Iraqi Presidency Endorses Execution of ‘Chemical Ali’

Friday , February 29, 2008

Baghdad

Iraq’s presidency endorsed the execution within 30 days of Saddam Hussein’s cousin, known as “Chemical Ali,” who was sentenced to death for his role in the 1980s scorched-earth campaign against Kurds, officials said Friday.The approval by Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani and two vice presidents was the final step clearing the way for Ali Hassan al-Majid’s execution by hanging. It could now be carried out at any time, a government adviser and a prosecutor said.

Al-Majid was one of three former Saddam officials sentenced to death in June after being convicted by an Iraqi court of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for their part in the Operation Anfal crackdown that killed nearly 200,000 Kurdish civilians and guerrillas.

The officials said the three-member presidential council agreed to al-Majid’s execution, but did not approve the death sentences against the other two — Hussein Rashid Mohammed, an ex-deputy director of operations for the Iraqi armed forces, and former defense minister Sultan Hashim al-Taie.

The men’s fate had been in legal limbo since this summer and the decision could represent a compromise to ease Sunni objections to executing al-Taie, widely viewed as a respected career soldier who was forced to follow Saddam’s orders in the purges against Kurds.

Al-Majid would be the fifth former regime official hanged for alleged atrocities against Iraqis during Saddam’s nearly three-decades rule.

Saddam, who also had been a defendant in the so-called Anfal trial, was hanged Dec. 30, 2006, for ordering the killings of more than 140 Shiite Muslims from the Iraqi city of Dujail following a 1982 assassination attempt against him.

A government adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information, said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and U.S. officials had been informed of the decision by phone and a meeting was planned to decide when and where the execution should take place.

A senior U.S. military official said the military was aware the order had been signed, and that the date for the execution would be determined by the Iraqi government.

The other two men remain in U.S. custody but are under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi government, the official said, declining to be identified ahead of an official announcement.

Prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi, who said he had received word of the decision from the presidential council, said there was a legal basis for the execution of “Chemical Ali” but not of the other two.

He said no law existed that could force the presidential council to endorse the execution of all three, so it had the prerogative to just sign off on one of the orders.

An appeals court upheld the verdicts against the three in September. Under Iraqi law the executions were to have taken place within a month. But they were put on hold after Sunni leaders including Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi launched a campaign to spare the life of al-Taie.

President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, had also refused to sign the order against al-Taie, a Sunni Arab from the northern city of Mosul who signed the cease-fire with U.S.-led forces that ended the 1991 Gulf War.

Al-Taie surrendered to U.S. forces in September 2003 after weeks of negotiations. His defense has claimed the Americans had promised al-Tai “protection and good treatment” before he turned himself in.

Many Sunni Arabs saw his sentence as evidence that Shiite and Kurdish officials are persecuting their once-dominant minority and as a sign of Shiite influence over the judiciary, raising concerns the executions could ignite retaliatory sectarian attacks.

The case also strained relations between al-Maliki’s Shiite-led government and U.S. officials. In late November, the Shiite prime minister asked U.S. President George W. Bush to hand over “Chemical Ali” and the other two former regime officials.

The officials said al-Hashemi had refused to agree to the executions of the other two because he considered them career soldiers following orders.

There have been little calls for leniency, however, regarding al-Majid, nicknamed “Chemical Ali” for ordering poison gas attacks that killed thousands.

Besides Saddam, his half brother and former intelligence chief Barzan Ibrahim, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former head of Iraq’s Revolutionary Court — were hanged in January 2007, prompting criticism from human rights groups.

Saddam’s former vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, had been sentenced to life in prison for his role in Dujail but was executed in March after the court decided this was too lenient. Three other defendants were sentenced to 15 years in jail in the Dujail case, while one was acquitted.

Commentary — More messengers of caring needed

by Scott Thompson, Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, March 15, 2007 3:18 PM CDT
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When used properly, compassion can be a highly effective weapon.

Recently, the national spotlight found its way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where reports on conditions there have been, shall we say, less than favorable.

We’ll leave that debate in the rear-view for now. What it indicates, at the least, is that a deeper support system is needed for our returning Soldiers, all of whom deserve and require the best care this nation can provide.

Numerous organizations spend their time and manpower filling these needs and two in particular have recently made their presence known at Fort Leavenworth: Operation Iraqi Children and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Both not-for-profit organizations strive to spread messages of care and compassion. Although the recipients of their generous efforts differ, their message of loving-kindness permeates all involved.

