Government denounces latest attacks
(Al-Taakhi) The Iraqi government has denounced the latest insurgent attacks carried out on May 23, saying they have nothing to do with foreign forces in the country, but were instead a deliberate attempt to kill civilians. Government spokesman Laith Kubba said such operations are random, and took place even where there are no Americans or security forces. The insurgents have nothing to do with religion, the multilateral forces or the political process. He drew a comparison with the past conflict in Algeria despite the differences between the two countries. Kubba said the security forces have seized six million dollars in cash and arrested more than 300 suspects who now being questioned now.
(Al-Taakhi is issued daily by the Kurdistan Democratic Party.)

Force of insurgency said to be waning
(Al-Mashriq) The president's counsellor for security affairs, Wafiq al-Samarrai, has said the insurgent attacks are on the decline. Denying that Iraq is in chaos, he said the foreign insurgents are being confronted by multilateral and Iraqi security forces, which are intensifying their methods. Al-Samarrai noted that the latest waves of attacks are an attempt by the insurgents to prove they are still there after so many operations against them by the security forces.
(Al-Mashriq is published daily by Al-Mashriq Institute for Media and Cultural Investments.)

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Insurgent leader captured
(Asharq al-Awsat) Security forces arrested an insurgent leader, Mohammed Daham Abid Hamadi, in a raid carried out in Baghdad on May 23. A government statement said Hamadi was an Islamic extremist who runs a group called the Lewa al-Numan - the Numan Regiment- in the town of Ramadi. The group is said to be responsible for attacks on civilians and the security forces, and Hamadi himself accused of killings and of a series of kidnappings of officials and businessmen, with the aim of collecting ransom money to fund his own group and also to provide other insurgent organisations with funds and weapons.
(London-based Asharq al-Awsat, a pro-Saudi independent paper, is issued daily.)

Court building torched
(Al-Mada) A building attached to the central criminal court was torched yesterday in the al-Adamiyah area. Sources in the Iraqi police said the fire caused major damages to the building, and the firemen and civil defence forces rescued staff through the windows. Many criminal files were burnt. The court was due to sit on May 25 on a range of cases involving killings and also corruption.
(Al-Mada is issued daily by Al-Mada Institute for Media, Culture and Arts.)

No foreign hand in drafting constitution
(Azzaman) Deputy Prime Minister Roz Noori Shawes has said the drafting of the constitution is a matter for Iraqis only, and "we reject any foreign body interfering with it". At the same time, he conceded that "we might make use of foreign experts" in the drafting process. Humam Hamoodi, head of the committee tasked with writing the constitution, said, "We will seek the help of foreign experts on technical points, but not on political matters".
(London-based Azzaman is issued daily by Saad al-Bazaz.)

Basra airport to reopen
(Al-Bayan) Basrah International Airport is to open next month, for domestic flights only. A source at the ministry of transport said the airport will be able to handle three or four flights a week, and after further reconstruction it will be able to receive international flights The United States aid agency USAID is managing the reconstruction project.
(Al-Bayan is issued four times weekly by the Islamic Dawa Party.)

Integrity Commission Head on Questioning
(Addustour) Adnan al-Janabi, a member of parliament representing the Iraqi List of former prime minister Ayad Allawi, has asked the head of Iraq's integrity commission to come to the National Assembly to face questions about his corruption allegations against certain former ministers. Al-Janabi said these "random" accusations have been made for political reasons, and he wants to see an end to this this phenomenon which he described as "dangerous". According to news reports, former ministers for internal affairs, labour and social affairs, energy, the environment and transport are all to be questioned about corruption allegations.
(Addustour is an independent daily published by former journalist Basim al-Sheikh.)