INSTITUT KURDDE PARIS E

Information and liaison bulletin

N°261 DECEMBER 2006 La publication de ce Bulletin bénéficie de subventions du Ministère français des Affaires étrangères (DGCID) et du Fonds d’action et de soutien pour l’intégration et la lutte contre les discriminations (FASILD) ————— Ce bulletin paraît en français et anglais

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Périodique mensuel Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN

Numéro de la Commission Paritaire : 659 13 A.S. ISBN 0761 1285

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Bulletin 261 (Dec. 06)

Contents: • EXECUTED BEFORE BEING TRIED FOR HIS MASS CRIMES IN . • THE BAKER-HAMILTON REPORT ON : REJECTED BY BOTH THE KURDS AND THE SHIITES. • IRAQI KURDISTAN: A PROVISIONAL AGREEMENT WITH ALLOWS NEGOTIATION OF CONTRACTS WITH FOREIGN INVESTORS. • -E.U.: FREEZE OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH ANKARA, WHICH REFUSES TO NORMALISE ITS RELATIONS WITH NICOSIA. • TEHERAN: THE FIRST ELECTORAL SETBACK FOR MAHMUD AHMEDINJAD. • GEORGE BUSH CONSULTS WITH THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT’S COALITION PARTNERS TO FORM A MODERATE BLOCK WHILE THE PRIME MINISTER LAUNCHES A NATIONAL RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE IN BAGHDAD. • TONY BLAIR VISITS ANKARA AND BAGHDAD. • A DIPLOMATIC BALLET IN THE AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF POLITICALLY REHABILITATING DAMASCUS AND TEHERAN. • THE NUMBER OF IRAQI CIVILIAN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE REACHES AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL IN DECEMBER. • STRASBOURG: THE EUROPEAN HUMAN RIGHTS COURT FINDS ANKARA GUILTY OF THE MURDER OF THE KURDISH PLAYWRIGHT, MUSA ANTER, AND OF VIOLATIONS OF THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION OF KURDISH JOURNALISTS AND BUSINESSMEN. • READ IN THE TURKISH PRESS: THE REPORT OF THE OF THE TURKISH FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH (TESEV) REGARDING THE FORCED DISPLACEMENT OF KURDS. • AS WELL AS …

SADDAM HUSSEIN EXECUTED BEFORE BEING TRIED the Iraqi former dictator’s FOR HIS MASS CRIMES IN KURDISTAN gave rise to a diversity of reactions both in Iraq and abroad. It all t dawn on 30 December, took place just before 6.00 a.m. happened as if Prime Minister three years after being (3.00 a.m. GMT). A private Maliki wanted to fulfil his promise captured in a “rat hole” television later broadcast stealthily to finish with Saddam Hussein A in his native region of take pictures of his body, with a before the end of the year. His Tikrit, Saddam Hussein broken neck, in a bloodied white subordinates must have worked was executed by hanging. Iraqi shroud. The execution of his two frantically to carry out, in record television broadcast pictures, co-accused, his half-brother, time, all the administrative showing him () with his hands tied Barzan al-Tikriti, former head of formalities required and get round behind his back, refusing to be the Intelligence Services, and President Jalal Talabani’s blindfolded, pushed to the gallows Awad al-Bandar, former president opposition to the death sentence. by two masked hangmen who put of the Revolutionary Court, was the rope round his neck. The postponed at the last moment. The timetable and circumstances of broadcast stopped short of the Iraqi former dictator’s hanging showing the hanging itself, which The timetable and circumstances of gave rise to a diversity of reactions

• 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 261 • December 2006 both in Iraq and abroad. It all Massud Barzani, took note of the communiqué. Saddam Hussein happened as if Prime Minister hanging while recalling the “has paid”, the British government Maliki wanted to fulfil his promise importance of continuing the Anfal considered, while still reaffirming to finish with Saddam Hussein proceedings, in which the former its opposition to the death before the end of the year. His president was being tried for sentence, while the French Foreign subordinates must have worked genocide against the Kurds. “We Ministry “took note” of the frantically to carry out, in record hope that the execution of Saddam execution and called on the Iraqis time, all the administrative Hussein will open a new chapter in to “work towards reconciliation and formalities required and get round Iraq’s history and that it will mark the national unity”. The Finnish President Jalal Talabani’s end of the use of force and violence presidency of the European Union, opposition to the death sentence. against civilians” declared Massud states it has always been against While considering that they could Barzani, in a communiqué dated 30 capital punishment, considered not, in the place of the families of December. “It is important that this that the execution “could also turn hundreds of thousands of victims, execution should not be an excuse for out to become the carrier of future pardon Saddam Hussein, the not revealing the extent of the crimes divisions in Iraq”. The execution Kurdish leaders would have liked committed during the Halabja and was also seen as a “new tragedy” in the tyrant to be tried for his mass Anfal operations, as well as the the Vatican, which is opposed to crimes and be sentenced to life massacre of thousands of Kurds and of capital punishment, as well as the imprisonment at the end of these members of the Barzani clan”, the Council of Europe, that considers trials. President of autonomous that Iraq had missed an Kurdistan nevertheless qualified. opportunity “to rejoin the civilised Finally, recalling the fear that the world”. The Russian Foreign Baathists might kidnap hostages to The Party for a Democratic Society Ministry regretted that secure the release of their leader, (DTP) the principle pro-Kurdish international appeals for clemency the prime Minister, supported by organisation in Turkey, for its part, had not been heard while the the other Shiite coalition partners denounced the execution. “Even German Chancellor, Angela decided to speed up the execution though the Kurds suffered the most Merkel, stated that she “respected” process, without even taking into during his period in office (…) the verdict, while recalling that account the customary truce Saddam Hussein should not have been Berlin was opposed to capital observed on the occasion of the hanged”, considered Aysel Tugluk, punishment. Moslem Feast of the Sacrifice. DTP co-president, in a communiqué. Mrs. Tugluk pointed On 30 December, welcomed His decision, considered a proof of out that her party was opposed to the execution of Saddam Hussein, his determination, was widely capital punishment and considered described by Teheran as the “author approved by the Shiite population. that hanging the ex-dictator could of the most horrible crimes against The news of his hanging was produce the outcome of still further humanity”. “With Saddam’s greeted by joyful firing into the air inflaming the situation ion Iraq, which execution, the case of one of the worst at Najaf, a Shiite holy city, but with is already torn apart by sectarian criminal dictators has been closed”, relative indifference in Baghdad. violence. “Saddam had already been commented the Iranian State Here, the announcement of the ex- sentenced in peoples’ awareness. This Television service. Also demanded dictator’s death was only greeted punishment is much more severe than that the Iraqi Criminal Court, set by a few shots in the air in quarters the death sentence that we must up to try Saddam Hussein, that were essentially Shiite. The reject”, she further stated. sentence him for crimes committed Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, during the Iran-Iraq war, and in welcoming the “execution of that Immediately welcomed in particular for the use of chemical criminal Saddam”, launched an Washington: the execution “will not weapons against Iranian troops. As appeal for reconciliation directed put an end to the violence in Iraq, but soon as Saddam Hussein’s death at the old regime’s supporters it is an important stage in Iraq’s road was announced, demonstrations of whose “hands were not stained with to a democracy that can govern itself joy took place in several parts of blood”. (…) and be an ally in the war against Teheran, but also in Khorramshahr, terrorism”, declared the US a port city on the Iraqi borders, The President of Iraqi Kurdistan, President George W. Bush in a where scenes of popular rejoicing

n° 261 • December 2006 Information and liaison bulletin • 3• were reported by official Iranian the platform provided by the adding that “Mr. Aziz told me that media. Khorramshahr had been court. In July he stated that, in the he had important information that occupied by Iraqi forces at the event of his being sentenced to would provoke great embarrassment beginning of the invasion of Iran in death, he should, as an officer, be inside and outside” Iraq, without 1980. The Iranian Army liberated shot not hanged. In the course of giving any details. Tareq Aziz, the city during a decisive battle in his trial, he alternately played the who was Saddam Hussein’s May 1921. tune of Arab nationalism, Islam spokesman on the international and Iraqi patriotism. He presented stage, surrendered to American In the Arab countries, reactions himself as a pious Moslem, never troops in April 2003. He has, since were mainly official and token. going anywhere without his copy then, been detained by the The hanging of Saddam Hussein, of the Qoran. Americans and his family taking place, as it did, on the first constantly calls for his release day of the Moslem Feast of the Since last July, Saddam Hussein because of the deterioration in his Sacrifice caused “surprise and has been on trial in a second state of health. consternation” according to the SPA charge in which he was accused of news agency, that reflects the genocide against the Kurds in the Another disturbing fact — a official views of the Saudi context of the Anfal campaign document presented at Saddam kingdom. Its Jordanian neighbour carried out during 1987 and 1988, Hussein’s trial in which the Iraqi expressed the hope that it would in the course of which over 180,000 officers were ordered to “cooperate have no negative effects on the people were killed in mass with the Turkish party in accordance country. In Gaza the death of executions or chemical with the agreement signed with them Saddam Hussein was described as bombardments. The Anfal trial, in for hunting down refugees” was a “political assassination” by the which six other people are being handed to the Iraqi High Criminal Islamic movement Hamas. Finally, charged, including one of his Court on 21 December. This several thousands of cousins, Ali Hassan al-Majid, document was presented by the demonstrators came out on the known as “Chemical Ali” will Iraqi Prosecution as one of the streets to protest against this continue, but all charges against proofs that Saddam Hussein had, execution in India, and Saddam Hussein are extinguished indeed, given the order to Bangladesh. by his death under Iraqi law. The eliminate 182,000 Kurds. The chemical attack carried out by the Turkish authorities immediately The Human Rights defence Iraqi Air Force in 1988 on Halabja, went on to the defensive, organisations regretted the where some 5,000 people were recognising that Saddam Hussein’s execution. “Saddam Hussein was killed in a few minutes and some Iraq had, indeed, tried to secure responsible for many terrible 10,000 others injured, as well as the Turkish support against the Iraqi violations of human rights. execution, in 1983, of some 8,000 Kurds in the 80s, but that Ankara However, these acts, however members of the Barzani tribe, are had apposed this. Nuzhet brutal they may be, cannot justify two other separate cases covering Kandemir, formerly special his execution — a cruel and the massacre of Kurds. representative for relations with inhuman punishment”, declared Iraq, indicated to the daily paper Human Rights Watch, for its part. As far as the Anfal trial is Milliyet that this proposal had been In the view of Amnesty concerned, Mr. Badih Aref Ezzat, made to him by Taha Yacin International, this was “a missed the lawyer representing Tareq Ramadan during a meeting in opportunity” for obliging the Aziz, Saddam Hussein’s former Baghdad in 1988, a few months former dictator to face up to his Deputy Prime Minister, announced after the launching of the crimes. that this wished to give evidence murderous campaign against the in the Anfal case before Saddam Kurds called Anfal. “We will push On 19 October 2005, at the opening Hussein’s execution. Tareq Aziz the Kurds Northward, you will block of his first trial for crimes against “has asked to be able to give evidence their way and we will be able to put an humanity, for the deaths of 148 in the Anfal case before Saddam end to the problem in a fundamental inhabitants of the village of Dubail Hussein’s death sentence was carried manner”, Mr. Ramadan had after an attempted assassination, out — and this was also Saddam planned, according to Nuzhat Saddam had taken advantage of Hussein’s wish”, he declared, Kandemir. The former ambassador

