Iraqi lawmakers lift ban on Sunni politicians

Iraqi lawmakers lift ban on Sunni politicians
BAGHDAD (AP) - 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 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 (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...

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...

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...

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
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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Maliki to name Iraq government Monday
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 an ambitious path to boost its production capacity to 12 million barrels per day in the next six or seven years, rivaling global leader Saudi Arabia, from 2.5 million bpd now. Analysts say target of 6-7 million bpd is more realistic....

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 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...

Kurds play oil card in coalition talks
Published: Dec. 16, 2010 at 4:02 PM Iraq's President Jalal Talabani (R) talks with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during his visit to Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region near Sulaimaniya, 260 km (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, August 2, 2009. Al-Maliki met Kurdish President Masoud Barzani on Sunday, the first meeting between the two rivals in many months, in an effort to resolve a row that threatens fresh conflict in Iraq. UPI/Iraq PM Office Iraqi Oil minister slated for n...

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...

Bleak outlook for plans to help Sons of Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) — 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 P...

Bleak outlook for plans to help Sons of Iraq
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 Minister Nouri al-Mali...

Bleak outlook for plans to help Sons of Iraq
In this Monday, Oct. 6, 2010 photo, with the historic spiral minaret in... Baghdad (AP) - 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 a...

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...

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 ...

Violence mars Shiite commemoration in Saudi Arabia
A Saudi security official says violent clashes broke out between residents of the holy city of Medina on the day minority Shiite Muslims commemorated the death of their most sacred saint. The official refused to elaborate on the cause of Thursday's clashes but said security forces were deployed to disperse the crowds. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. A Shiite news website called Rasid reported that hundreds of Sunni hard-liners attacked Shii...

Violence mars Shiite commemoration in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - A Saudi security official says violent clashes broke out between residents of the holy city of Medina on the day minority Shiite Muslims commemorated the death of their most sacred saint. The official refused to elaborate on the cause of Thursday's clashes but said security forces were deployed to disperse the crowds. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. A Shiite news website called Rasid reported that hundreds of S...

Violence mars Shiite commemoration in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — A Saudi security official says violent clashes broke out between residents of the holy city of Medina on the day minority Shiite Muslims commemorated the death of their most sacred saint. The official refused to elaborate on the cause of Thursday’s clashes but said security forces were deployed to disperse the crowds. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. A Shiite news website called Rasid reported that hun...