Muqtada al-Sadr begins mediation effort with Sunnis
(Asharq Al-Awsat) Radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has begun a mediation process between Sunni and Shia groups who have recently accused each other's communities of killings. Representatives of Muqtada visited the Muslim Scholars' Association to exchange views on the currently critical relationship between the Sunni and Shia. Meanwhile, government spokesman Laith Kubba has asked the Sunnis to clarify their position on the daily killings of security forces, noting that Syria is responsible for the infiltration of thousands of fighters into Iraq. Referring to a Sunni conference held on May 21, Kubba rejected their demand that the interior minister resign. He reminded them of their negative stance on the political process, demonstrated by their election boycott.
(London-based Asharq al-Awsat, a pro-Saudi independent paper, is issued daily.)

Death penalty for three insurgents
(Azzaman) A special criminal court in Kut has sentenced three men to death for conducting "sabotage operations" in Iraq. The convicted men have been named as Bayan Ahmed Saeed, 30, a taxi driver; Uday Dawood Salman, 25, a manual labourer; and Dhafer Jasim Muhsin, 44, a butcher. They have reportedly made confessions according to which they were members of an armed group and conducted at least 20 operations against police and security forces, in addition to raping girls. The court also handed down sentences of life imprisonment to a number of foreign insurgents found guilty of illegally acquiring weapons and aiding armed groups.
(The London-based Azzaman is issued daily by Saad al-Bazaz.)

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Security forces plan major raids
(Addustour) The interior ministry has announced a comprehensive plan to raid insurgent centres known to be planning imminent attacks. Deputy interior minister Adnan al-Asadi said the operations would be conducted by forces which have been thoroughly trained in this kind of raid. Attacks involving car bombs and roadside bombs have recently been on the increase. The deputy minister said the planning for the new round of raids was derived from intelligence provided by members of the public.
(Addustour is an independent daily published by former journalist Basim al-Sheikh.)

Foreign minister warns
(Tareek al-Shaab) Foreign minister Hoshiyar al-Zibari has said Iraq's response will be severe if insurgent operations against innocent people continue. Noting the infiltration of fighters from the neighbouring states, he said the government would use diplomatic channels first, but indicates that "other means" might follow. He said the operations would continue even if conciliation with the Sunni community was achieved because there were elements abroad "feeding" the insurgents.
(Tareek al-Shaab is issued by the Iraqi Communist Party.)

New body to oversee government contracts
(Al-Iraq al-Yoom) The presidential council has announced the formation of a new committee which will approve all contracts and tenders worth more than three million US dollars. The committee will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed al-Chalabi and include the finance and trade ministers, the head of the audit board, the central bank governor, the economics and development adviser, and other two experts, to be named by the prime minister. All government offices will have to get the approval of the committee before entering into such contracts, otherwise the government and specifically the finance ministry will not be responsible for funding them.
(Al-Iraq al-Yoom is a weekly newspaper issued by Isra Shakir.)

More oil pumped from northern fields
(Al-Mutamar) An Iraqi oil official has announced that pumping of oil from northern fields will reach 400,000 barrels per day, bpd, within a few days, once pipelines have been repaired. The anonymous source said the flow was expected to be continuous assuming no further attacks. Iraq has been pumping 250,000 bpd over the past week, which increased stocks held at Turkey's Ceyhan oil terminal to two million barrels.
(Al-Mutamar is issued daily by the Iraqi National Congress.)

Tea imports not contaminated
(Baghdad) The director-general of the state directorate for foodstuffs, Nazar Kheder, has denied rumours that consignments of tea were found to be contaminated with iron filings. He said the imported tea was to a high standard, adding that it was packed in special bags which could not be interfered with. Kheder explained that all items listed on the ration card are examined by laboratories of the Iraqi board for standardisation and quality control to check that they are fit for human consumption before they are distributed. He suggested that the rumours were being spread to create instability.
(Baghdad is a daily newspaper issued by the Iraqi National Accord.)