• 4 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 261 • December 2006 states that Turkey, on the orders of with the terms of a protocol of fails to show substantial progress the then Prime Minister, Turgut cooperation providing for the turning in the area of security. Ozal, had rejected this offer. The back of Kurdish refugees”. A letter former ambassador added, dated 28 April 1988 demanding During a Press Conference, Mr. however, that the document “the destruction of all the houses” of a Baker considered that there was no undoubtedly referred to another village and concluded with “inform “magic formula” for resolving the Turco-Iraqi security agreement, the President, may God bless him,” crisis in Iraq. “A slide to chaos could signed early in the 80s, authorising was also presented. Another bring about the collapse of the Iraqi both countries to cross their document, from then Chief of the government and a humanitarian common border in pursuit of General Staff Nazar Abdel Kareem crisis. Neighbouring countries might Kurdish fighters. and dated 21 August of the same intervene”, according to the report. year, ordered “deal with the “Clashes between Sunnis and Shiites In the course of this hearing, the populations with strikes using the could spread and Al-Qaida could win Iraqi Public Prosecutor, Munkith special weapon so as to create panic” a propaganda victory and broaden its al-Farun, had exhibited documents and expressing the hope of “the operational base”, warned the from the General Staff, dated April total destruction of the Northern zone Commission. At regional level, it 1988, ordering the destruction of (…) before the possibility of a fresh recommended a diplomatic “the saboteurs’ bases” by air and conflict with Iran”. Finally a circular offensive, and, above all, directs artillery bombardment using “the dated April 1988 ordered the Iraqi discussions with Teheran and special weapon”, a reference to the forces “to use the special ammunition Damascus “to try and secure their use of chemical weapons. The against the enemy forces for as long as commitment to conducting Prosecutor had ordered, on four possible and to strike the saboteurs’ constructive policies towards Iraq occasions, that the microphones be bases as hard as necessary”. This and other regional problems”. It switched off so as the continue, in letter is “initialled by a signature that recommends “dissuasive” and camera, discussion of the we believe is that of Saddam Hussein”, “incentive” measures. documents regarding “Iraq- according to the Prosecutor. “This Turkish relations” at the time and is the first time in history that an The day after the publication of the then showed the court a memo army has used chemicals against its report, US President George W. ordering Iraqi officers to “cooperate own people”, he concluded. Bush recognised the necessity for a with the Turkish party, in accordance “new approach” during a discussion with British Prime Minister Tony Blair aimed at reviewing the THE BAKER-HAMILTON REPORT ON IRAQ: different strategies open to them. REJECTED BY BOTH THE KURDS AND THE SHIITES Following a discussion with Tony Blair, he admitted that the situation long expected report, the limitless deployment. “The military in the country was “bad”. fruit of eight months priorities must change”. The work by the Iraq Study independent commission, Moreover, the reactions to this A Group (ISG), on the composed of five Republicans and report and to its recommendations United States’ strategy in five Democrats opt rather for only served to underline the Iraq recommends a gradual “completing the mission of training sectarian divisions of the new Iraq. disengagement, the US Army and equipping” before the end of Divergences centred on certain of having, henceforth, to focus its March 2008. To this end it calls for the most sensitive themes in mission on training, equipping and increasing the number of US troops present day Iraq: national supporting the Iraqi forces rather allocated to training Iraqi troops reconciliation, the sharing of the than on fighting. The commission, from the present 3-4,000 to a final wealth in oil and the role of co-chaired by former Secretary of figure of10-20,000, this increase neighbouring countries in the State James Baker and former coming from units already in Iraq. efforts to extricate the country Democrat Congressman Lee On the other hand it suggests that from the present chaos. Hamilton, thus published its report Washington reduce its “political, on 6 December without proposing military and economic support” for The Kurds sharply criticised the either a precipitous retreat or a Iraq if the Baghdad government report. “Unrealistic and

n° 261 • December 2006 Information and liaison bulletin • 5• unacceptable”, thundered Massud Constitution. I reject it as a whole”, principle, in accordance with an Iraqi Barzani, President of Iraqi the Iraqi President stated, without national vision that hopes for the Kurdistan, in a communiqué beating about the bush, before strengthening of Iraqi capacity, the published on 8 December, journalists at his official residence. handing over of security files to the criticising the ISG report. “We will, The Iraqi President showed Iraqis and respect for the will of the in no circumstances, conform to this particular hostility at several key Iraqis”, added the Deputy Prime report”, insisted Mr. Barzani in a points of the report. Thus he Minister. He pointed out, however, communiqué published 8 attacked the implied will to that “there could well be details about December. “Despite our gratitude to involve former Baathists in the which our views diverge”. President George W. Bush and his political process in Iraq, “which is Administration for having overthrown part of a long struggle of the Iraqi For Dr. Mahmud Othman, head of the old regime and for their efforts to people against the dictatorship”, and the Kurdish alliance in the Iraqi build a new Iraq, we think that several the increase in the number of Parliament, Washington wants of the recommendations of the Study American advisors integrated into gradually to withdraw its support Group are unrealistic and the Iraqi units. Mr. Talabani also for the Iraqi government so as to inappropriate”, he added. Mr. criticised the recommendation, put pressure on it to increase its Barzani criticised the fact that the contained in the report, of efforts to dismantle the different reports authors had never visited threatening the withdrawal of aid militias and to fight against Kurdistan during the nine months in the event of lack of progress. sectarian violence. “This is a two- they worked prior to drawing up “This amounts to treating Iraq like a edged weapon and could prove to be the report. “The report contradicts new colony on which any conditions negative because, under the Geneva what James Baker told us over the can be imposed, by denying the fact convention, the occupier is responsible phone two days ago, assuring us that that we are a sovereign and respected for the country in all its aspects and the special status of Kurdistan was country”, he considered. As for they should be facing up to their taken into account”, the President of General Wafiq al-Samarrai, responsibilities not abandoning them”, Kurdistan further stressed. The President Jalal Talabani’s adviser he had stated before the report suggests delaying the on security questions, he publication of the report. “On the application of Article 140 of the considered, when speaking in a other hand, this could make the Iraqi Constitution, which envisages a broadcast on the Pan-Arab government face reality and the referendum to decide the future of television channel Al-Jezeera, that necessity of acting to stop this chaos”. the oil-producing province of the date of 2008, when the Iraqi Kirkuk that the Kurds claim. “Any Army could become totally Furthermore, Abdul-Aziz al- delay would have serious autonomous, was realistic “and Hakim, head of the SCIRI consequences and will not be even earlier if suitable measures are (Supreme Council of the Islamic accepted by the people of taken meanwhile”. Revolution in Iraq) and the Kurdistan”, warned Mr. Barzani, principle Shiite political figure, rejecting the recommendations for The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, judges that the report includes sharing the revenues from oil Barham Saleh, considered, for his “inexact information based on discovered in Kurdistan. 'r. Barzani part, that the conclusions in the dishonest sources”. He also rejected also protests against the return to Iraq Study Group’s report, “were the connection made between Iraq office of ex-members of the Baath no surprise” and stressed that the and the settling of the Israeli-Arab or that Iraq’s neighbours should Iraqis should assume responsibility conflict. Another Shiite leader have a say (in Iraq’s affairs). for their own security. “The considered that the Baker- situation is serious, very serious in Hamilton report’s conclusions Similarly, on 10December, Iraqi fact, and cannot be tolerated”, were partial and biased in favour President Jalal Talabani sharply declared Barham Saleh on the Al- of the Sunni Arabs. “We are all in rejected the report, considering Arabiya satellite television channel. the same boat, we are not only that it “was an attack on Iraq’s “Absolute dependence on foreign fighting internal criminals but sovereignty”. “The Hamilton-Baker soldiers is not possible. The priority international terrorists. We need report is unjust. It contains some must be to strengthen the Iraqi help for this”, was the view of dangerous articles that attack the security forces”. “In fact, the Haidar al-Ibadi, a Member of sovereignty of Iraq and its recommendations are, at least in Parliament from the Prime