Since opening operations in 2004, OIC has shipped 300,000 kits filled with school supplies to Iraqi schoolchildren. Since being founded in 2002, the WWP has delivered more than 6,000 WWP backpacks and transitional care packs to wounded Soldiers recovering at Department of Defense hospitals throughout the world.

These numbers are significant, and they are to be commended. But they are not as commendable as the effort and the intent that is at the heart of the programs.

In a letter posted on OIC’s Web site, a letter from Staff Sgt. Raymond Knapp puts a human perspective on the program. More than 25 schools lie within Knapp’s battalion base defense area. He estimates that more than 2,000 children have been directly helped by OIC donations in his battalion’s area.

“Nothing can beat the feeling of goodwill when a young Soldier hands a packet of school supplies to a needy Iraqi kid,” Knapp wrote in the Dec. 27, 2006, letter. “Your work and ours has a positive effect in helping the people and more than likely saves Soldiers lives.”

The Soldiers use the school supply kits to influence the local community and build relationships within the local villages. For an American school child, the gift of such a packet might be overlooked. Cardboard folders, pencils and erasers don’t often inspire excitement in American children.

The Iraqi child, however, sees these items differently. When armed American Soldiers use compassion instead of force, the message translates from one of aggression to one of protection and care. Communication lines are opened and the environment becomes safer. A simple act of giving begets kindness, which in turn begets more kindness.

This is but one lesson outlined in Counterinsurgency field manual, FM 3-24.

The WWP helps injured service members who are returning from military conflicts transition back to their civilian lives. Raising public awareness and enlisting the public’s help for these Soldiers’ needs is one means to this goal, as is providing a network for injured Soldiers to communicate.

The WWP distributes backpacks filled with items a Soldier needs: clothes, a calling card, CD player and personal necessities.

In a letter posted on the WWP Web site, a wounded Soldier’s mother from North Carolina expressed her gratitude to the WWP for their efforts.

“Had it not been for your program, he would have arrived stateside with only a T-shirt, jogging pants and a pair of socks,” she said in the letter. “You are angels here on Earth.”

Recently, Fort Leavenworth’s TRADOC Analysis Center raised more than $5,000 for the WWP during a fund-raiser.

That money is important, but not as important as the feeling in which it is rooted. Tangible benefits will materialize because of the money, but the sentiment behind it is paramount.

Knowing that people care is something Lt. Col. John Hughes underlined as a vital component to the healing process. Hughes spent time at Walter Reed after suffering injuries sustained while serving in Iraq after the humvee he was riding in crashed into a concrete barrier while trying to avoid an improvised explosive device.

While in the District of Columbia, he befriended Soldiers who needed a friend and was befriended by others who sought to reach out. The outreach developed bonds built on common experiences, aided in the healing process and raised the spirits of all involved. The medical care they receive is vitally important, but nothing can replace a friend with a caring ear.

This is the message that OIC is delivering, one package at a time in Iraq. And it is the message that the wounded Soldier receives each time he or she receives a visit from a caring friend at hospitals throughout the world.

We need more messengers of compassion. To get involved with Operation Iraqi Children, visit www.operationiraqichildren.org. To get involved with the Wounded Warrior Project, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org. More ways to make a difference can be found at www.americasupportsyou.com.

“American Chopper” auction to benefit Intrepid Fallen Heroes FundNew York, NY – March 31, 2005 - In an act of great generosity and caring, Paul Sr. and Paulie, the stars of today’s hottest cable television show, American Chopper, are gearing up to auction off 2 sensational bikes, which will be the heart of items to be featured at the “Orange County Choppers Support Our Troops” auction to be held on Friday, May 6, 2005 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Manhattan’s West Side. Guernsey’s, the auction house known as a leader in bringing the unprecedented and unique to sale, will be conducting the auction. American Chopper can be seen on Mondays at 10PM (ET/PT) on the Discovery Channel.

Choppers, motorcycles built from scratch, are outrageous works of art that are bent, hammered, welded, painted and polished, and truly customized to some of the baddest steel that’s ever roared down the road on two wheels. The proceeds from the sale of these bikes, and many other items consigned by Orange County Choppers, will be directed towards the families of our troops who have been seriously wounded or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. More specifically, the charities are the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides unrestricted grants for the families of soldiers recently killed in action, and the Fisher House Foundation, a home away from home for families of seriously wounded soldiers being treated in military hospitals. The auction will be held on the deck of the USS Intrepid, the venerable former aircraft carrier turned museum that is berthed on the mighty Hudson River. The USS Intrepid now serves as a lasting memorial to those who sacrificed their lives for our country and makes for an ideal setting for this unparalleled auction.

