifice to Blunt Suicide Bombs
BALAD RUZ, Iraq — As the Suicide Bomber clutched the detonator to his explosive belt, preparing to spray fire and shrapnel into a religious procession here, an Iraqi Police Officer named Bilal Ali Muhammad faced a choice between his own life and something larger. Diyala Province is a volatile mix of sects and ethnicities. More Photos » If he ran and took cover, Mr. Muhammad, 31, had a chance to save himself, to continue supporting his widowed mother, to help put his younger brothe...

Allawi says will join Iraq govt if given real power
By Waleed Ibrahim Baghdad | Fri Dec 17, 2010 1:03pm EST Baghdad (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said on Friday he will join a new Iraqi Government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki if the premier follows through on promises and makes him a genuine partner. Allawi's Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc won the greatest number of seats in a March parliamentary election but his participation in the new government, which may be formed next week, has been in question. "Iraqi political powers...

Sunni Cop Gave Life to Save Iraqi Shiites
The New York Times reports: As the Suicide Bomber clutched the detonator to his explosive belt, preparing to spray fire and shrapnel into a religious procession here, an Iraqi Police Officer named Bilal Ali Muhammad faced a choice between his own life and something larger. If he ran and took cover, Mr. Muhammad, 31, had a chance to save himself, to continue supporting his widowed mother, to help put his younger brother through college and to watch his three young daughters grow up. Instead, th...

Iraq entices investors to bid for power profits
BAGHDAD - Iraq asked investors Saturday to compete to build four Power Plants and help the country meet burgeoning electricity demands, promising a healthy profit for the winners. At a meeting of about 30 local and international investors, acting Electricity Minister Hussain al-Shahristani assured the companies that governmental or legal obstacles would be removed for firms that won the right to build and operate the plants. "I can assure you that the government is interested in implementi...