• 6 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 261 • December 2006

Minister’s Dawa party. report is “positive since it deals with being studied by the Pentagon, the the role of Iraq’s neighbours in State Department and the National While the Sunni Arabs are in bringing security and stability to Security Council. agreement with the report’s Iraq”. He explained that Damascus Furthermore, according to a report assessment, they are not about the could help ease the situation in of the International Crisis Group solutions proposed. They consider Iraq in exchange of the return to its (ICG), published on 19 December, the idea of involving Syria in the sovereignty of the Golan, occupied Iraq is on the point of search for a solution particularly by since 1967. “Syria’s “disintegrating”. The ICG considers, “positive”. However, the solutions priority is to totally recover the in particular, that Prime Minister proposed, “are not up to the analysis occupied Arab Golan Plateau”, he Nuri al-Maliki’s National Unity of the situation”, deplored the indicated. The US President had Government is not representative. Ulema’s Association, through its replied to the ISG’s suggestion of “The country and its institutions are spokesman Sheikh Mohammed negotiating with Syria and Iran in danger of sinking into chaos”, Bashar al-Fayadh. The same tune that “the countries that take part in threatening the stability of the from Falah Shanshal, a Shiite discussions must not finance whole region, says in alarm the Member of Parliament of the terrorism, must help the young Chairman of the ICG, Gareth Sadrist Bloc: “Iraq is capable of democracy to survive and must help Evans, in this report. “The Baker- building its own army without the the country’s economy”. Hamilton Commission, and the help of others”, he retorted. Iran reacted cautiously to the ISG’s renewal it represents of American The ISG’s report invites the US proposals. “The United States’ policy in Iraq, are, a first important Administration to develop decision to withdraw from Iraq do step, but radically insufficient if we diplomatic relations with Syria and not require negotiations with any want to avoid the collapse of Iraq and a Iran to bring stability to Iraq. It other country of the region”, regional war”, the ICG considers. also advocates direct negotiations considered, on 7 December the “All the Iraqi political actors between Israel, Syria, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mr. involved in violence must be and the Palestinians, considering Manushehr Mottaki, on the Al- brought to the negotiating table that a settlement of the Israeli-Arab Jazzier TV channel. “This report and put under pressure until they conflict would improve the contains certain important points (…) accept a compromise”, the ICG situation in Iraq. Thus Syria, on 7 it seems that certain aspects of stresses. “The Iraqi government December, reacted favourably to American policy in Iraq are considered and the security forces cannot be the Baker-Hamilton report, to be mistakes” he pointed out. considered allies that we support: welcoming the importance the they are simply part of the many document gave to settling the If the ISG’s conclusions intensify part of the many actors in the Israeli0Arab conflict and re- the pressure on the White House in conflict”, notes the organisation. iterating Damascus’ determination favour of reorienting the present The Baker Commission talks about to recover the Golan, annexed by policy in Iraq — already a “government of national union Israel. According to a leading demanded by the American representing the Iraqi people” — “this official of the Foreign Ministry electors in November — George is not at all true” according to the speaking off the record, but quoted Bush is not bound to follow its ICG, that proposes “a new off by the Syrian official news recommendations. All the more so multilateral approach that really puts agency, the Iraq Study Group’s as other options are at present pressure on the national actors”.

IRAQI KURDISTAN: A PROVISIONAL AGREEMENT WITH examine the contracts that it has BAGHDAD ALLOWS NEGOTIATION OF CONTRACTS WITH already made with foreign oil FOREIGN INVESTORS companies regarding its oil fields, to check their conformity with the n 19 December, Iraqi to negotiate contracts with foreign law. Amongst these companies is leaders reached a investors but leave the last word the Norwegian DNO. provisional agreement with the central government, O regarding a draft law on according to sources close to the Iraq has great need of foreign the country’s oil negotiations. The Kurdistan region, investment to put back on its feet a resources, which allow the regions for its part, has accepted to re- very sick economy that remains

n° 261 • December 2006 Information and liaison bulletin • 7• very dependent on the export of company with several operating asked Baghdad to be able to continue crude oil, of which the country has subsidiaries to manage the various signing oil contracts with foreign the third largest reserves in the stages of production. The Bill also countries, from which it would retain world. Sources close to the calls for the setting of Iraqi oil the benefits. The two parties also negotiations indicate that Prime policy at national level and failed in their efforts to reach an Minister Nuri al-Maliki has recommends that the Ministry of agreement on the application of “signalled his approval” of the Oil be restructured and Article 140 of the Constitution that draft, which, however, still needs transformed into a regulatory body foresees the organisation of a the green light from the political and that all oil revenue be referendum to enable certain parties and be adopted by the centralised in a single fund. Kurdish regions to join Kurdistan. government. The Bill envisages the creation of a National Oil Council On 2 December, the Kurdistan Prime On another level, on 14 December, (directed by either the Prime Minister had made public the failure thirteen trucks loaded with domestic Minister or the Deputy prime of discussions with the central fuel oil arrived at Suleimaniah from Minister) that would have the government in Baghdad regarding neighbouring Iran. “Trucks carrying power of rejecting any contract an agreement on the budget and the Iranian produced fuel oil arrived proposed for a field. The regions, sharing of oil revenues. “We have been following an agreement between the local in the presence of a representative unable to reach agreement on the budget, authorities and the city of Kermanshah of the national oil organisation, on the oil law or on the sharing of oil last September”, announced the would negotiate in accordance revenue. I hope that the situation will not governor of Suleimaniah, Zana with specific parameters and become more acrimonious”, Nechirvan Mohammed Saleh. “Thirteen trucks, investment models decided by the Barzani had said at the time, during transporting the first part of this fuel oil, National Council, which would be a Press Conference in Irbil. The arrived today”, he indicated, pointing responsible for oil policy. In the Kurdistan Prime Minister had met out that each truck contained 30,000 event of a refusal, or if the region the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri al- litres of fuel oil intended for insisted on a contract, a Maliki, and the Oil Minister, Hussein domestic heating and cooking. Seven commission of experts would be Shahristani in Baghdad to discuss other trucks were also expected to charged with arbitrating. The Oil what percentage of the oil revenues, arrive from Iran the next day. The Minister, the Governor of the Iraq’s principal source of budgetary agreement between the Iraqi Kurdish Central Bank, a representative of revenue, should be allocated to Iraqi leaders and the Iranian authorities each of the regions and oil, Kurdistan. “The government proposes covers the importing of 300 million financial and economic experts to allocate us 13% of these revenues but litres of Iranian fuel oil over a period would sit on the National Oil we have replied that this is not enough of three months, to deal with a Council. A contract would only — we want 17%”, Mr. Barzani had shortage of refined oil products in become effective if the National explained. Iraqi Kurdistan. Despite having Council accepted it. If it rejected a some of the world's greatest oil project within a 60-day deadline, The Iraqi Constitution allows for reserves, Iraq is suffering from a the contract would not be effective. each of the country’s regions shortage of refined products, mainly The Bill also provides for the two receiving a share of the oil revenues. due to a weakness in refinery national Iraqi oil companies to be At the same time the government of infrastructures and to sabotage by transformed into a single holding the autonomous region of Kurdistan the insurgents.

TURKEY-E.U.: FREEZE OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH ANKARA, already decided to suspend WHICH REFUSES TO NORMALISE ITS RELATIONS discussions on eight chapters mark WITH NICOSIA out the discussions with the Turks because of Ankara’s persistent n 14 December, the heads Ankara, because of Turkey’s refusal to open its sea and air ports of states and refusal to normalise its trade with to Greek Cypriot traffic. The 25 governments, in summit Cyprus as it had committed itself first agreed to suspend the eight O meeting, agreed to freeze to do in “the Ankara protocol”. The chapters, thus de facto slowing eight of the 35 chapters of Foreign Ministers of the E.U. down Ankara’s advance towards the negotiations taking place with countries had, on 11 December, membership of the E.U. (already

• 8 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 261 • December 2006 expected to take at least 10 to 15 unfortunately an unjust one”, he according to the government. The years). They also decided not to declared to his Justice and two previous local elections in finalise any other chapter so long Development Party’s Iran’s history, following their being as Turkey fails to accept to open its Parliamentary group. “Relations set up in 1999 by the then sea and air ports to Greek Cypriot between the E.U. and Turkey are president Mohammed Khatami, traffic — its refusal on this point going through a harsh trial, despite all had drawn between 50% and 55% being the source of the sanction by our efforts to resolve the blockage”, to the polls. However, four years the 25. They also found a Mr. Erdogan added. The Turkish ago less than 12% had taken part in compromise “if necessary” for the Prime Minister nevertheless the Teheran municipal elections. annual evaluations till 2009 of such declared that Turkey was According to the final results, the progress as Turkey may have determined to continue putting winners were essentially “moderate made. Finally, they agreed to “thaw into practice the reforms needed conservatives” opposed to the out” the suspended chapters “at for its entry into the European present very radical President, any moment” in the event of Union. “In the coming period, we followed by reformers. These Turkish progress. know full well that we have to carry results may well embarrass out our reforms with the same Mahmud Ahmedinjad, whose anti- On December 13, the President of determination” he pointed out. For Israeli rhetoric and inflexible stand the European Commission, José his part, the Turkish Foreign on the nuclear issue have Manuel Barroso, described the Minister, Abdullah Gul, deplored provoked condemnation in the freezing of negotiations as “a “the lack of vision” of his European West. The two polls on 15 credible and equitable decision”. This opposite numbers. As for the December were a test for President decision “taken unanimously by the Turkish press, the present situation Ahmedinjad, who has already lost Foreign Ministers of the E.U. is not the worst scenario since the the support of many conservatives, countries, is a credible and equitable 25 are agreed to unfreeze the who considered that he was decision because it (the E.U.) sends a chapters in the event of Turkish spending too much time in very strong signal to the Turks — that progress. “The European train has confrontations with the West at the obligations must be observed”, was braked” headlined the daily Radikal, expense of the economic question. his analysis. “It is a strong signal, while for Zaman (moderate The Iranian President, for whom but a signal that is not intended to Islamic) “the E.U. train is continuing these elections were considered to close the door on Turkey. It is not only on its way”. The Turkish authorities be a first test of popularity, since a matter of not opening the eight refuse to allow ships or planes to taking office in 2005, avoided any chapters, but of not finalising any of enter their sea or airports that fundamental analysis of these first the 35 chapters until Turkey respects come from the Cyprus Republic, results. Mr. Ahmedinjad simply its obligations”, he pointed out. which occupies the Greek part of declared: “The people have won”. the island, divided since the In reaction, the Turkish Prime Turkish invasion in 1974. They In Teheran, supporters of President Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, demand that the E.U. first end the Mahmud Ahmedinjad, former denounced an “injustice”. “Despite economic isolation of the “Turkish Mayor of the city, where he built all our good will, the decision of the Republic of North Cyprus” — that up his popularity, arrived last in E.U. Council of Ministers is, is recognised by Ankara only. the municipal elections, behind both the conservatives and the TEHERAN: THE FIRST ELECTORAL SETBACK reformers, according to the State FOR MAHMUD AHMEDINJAD television. Four “reformist” candidates are also due to join the ccording to the final making a first electoral setback for Council, whereas the reforming results made public on 21 Mahmud Ahmedinjad. The camp, which had controlled the December by the Iranian electors had top elect over 113,000 municipality, was completely A Ministry of the Interior, local councillors out of 235,000 eliminated at the 2003 elections. the opponents of the candidates. Overall, the Only two candidates of the ultra- Iranian President have taken the participation in these elections was conservative “The good odour of lead in the municipal elections and about 60%, that is, 26 million of service” list were amongst the first in the Assembly of Experts, thus 46.5 million Iranian electors, fifteen. One of these was the