The sudden popularity of the American Chopper series and the almost legendary status achieved by the family of fellows who run Orange County Choppers – has been nothing short of phenomenal. The covers of national magazines, AOL commercials during the Super Bowl, appearances in front of six figure-sized audiences at venues including New York City’s Javits Center and Daytona Bike Week, have made the Teutul family household names. They have garnered worldwide praise and recognition for their choppers and have built bikes for their celebrity friends and fans such as Jay Leno (which the OCC presented to him on The Tonight Show), Lance Armstrong, Davis Love III, Wyclef Jean (who purchased the Spider bike), among many others. Indeed, each time Paul Sr., Paulie and Mikey appear publicly with some of their wild creations record-setting audiences show up.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for a national audience, who have grown to love American Chopper and the colorful Teutul family, to acquire an extraordinary piece of pop culture, while at the same time supporting our troops,” said Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey’s.

“It’s really a great privilege for us to be part of this event and help raise funds to support our troops,” Paul Sr. said. “Building bikes for this auction is just a way to give back to the men and women who have given this country their all.”

With additional items such as new Toyota Prius donated by the Tri-State Toyota Marketing Associations plus some of the biggest and most exciting memorabilia from celebrities across the worlds of sports, feature films, and popular music, as well as NASCAR and the Professional Golfers Association, the “Orange County Choppers Support Our Troops” auctions promises to deliver a thrilling ride for all auction participants. The guys from the Orange County Choppers will also kick in fenders, frames, handlebars and sissy bars and other accessories that were once part of original concepts for the bikes featured on their program but had to be swapped out for one reason or another.

The construction of the two custom-built choppers to be featured in the auction will be documented in two episodes of American Chopper, airing on the Discovery Channel. Auction previews will be held on Wednesday, May 4 and Thursday, May 5, 2005 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum [12th Avenue at 46th Street]. Those interested in participating in this unprecedented auction by donating items of substance to be auctioned side-by-side with items from the Orange County Choppers, please contact Guernsey’s at 212-794-2280. All items donated will only help to further the cause to support our troops through the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and Fisher House Foundation.

To donate items of significance or for more information, please contact
Guernsey’s at 212-794-2280 or visit our website at www.guernseys.com.

Iraq’s oil exports register 6 per cent increase in January from December

2 days ago

BAGHDAD - Iraq’s crude oil exports in January inched up to 59.6 million barrels, a six per cent increase from the previous month, the Oil Ministry said Tuesday.

Iraq’s average production was 2.4 million barrels per day in January while exports stood at an average of 1.92 million barrels per day, the ministry’s figures showed. December’s exports averaged 1.81 million barrels per day.

But there was still an enormous difference in output between the southern port of Basra, which exported an average of 1.54 million barrels daily, and the northern city of Kirkuk, which exported nearly 380,000 barrels per day.

The exports sold at an average price of US$80 a barrel in January and grossed a total of US$4.813 billion in January - a 2.6 per cent increase from December’s revenues which stood at US$4.689 billion.

Iraq’s oil exports rose 9.2 per cent last year, largely because improved security allowed oil shipments through a key northern pipeline from the Kirkuk oil fields to Turkey’s Ceyhan terminal on the Mediterranean Sea.

The pipeline, which was often halted in past years due to sabotage, is now pumping more than 300,000 barrels per day.

Total oil exports in 2007 reached nearly 600 million barrels, an average of 1.6 million per day. More the vast majority of the oil was exported from Basra, while nearly 40 million barrels were exported from the north.

In dire need of expertise from international oil companies to achieve Oil Ministry’s target of three million barrels per day by the end of 2008, Iraq decided to rely on a Saddam Hussein-era law until Parliament approves a new oil law to regulate the international oil companies’ work and share Iraq’s oil resources among the country’s Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.

More than 70 international firms met the ministry’s deadline of Feb. 18 and registered to compete for tenders to help develop Iraq’s oil reserves, seen as vital to providing the funds to rebuild the shattered country.

Iraq has not said what fields it will tender, or on what terms, but the service and extraction contracts on offer are seen as a stopgap until the oil law is passed, and will not provide the long-term involvement big oil companies want.

Fewer Bodies on the Ground
If peace flowers in Iraq, but no one’s there to report on it, is it still news?

By Pete Hegseth

American Air Base, Kuwait — On September 30, I wrote a piece for National Review Online called The Sounds of Silence which pointed out that the mainstream media’s coverage of events in Iraq had dropped off significantly.

