Iraq PM: Senate Proposal A "Catastrophe"
Prime Minister Sharply Rejects Government Decentralization Plan Pushed By Biden, Others
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Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki looks back as he sits in his seat during the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Ed Betz)
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The measure, whose primary sponsors included presidential hopeful Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., calls for Iraq to be divided into federal regions for the country's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities in a power-sharing agreement similar to Bosnia in the 1990s.
In his first comments since the measure passed Wednesday, al-Maliki strongly rejected the idea, echoing the earlier sentiments of his country's vice president.
"It is an Iraqi affair dealing with Iraqis," he told The Associated Press while on a return flight to Baghdad after appearing at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. "Iraqis are eager for Iraq's unity. ... Dividing Iraq is a problem and a decision like that would be a catastrophe."
Iraq's constitution lays down a federal system, allowing Shiites in the south and Kurds in the north to set up regions with considerable autonomous powers. But Iraq's turmoil has been fueled by the deep divisions among politicians over the details of how it should work, including the division of lucrative oil resources.
Many Shiite and Kurdish leaders are eager to implement the provisions. But the Sunni Arab minority fears being left in an impoverished central zone without resources. Others fear a sectarian split-up would harden the violent divisions among Iraq's fractious ethnic and religious groups.
On Thursday, Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi said decisions about Iraq must remain in the hands of its citizens and the spokesman for the supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr agreed.
"We demand the Iraqi government to stand against such project and to condemn it officially," Liwa Semeism told the AP. "Such a decision does not represent the aspirations of all Iraqi people and it is considered an interference in Iraq's internal affairs."
In other developments:
Iraq's prime minister also said he discussed the role of U.S. troops and private security contractors in the country, stressing that Iraq is a sovereign nation and it should have control over its own security.
Security "is something related to Iraq's sovereignty and its independence and it should not be violated," he said.
Al-Maliki's comments come after a Sept. 16 shooting in central Baghdad that killed some 11 Iraqi civilians allegedly at the hands of Blackwater USA guards providing security for American diplomats.
The North Carolina-based company said its employees were acting in self-defense against an attack by armed insurgents. Iraqi officials and witnesses have said the guards opened fire randomly, killing a woman and an infant along with nine other people, but details have widely diverged.
In a related story, a congressional investigation publicized Thursday found that Blackwater triggered a major battle in Iraq by sending an unprepared team of security guards into an insurgent stronghold, a move that led to their horrific deaths and a violent response by U.S. forces. (Read more)Peter Singer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, has been warning about the dangers of relying on private contractors since early in the war, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.
The Washington Post reported Friday that a preliminary U.S. Embassy report found the shooting involved three Blackwater teams.
It said one was ambushed near a traffic circle and returned fire before fleeing the scene, another was surrounded by Iraqis when it went to the intersection and had to be extracted by the U.S. military and a third came under fire from eight to 10 people in multiple locations.
The report said the three teams had been trying to escort a senior U.S. official who had been visiting a "financial compound" back to the U.S.-protected Green Zone when a car bomb struck about 25 yards outside the entrance. The official was unharmed, it said.
An unnamed U.S. State Department official described the report to the newspaper and stressed it was only an initial account.
The New York Times also reported Friday that the shootings occurred as Blackwater was trying to evacuate senior American officials with the United States Agency for International Development after an explosion occurred near the guarded compound where they were meeting.
Participants in the operation said at least one guard continued firing on civilians while colleagues called for the shooting to stop, according to the newspaper's account, which cited American officials who have been briefed on the investigation.
It also said those involved have told U.S. investigators they believed they were firing in response to enemy gunfire but at least one guard also drew a weapon on a colleague who did not stop shooting.
American officials have publicly remained mum on their findings pending the results of a series of investigations.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 111 CommentsAt this point, anything is worth trying instead of "stay the course".
Is this a really bad dream, or are we living in Bizarro World? Day after day after day, we are watching our soldiers as well as Iraqi civilians being slaughtered because we have a madman in the White House. As if that isn''t bad enough, he is there only because of a corrupted election system.
Our entire government, from top to bottom, is corrupt. It has been taken over by corporate money, greed, and the quest for power. Unfortunately, as with a stage four cancer, there is probably no cure.
I grew up, back in the 50''s, in a GREAT country. We didn''t pay heed to Eisenhowers warnings, and now I will spend my remaining years doing what I can to fix this insanity, but with little hope for success.
http://www.thecatsdream.com/blog/2007/09/old-zionist-dream-partition-of-iraq.htm
Since the beginning of the US invasion, the seizure of control over Iraq''s oil and the destruction of Iraq and its people has been the goal--NOT freedom, NOT democracy, NOT the aspirations of the Iraqi people who are the victims of this US genocide.
