Is he finally getting a set of...?
Maliki warns critics, says Saddam hanging an Iraqi affair
(Reuters)
6 January 2007
BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki said on Saturday Saddam Hussein’s execution was a ”domestic affair” and warned countries which have criticised the hanging that his government could review relations with them.
Maliki, a Shia, said in a speech marking Army Day that Saddam had received a fair trial and that his execution on Dec. 30 was for the benefit of Iraq’s unity.
A clandestine video showing images of Shia officials taunting Saddam on the gallows has angered his fellow Sunni Arabs and increased sectarian tension.
Maliki, who rushed through the execution of his former enemy four days after he lost an appeal, did not mention any country.
But his remarks came days after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, joining criticism from other Sunni Arab countries, said pictures of the hanging were “revolting and barbaric.”
“The execution of the dictator is a domestic affair. It is related to the Iraqi people alone and we reject and condemn all official and unofficial statements made by some governments...
“The Iraqi government may have to reconsider its relations with any country that does not respect the will of the Iraqi people,” he said.
Maliki, a member of the Shia majority that was oppressed under Saddam, defended the U.S-backed court that tried the ousted leader and said the execution had not been political.
“The execution of the tyrant was not a political decision as the enemies of the Iraqi people are trying to show. This decision was made after a long and fair trial the tyrant did not deserve,” he said.
The hanging has inflamed sectarian passions in Iraq -- thousands of Sunni Arabs have marched in protest -- and came amid heightened regional sectarian and ethnic tensions between the mainly Sunni Muslim Arab world and Shias who dominate Iraq and neighbouring, non-Arab Iran.
Maliki, who in an officially released video was seen signing the execution order in red ink, also had harsh words for international human rights groups who criticised the execution.
“I have to remind the international community and human rights groups where were they when the crimes of Anfal, Halabja, the mass graves and the executions took place?,” Maliki said referring to crimes against humanity that have been blamed on Saddam.
Wow! This guy has been busy today.
POL-IRAQ-MALIKI-ARMY
New Iraqi army will not attack others -- Maliki
(With photos) BAGHDAD, Jan 6 (KUNA) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Saturday that the new national army now being formed will not attack any of Iraq's neighbors.
The prime minister, who was speaking at the 86th anniversary of the birth of the army called on Iraq's neighboring states to help "curb any infiltration" to Iraq and vice versa.
Maliki said the entire area would not feel safe unless "security and safety are achieved in Iraq." He added that terrorist groups now operating in Iraq would spread their actions beyond the border.
He called for enrolling new recruits in the army on the basis of qualifications and "without discriminating against any groups." The army's make-up "is a reflection of the Iraqi society," he said.
He added that a government of national unity would be formed soon and would help reshuffle the armed forces to make them more effective.
The Iraqi army was dismantled by the first US-appointed governor of Iraq, Paul Bremer in 2003.
Meanwhile, a reliable source said efforts to form a strong Iraqi army were impaired by the US administration's insistence that such an Iraqi army should not have "heavy and sophisticated weapons' arsenal." In a related development, US army commander General William Caldwell said the Iraqi army would be better supplied with weapons in future than in previous years.
Maliki also said that a new plan for ensuring Baghdad's security was almost ready. The new blueprint was prepared on the basis of previous studies.
"We categorically oppose any attempt by the political parties to interfere in the blueprint's implementation," Maliki said.
Maliki also said that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's execution was a "domestic affair" and warned countries which have criticized the hanging that his government could review relations with them.
He added that Saddam had received a fair trial and that his execution on Dec. 30 was for the benefit of Iraq's unity. A clandestine video showing images of Shiite officials taunting Saddam on the gallows has angered his fellow Sunni Arabs and increased sectarian tension.
Maliki, who rushed through the execution of his former enemy four days after he lost an appeal, did not mention any country.
But his remarks came days after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, joining criticism from other Sunni Arab countries, said pictures of the hanging were "revolting and barbaric."(end) mag.
eh
KUNA 061527 Jan 07NNNN
From a Dealer Site, But I Figured it Post-Worthy
A question put before the Ministry of Finance, as the Minister stated previously on the need for (evaluating the Iraqi dinar) and called for its activation against the American dollar. Will the Iraqi parliament seek to lay the evaluation foundations of a new monetary unit all over again? Or will the dinar remain weak against the dollar? And to what level will the Iraqi economy deteriorate if its spinal column, represented by the dinar, can not withstand to be straight up any more? (Source)AlSabah
They didn't post the AlSabah link, but heres the whole article, dated Jan 5, 2007:
[URL="http://www.edinarfinancial.net/news/?quer=&nm=&ny=&nn=474"]
:new: My first post, been lurking for a bit on SGS recommendation when we were at the other place. Hey Susie! I have been saying prayers for your bro every day!
:ro_emote:
Thanks,
Tazman613