As dishonest as this silence is, it’s still better than the public statements of the Democratic leadership in Congress, who persist in spreading the false narrative of inevitable defeat in Iraq. Senator Harry Reid, for instance, continues to poison public opinion with inaccurate descriptions of al-Qaeda’s growing strength — months after the surge’s success had become widely reported and recognized. Apparently, Reid never got the memo.

The media, en masse, will cover major events like General Petraeus’s testimony in September, and historic benchmarks like the one-year anniversary of the surge. But this is only periodic coverage; bombings and attacks win consistent coverage. Even in our interconnected world, without a body on the ground to report on the slow, steady, mundane progress we’re making, good news won’t make the news. Only dead bodies on the ground are front-page material.

Not a groundbreaking revelation, but a relevant one. The motto of the PAO section here in Kuwait is “Public Opinion Wins War” — and they’re mostly right. Soldiers and Marines on the front lines win wars, but they can’t do so without the support of their fellow citizens. To maintain that support, they need someone to tell their story.

NR editor Rich Lowry helped do just that in his recent report from Hamada. Now I hope to hitch a ride to Baghdad in a few hours, to do my part.

— Captain Pete Hegseth, who served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division from 2005 to 2006, is executive director of  Vets for Freedom.  He’s back in Iraq for the next week to cover the surge for NRO.

Iraqi to Return Home, As a U.S. Soldier

By CLARKE CANFIELD – 3 days ago

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Safaa Wadi moved to this former mill city after his life was threatened in his native Iraq while serving as an interpreter for the U.S. Army. He expects to soon head back to Iraq — not as a civilian interpreter, but as a U.S. soldier.

Wadi arrived in the United States in September with a special immigrant visa for Iraqi and Afghan interpreters. But with his savings nearly depleted and unable to land a decent job, Wadi enlisted in the Army. He begins training in South Carolina on Monday.

Wadi isn’t worried about returning to Iraq, where many of his countrymen considered him a traitor because he worked with American forces. His allegiance is now to the United States, he says.

“I want to serve this country because this country returned to me my life,” Wadi said. “If I had stayed in Iraq, I’d be dead now.”

In the modest two-bedroom apartment Wadi shares with three other Iraqi immigrants, the walls are bare except for photos taken in the Iraq desert of him and other interpreters with U.S. soldiers, all dressed in military fatigues. He points to a fellow Iraqi interpreter who is smiling for the camera — “He was killed,” he said.

Iraqi interpreters working for U.S. forces often face grave danger. They receive instant messages on their cell phones threatening harm to them or their families. Some of their cars get blown up. Some get shot. Some are killed.

The United States responded by increasing from 50 to 500 the annual number of interpreters from Iraq and Afghanistan who were allowed to immigrate here in the last two fiscal years. Wadi jumped at the chance, becoming one of 1,880 applicants for the slots, immigration officials say.

Through the program, he and 13 others have moved to Lewiston and neighboring Auburn, ready to live the American dream. For many, though, the realities of life in the U.S. have fallen short of their hopes.

The men — some single, others married with children — have had a hard time finding work. There’s no market here for Arab interpreters, so they’re learning to write resumes, network with potential employers and apply for other jobs.

Nationwide, hundreds of interpreters who worked as engineers, bankers, doctors, teachers and other professions are having a tough go of it, said Francie Genz, outreach coordinator with Upwardly Global. The San Francisco-based nonprofit helps professionals re-establish themselves in the U.S.

Some of the immigrants face a daunting choice: stay in America and work low-wage jobs at fast-food restaurants or warehouses, or return to Iraq for high-paying — but dangerous — jobs as interpreters for military contractors.

“It’s kind of a shameful predicament that that’s their choice,” Genz said.

On a snowy February day in Lewiston, the 28-year-old Wadi speaks in fluent English about life in Lewiston, where he lives in a run-down tenement house.

Wearing a Boston Red Sox cap, a Nike workout outfit and New Balance athletic shoes, he mentions that he likes shopping at Wal-Mart and Staples. Reality cop shows and “Deal or No Deal” are among his favorites on TV. He likes country music, especially Johnny Cash.

He shares an apartment with three other men in their 20s — Khalid, Majid and Sattar, who don’t want their full names published out of fear for their families back home.

Few people in Iraq know they are in the U.S., they say. Instead, people in Iraq think they are attending school or working jobs in India, Egypt, Sweden, Canada or elsewhere.

In Iraq, they studied at the university level and owned homes and cars. Here, they can’t find jobs, share cramped apartments and have trouble getting around because public transit is minimal.

