Archive for January, 2009
January 31st, 2009 at 04:08pm
Iraqis voted for provincial council members on Saturday in an election many hoped would be more inclusive of ethnic and tribal sects than the 2005 national elections widely boycotted by Sunnis and Sadrists. As the U.S. military presence in Iraq diminishes, the elections are seen by some as a test of Iraq’s ability to govern independently, maintain security gains, and build a governing coalition of diverse ethnic groups.
Elections occurred in 14 of the country’s 18 provinces, with over 14,000 candidates running for 440 seats. Unlike the elections in 2005, voters could select candidates individually and were not limited to selecting pre-made “lists” of candidates. President Nouri al-Maliki’s Dawa party is hoping to gain power in southern predominantly-Shiite provinces, four of which are currently controlled by followers of Moqtada al-Sadr.
Voting was postponed in three predominantly Kurdish provinces in the North until January, and indefinitely postponed in the province surrounding Kirkuk. Control of these regions is hotly contested between Arab, Kurdish and Yazidi groups that have been unable to reach a power-sharing agreement.
Security for the elections was extremely high, with driving prohibitions and more than 6,000 checkpoints throughout the country. No election-related deaths were reported during the day.
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January 30th, 2009 at 10:50pm
George Mitchell, President Obama’s top envoy to the Middle East, is currently on an eight-day “listening tour” of the region. Recently, he met with Israeli and Palestinian officials to discuss the cease-fire between Israeli soldiers and Hamas militants in Gaza. During the meeting, Mitchell told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that ”a sustainable and durable cease-fire” was necessary. He also expressed the “deep concern” of President Obama over ”the loss of Palestinian life and the humanitarian needs in Gaza.” Mitchell stressed that the objective of the United States was to create long-term peace. Israel is asking for international assistance in preventing Hamas militants from smuggling weapons into Gaza and firing rockets into Israel. This initial meeting with Mitchell is part of an effort by the Obama administration to help promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
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January 10th, 2009 at 03:23pm
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko signed a security charter last month that establishes enhanced cooperation between the United States and Ukraine on a broad range of issues. The Charter will bring a greater American military and diplomatic presence to the Crimea and Black Sea, and indicates gradual implementation of steps leading up to eventual NATO membership for Ukraine.
Both Secretary Rice and Foreign Minister Ohryzko emphasized the Charter’s objective of developing Ukraine’s status as a strategic partner of the United States and its European allies. By creating a more effective strategic partnership, the Charter will bring Ukraine closer to meeting the specifications for NATO candidacy articulated in last year’s Bucharest Summit Declaration of the NATO North Atlantic Council.
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January 10th, 2009 at 02:13pm
If Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan’s nomination as Solicitor General is successful, one of her first tasks will be the February 20th brief in an enemy combatant case, Al-Marri v. Pucciarelli, addressing the Bush Administration’s assertion that the President may order the military to seize legal residents of the United States and hold them indefinitely without charging them with a crime.
Ali Al-Marri is a Qatari student and legal U.S. resident who was arrested in Illinois in December 2001 for fraud. Upon receipt of information identifying him as a sleeper agent for Al Qaeda, those charges were dropped and he was transferred to military detention. The government is holding him without charges at the Navy brig in Charleston, S.C. Intelligence officials argue that Al-Marri is particularly dangerous, which makes deportation problematic, and charges may not be filed due to the potential involvement of torture in evidence gathering.
While Al-Marri’s continued detention is arguably legal as a result of post-September 11 congressional legislation, given the President-elect’s public statements against such detentions, the Obama Administration may find it a politically difficult position to maintain.
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January 10th, 2009 at 12:25am
The UN official responsible for refugees, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres, has declared that civilians who wish to flee fighting in the Gaza Strip must be allowed to pass across borders. Both parties should not deny access at their borders to anyone attempting to avoid the fighting. In addition, he called on both Israelis and Palestinians to abide by international humanitarian principles in all conduct.
A variety of organs of the UN have expressed increasing concern over the continuing violence in Gaza. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, in addition to Mr. Guterres, have pressed for an end to the fighting and for increased access for humanitarian aid workers and supplies.
Although humanitarian efforts through agencies like UNICEF and the World Food Programme are ongoing, the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen.
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January 8th, 2009 at 02:53pm
Addressing the Security Council on January 6, 2009, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, called for an immediate ceasefire. Ki-moon’s recommendations were made particularly in light of the deadly Israeli strike of a United Nations School where hundreds of Gazans had sought refuge. Referring to the damage caused to the United Nations Reliefs and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees for the Near East (UNRWA) run schools, he stated as follows: “These attacks by Israeli military forces which endanger UN facilities acting as places of refuge are totally unacceptable, and should not be repeated. Equally unacceptable are any actions by Hamas militants which endanger the Palestinian civilian population. Today’s events underscore the dangers inherent in the continuation and escalation of this conflict. I call once again for an immediate ceasefire.”
Ki-Moon also pointed out that earlier he had met the United States President, George W. Bush and explained to him the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire. The Secretary General announced that he would be traveling to Israel and Palestine next week, but that the ceasefire cannot wait until then. Emphasizing the gravity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza he observed: “Entire families have perished in the violence, including women and children, UN staff, and medical workers. There are no shelters for the vast majority of the civilian population. Food and fuel supplies are insufficient. A million people have no electricity. A quarter of a million have no running water.” Welcoming the French and Egyptian resolution for a ceasefire, he stated that third parties will have to play a major role in achieving and implementing any ceasefire and ensuring successful relief and reconstruction work in Gaza.
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