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Iraq Weekly Status Report

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Iraq Weekly Status Report UNCLASSIFIED January 3, 2008 D E P Iraq Weekly A R T Status Report M E N T O F January 3, 2008 S T Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs A US Department of State T E 1 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED January 3, 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS HIGHLIGHTS 3 D E POLITICAL P • Governance & Legislation 4 A • Provincial 5 R SECURITY T • Situation Update 7 M • Security Transition 8 E N ECONOMIC T • Economic & Government Capacity Update 10 • Oil 13 O • Electricity 18 F • Economic Indicators 19 DIPLOMATIC S • Political Engagement 22 T A • Coalition 23 T E Notes, Source Citations and Contact Information 24 2 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED January 3, 2008 HIGHLIGHTS • PM Maliki announced he is healthy after undergoing a medical check-up in D London due to exhaustion. (Political, page 4) E P • KRG President Barzani, Jalal Talabani, and Tariq al-Hashimi signed a “Letter of A Common Understanding” outlining a joint vision for a unified democratic Iraq and R a commitment to reconciliation. (Political, page 4) T • Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces killed or captured 51 al-Qaeda operatives in M December. (Security, page 7) E N • The Iraqi Military Academy at Rustamiyah graduated 229 newly-commissioned T officers for the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Air Force December 29. (Security, page 8) O • The GOI announced a cut-back of food rations. The Trade Ministry will keep five F necessary items, including flour, oil, rice, and infant milk. The GOI will also take steps to reduce the number of people depending on the government-run Public S Distribution System. (Economic, page 10) T • South Korea’s Parliament voted to extend the ROK’s deployment of troops to Iraq A through 2008. (Diplomatic, page 21) T E 3 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED January 3, 2008 POLITICAL - Governance & Legislation Maliki: I Am in Good Health: D • Maliki was flown to Britain for a medical check-up after suffering from exhaustion. In a New E Year’s address, Maliki said, "I would like to reassure everyone that I am in good health." Maliki P met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown January 3, and will return to Baghdad over the January A 5-6 weekend. R Iraqi Amnesty Bill Sent to Parliament: T • The GOI sent the parliament speaker a draft amnesty bill January 1, which could affect the M release of around 5,000 detainees from Iraqi prisons. The bill would not affect the 25,000 Iraqis E under detention by US Military forces, including former regime Baathists and prisoners charged N with terrorist activities. T Loyalists Commemorate Saddam Hussein’s Death: • A small crowd of Saddam Hussein loyalists gathered at the former Iraqi leader’s gravesite in O Awja, central Iraq, to commemorate the first anniversary of his hanging. Iraqi and U.S. security F forces were present to prevent any violence associated with the event, but none was reported. Shiites, who suffered under Hussein’s regime, celebrated the anniversary. Saddam Hussein S was found guilty of committing Crimes against Humanity and executed in December 2006. T Kurds, Iraqi Islamic Party Sign Agreement: A • KRG President Barzani, Jalal Talabani, and Tariq al-Hashimi signed a “Letter of Common T Understanding” outlining a joint vision for a unified democratic Iraq and a commitment to E reconciliation. The agreement establishes a mechanism to coordinate and exchange points of view between the parties. The agreement coincides with a critical letter which Iraqi Kurdish leaders recently sent to Maliki. 4 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED January 3, 2008 POLITICAL - Provincial KRG Succession in Question: D • Kurdish leaders continue to discuss whether to replace Nechervan Barzani as KRG E president when his term expires this year or extend his term. Under an agreement P between the PUK and KDP, a PUK candidate was set to replace him and party A official Kosrat Rasul was seen as the leading PUK candidate. Consideration is now R being given to extending Nechervan’s term—a move which President Talabani is T said to favor. M E GOI to Provide Aid to Kurdish Families: N • Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki authorized financial support for Kurdish families T having lost their homes due to Turkish air attacks on suspected PKK rebel sites in Northern Iraq. Maliki ordered the government December 30 to pay one million Iraqi O Dinars (about $830) to every Kurdish family displaced by the Turkish bombings, F although the number of families to receive aid has not been released. KRG Lawmakers Approve UNAMI Plan: S • The Kurdistan National Assembly gave its consent to UNAMI’s proposal to T spearhead a six-month effort to address outstanding issues related to Article 140 A and disputed territories. Press reports suggested that the approval was grudging: T lawmakers voiced displeasure that