One of Wadi’s housemates, Majid, has found a job at a visa processing center in New Hampshire. The pay is low, but it’s a start, he says.

Two other Iraqis who live in Auburn, across the Androscoggin River, got jobs at a sauce-processing plant. But they were let go a week later when they were late for work because their taxi was delayed by a snowstorm.

Even with such obstacles, they’ve resisted the temptation to return to Iraq as interpreters. It’s just not safe, they say.

One of the interpreters who moved to Maine survived a sniper attack while driving in Iraq, but a fellow interpreter in the passenger seat wasn’t so lucky.

Wadi decided last summer the time had come to leave Iraq. Now he says the time has come to put on a uniform. In a matter of days, he’ll be Army Specialist Wadi. “I think I’m the first guy to do this,” he said.

Upwardly Global and an Army spokeswoman said they weren’t aware of any other Iraqi interpreters joining the Army. But they would be welcome to do so because enlisting would give them good benefits and put them on the path toward U.S. citizenship while filling a need for the Army, Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb said.

Wadi expects to be used as an interpreter again when he returns to Iraq. He plans to put in four years in the military.

“After the Army,” he said, “I hope to go to an American university, get a job and be a productive citizen.”

Baghdad business expo marks milestone for Iraq
Nation’s firms display products but still must rely on heavy security

By LIZ SLY
Chicago Tribune

BAGHDAD — The last time organizers tried to stage a business convention in Baghdad, it had to be called off in a hurry because a mortar round exploded near the venue shortly before it was set to open.

That was in April 2004, just as Iraq was beginning its descent into chaos. The idea of staging a business event at any point since then has been unthinkable.

So the fact that the first Baghdad Business-to-Business Expo went ahead at all last weekend marks something of a milestone in Iraq’s struggle to return to normalcy. Some 260 companies, most of them Iraqi, booked stands at the show, at the heavily guarded Rasheed Hotel inside the fortified Green Zone.

It wasn’t exactly a normal business convention. Among the products on display were a $250,000 armored personnel carrier designed by a South African company for use in Iraq, and an $8,000 hand-held device made in the U.S. that alerts its owner to the presence of explosives nearby.

Body searches, X-ray

To reach the hotel, visitors had to pass through 10 different checkpoints, submitting to several body searches, a full body X-ray and a bomb-sniffing dog. It took four days for the display merchandise to be cleared by the U.S. military and transported into the zone.Nonetheless, organizers hoped the convention will send the message that Baghdad is now safer and open for business.

“This year will be the year that we will significantly improve business activity in Baghdad,” predicted Raad Ommar, head of the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which hosted the event.

The show’s slogan, “Buy Iraqi First,” illustrated how much expectations have been lowered since the first attempt to organize the event in 2004. Then, the goal was to promote foreign investment in Iraq, and dozens of international companies were due to attend.

This time, the stands were occupied mostly by Iraqi firms seeking markets for their goods. The State Company for Food Industry was there, promoting an Iraqi cola called Yaffa, as was the State Company for Tobacco and Cigarettes displaying Iraqi-made Sumer cigarettes.

Iraqi businesses have been hard hit by the five years of turmoil since the U.S. invasion, and not only because of the violence.

The collapse of Saddam Hussein’s quasi-socialist regime and the lifting of 12 years of sanctions brought imports flooding into the country, many of them cheaper than locally made goods.

The state-owned Modern Paint Industries Co. has seen its production fall to 10 percent of prewar levels because of competition from imports and because the government withdrew the support it used to offer, said General Manager Hassan Shandal, who was hoping to alert companies involved in reconstruction projects to the existence of Iraqi paint.

“Under Saddam, the government used to force all the ministries to buy our paint. Even in the military it was compulsory for all units to buy from us. Now, not even one ministry buys from us,” he said. “It’s a free market now.”

‘Year of Reconstruction’

Iraq also had a vibrant private sector that has been decimated by the post-invasion violence. About 75 percent of the 10,500 businessmen registered with the Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce have fled the country, according to Ommar. “They’re the ones who’ve got the money,” he said. “Some have invested their money in neighboring countries.”The Iraqi government has declared 2008 the “Year of Reconstruction,” and the U.S. military hopes to encourage firms engaged in reconstruction to buy Iraqi products, as a way of kick-starting the Iraqi economy.

Security remains a problem, Ommar concedes, but he believes Baghdad is not as dangerous as it seems.

And after five years of devastation, the city is ripe for a takeoff, he said. “It’s a matter of changing perceptions,” he said. “Baghdad could boom just like that, overnight. It wouldn’t take much.”