n° 261 • December 2006 Information and liaison bulletin • 9•

President’s sister, Parvine Universities” failed completely in censorship by the regime. Net Ahmedinjad, who was placed 10th. the Holy City of Mashhad. The surfers who tried to log on to this The second candidate came 14th. Assembly, where the supporters of site were greeted by the following Several Iranian women came at the Ayatollah Mezbbah Yazdi will only message: “On the basis of the laws of top in several important provincial be a handful, remains dominated the Islamic Republic of Iran, this site cities. This was particularly the by the “Association of Fighting is not authorised”. This same case in Shiraz (Southern Iran), with Clergy”, the conservative block explanation also appears in the a 25-year-old student, Fatemeh loyal to the Supreme Guide, place of sites that are pornographic Hushmand, close to the reformists, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. or run by the country’s political and also in Arak (Centre) and The electiosn for the Assembly of opposition groups. The Iranian Ardebil (Northwest). Experts took place at provincial government regularly blocks Web level in each proivince. In Teheran sites and blogs, and this banning Regarding the elections to the Province, there were 16 seats. The message has been appearing more Assembly of Experts, a body of 86 candidates chose in which one of and more over the last year. It is clerics responsible for watching the 30 provinces they wanted to mainly used to counter messages over the Supreme Guide, Ayatollah stand. Teheran draws the most from opposition groups, but also Ali Khamenei, the presidents eminent public figures. During the Iranian pop music clips that opponents were also very much in previous election for this body, in YouTube.com puts on line. the lead. Former President 1998, the electoral turnout was 42.5 According to Reporters sans Hashemi Rasfanjani, beaten by Mr. %. This time, its being held at the Frontières, the New York Times Ahmedinjad in the 2005 same time as the municipals Web site is also blocked, as is the presidential elections, was easily encouraged the greater turn out. English language version of the elected. On the other hand, his Otherwise, the Iranian authorities online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. main rival, Ayatollah Mohammad have blocked access to the web site The Iranian authorities refuse to Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, generally seen for sharing videos on line, discuss the matter. Reporters sans as Mahmud Ahmadinjad’s YouTube.com. The free press Frontières also recalls that the spiritual mentor, only just organisation Reporters sans Iranian authorities banned managed to get elected. The Frontières expressed its concern at broadband access to the news from latter’s list, called “The experts of this measure, that it perceived as the Western in October. The the Theological Schools and an intensification of Internet authorities deny these news items.

GEORGE BUSH CONSULTS WITH THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT’S running for the Premiership. COALITION PARTNERS TO FORM A MODERATE BLOCK On 13 November, George W. Bush WHILE THE PRIME MINISTER LAUNCHES A NATIONAL particularly consulted the Kurds RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE IN BAGHDAD before taking time to think about a new strategy. Telephone ecause of the persistent who met US President George W. discussions with the Iraqi discontent at the failure Bush on 4 December. He is President, Jalal Talabani and the to suppress the violence, unlikely to claim the position of President of Kurdistan, Massud B the principal partners of Prime Minister, preferring to Barzani, confirmed that his agenda the coalition governing remain above the day-to-day was still fluid and that one of his Iraq are examining, in the wings, concerns of office. One of the key working hypotheses was the ways of getting rid of Prime people in such a possible alliance, formation of a “moderate block” to Minister Nur al-Maliki. the Vice-President Tariq al- strengthen Prime Minister Nuri al- Discussions aimed at forming a Hashemi, of Sunni denomination, Maliki’s fragile political base. new parliamentary block, enabling went to Washington on 10 “Over the last few days we talked the replacement of the present December to meet George W. Bush, about a moderate block that would government and excluding the three weeks earlier than planned. include Sunni leaders, Shiites and supporters of the radical Shiite The other Vice-President, the Shiite Kurds” (the three main Iraqi Imam, Moqtada al-Sadr, are Adil Abdul-Mehdi, who had been communities) and Messrs Talabani mentioned. The new alliance could suggested before ht emergence of and Barzani “enter this moderate be led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, Nuri al-Maliki, is said to be in the block (…) not only by contributing a

• 10 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 261 • December 2006 broader support to the government but (SCIRI). had announced that it would boycott also by acting against those who want The conference had begun its work the conference: “We have too often to destabilise it by terrorist actions” on 16 December, in Baghdad, in a seen, in the past, the government stated the White House spokesman, conference centre in the “green sign agreements that it later Tony Snow. zone”, the highly protected sector of denounces”, explained sheikh the city centre where all the Mohammed Bashar al-Faidhi, It was in this context that the principal Iraqi instituti0ons and the spokesman of this body, the principal Conference of National US embassy are located. Its sessions Sunni religious organisation. Its Reconciliation completed its work on had been broadcast live by the leader, Sheikh Hareth al-Dari, at 17 December. The 200 delegates national television service. On 3 present a refugee abroad, is accused present proposed a series of December the Iraqi President had of inciting sectarian violence. His “recommendations”, including the rejected the proposal of UN General absence was “no surprise” for the return of former members of the Secretary, Kofi Annan, for holding Kurdish member of Parliament Baath party (formerly the sole party an international conference on Iraq, Mahmud Othman, who considered under the Saddam Hussein regime) considering that the Iraqis that the Committee is in “perpetual to the army. This measure, that could themselves should decide the fate of refusal”. The Sunni Arabs principally be seen as a gesture of opening their country. Jalal Talabani was the criticise Maliki’s government for not towards the Sunni community, second Iraqi leader to take this attacking the militia that they covers several tens of thousands of stand, after Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim. consider responsible for the violence. ex-officers, and could convince many “We are an independent and sovereign Omar Abdul-Sattar Mahmud, of the ex-Baathists, today active in the nation, and it is we who must decide the Iraqi Islamic Party (Sunni) calls for opposition, to lay down their arms. fate of our nation”, Mr. Talabani had them to be purely and simply broken The various proposals made at the declared, according to a up to “stop the terror”. The radical conference “are declarations of good communiqué issued by his office. Shiite leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, intentions that remain to be put into whose Mahdi’s Army is a 60,000- practice”, admitted, however, Nasser The conference was promised at the man strong militia, is considered a al-Ani, spokesman of the conference. beginning of December, but its counter power, suspected of having “A single important practical measure realisation remained uncertain until actively participated in the sectarian was recommended”, which still has to the last few days. As its initiator, violence. The Sadr tendency, which be presented to Parliament by Mr. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, took has 6 Ministers and 32 members of Maliki, “is the payment of significant the stand. “The new Iraqi Army has Parliament (out of 275), has pensions to ex-servicemen”, explained opened its gates to members of the old nevertheless always been present at Mr. Ani. After the fall of the Saddam Army, to soldiers and officers, and the the negotiating table. Hussein regime in April 2003, Paul government of national union is ready Bremmer, the former American to welcome those who wish to serve the The White House hoped that Mr. governor of Iraq, dissolved the Iraqi nation”, declared Nuri al-Maliki. He Bush would be able to make a new Army, which at the time was some make the point that the number of strategy public before Christmas. 400,000 strong, largely composed of places in it would, no doubt be He was obliged to push this back to Sunni Arabs. Many observers, at the limited, because of the army’s size, after the New Year. The time, had considered this a mistake, but that those who were not Administration invoked the which had pushed many former accepted would receive a pension. complexity of the task and the soldiers into the ranks of the For many Shiites and Kurds, victims multiple implications of a new insurrection. The Baath Party of the Baathist repression, the idea policy. Iraq’s neighbours are remains banned, in accordance with of re-integrating ex-Baathists in the worried at what the new policy Article 7 of the Constitution, “but, in Army and the administration is might be. On 13 December the New their individual capacities, its members unacceptable. For many Sunni York Times reported that Sunni may take part” in the conference, Arabs, on the other hand, they are had warned the stressed a Shiite member of political actors who cannot be United States that it might support Parliament, Abbas al-Bayati, a ignored. the Sunni Arabs in the event of a member of the Supreme Council of war against the Iraqi Shiites if the the Islamic Revolution in Iraq The Committee of Moslem Ulemas American troops withdrew.

