That’s it. Moqtada al-Sadr and Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani are demanding a popular referendum on the SOFA the US is trying to impose on Iraq. By demanding a referendum the Shias are achieving three results: a) they are completely by-passing the National Assemblyb) they are making the SOFA an election issuec) any referendum on the SOFA will be a de-facto referendum on the US presence in Iraq The Imperial Command is
Following the lead of Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani and Moqtada al-Sadr, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Badr Organization, has now voiced his opposition to the US SOFA. This means that every major Shia faction in the country is now openly opposed to the US proposal. The USA wanted up at least 13 permanent military bases in Iraq and it demanded that US citizens be granted immunity from legal prosecution. It will
Press TV reports: ‘US bribing Iraqi MPs to sign deal’ The US has offered bribes to Iraqi MPs to lure them into endorsing a security deal that critics believe would make Iraq a US colony. Sources in Iraq’s parliament told Press TV on Thursday that Washington has offered three-million dollars in bribe to the lawmakers who sign the “framework accord.” Under the agreement, the US would be allowed to set
One can love or hate Gary Brecher, a.k.a. the “War Nerd” for his style or the the magazine he usually writes for (the eXile in Russia). But I would argue that he has far more common sense that most of the talking heads on the TV, including the generals and so-called “specialists” of the Middle-East. Funny that a magazine like the eXile would have a better military analyst than, say,
Press TV reports: Iraq’s most revered Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has strongly objected to a ‘security accord’ between the US and Iraq. The Grand Ayatollah has reiterated that he would not allow Iraq to sign such a deal with “the US occupiers” as long as he was alive, a source close to Ayatollah Sistani said. The source added the Grand Ayatollah had voiced his strong objection to the
Note: I believe that the AP story to which RNN is referring is this one.
Press TV reports: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has dismissed claims that Iran is sending weapons into his country and called for strong Iran ties. “Those who make such claims against Iran only express their personal views which don’t reflect those of the Iraqi government,” he said in interview with the Al-Arabiya TV on Friday. “I, as the president of Iraq, do not agree with such views,” he added. “Our Iranian
The past week saw two extremely important events take place simultaneously: the US occupation forces had to stop their offensive against the Sadrists in Baghdad and the complete collapse of the pro-US/Israeli regime in Lebanon. In the latter case it now appears that Hezbollah literally *owns* Lebanon and that the puppet regime of Siniora, Hariri and Jumblatt only was left alive because Hassan Nasrallah decided to deal with them on
Alalam reports: BAGHDAD, May 10–The movement of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said Saturday it had reached an agreement with Iraqi officials to end weeks of fighting in Baghdad. Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, the spokesman for the cleric’s office in the central shrine city of Najaf, said the deal reached with a government delegation would be effective from Sunday. “This agreement will be executed from tomorrow. The Sadr movement has agreed to
The rumors about a US attack on Iran have been recently re-energized by the sacking of Admiral Fallon, the arrival of a new US Navy Carrier in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf, Cheney’s recent visit to the region, General David “Ass-kissing chickenshit” Petraeus’ testimony in Congress, Secretary Gate’s silly comments about Iran wanting nukes after all, nevermind the NIE, or the New York Times resuming some of its worst
Corruption Eats Into Food Rations By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail for Inter Press Service FALLUJAH, May 2 (IPS) – Amidst unemployment and impoverishment, Iraqis now face a cutting down of their monthly food ration – much of it already eaten away by official corruption. Iraqis survived the sanctions after the first Gulf War (1990) with the support of rations through the Public Distribution System (PDS). The aid was set
TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior member of Iran’s negotiating team with the United States on Iraqi security demanded a halt to US attacks in Iraq before any new round of talks with Washington. “If US savage attacks against the Iraqi people are stopped, we will examine the US request for a fourth round of talks,” an Iranian official told FNA. “The Iraqi government and the United States have officially invited Iran
A Press TV exclusive interview with Sheikh Salah Obeidi, Sadr’s official spokesman The following is the transcript of an Interview with Sheikh Salih al-Obaidi, Moqtada al-Sadr’s spokesman: Q. A meeting was held on Monday between the Sadr Party and President Talabani to discuss the ongoing violence in Baghdad’s Sadr city. Clashes have been ensuing between Iraqi and US-led forces and armed groups including members of the Mahdi Army for a
By Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott, McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — The war in Iraq has become “a major debacle” and the outcome “is in doubt” despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon’s premier military educational institute. The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about President Bush ‘s projections of a U.S.
The Agenda Behind The Anti-Sadr Agenda by Muriel Mirak-Weissbach for GlobalResearch.ca When Gen. David Petraeus along with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker gave their testimony to the Senate on April 9, they did nothing more than to confirm in spades what had been being mooted and duly leaked by the Washington-based press: that the Bush-Cheney Administration had officially endorsed the line that Iran should be set up for attack,
We all now that Gaza was, until now, the biggest open air prison in the world, a Gulag for Palestinians, so to speak. Now the Empire is in the process of “Gazatizing” (as in “Gitmoize Abu Ghraib”) and creating an even bigger (3’000’000+ people!) Gulag for Iraqis. Check out Pepe Escobar’s report for Real News Network: One needs to remember that the Empire just suffered a rather humiliating defeat in
(many thanks to datta for this submission) Note: It turns out that this article comes from the blog of Layla Anwar. The original link is this: http://arabwomannews.blogspot.com/I had not been made aware of this since I had received this text by email. I apologize to Layla for not linking to her piece. I am removing this article, but I will leave the comments. Anyone interested in reading the original article
Inter Press Service Analysis by Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail* BAGHDAD, Apr 12 (IPS) – Many Iraqis have come to believe that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is just as much a dictator as Saddam Hussein was. “Al-Maliki is a dictator who must be removed by all means,” 35-year-old Abdul-Riza Hussein, a Mehdi Army member from Sadr City in Baghdad told IPS. “He is a worse dictator than Saddam; he