The dismissal of the Iraqi Army, the firing of officials, the orchestrated and protected looting and destruction of the symbols of the Iraqi nation, the leaving of arsenals unguarded and Bush''s frank pre-war admission to the Spanish leader that ''we''ll be in Baghdad by March whether Saddam is there or not''.
You are right in that we accomplished regime change. However, there is a story beginning to surface from Spainish officials and with great credability that Saddam Hussein had offered to go into excile weeks before the invasion of Iraq. He asked for $1B dollars and a few other conditions that were very workable. How sad it is that this Administration would balk at such a deal. This story needs to be investigated and if proven true, Bush and others need to be held accountable.
DO THEY WANT SEPARATE REGIONS WITH EQUITABLE SHARING OF OIL REVENUES or don''t they? And if anyone attacks any other region--then it will be time for America to step in and police again.
What Al Maliki is advocating is continual sectarian violence with himself at the helm. Given the ration of Shia to Sunni and Kurd--he is betting on being the last man standing.
Somebody tell this puppet--that when America wants his opinion, we''ll give him one to give us.
While on the subject of Spanish involvement, make a further inquiry into the involvement by Spanish bankers who are investing in the Super Highway being planned to go from Texas to Canada to be leased for 50 years by this group. America is being sold piece by piece to foreign entities.
When you add to this scenario the statements made by those involved in the NAU and APP about how "change" occurs faster in times of crises, and that our constitution slows progess as it was written to protect FREEDOM, then it does make one question the whole big picture of ONE WORLD ORDER/GLOBALIZATION.
I say leave Iraq to the Iraqis, bring the troops home to patrol the southern and northern borders, and focus on doing something positive to save this country from being handed over to foreigners and making us all slaves to the filthy rich. Furthermore, one has to ask if their statements are telling us that 9/ll was the crisis that put their plan into action.
Jews are out-numbered by about 50-to-1 in the US.
Why are Gentile-Americans like yourself so weak and ineffective at presenting your views to Congress and the President?
"On Thursday, Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi said decisions about Iraq must remain in the hands of its citizens and the spokesman for the supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr agreed. "
Why are we still there? Of course, we know the answer from the administrations point of view and from the oil companies point of view, so consequently, many of congress''s point of view. But, from the American taxpayers point of view, looking at our falling-down bridges, our roads full of pot-holes, our citizens without health coverage, our schools without proper funding, our borders insecure, and that is not counting the debt, WHY are we there?
Why are we continuing to stay in this country that we broke, but who increasingly does not want us interfering. Is it because Blackwater, Halliburton, the oil companies, the administration still need to siphon off more money from our treasury and the tax payer? Give us a break!!!
Americans, Gentiles and Jews, have been sold a bill of goods with regard to Israel. It is a Zionist State--not a Jewish State. Its leaders serve Anglo-American financial interests--not Jewish interests. This is readily apparent in the case of the "Ringworm Children" where over one hundred thousand Sephardic children were irradiated by the Zionists--many died on the spot, others later, many linger on today with chronic illness and genetic maladies that have been passed to the next generation. The X-ray machines and payments for this crime were provided by the Washington Regime--pure eugenics at work--no different than what was called for by the "Eugenicist Movement" in America.
The Jewish masses in America naturally support Israel...they see Jews under attack, but what the Arabs are fighting are the Zionists.
One sees how Iranians and Arabs, for instance, genuinely liked Americans after World War II, but as our elites moved to manipulate and exploit them this like and respect has slowly changed to one of fear and hatred, which the American propagandist cleverly re-perculate in our media to rouse Americans against the people of the Middle East.
Thank you so much for answering my question. Now I understand perfectly why Gentile-Americans like yourself are so weak and ineffective at presenting your views to Congress and the President.
You have defeated your own argument and strengthened mine.
The Capitalist ideologues make use of Christianity and other religions in their war for profits. The CIA''s interest in religion has been well documented. Billy Graham himself was plucked from his revival tent by the TIME proprietor, Henry Luce to lead the Christian jihad against the Communists...and these people aren''t shy about lumping liberals, leftists, unionists and others under the ''Communist'' umbrella.
Posted by Luigi999 at 11:12 AM : Sep 28, 2007
The Democrats didn''t land on the USS Abraham Lincoln and declare "Mission Accomplished" either and that was May 1, 2003! "Grand Standing"
Bush campaigned on "Accountability"
Bush DIDN''T supply "Accountability" so the "clowns" are !!
How did they get elected, You answered it - "Let''s be Honest" especially about Iraq !
Israel does not have any natural resources, they cannot rely on a service industry because the rest of the region does not want to do business with them and alot of thier money is tied into our U.S. economy which is pretty unpredictable right now. Therefore without being in the oil business they can never become self sufficient.
http://www.sandersresearch.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1118&Itemid=63
"Out of the frying pan, into the fire
Will securing pipelines through Israel help secure oil for America''s needs? Only if the US could do this without spreading even more anger throughout Southwest Asia. Turkey would be foolish to continue cooperating with the US after it invades Syria and Iran -- Turkey''s pipe is next on the list.
Securing oil through Israel means that the US becomes dependent on Israel -- our only %u201Cfriend%u201D in a hostile world. Israel would control the tap to the American economy -- a tap that America paid to build. Not only would Tel Aviv be our crucial supplier, they would have other markets in Asia should Uncle Sam go bust. A great plan for securing the realm, a terrible plan for America."
This is not a plan that is good for us in america. Let Israel worry about herself and we will take care of ourselves.
But wait as I recall after the fall of the Ottoman
Turkish empire and in 1916 1 year before the armistice
was signed in 1917 it was the U.K via the Balfour
declaration which supported a Jewish State. It was
James Arthur Balfour who wrote to Lord Rothchild about
that that British parliamnent which acquired the land
which was occupied later by the Palestinians, that
they supported a"jewish State". Later the idea was
approved by the U.S and the U.S supported Israel through fear and intimidation by the Israelis.
Understand that the Jews had come from the "holocust"
and originally the Arab nationists welcomed Jewish
settlers, but the problem had been exacerbated when
the Jews declared their independence from their hosts.
(war of Independence)....... The partition plan from the UN in 1948 through gas on the fire.
Now what a holocust is continuing in Iraq. Its the roots of imperialsm which is "root of all evil as well as greed of corporations. Avarice, Greed, Self destruction. Mankind is too stupid to learn from mistakes.
Now we have are go
juwboy--It is in the interests finance capital that Jews and Christians support the expansion of the Zionist State and not reach an accomodation with the Arabs. If the political and economic situation changed, you can bet your kippa that the propanda juggernaut that now supports Israel would turn on a dime, just as in post World War I Germany, anti-Semitism surged forward--with Hitler actually being a moderate in some of the political campaigns compared to the big-business backed parties of the Nationalists.
The Jews of Hungary made the mistake of thinking that the Zionists were their friends--their ''friends'' cut a deal with their ''friends''--the Nazis--and the head of the Zionist head of the Jewish Community and his select group of Zionists in Hungary went to Palestine...1,000,000 Jews that weren''t so ''select'' went to Auschwitz and almost certain death. The lovely Mr. Kastner, I believe his name was, was later gunned down on an Israeli beach...just deserts, well served.
non muslims of the world unite,,, fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside,,,
I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair''s bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770
Bless the Beasts and Children
Fascist nazi terrorslam kills every man woman and child in the village again%u2026 typical mo for terrorslam%u2026
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/bless-the-beasts-and-children.htm
Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan
the truth about fascist nazi terrorislam...
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/
It wasn''t Jews who were high-fiving and hamming it up for the video-tape as the WTC collapsed in the background--these were agents of the Zionist state working for an moving company owned by a citizen of the Zionist State who was allowed to flee the country by agents of Zionism inside our own government--did this serve the interests of Jews? Certainly Not!
Did it serve the interests of Zionists and the Anglo-American financiers that they front for? Most certainly! Even Bibi Netanyahu said that 9-11 benefited Israel! What do the financiers want--Iraqi Oil, Iranian Oil and a weak and divided world that they can control--And don''t for a minute imagine that Americans will benefit from this ''New World Order'' of mega-corporations, Blackwaters and Enrons...Jewish or Gentile, if you work for a living, you are going to victimized by this tyranny.
Qaeda warns of attacks ''worse than 9/11''
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070530102648.wuwa6k96&show_article=1
Hizbullah Deputy Sec-Gen Sheikh Naim Qassem: We Have Jurisprudent Permission to Carry Out ''Martyrdom'' Operations, Fire Missiles on Israeli Civilians From Ayatollah Khomeini
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD154907
Switching Sides: Inside The Enemy Camp
But then in 2000, well before his arrest, something happened which would make Abas question everything he believed in: a fatwa, a religious edict, was issued by Osama bin Laden.
"It should be understood that killing Americans and Jews anywhere found are the highest act of worship and the highest form of good deeds in the eyes of Allah," Simon quotes bin Laden.
Abas and his fellow commanders were ordered to read the fatwa to their men and make sure they carried it out. The others obeyed, but Abas refused. It was his moment of truth. He firmly believed that jihad was to be fought only on the battlefield in defense of Islam; he had always been taught that the killing of civilians had nothing to do with holy war and that it was forbidden.