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TONY BLAIR VISITS ANKARA AND BAGHDAD al-Assad and Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri on bilateral n 17 December, the 15 December to inform him of his relations and to strengthen their British Prime Minister, support for Turkey’s membership close cooperation. He revealed that Tony Blair, visited of the European Union and to a free trade agreement would come O Baghdad to affirm his discuss the Cyprus question and into effect on 1 January 2007, support for his Iraqi events in the Near East. He took noting that Syria is an important opposite number, Nuri al-Maliki. parting a joint press conference country regionally, with which Arriving in the greatest secrecy in with his Turkish opposite number, Turkey has good neighbourly the course of the morning he went Recep Tayyip Erdogan before relations. to the “green zone”, the highly leaving for Cairo on 16 December. protected sector of the City centre, Damascus was also the last stage of where he met Mr. Maliki and the Furthermore, on 12 December, a four-day tour of the Near East by Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani. Mr. before his trip to the Middle East, the German Foreign Minister, Blair declared that Great Britain Tony Blair had declared at a press Frank-Walter Steinmeier. On 4 “will support the Iraqi government conference that Iran represented a December he visited Syria to meet and people to ensure that your “major threat” to the stability of the his Syrian opposite number, Walid democracy be not destroyed by the Middle East and that there was no Muallem, and Bachar al-Assad. terrorism, by the sectarianism (…) of chance of associating Teheran in Last August he had cancelled, at those who want to live in hate rather efforts to check violence in Iraq. “I the last minute, a visit to the Syrian than in peace”. “Innocent blood is do not believe that we have the slightest capital following an anti-Israeli being shed today, but it is not shed by reason to hide the fact that Iran is a speech by President al-Assad. the democratically elected government, major strategic threat to the cohesion of Moreover, following the report of or those who support it”, Mr. Blair the whole region”, Mr. Blair had the Iraq Study Group (ISG) that considered. Nearly 7,100 British indicated. “At this time Iran is recommends contacts with soldiers are at present deployed in creating the maximum of problems for Damascus and Teheran, the US Iraq, principally in the Basra region moderate governments and to ourselves Democratic Senator for (550 Km South of Baghdad). Mr in the region — in Palestine, in the Massachusetts, John Kerry, George Blair’s journey comes at a time Lebanon, and in Iraq”, he continued. Bush’s the defeated rival at the last when he is under increasing “I observe then region as a whole at the presidential elections judged that pressure from his countries public moment and everything Iran is doing is Washington’s refusal to dialogue opinion to withdraw the British negative”, had added Mr. Blair. He with Syria and Iran was a “mistake” contingent from Iraq. had, nevertheless sent an envoy to and also visited Damascus to meet Damascus to propose to the Syrians Bachar al-Assad in mid-December. The British Prime Minister had the “strategic” possibility of earlier visited Turkey and Egypt as cooperating with the international For his part, Bachar al-Assad made part of a regional tour. During his community and ceasing to support a working visit to Moscow on 18 short stay in Ankara, Tony Blair terrorism, on pain of remaining December, during which he had met Mr. Erdogan in the evening of isolated… discussions with his Russian opposite number, Vladimir Putin. A DIPLOMATIC BALLET IN THE MIDDLE EAST, According tom Evgeni Posukhov, AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF POLITICALLY the Russian diplomat in Damascus, REHABILITATING DAMASCUS AND TEHERAN Mr. Assad, for whom this is the second visit to Moscow since 2005, iplomatic visits have the Iranian Supreme Guide, examined the “difficult situation” in accelerated in the Middle Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the Near East and the “means of East in general, and in President Mahmud Ahmedinjad to settling the crises” in the region with D Syria and Iran in examine the latest developments in his Russian opposite number. “This particular throughout Iraq, Syria and the Lebanon as well new Russia wants to keep a special December. First the Turkish Prime as bilateral relations. Then he went role of negotiator with Bachar al- Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on to Syria on 6 December for Assad”, notably wrote Fedor visited Iran on 2 December to meet discussions with President Bachar Lukianov, editor in chief of the

• 12 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 261 • December 2006 review Russia in global politics. The source of income in Syria, own half were killed in the last four two countries intend to raise their property or enrol their children in months of the year victims of acts trade from its present level of a Syrian school, according to the described as terrorist by the Iraqi about $300 million to $600 million, official cited by Al-Baas. The authorities. Of these, half were according to the Russian diplomat. majority of the Iraqi refugees have killed in the last four months of the Mr. Assad, whose country had settle in or around Damascus. Most year. The Ministry reports 1,930 been the principal Near Eastern of them come from the middle civilians killed in December – a ally of the ex-USSR, made his first classes and are living on their figure three and a half as great as visit to Russia in 2005, thus savings. January’s (580), which was before renewing bi-lateral cooperation. the tide of violence following the Syria continues to buy the bulk of Furthermore, Syria and Iraq have bomb attack against the Shiite its weaponry from Russia. re-opened embassies in their mosque in Samarra, in February. respective capitals. Damascus and The Ministry of the Interior According to the official daily Baghdad have thus put an end to a recorded the deaths, in December, paper Al-Baas, quoting the Syrian diplomatic breach of over 20 years. of 125 Iraqi police and 25 soldiers – Ministry of the Interior, Syria has The Iraqi flag was thus hoisted figures similar to those for received more than 800,000 Iraqi over the Iraqi Embassy in November and October. The US refugees since the beginning of the Damascus during a ceremony Army, for its part, announced the conflict in their country. Of this attended by Syrian and Iraqi deaths of 112 US soldiers in total, 648,000 Iraqis reached Syria leaders. A similar ceremony took December – its heaviest casualty in the months immediately place in the Mansur quarter of list in two years. On 31 December, following the overthrow of the Baghdad, outside the green zone, the Pentagon announced the death Saddam Hussein regime in 2003, the authorities declared on 11 of a Texan soldier in Baghdad, according to a Ministry official December. Iraq and Syrian had bringing the total of Americans quoted by the paper. This influx of broken off diplomatic relations killed in Iraq since the beginning of refugees can be attributed to the when Damascus sided with Iran the war to at least 3,000, according Syrian laws that make it easy to during the Iraq-Iran war, in the to a body count made by obtain a visa for Arabs as well as 80s. The two governments agreed, Associated Press based on official Syria’s proximity to Iraq. Iraqi the month before, to re-establish communiqués. At least 820 US refugees can secure a one-year full diplomatic relations during a soldiers were killed in Iraq in residence permit, renewable visit to Baghdad by the Syrian 2006, 111 of whom in December, annually if they have a regular Foreign Minister Walid al-Mualem. the most murderous month that year.

THE NUMBER OF IRAQI CIVILIAN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE Further more, according to a REACHES AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL IN DECEMBER Pentagon report published on 19 December, Iraq experienced 959 he number of Iraqi throughout Iraq, as against 1,289 in attacks a week between 12 August civilian victims of October, marred by murderous and 10 November – a record since violence reached a record attack on the occasion of Ramadan. Congress demanded, in 2005, that T level in December, after Furthermore, the number of the Pentagon set up this kind of having considerably insurgents killed in November was report. “In the course of the last three increased the month before, as more than twice as many as in months; the number of attacks has shown by figures coming from the October, reaching 423 as against increased by 22%. Part of this increase Iraqi Ministry of the Interior. The 194 the month before, according to is due to the seasonal peak in violence number of civilians killed in Iraq in the two Ministries. during the month of Ramadan”, November increased by 43% as stresses this report, to the US compared with October, itself The statistics, that are considered Congress, which covers the period particularly bloody. According to to be indicative, rather than from 12 August to 10 November. figures from the Ministries of the necessarily covering all the deaths The Pentagon report points out Interior and Defence, 1,847 from violence, show 12,320 that the coalition forces remain the civilians were killed in November civilians killed in 2006, Of these, principle target of these attacks

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(68%) and that half of these attacks civilians killed in October, the - Number of women killed: 62. took place in only two provinces, latest figure put forward by the - Percent women amongst the (Baghdad and Anbar). But, in United Nations, based on data dead: 2%. terms of the death-roll, it is the provided by the Ministry of Iraqis who suffered most. The Healthand the Baghdad morgue, - Percent deaths by community: number of civilian victims (killed are considered exagerated by the Whites 72%, Hispanics 11%, and injured) increased by 2% over Iraqi government. According to Blacks or Afro-Americans 9%, the period examined. The UNO's figures, an average of 120 Undetermined 5%, Asians 2%, Pentagon points out, however, that civilians are killed every day. The Native Americans 1%, Hawaians violence against Iraqi civilians Associated Press news agency or Pacific Islanders 1%. remains localised. “Outside the calculates its figures of American - Number of dead from California Sunni triangle, more than 90%if casualties since 2003, on the basis (the State with the highest Iraqis feel very safe in their of official communiqués, thus: casualties) 308. neibourhoods”, the report claims. It - Number of troops died in Iraq - Number of dead from Wyoming also stresses that “the number of since the end of the main combat (the State with the lowest attacks against infrastructures has operations was announced on 30 casualties) 8. continued to drop” but that “the April 2003: 2,861 cumulative effect of their attacks and - Number of dead from Texas 263. the ineffectiveness of the repairs and - Percent of the troops killed since - Number of dead from New York maintenance” of these infrastructures 30 April 2003: 95%. State 137 weighs heavily on the supply of - The bloodiest months since the - Number of dead Porto Ricans: essential services for the Iraqis. beginning of the war, in March 24. The report, moreover, considers 2003: November 2004 (137 dead); that the political process of April 2004 (135); December 2006 - Percent of deaths from Southern national reconciliation “has made (111); January 2005 (107); States (as defined by US little progress”, “sectarian violence in October 2006 (105). Census): 36%. Iraq has considerably increased despite - Percent deaths by military corps: - Percent deaths from North-East the meetings between religious and land Arny (68%); Marines (29%); States (as defined by US tribal leaders”. As against this, the Navy (2%); Air Force (1%): A Census): 15%. Pentagon recognises that “violence single death is recorded amongst - Dates for passing each stage of in Iraq creates a serious threat to the Coast Guards. 500 killed since March 2003: political progress”. “The group that at present has the most negative impact - Percent deaths by terms of - 500 17 January 2004. on the security situation in Iraq is the service: active service (79%); - 1,000 7 September 2004. National Guard (13%); Mahdi’s Army, that has replaced Al- - 1,500 3 March 2005. Qaida in Iraq as the most dangerous Reservists (8%). accelerator of lasting sectarian - The, ost murderous Iraqi - 2,000 25 October 2005. violence in Iraq”; states the report provices: Anbar (1,115 deaths); - 2,500 15 June 2006. with reference to the militia run by Baghdad (686); Salaheddin (336); - 3,000 31 December 2006. the radical Shiite chief Moqtada Nineveh (193); Babil (93). Sadr. The report also shows that, at American losses in Iraq compared - Percent deaths due to non- with the other major conflicts in present, only two provinces are not hostile action: 20%. ready for transferring responsibility which the US has been engaged: from the Coalition to the Iraqi forces: - Deaths from sickness: 56. 3,000 as of 31 December 2006. al-Anbar (West) and Basra (South). - Percent killed by home-made - WWI : 116,000 Two provinces, Muthanna and Dhi bombs in the last year: 44%. - Vietnam: 58,000 Qar (South), have already been - Percent officers amongst those - Korea: 36,000 transferred to the Iraqis and others killed: 10%. are ready or partly ready for transfer. Guilf War I: 382 - Number of killed over 45 years: All statistics in Iraq are 70. N. B. Figures based on those of controversial. The figure of 3,700 - Number of killed under 18: 26. the US Defence Department and