a referendum on Kirkuk and disputed territories E was not held by December 31 and blamed Baghdad authorities for the delay. The vote coincided with a visit by Ambassador Crocker to the KRG. 5 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED January 3, 2008 POLITICAL - Government of Iraq Coalition Affiliation President D United Iraq Alliance Deputy President Jalal Talabani Deputy President (F) = Female E Kurdistani Alliance Tariq al-Hashimi ‘Adil ‘Abd al-Mahdi * Vacant P Iraqi Accord Front Prime Minister A Iraqi National List Deputy Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Deputy Prime Minister R Other / Independent Barham Salih Salam al-Zawba’i T Minister of Displacement Minister of Minister of Minister of Minister of Culture Minister of Defense & Migration Electricity M Agriculture Communications Abdul Qadir Muhammed Muhammad Tawfiq Abd al-Samad Rahman Ali al-Bahadeli * Jasim al-Mufraji Karim Wahid E Allawi Sultan Minister of Minister of Minister of Higher N Minister of Finance Minister* of Foreign Minister of Health Education Environment Affairs Education TKhudayyir al-Khuza’i Narmin ‘Uthman (F) Bayan Jabr Hoshyar Zebari Saleh al-Hasnawi Abd Dhiyab al-Ajili Minister of Human Minister of Industry Minister of Minister of Housing & Minister of Labor & Minister of Justice O Rights & Minerals Interior Construction Social Affairs Mahmud Muhammad Wijdan Mikha’il (F) F Fawzi al-Hariri Jawad al-Bulani Safa al Safi (acting) Bayan Daza’I (F) Jawad al-Radi Minister of Minister of Science & Minister of Municipalities Minister of Minister of Oil Minister of Trade S Planning Technology & Public Works Transportation Husayn al- Abd al-Falah al- Ali Baban Ra’id Fahmi Jahid Riyad Ghurayyib * T Shahristani Sudani A Minister of Water Minister of Youth & Minister of State for Minister of State for Minister of State for National T Resources Sports Civil Society National Dialogue Affairs Security Affairs E ‘Abd al-Latif Rashid Jasim Muhammad Ja’far Wijdan Mikha’il (F) (acting) Akram al-Hakim Shirwan al-Waili Minister of State for CoR Minister of State for Minister of State for Minister of State for Minister of State for Affairs Foreign Affairs Governorates Affairs Tourism and Antiquities Women’s Affairs Safa al-Safi Fatin Abd al-Rahman Rafi Hiyad al-Isawi * * 6 Mahmud (F) UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED January 3, 2008 SECURITY - Situation Update Coalition Efforts against AQI: D • Brigadier General Kevin Bergner reported January 2 that in the month of December E 51 Al Qaeda operatives were killed or captured by Coalition and Iraqi Security P Forces. Of those captured there were: A • 8 regional, city and functional emirs; 9 cell leaders; 6 involved in media and R propaganda activities; 5 foreign terrorist facilitators; 7 vehicle bomb and T improvised explosive device facilitators; 16 other facilitators, such as religious M advisors, financiers, intelligence gatherers and weapons traffickers E N Iraqi Courts Prosecute Extremists: T • The Iraqi courts are prosecuting captured extremists. Iraqi judges in Iraqi courts found two AQI terrorists guilty of terrorism December 30. O F • Umar Wah-dallah Dod al-Zan-gana, also known as Abu Nur, had been AQI’s Military Emir of Baghdad and was involved in over 800 attacks against Iraqi S citizens and Iraqi Security and Coalition Forces. Abu Nur was also involved in the brutal deaths of four Russian diplomats and was the mastermind of the T attack on Sadr City in late 2006 that involved five suicide car bombs. A T • Khalid Abdul Fata Da’ud Mahmud al-Mashadani, also known as Abu Shu-hed, E was captured July 4. He was the senior Iraqi in the AQI organization and was al Qaeda’s overall Emir for Media and Propaganda activities in Iraq. 7 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED January 3, 2008 SECURITY - Security Transition Iraqi Military Academy Graduates New Officers: D • The Iraqi Military Academy at Rustamiyah graduated 229 newly-commissioned E officers for the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Air Force December 29. This class is the P second group to attend the one year program, which is broken into three 15-week A blocks. R • Out of the 229 graduates, 44 have been selected as pilot candidates and are T slotted to go into the Iraqi Air Force. These pilot candidates will return to the M academy for English language training before being sent to Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, E for flight school. N T Iraqi Ministry of Defense Hosts BEAR Grand Opening: • The Iraqi Ministry of Defense hosted the grand opening of the Budget, Execution, O Acquisition and Requirements (BEAR) – Operations Center at the Ministry of F Defense headquarters in Baghdad December 30. • The office also allows for a centrally managed internal Ministry of Defense budget S execution process for accountability of current contracts and Foreign Military Sales T cases. A • The Foreign Military Sales program manages government-to-government T purchases of weapons and other defense articles, defense services,
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