Mideast News Digest
Chalabi Reconstituting Iraq Secret Police with U.S. Okay
The New York Times reported on July 22 that, amidst U.S. pro-consul Paul Bremer's campaign to "de-Baathify" Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress (INC) is reconstituting Saddam Hussein's dreaded secret intelligence service, the Mukhabarat, with full backing from U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Chalabi's confederate, Abdelaziz Kubaisi, told Times reporters Bannerjee and Jehl that he has been rehiring the members of the Iran and Turkey branch of the Mukhabarat, on behalf of Rumsfeld, who wants Iraq's intelligence capability against Iran. Recruitment efforts began two months ago.
While Kubaisi tries to claim that his activities are aimed to reestablish this branch of Mukhabarat only after Iraq has its own government, the reporters vouch that the rehired intelligence officers are in fact working every day in a Baghdad buildingalthough they have yet to receive their first paycheck. Not only that, but Rumsfeld's representatives have expressed interest in the Syria branch of Mukhabarat as well.
The rehired Mukhabarat agents have been told that they will be working closely with the Muhajeddin-e Khalq (MEK) Iranian terrorists. This caused at least one veteran Mukhabarat officer to turn down the offer for his old job. Sabi al-Hamed, a Mukhabarat officer since 1976, said he had worked with the MEK during the Iran-Iraq war, and called them butchers, saying he had seen the bodies of the people they had executed.
The U.S. Army has turned policy 180 degrees on the MEK during this year's war: First bombing them seriously, then turning around to conclude a truce which would allow them to keep weapons, and then finally turning around again and demanding their capitulation and disarmament. Since then, there have been no reports, until this one.
Continued Turkish-U.S. Conflicts over Iraq
On July 18, Turkish Foreign Minister Gul denied reports, published in the Turkish daily Sabah, that Turkey and the U.S. have reached an agreement about pulling out Turkish troops from northern Iraq. "So long as the power vacuum in Iraq is not eliminated, and the terrorist activities in the region continue," he said, "Turkey's military forces will maintain their strong presence in northern part of Iraq." He added that if the terrorist groups ceased their attacks, "we too would pull out our forces immediately." The forces referred to are the PKK Kurdish terrorists, now called KADEK. Turkey has defended its military presence in the north, with the argument that it must fight terrorism. In reality, Turkey is also concerned about the growing Kurdish political and ethnic domination of the north, since the Iraq war, and fears a Kurdish state could emerge.
The U.S. wants Turkish troops out. The recent provocation, mounted when U.S. authorities arrested 11 Turkish soldiers, was one clear sign of growing tensions. Now it appears the U.S. is saying it will fight the terrorists. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson told the mass-circulation Turkish daily Hurriyet that the United States is determined to purge northern Iraq of PKK militants. "We want no threat to Turkey from the PKK to remain in Iraq," Pearson was quoted as saying July 20. "They will either surrender or face the alternative of not doing so.... The alternative is the use of military force. They are Turkish citizens, not Iraqis. They should return home, to Turkey," he added.
AFP commented: "Turkish officials believe that up to 5,000 rebels have found refuge in mountainous northern Iraq, which is run by their Iraqi kinsmen. Turkish troops have been based in the region since 1997 to hunt for the rebels. Observers here believe that Washington would like to see an end to the Turkish military presence in northern Iraq."
Paradoxically, the U.S. has been simultaneously pressing for Turkey to commit troops to the U.S.-led occupationunder American command. Turkey has responded with a series of conditionsincluding a Turkish deputy commander and deputy civilian coordinator for the overall occupationwhich are sure to be rejected outright by the Bush Administration.
U.S.-Anglo Dutch Consortium Wins Spoils of War
U.S.A Today reported on July 21 that it was to be announced that BearingPoint, Inc. would be given the U.S. AID contract to run the Iraqi economy. This U.S. AID contract provides for BearingPoint to "create a budget, write business laws, collect taxes," and set trade and customs rules for Iraq. Moreover it is to privatize all Iraqi state-owned enterprises by auctioning them off. The normally sovereign authority to create currency and set exchange rates will also be assumed by BearingPoint. To re-open banks and kick-start small businesses, BearingPoint is expected to enlist J.P. Morgan, Citigroup, and Bank of America as subcontractors to aid in providing start up loans.
BearingPoint was formerly known as KPMG Consulting, which in 2000 split off from KPMG, one of the big accounting firmsthe result of a merger between Peat Marwick and a Dutch firm. Overall, KPMG is the combination of U.S.-Anglo-Dutch accounting firms, and BearingPoint retains that outlook. Today BearingPoint lists among its 2,100 client organizations: "all 14 Cabinet-level department of the U.S. Federal government"; nine of the top 10 global wireless carriers; the top five Fortune 100 diversified financial companies; and "all of the software, electronics, and pharmaceutical companies in the Fortune 100."
Saudi Arabia To Convene Arab Summit on Iraq
Arabic News reported July 21 that Saudi Arabia hopes to convene an Arab meeting on Iraq. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal reported the plan during his visit to Cairo on July 21. He reported that Saudi Arabia will make contacts with the Arab states in order "to convene a meeting on Iraq and discuss the future of Iraq, and the future of the Arab group after what happened in Iraq." He also announced that there will be no representation office for the [Coalition-created] Iraqi Governing Council on Saudi territories, as diplomatic representation should follow the establishment of a legitimate government in Baghdad. The Foreign Minister delivered a message from Crown Prince Abdullah to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, during his visit.
EU, Iran Spar over IAEA Nuclear Protocol
The Iranian government is considering signing an enhanced International Atomic Energy Agency inspection protocol, under growing pressure from the European Union. The Iranian Foreign Minister Kharraz said, in Pretoria July 21, "The leaders of Iran will decide on signing this document" after listening to experts from the IAEA it has invited to visit Tehran. On July 21, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said in Tehran that "for the moment, the question of signing the additional protocol is not on the agenda," but European foreign ministers meeting in Brussels that day upped the pressure on Iran, calling for its "urgent and unconditional acceptance" of the protocol. "We have been cooperating with the IAEA, so there should not be concern from the European foreign ministers," said Kharraz. "We have asked the IAEA to send a team of legal experts to brief us on different aspects of the new protocol, known as 93+2. They will prepare a document for our leaders to study and decide whether Iran will sign this protocol or not. At this stage we hope that in the next few days the legal experts will arrive to brief us. Let us see what happens then. The leaders of Iran will decide on signing this document."
The European ministers expressed "increasing concern" over Iran's nuclear program and warned that the EU would review relations with Tehran unless it cooperated fully with the IAEA. "Progress in economic and political relations with Iran should be evaluated in parallel," the text said, adding that the EU expects Iran to "show full transparency and cooperate fully with IAEA." "More intense economic relations can be achieved only if progress is reached in the four areas of concern, namely, human rights, terrorism, non-proliferation and the Middle East peace process," the statement added.
The ministers "decided to review future steps of the cooperation between the EU and Iran in September," adding that their next moves would hinge on a report by the director general of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei.
Israeli Police Arrest Jewish Terrorist
The Israeli paper Ha'aretz reported July 21 on the arrest of a leading Jewish terrorist in Hebron. Now police have announced that Yitzhak Paz was part of the terror cell that is accused of planting a powerful bomb in front of a Palestinian girls school in East Jerusalem in April 2002. It is believed that Paz paid for the purchase of the two gas containers that were part of the bomb. His motivation was reportedly to take revenge for the death of his infant daughter, who was killed in 2001.
Ha'aretz reports that Shin Beth, the Israeli domestic intelligence agency, is investigating Jewish terrorists "responsible for a series of shooting attacks that have left at least seven Palestinians dead and 19 wounded," and "responsible for planting explosive devices in Palestinian schools and the wounding of 11 people."
The terror cell that Paz was part of is "Bar Ayin," and includes Orthodox Jews from the Gush Etzion bloc of settlements.
Sharon To Visit India in September
The Indian paper The Dawn announced on July 21 that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will visit New Delhi in September, ostensibly to discuss counter-terrorism and defense cooperation between the two countries. Sharon was scheduled to visit India in early June, but rescheduled the trip because of the Israeli-Palestinian talks initiated by Washington.
On the other hand, the visit indicates the increasing closeness of relations between India and Israel. In Washington, on the evening of July 18, the U.S.-based Indians had a big meeting with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the official Israel lobby. Congressman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), the frontman for the India-Israel relations in the United States, said categorically that it is their effort within the United States which cleared the way for India to receive Falcon radars from Israel, for their bombers.
Peres Calls for Jerusalem To Be a World Capital
Ha'aretz reported July 28 that Israeli Labor Party head Shimon Peres suggests declaring Jerusalem's Holy Sites a world capital. Speaking before a group of visiting Russian student-diplomats, Peres suggested resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the holy sites in Jerusalem by putting them under the control of the United Nations. He said the holy sites in the old city should be declared sacred to the Jews, Christians, and Muslims and become a "world capital," with the United Nations Secretary General serving as Mayor. Lyndon LaRouche commented that this is an interesting development, not inconsistent with prior policies of the Labor-Zionist group in Israel.
Sharon Scrambles To Counter Abbas-Bush Meeting
On July 25, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced a series of actions aimed at giving the surface appearance of cooperation with the Road Map for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The announcement was made the day that President George Bush was meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas/Abu Mazen, in the first Bush White House meeting with the Palestinian Authority leader. Last month, Bush had met with the PA Finance Minister, in the first Cabinet-level meeting with Palestinians by the President since he took office in January 2001. Sharon announced: 1) The release of several hundred Palestinian prisoners, of whom there are an estimated 6,000; 2) Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered an overall review of checkpoints in "Judea and Samaria," but, so far, there is only a commitment to remove three of 169 checkpoints in the West Bank; 4) Transfer of security responsibility for two additional cities in "Judea and Samaria" on a decision to be made at the end of the month by Mofaz and the PA Security Chief Muhammad Dahlan; 5) Dismantling of "unauthorized outposts": 6) Increase the number of Palestinian work permits by 2,500 in the West Bank and 1,000 in Gaza for a total of 8,500; 7) Israel will transfer NIS 72 million to the PA from funds collected by the Airports Authority; 8) Continued negotiations for joint industrial zones; and, 9) Close work between the recently established joint committees.
These concessions enabled Bush to point to Sharon as also working for peace, during his Rose Garden press conference with the Palestinian Prime Minister.
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