• 14 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 261 • December 2006 the Associated Press. Most statistics Director of the White House’s 2006 budget year (end September are based on the figure given by Budget Office, indicated that the 2006), of which $254 billion are the Pentagon on 28 December 2006 cast of the war in Iraq for the military costs, according to a report of 2,988. AP’s figures, which take Budget Year 2007, which began last dated 22 September 2006. The into account the deaths reported October, is likely to exceed $110 Congressional Research Service by journalists in Iraq, havew billion. According to Associated evaluated total at $319 billion, always been ahead of those of the Press calculations,based on the pointing out that this represents Pentagon. The percentages by estimates of Congress’s two official 73% of the expenditure on the “war ethnic minority werte last updated budget bodies, the cost of the Iraq against terrorism” launched on 2 December 2006. war, begun in March 2003, was following the 11 September 2001 Furthermore, Rob Portman, $290 billion as of the end of the attacks.

STRASBOURG: THE EUROPEAN HUMAN RIGHTS COURT Mehmet Emin Yildiz, respectively FINDS ANKARA GUILTY OF THE MURDER chief editor and owner of the daily OF THE KURDISH PLAYWRIGHT, MUSA ANTER, 2000’de Yeni Gündem — had been AND OF VIOLATIONS OF THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION sentenced to heavy fines by the OF KURDISH JOURNALISTS AND BUSINESSMEN Istanbul State Security Court for havinfg published articles n 19 December, Turkey JITEM (the Gendarmerie summarising statements by was found guilty by the Intelligence and anti-terrorist leaders of the Kurdistan Workers’ European Court for Service) who later repented and Party (PKK). O Human Rights (ECHR) in confessed this murder in a book Strasbourg, following the published in 2004. The European Two others, Bülent Falakaoglu and murder in 1992 of Musa Anter, a Court considered, for its part, that Fevzi Saygili, at the time chief well known writer and editorialist no concrete fact proved that an editor and owner of the daily and one of the founders of the extra-judicial execution was paper Yeni Evrensel, had been People’s Labour Party (HEP). His committed by agents of the State, sentenced to the same penalty for three children, who accuse the but it was convinced that Turkey having sharply criticised two Turkish authorities of having could have taken measures to policemen, who the Court carried out an “extra-judicial protect Musa Anter, a particularly considered had thus become execution”, will jointly receive exposed target, because of his potential “targets” for terrorist 25,000 euros damages and 3,500 political commitments. organisations. euros casts. According to the The Strasbourg judges also found The last, Mehmet Erol Yarar, European Court, Turkey had been Turkey guilty in another case on President of the Association of lacking in its obligation to protect the same day. Turkey will have to Independent Industrialists and the life of Musa Anter, knowing pay 25,000 euros damages to a Businessmen (MUSIAD) had been that he was being threatened, and Turkish couple, today residing in sentenced for a speech allegedly to then conduct an effective Cologne (Germany), victims of inciting hatred on the basis of a enquiry into the circumstances of torture by the police during their distinction founded on the death of this well known man, interrogation by the anti-terrorist membership of a race or region. at that time Director of the Kurdish section of the Istanbul police in The ECHR considered the grounds Institute of Istanbul. 1994. accepted by the Turkish courts for limiting the freedom of expression On 20 September 1992, Musa Anter Moreover, the European Court for of the five petitioners were was killed with five bullets by an Human Rights found Turkey insufficient and judged that the unknown man, while in Diyarbekir guilty of violating freedom of sentences passed on them where he had been invited to a expression in several cases, “disproportionate”, as in many other festival organised by the particularly ones linked to the similar cases. It awarded the municipality. The murder was Kurdish question. Among the five petitioners a a total of 24,000 euros committed by a gendarme of the petitioners, two — Erdal Tas and damages and 9.500 euros costs.

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READ IN THE TURKISH PRESS: the European Court for Human THE REPORT OF THE OF THE TURKISH FOUNDATION FOR Rights, which found Turkey guilty ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH (TESEV) REGARDING and sentenced it to heavy fines. The THE FORCED DISPLACEMENT OF KURDS Turkish Republic, recognising that it was administratively responsible for ollowing the publication think estimate their number at a the region as a State, accepted to settle of a report entitled “The million. According to the Ministry of the compensation due to breaches of results of the internal the Interior, over 900 villages and rights committed by anyone F displacements in Turkey” 2,000 hamlets were evacuated. A whatsoever. But the State has never by the Turkish report drawn up at the request of the accepted that it had evacuated villages Foundation for Economic and State Planning Office by Hacettepe and accused the PKK. 1,500 petitions Social Research (TESEV) the University Population Research team, have been filed against Turkey and, on Turkish daily Milliyet interviewed which has not yet been published, the recommendations of the Council of Dr. Dilek Kurban, director of the should enable to understand these Europe, the European Court decided to TESEV programme and Dr. Deniz statistics more clearly”, points out carry out a pilot scheme in collective Yukseker, lecturer at the University Mr. Deniz Yukseker, adding: cases. Taking into account the of Koç, about the forced “Citizenship must be restored in petitions of January 2006, the displacements carried out in the Turkey after these forced European Court reached the following 90s by the Turkish authorities. The displacements, which are illegal even conclusion: a new internal legal following are extensive extracts in periods of armed confrontation. The system regarding compensation must taken from this interview by the Parliamentary report, which goes back be applied. In practive, applications journalist Derya Sazak: to 1998, expresses the same idea. The to the European Court are blocked but It is still too early to say that there are Prefect responsible for the State of the compensation is too small and the improvements but we know that the Emergency Region (OHAL)was given procedure too slow”. government is becoming aware of the the authority to displace people for As for the solutions recommended, report and showing a certain interest security reasons, but this was carried Dr. Kurban pointed out that “we, as in it. Van Province has been chosen as out in an illegal manner. It is time to part of TESEV think that the Kurdish a pilot region. A plan called “Service face up to these forced displacements”. question is a major obstacle in the way for the displaced population” has been “The Turkish State has the authority of democratisation. The source of the drawn up in cooperation with the to displace the population in a legal problem is the Kurdish question, thus United Nations Development context for security reasons. This is the solution is also linked with that of Programme and the Van Governorate called “evacuation”, and international the Kurdish question (…) Turkey has was revealed in September, but there law allows this. However, the never accepted the term civil war (…) have not yet been any concrete results. situation in the South-East (Editor’s If this was accepted it would be Moreover, in 2004, a compensation Note: Turkish Kurdistan) it was possible to evacuate civilians for their law was passed leading to 200,000 applied illegally. As we have own security, on condition that this applications from villagers who had revealed in our research, this took was only temporary. The victims of of been victims of those forced place in many places under displacements were, to a large extent displacements. To date, 27,000 “threats”. The villagers were first those who refused to assume the role of applications have succeeded but we called on to become “village “village protectors”. It can thus be have observed that the compensation protectors” (Editor’s Note: State seen as a punishment. Moreover, the given is very small and in no way regional auxiliary militia) — then, armed clashes have ceased since 1999 realistic (…) The State recognised that in the event of a refusal, told to but these people have still not been it had displaced 360,000 people. The evacuate their village within two able to return to their villages. Thus it Turkish Parliament, in a report days! If they did not evacuate, the is not temporary and, even so, published in 1998, gives a figure of village was burn to the ground! We humanitarian aid from the United 378,000 people. Civil society have collected many testimonies in Nations was refused until 2002 associations, for their part, talk of which the events had many (Editor’s Note: or from the Red between 3 and 4 million people. We, at similarities”, stresses Dr. Yukseker. Crescent) for this population. Even if TESEV, think that these figures are Dr. Dilek Kurban, for his part, at least 355,000 people have been not realistic but without having pointed out that “the victims at the displaced, this is a great catastrophe carried out demographic research beginning of the 90s decade applied to and the State should deploy as much

• 16 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 261 • December 2006 effort as for an earthquake”. Dr. Deniz by the gendarmerie, who simply reject Parliament, Bulent Arinc, for Yukseker indicated emphatically the allegation and the petition is having refused to meet a group of “they are not concerned that this refused. We will not be able find any Kurdish activists in December. “We event is breach of the Constitution” solution without macro-political see this as a blow against peace”, he and added that “the State development. The system of village pointed out. “In the eyes of our announces the return of 150,000 protectors must be abolished and the people the government has failed to people to their homes. However region must be cleared of mines. pass the test”, he added. Mr. Turk there are no means of subsistence Without this the people will never be declared that his party, which has in these villages since the able to return home …) By a decision no seats in Parliament, will agriculture and stock breeding of the Council of Ministers, the continue to work for a peaceful have been destroyed and that there recruiting of village protectors ended settlement of the Kurdish are no roads or electricity, not to in 2000, but today there is a system of question.However, “we are always mention conditions of voluntary protectors. They have no ready to pay the price, to pay with our security.Thus the people just official tenure, are not paid but are lives for freedom and democracy”, he remain there for the summer …” armed (by the State)”. Dr. Deniz added. Still on the subject of solutions Dr. Yukseker added that “since the The retired general, Edip Baser, Kurban stressed that “We have still system has been in existence, village charged since August 2006 with not heard of any solution from the protectors have been involved in over coordinating the fight against the government regarding the fate of this 5,000 crimes and offenses, particularly PKK with Washington had, the day population (…) A citizen goes before “acts of terrorism”. This system before, declared on the NTV news the (compensation) Commission constitutes a security problem in channel, that he would discuss stating that his village was evacuated itself”. “concrete priority steps” with his opposite number, the retired US AS WELL AS … general Joseph W. Ralston when they met in January and to nask • A SPILT IN THE KURDISTAN its General Secretaries, Dr. for measures against the PKK. “We DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF IRAN Abdulrahman Ghassemlou and Dr. (Turkey) have a timetable in mind” (PKDI). On 7 December, one of Sadegh Charafkandi, were he had continued. “If we have not the leaders of the Kurdistan assassinated by agents of the Iran achieved concrete steps between now Democratic Party of Iran secret services in 1989 and 1993, and the due date of this timetable (…) announced that he was leaving the respectively in Vienna and in then we say that there is no reason to party to form his own party with Berlin. continue wasting our time and will several of the cadres and activists. put an end to this joint effort”. Their “Our departure is the outcome of two • TURKEY PRESSING paths could “separate” if the United years of disagreement with the party WASHINGTON TO HELP IT States rejected measures that regarding our demands for reforms NEUTRALISE THE PKK Turkey judged appropriate for and the setting up of a collective DESPITE ITS UNILATERAL fighting the PKK he had added. Mr leadership”, explained Abdallah CEASE FIRE. On 23 December, Baser had recognised that it was Hassan Zadeh, former General the principal pro-Kurdish party in “not realistic to expect major concrete Secretary of the KDPI, speaking Turkey, denounced Ankara’s steps against the PKK overnight” but from his office near Irbil, in Iraqi “indifference” to the cease fire had stated that Ankara hoped to Kurdistan. unilaterally decreed by the fighters see signs of progress as from the For its part, the Party announced of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party start of next year. General Baser in a communiqué that after “many (PKK). “We expect the government to also stressed that in case of need, meetings between the two camps it had take advantage of this process aimed at Turkey could conduct operations not been possible to find common putting ann end to the blood bath, but beyond its borders with Iraq, thus ground, which explains the split”. The unfortunately (…) the State remains into Iraqi Kurdistan and that “this Kurdistan Democratic Party of indifferent”, declared Ahmed Turk, is not a question in which anyone else Iran, founded in 1945, is the president of the Party for a could interfere”. principal Kurdish opposition Democratic Society (DTP) in The PKK unilaterally declared a movement in Iran and has several Diyarbekir. He particularly cease fire at the end of September, offices in Iraqi Kurdistan. Two of criticised the Speaker of to take effect as from 1 October,

n° 261 • December 2006 Information and liaison bulletin • 17 • essentially calling on Ankara to Karami, commander of the “demand of extradition (…) was negotiate. On the same day, Prime province’s police force, as quoted linked” to his alleged membership Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan by the paper. “Nine other members of the PKK, the court considered. rejected this out of hand, were killed during clashes with the Yet “it has been sufficiently demanding that the PKK lay down police”, he added. He also made established that Mr. Seven’s torture its arms and surrender. Military the point that seven members of occurred in relation” to this political operations against the PKK had the police forces had been killed, membership, which constitutes a been increased when, at the end of three of whom by stepping on violation of his fundamental June 2004 the PKK had ended an mines. The province of West rights, the court continued. On 15 earkier unilateral cease fire, which Azerbaijan is mainly inhabited by September, the Netherlands it had been observed for five years. Kurds, who also inhabit the Supreme Court had already On 8 December, the Turkish neighbouring province of forbidden the extradition of a General Staff stated that the crash Kurdistan as well as those of Ilam woman leader of the PKK, Nuriye of an army helicopter the day and Kermanshah. The first two Kesbir, considering that she was in before, which had caused the provinces are regularly the scene danger of being tortured and that deaths of a non-commissioned of armed clashes between Iranian the guarantees given by Ankara officer and wounded five other troops and activists of Kurdish were insufficient. soldiers had been due to Kurdish parties, particularly those of fighters in the region. The aircraft PEJAK, an Iranian Kurdish group • DAMASCUS: THE SYRIAN had landed in a mountainous close top the PKK (Kurdistan COURTS ARE GAGGING ALL region of Bingol Province in the Workers’ Party) DISSENT. On 10 December, the course of combing operation In another context, on 5 December, National Organisation for Human against the PKK and was damaged the Maastricht court rejected a Rights in Syria (NOHRS) indicated on takeoff by a remote controlled demand by Turkey for the in a communiqué that a Syrian had explosion. Additionally, on 5 extradition of Nedim Seven, who been sentenced to twelve years December three Turkish soldiers is accused of murderous terrorist imprisonment for being a member were killed and 14 others attacks on behalf of the PKK. of the Moslem Brotherhood, a wounded by the explosion of two Nedim Seven, 38 years of age, was banned organisation. “Muhammed mines near the locality of arrested in the South of the Thabet Helli was sentenced to 12 Güclükonak, in Sirnak province. Netherlands during a routine years in prison for membership of Furthermore, on 5 December the identity check in August. the Moslem Brotherhood by the Iranian governmental daily paper Following the appeal against the High State Security Court”, an Iran reported that the security first refusal to extradite him in Emergency Law court whose forces had arrested 87 members October, he was placed in verdicts are without any right of and sympathisers of Kurdish detention, but the court ordered appeal, pointed out Ammar organisations and killed nine the immediate lifting of this Qorabi, leaders of NOHRS. Syrian others in the province of West detention. The judges justified law awards death sentences for Azerbaijan since the previous their decision on the grounds that membership of the Moslem March. “Twenty-two members and it had been established that he had Brotherhood. However, since the 65 sympathisers of terrorist groups been tortured by the Turkish mid-90s members of the Moslem have been arrested since the beginning security forces after his arrest in Brotherhood are no longer if the Iranian year” (which begins on Adana in 1989, shortly after a pro- executed, their sentences being 20 March) declared Hassan Kurdish demonstration. The commuted to long terms in prison. Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bastn Ozeti fellIoude 1" décembre 2006 Le pouvoir irakien, attaqué par la guérilla sunnite, est paralysé face aux milices chiites

mier mmistre, qui a convoqué térieur même d'une équipe gou- .( SI LE') MfJJCIENS de ["'Armée Dans un pays où ceux qui pour décembre une « conférence vernementale qui reste nette- du n'lahdz" n'avaient pas été là, le accordent encore du crédit à la des partis» politiques à Bagdad. ment dominée par les partis chii- 23 novembre, ce /le sont pas police et à ses multiples excrois- Objet? Mettre un terme aux tes. 200 mortç que nous aurions eus sances paramilitaires sont deve- récriminations permanentes Récemment, le vice-président dans [es attentatç de Sadr City, nus rares, le rôle des milices, chii- entre les partis théoriquement sunnite de la République, accu- mais beaucoup plus» : Abou tes mais aussi sunnites et kurdes, réunis dans le « gouvernement sant M. Maliki et les siens Mariam,joint par téléphone, n'a cessé de s'étendre, rendant d'unité nationale », obtenir des d'« accaparer tous les postes», n'est pas un militant de la cause évidemment presque impossible uns et des autres qu'ils cessent menaçait de démissionner. de l'irnam Ali, figure vénérée des des dissolutions autoritaires. de se désolidari<;er des actions Mercredi 29 novembre, ce chiites. Ilest de confession sunni- « Débarrassez-moi des bandes de ce gouvernement, et de mena- sont les trente élus du mouve- te, marié à une femme chiite cer- de tueurs sunnites qui écument cer à tout bout de champ d'en ment de MoqtadaAl-Sadr et les tes, mais il est l'un des derniers Bagdad, posent des bombes et sortir, de démissionner, voire de six ministres qui lui obéissent sunnites, parmi quelques mil- tirent au mortier en pleine ville, et « prendre les armes». qui ont ( suspendu »,jusqu'à iiE'rs,qUIosent encore résider je vous jure qu'après,je pourrai Bref, avant même de pouvoir nouvel ordre, toute participation dans l'immense faubourg de m'attaquer aux milir.es chiites. » tenir, à l'extérieur de l'Irak, une au travail parlementaire et gou- 3 millions d'habitants, à 98 % Selon plusieurs sources, tels ont « conférence de réconciliation» vernemental. Ils protestent ainsi chiites, de Sadr City, dans la par- été en substance les termes du avec les représentants de tous contre la rencontre d'Amman tie est de Bagdad. marché proposé, en juin, par les groupes d'insurgés en armes entre Nouri Al-Maliki et George Le commentaire d'Abou N000 Al-Maliki au général Geor- - à l'exception des combattants Bush, ( le criminel qui afa~t tuer Mariam illustre l'extrême com- ge Casey, le commandant améri- d'Al-Qaida en Irak et de leurs tant d'Irakiens et dont lesforces plexité de la tâche assignée au cain venu le rencontrer dans la alliés -, il s'agit pour M. Maliki occupent toujours notre pays» .• premier ministre irakien, Nouri capitale irakienne. d'obtenir la paix et l'unité à l'in- PATRICE CLAUDE Al-Maliki, pressé par Washing- Quelques jours plus tard com- ton de démanteler les milices mençait l'opération « En avant armées qui empfchenttoute sta- tous ensemble», censée mettre bilisation du pays. 60 000 hommes, dont un tiers de Al'instar du Hezbollah au soldats américains, dans les rues Liban, 1'« Armée du Mahdi », de Bagdad pour « nettoyer» la fondée début 2004 par lejeune prêcheur chiite radical Moqtada capitale des insurgés sunnites , Le président iranien Al-Sadr, dernier fils d'un grand qui s'y activent en toute impuni- ayatollah adulé et assassiné sur té. ordre de Saddam Hussein, ne se Les deux phases successives interpelle le peuple américain préoccupe pas, seulement, de de l'opération ont été un échec défendre la communauté chiite retentissant, et les deux alliés NEW YORK (Nations unies) être» des « innombrablesAméri- les armes à la main. n'en finissent pas de s'en rejeter CORRESPONDANT cains qui vivent dans la pauvre- mutuellement la responsabilité. Dans une lettre adressée au peu- té ». « Nous n'avons jamais reçu les ren- ple américain, le président ira- Le peuple américain a, selon le Echec retentissant forts irakiens promis », affirment nien, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Lors des multiples attentats à président iranien, montré lors la voiture piégée subis par les les Américains. «I1.s n'ont jamais dénonce ( les guerres et les calomi- des élections du 7 novembre, qui chiites, à Sadr City mais aussi à tenu un seul quartier après l'avoir tés causées par l'administration ont donné une majorité aux Hilla, à Nadjaf et ailleurs, ses mil- soi-disant "nettoyé" », accusent américaine» et prétend engager démocrates au Congrès, son liers de membres - dont au les Irakiens. un « dialogue» avec les «( mécontentement » à l'égard de (( nobles» ha!Jitants d'un pays politiques (( illégales et immora- moins 7000 en armes - savent aussi se faire, au quotidien, assis- Guerre ouverte dont ilexalte les « valeurs» com- les » qui, de Guantanamo à Abou tants sociaux, pourvoyeurs d'em- Le fait est qu'aujourd'hui, la munes avec l'Iran. Ghraib, auraient pour effet de «propager le terrorisme ». plois et d'aides financières aux guerre ouverte pour le contrôle La missive de cinq pages a été plus pauvres, organisateurs de de Bagdad se poursuit de maniè- diffusée, mercredi 29 novembre, M. Ahmadinejad prévient aussi prières collectives, gardiens d'im- re plus meurtrière que jamais par la représentation diplomati- (( les vainqueurs des dernières élec- meubles, policiers de la circula- pour les civils. Qui peut l'arrê- que de Téhéran auprès de l'ONU. rions » qu'ils seront «jugés par le tion, brancardiers, ambulan- tet ? « Le problème est politi- Elle fait écho à une lettre de peuple et par l'histoire ». ciers, donneurs de sang pour les que », s'en va répétant le pre- 18 pages, restée sans réponse, Le dirigeant iranien qui, par le hôpitaux. .. envoyée en Jllaipar le président passé, a qualifié l'Holocauste de iranien à son homologue améri- ((mythe », affirme que Washing- cain, George Bush. ton « fournit un soutien aveugle » Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plai- aux « sionistes» parce que ces de pour un retrait des troupes derniers se sont, selon lui, ( impo- américaines d'Irak, au nom « des sés dans une partie substantielle de mères et des proches (de soldats) la banque, de la finance, des sec- qui ont exprimi leur mécontente- teurs culturels et médiatiques ». ment », mais aussi poUr que Le département d'Etat améri- l'administration am'~caine puis- cain a qualifié la lettre de «( numé- se consacrer ces ( d4penses mili- ro de relations publiques» .• taires astronomiques » au ((bien- PHILIPPE BOLOPION

1 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Gzeti

Dans les montagnes d'Irak, les soldates du PKK prônent un nouveau féminisme

MONT QANDIL (Irak), 29 nov 2006 (AFP) - 07h45 - "Quand une femme abandonne son foyer et prend les armes, ce n'est pas anodin, c'est une révolution sociale. Nous ouvrons les yeux de la société kurde", assure Arshem Kurman, femme et combattante du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK).

Dans une région du monde où la soumission des femmes est la règle, elles jouent un rôle primordial dans les rangs du mouvement de libération kurde, réfugié dans les montagnes du nord de l'Irak, près de la frontière iranienne.

Revendiquant jadis un marxisme orthodoxe, le PKK, qui lutte pour l'indépendance du sud-est anatolien de la Turquie, où les Kurdes sont très nombreux, assure aujourd'hui être converti à la paix et engagé dans un processus démocratique.

Il a cependant conservé une structure militaire qui a donné naissance à un féminisme guerrier unique. Celui-ci n'avait rien d'acquis. Il a fallu et il faut toujours lutter contre les préjugés de la société, parfois partagés par leurs camarades masculins, admettent les femmes du PKK.

"C'est là toute l'importance du martyre, c'est ce qui donne du poids à notre cause", juge Arshem Kurman, soulignant que ce sont les femmes tombées au combat ou qui ont mené des attentats suicides qui ont obligé les hommes du mouvement à les prendre au sérieux.

"Des femmes meurent tous les jours, alors quel meilleur façon de faire passer notre message", ajoute cette instructrice respectée, qui décnt comment.une Kurde a tué plus de 50 soldats turcs au cours d'un attentat suicide dans les années 1990.

Au cours de ces années, le PKK a mené 15 attentats suicides. Onze d'entre eux l'ont été par des femmes, mais depuis 1999 et l'arrestation de son chef histonque, Abdallah Ocalan, le PKK se déclare prêt à participer à un règlement pacifique du conflit avec les autorités turques.

Dans le camp bati sur le Mont Qandill, la plupart des bâtiments affichent cependant des portraits de Vian Jaf, qui s'est immolée par le feu en février près de la frontière turque pour protester contre la condition des Kurdes dans ce pays, même si, offiCiellement, la direction du mouvement n'approuve pas ce geste.

Gagner le respect des hommes et obtenir qu'ils les traitent en égales n'est pas facile dans les sociétés machistes du Moyen- Orient, avouent les femmes du PKK.

"Une femme ne peut pas s'élever dans ce contexte. Dans la société traditionnelle kurde, seuls les hommes ont droit à la parole. Si le mari n'est pas à la maison, c'est le fils aîné qui parle, quel que soit son âge", témoigne Reha Saran.

"Dans nos sociétés retardées, les femmes sont confinées aux marges. Notre but, c'est de les faire revenir au centre de la vie publique", explique-t-elle.

Reha Saran enseigne comment les femmes ont été privées de leurs droits, et comment elles peuvent les reconquérir, à un public composé de militantes féministes et de responsables du PKK, dans une école bâtie en pierre.

A charge ensuite pour eux de transmettre ces idées révolutionnaires dans leurs villages et leurs unités, afin qu'elles se répandent dans la société kurde, sans toutefois s'aliéner le soutien des populations.

Pour les jeunes combattantes du mouvement, vivre l'arme à la main, aux côtés de leurs camarades masculins est bien plus intéressant que la vie qui les attendait au village.

Une dizaine d'entre elles, âgées de 15 à 21 ans, boivent du thé en contemplant le coucher du soleil sur les monts Qandil, couronnés de neige. EI:es éclatent de rire lorsqu'on leur demande si elles n'auraient pas préféré rester dans leurs foyers, élever leurs enfants.

"Les femmes dans ces familles n'ont pas le droit de s'instruire. Il arrive même que le mouvement aide certaines jeunes filles malheureuses à s'achapper de leurs familles pour nous rejoindre, en particulier en Iran", explique Rojbin Hajjar, une Kurde venue de Syrie.

"Nous ne sommes pas seulement un modèle pour les femmes du Moyen-Orient, mais pour celles du monde entier", juge Sozdar Serbiliz, femme et chef de guerre.

2 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

Blood, tears and still no victory

BAGHDAD Mter meeting "the right guy" for Iraq, George Bush mocks the idea of a graceful exit

EORGEBUSH returned to the Middle at a NATO summit in Riga that American impact on the ground. Building up the GEast this week a diminished figure. At troops would not leave the battlefield until Iraqi army, which suffers badly from ill- home he has been thumped by the voters. the mission in Iraq was complete. And discipline and sectarian tensions but still ln Iraq his dreams of an example-setting after meeting Mr Maliki in Amman, he appears to respond, more or less, to the democracy have trickled away in blood. promised again that the troops would stay prime minister's orders, is taking time. "It's For aIl the brave words he exchanged with just as long as Iraq's government wanted not easy for a military to evolve from Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, in them to. Liberty had to prevail in the Mid- ground zero," Mr Bush conceded. Amman atmid-week, it is widely assumed dle East, the president dedaimed, "and Another basic problem is the domestic that his real aim now is simply to arrange a that's why this business about graceful political weakness of Mr Maliki. After way for America to leave Iraq as soon as it exit simply has no realism to it at all." their meeting, Mr Bush said that the Shia decently canoOnly then would the Repub- Realism is in the eye of the beholder. prime minister was "the right guy" for Iraq licans have a chance of retaining the White The fact that Mr Bush met Mr Maliki inJor- and that it was in America's interest to help House in 2008. And only after it has left dan's capital rather th an in Baghdad high- him. Privately, however, the Americans Iraq will America be able to restore its tat- lights how anarchic Iraq has become. