Iraqis say there should be
Posted By: troop timetable - sm - Starcat on 2005-11-21
In Reply to:
The New York Times
November 21, 2005
Iraqis Say There Should Be Troop Timetable
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 11:30 a.m. ET
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Leaders of Iraq's sharply divided Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis, seeking common ground for their political future together, agreed Monday there should be a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops, and that resistance was the right of all -- but that acts of terror should be condemned.
After hours of negotiations at the Arab League, the participants in a national accord conference reached a final statement aimed at showing the points of agreement between the communities.
The three-day gathering was held to prepare for a wider conference due to be held in February in Iraq, part of a U.S.-backed league attempt to bring the communities closer together and assure Sunni Arab participation in a political process now dominated by Iraq's Shiite majority and large Kurdish minority.
The participants in Cairo agreed on ''calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces ... control the borders and the security situation'' and end terror attacks.
''The Iraqi people are looking forward to the day when the foreign forces will leave Iraq, when its armed and security forces will be rebuilt and when they can enjoy peace and stability and get rid of terrorism,'' the statement said.
Sunni leaders have been pressing the Shiite-majority government to agree to a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops. The statement recognized that goal, but did not lay down a specific time -- reflecting instead the government's stance that Iraqi security forces must be built up first.
On Monday, Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr suggested U.S.-led forces should able to leave Iraq by the end of next year, saying the one-year extension of the mandate for multinational force in Iraq by the U.N. Security Council earlier this month could be the last.
''By mid next year we will be 75 percent done in building our forces and by the end of next year it will be fully ready,'' he told the Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera.
The conference's final statement also stated that ''resistance is a legitimate right for all people'' -- a nod to Sunni Arab leaders who have sought to distinguish Iraqi insurgents they say are resisting the U.S. presence in Iraq from terrorism.
But the statement added, ''Terrorism is not legitimate resistance and thus we condemn terrorism and the acts of violence, killings and kidnappings that target Iraqi citizens; civil, governmental and humanitarian organizations; national wealth and houses of worships. We ask that they be immediately confronted.''
It also condemned the declaring of some Iraqis infidels -- an ideology advocated by some of the Islamic militants in Iraq's insurgency to justify some of their attacks.
The Cairo meeting was marred by differences between participants at times and at one point saw Shiite and Kurdish delegates storm out of a closed session when one of the speakers said they had sold out to the Americans.
A major goal of the conference was to resolve who can attend the wider gathering in February. Shiites have been skeptical of the conference from the start and strongly opposed participation by Sunni Arab officials from the former Saddam regime or from pro-insurgency groups.
The statement also stressed the participants commitment to the Iraq's unity. It called for releasing all ''innocent detainees'' who have not been convicted by courts and asked that allegations of torture be investigated and those responsible be held accountable.
The statement also demanded ''an immediate stop to arbitrary raids and arrests without a documented judicial order.''
Participants asked the Arab countries to support Iraq by eliminating or reducing its debts and strengthening the Arab diplomatic presence in Baghdad.
* Copyright 2005 The Associated Press
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If you really think that the Iraqis are getting
1/100 of the kind of care that an illegal can walk into an emergency room and demand--for free--you are kidding yourself. Universal healthcare is not going to improve the quality of our care--it will only serve to lessen it. Ask someone who lives in a country with universal healthcare.
billions for killing Iraqis okay
not one red cent for the poor!
Iraqis march for secular state...
See link for entire article.
Meanwhile, Tuesday, Officials said insurgents were trying to deepen the political turmoil surrounding the contested vote. Preliminary figures have given a big lead to the religious Shiite bloc that controls the current interim government.
The new violence came as three opposition groups threatened a wave of protests and civil disobedience if fraud charges are not properly investigated. The warning came from the secular Iraqi National List, headed by former Shiite Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, and two Sunni Arab groups.
More than 10,000 people, some carrying photos of Allawi, demonstrated Tuesday in favor of a government that would give more power to Sunni Arabs and secular Shiites. Marches chanted No Sunnis, no Shiites, yes for national unity.
We're protesting to reject the elections fraud. We want to ask the government and the elections commission: 'Where did our votes go? Who stole them?' said Abdul Hamid Abdul Razzaq, a 45-year-old barber who attended the massive protest.
A similar protest in Baqouba ended with arrests. Police rounded up several people — most of them high school students — and took them into custody, Donelan reports.
Iraq's Electoral Commission said Monday that final results for the 275-seat parliament could be released in about a week.
Sunni Arab and secular Shiite factions are demanding that an international body review more than 1,500 complaints, warning they may boycott the new legislature. They also want new elections in some provinces, including Baghdad. The United Nations has rejected an outside review.
We will resort to peaceful options, including protests, civil disobedience and a boycott of the political process until our demands are met, said Hassan Zaidan al-Lahaibi of the Sunni-dominated Iraqi Front for National Dialogue. He spoke in neighboring Jordan, where representatives of the groups have met in recent days.
The election commission considers 35 of the complaints serious enough to change some local results. But Farid Ayar, a commission official, said there was no reason to cancel the entire election.
He also said preliminary results from early votes by soldiers, hospital patients, prisoners and overseas Iraqis showed a coalition of Kurdish parties and the main Shiite religious bloc each taking about a third. Those nearly 500,000 votes were not expected to alter overall results significantly.
Preliminary results previously released gave the United Iraqi Alliance, the religious Shiite coalition dominating the current government, a big lead — but one unlikely to allow it to govern without forming a coalition with other groups.
Alliance leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim traveled to the northern Kurdish city of Irbil on Tuesday to discuss the formation of a governing coalition with Jalal Talabani, Iraq's Kurdish president, and Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish region.
Al-Hakim's secretary Haitham al-Husseini said there would also be negotiations with Sunni Arabs. Al-Husseini said the Alliance has proposed distributing the top six Cabinet positions, the three-member presidency council and top three parliament slots among the political blocs.
The Iraqis hung Saddam. Remember?
If we had pulled out when Obama wanted us to, the Iranian financed insurgents would have taken over and then I imagine first Iraqi Christians (and yes there are some) would be the first to be obliterated and it would have gone downhill from there. I love the way you say FACT: and then present your case. Who says it is fact?
The war on terror may not always be a military fight. But when they drop two buildings and slaughter nearly 3000 innocent people it needs to be a military fight. Why do you think we have not had another such attack?
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