The fatwa justified killing non-Muslim civilians everywhere.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/04/60minutes/main2761108.shtml?source=RSSattr=60Minutes_2761108
American Al Qaeda Member Threatens Attack
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/29/terror/main2865282.shtml
dnc are like john adams and want to give the jihadist their lunch money hoping they will leave us alone,,,
gop are like thomas jefferson and want to spend their lunch money on weapons and go kick the jihadists in their arses,,,
What Thomas Jefferson learned from the Muslim book of jihad,,,
Thomas Jefferson knew about fascist nazi islam,,, he killed plenty of them,,,
In 1786 Jefferson and John Adams went to negotiate with Tripoli''s envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman or (Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja). They asked him by what right he extorted money and took slaves. Jefferson reported to Secretary of State John Jay, and to the Congress:
The ambassador answered us that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet (Mohammed), that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to heaven.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War
http://www.usvetdsp.com/jan07/jeff_quran.htm
muslim justifies slavery and piracy%u2026
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?6bdec278-6a71-4436-bc4d-29d1c54b0ad7
Maybe just like in America, you just have to fool everybody into thinking they''re in charge.
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
4. Supremacy of the Military
5. Rampant Sexism
6. Controlled Mass Media
7. Obsession with National Security
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
9. Corporate Power is Protected
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14. Fraudulent Elections
15. Vigorous DENIAL of all of the above!
It is common place for insurance agents to attend church for the sake of their business...you can imagine the painstaking religiosity of the corporatists attending church and temple so as to be seen as part and parcel of hoi-polloi...so people will identify with them and support their goals as their own.
90% of what democrats do is a catastrophe. Too bad liberals aren''t as smart as an average Iraqi.
wrongggggggggggggggggg it is fascist nazi terrorislam,,,
"This unabated interference in the affairs of other sovereign nations is the main reason behind all the troubles in the Middle East. None of us wants an outsider to meddle in our private affairs and the same applies in international relations. fascist nazi terrorislam is a meddler and in all instances, even a bully."
look whom is interferring,,,
the war Muhammad ali baba started rages on 1400 years later...
623 - Battle of Waddan
623 - Battle of Safwan
623 - Battle of Dul-''Ashir
624 - Muhammad and converts begin raids on caravans to fund the movement.
624 - Zakat becomes mandatory
624 - Battle of Badr
624 - Battle of Bani Salim
624 - Battle of Eid-ul-Fitr and Zakat-ul-Fitr
624 - Battle of Bani Qainuqa''
624 - Battle of Sawiq
624 - Battle of Ghatfan
624 - Battle of Bahran
625 - Battle of Uhud. 70 Muslims are killed.
625 - Battle of Humra-ul-Asad
625 - Battle of Banu Nudair
625 - Battle of Dhatur-Riqa
626 - Battle of Badru-Ukhra
626 - Battle of Dumatul-Jandal
626 - Battle of Banu Mustalaq Nikah
627 - Battle of the Trench
627 - Battle of Ahzab
627 - Battle of Bani Quraiza
627 - Battle of Bani Lahyan
627 - Battle of Ghaiba
627 - Battle of Khaibar
628 - Muhammad signs treaty with Quraish.
630 - Muhammad conquers Mecca.
630 - Battle of Hunsin.
630 - Battle of Tabuk
632 - Muhammad dies.
http://www.carm.org/islam/islam_chronology.htm
look whom is interferring,,,
the war that fascist nazi terrorislamic muslims started rages on 1400 years later,,,
The Truth about Islamic Crusades and Imperialism
Historical facts say that Islam has been imperialistic%u2014and would still like to be, if only for religious reasons. Many Muslim clerics, scholars, and activists, for example, would like to impose Islamic law around the world. Historical facts say that Islam, including Muhammad, launched their own Crusades against Christianity long before the European Crusades.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/11/the_truth_about_islamic_crusad.html
http://www.americanthinker.com/2004/08/the_muslim_crusades.html
the truth about fascist nazi terrorislam...
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/
Islamic origins
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/pdf/compass/hico_058.pdf
Origin of Islam
http://www.allaboutreligion.org/origin-of-islam.htm
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Origin+of Islam%3A Secular History
look whom is interferring,,,
almost all the global conflicts in the world today involve fascist nazi terrorislam and somebody else,,,
SignOf4: "90% of what democrats do is a catastrophe." Yeah like rolling over and playing dead after Florida and supporting Bush''s dirty little war from the get go.
Troops Home Now! Let''s take care of our veterans. Let''s stop abusing our reservists and national guard with repeated, long term assignments--this is not the purpose of our reserve forces. Our troops have been abused with repeated rotations to combat zones-- and the shame of it is, is that this war is not being fought for American principles--it is being fought for a vile and contemptible and manipulative and vicious oligarchy and its poisonous ideologies.
Troops Home Now!
Liberals aren''''t the ones who led us into the disaster that is Iraq. Too bad our president isn''''t as smart as the average dog.
Posted by rafterman1 at 01:13 PM : Sep 28, 2007
ummmmm congress, both demonic-rat and gop, all voted for the continuation of hostilities in iraq,,,
bush had no vote,,,
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