(Al-Nahdhah) – The Independent Elections Commission has announced that elections will take place on schedule as determined under the transitional administrative law. Commission Fareed Fayyadh said the election of the national assembly would be carried out by national referendum before the end of January 2005 in accordance with election of the Kurdish National Council and the provincial Advisory Council members. Rumours of any postponement of the election were an attempt to obstruct the democratic process. The IEC has been established according to an international resolution and Iraqi willingness to have an impartial board supervise the election.
(Al-Nahdhah is a daily newspaper issued by Adnan al-Pachachi.)
Police fire on demonstrators
(Al-Sabah al-Jadeed) – Police reported opened fire on hundreds
of Iraqis as they demonstrated in Najaf, asking Muqtada al-Sadr and his
militiamen to depart the city. Eyewitnesses said one demonstrator was
wounded. The chief of Najaf old tow police, Tala Bilal, said preparations
had been taken to control the demonstration to avoid any violent acts.
Demonstrators raised banners asking Muqtada to find other place to fight
and requested the government to punish the perpetrators of a massacre
inside the religious court.
(Al-Sabah al-Jadeed is an independent daily paper.)
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Protesters denounce foreign meddling
(Al-Sabah) – Supporting Iyad Allawi's government, demonstrators
in Baghdad have denounced violence and interference by neighbouring states
in local affairs. They gathered before the government headquarters with
banners welcoming peace and requesting the international community to
put an end to the interference by the neighbouring states. Fifty civil
society organisations took part in the demonstration along with tribal
leaders, women’s organisations and labour unions. Mohammed Karim
al-Hilfi from the National Accord Movement said the demonstration hinted
at support for Allawi's government.
(Al-Sabah is an independent publicly owned daily
newspaper.)
Ukrainians to buy up weapons
(Al-Mutamar) – The Ukrainian peace keeping forces in Wasit
are ready to buy up light and heavy weapons from Iraqis in an effort to
end attacks on multilateral forces. A spokesman added that the forces
would severely resist any attacks carried out against them by outlaws.
(Al-Mutamar is issued daily by the Iraqi National
Congress.)
Doori still at large
(Asharq al-Awsat) – The government yesterday said that
Ezzat al-Doori was still free and not under arrest. The Ministry of Interior
(MI) said DNA tests conducted on the man arrested proved he was not Doori
but a relative. Minister of Provincial Affairs Wail Abdul Latif said the
DNA test revealed it was not Doori but Aziz al-Obaidi. The Ministry of
Health denied any knowledge of the DNA test. MI spokesman Sabah Kadhim
said the ministry has not affirmed Doori’s arrest.
(London-based Asharq al-Awsat, a Saudi independent
paper, is issued daily.)
New committee formed for provincial affairs
(Azzaman) – The Ministerial Council has formed a supreme
committee to deal with the provinces and regions. The committee has been
granted full authority to recommend the formation of regions in Kurdistan
and a fair distribution of the natural resources among the provinces.
It will also monitor the security and the economic situation of the people.
Minister for Provincial Affairs Wail Abdul Latif said the committee, headed
by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, would deal with the affairs of the provinces
and regions.
(London-based Azzaman is issued daily by Saad al-Bazaz.)
President marries labour minister
(Al-Adala) – Media reports mentioned the third marriage
of President Ghazi al-Yawer to the Minister of Labour Nisreen Barware,
a Kurd. The wedding ceremony took place in Erbil on Thursday and was attended
by Iraqi figures and relatives of Yawer. Nisreen, 37, graduated from the
College of Engineering 1991, and Yawer, 46, graduated from the college
of Geological Engineering. He spent 15 years in Saudi Arabia as president
of a communications firms.
(Al-Adala is issued daily by the Supreme Council
of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.)
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| Iraqi Press Monitor is published by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, an independent non-profit organisation supporting regional media and democratic change. Stories for the Iraqi Press Monitor are selected and summarised by Ali Mohammed Jawad and Ali Kadhim Marzook in Baghdad. The selections are edited by Eric Watkins. IPM is intended to give readers a sense of what Iraqi papers are reporting, and IWPR cannot vouch for the accuracy of the reports. The views represented by the stories are not necessarily those of IWPR. | ||||||
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| © Institute
for War & Peace Reporting Lancaster House, 33 Islington High Street, London N1 9LH, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 7713 7130, Fax: +44 (0)20 7713 7140, Web: iwpr.net |
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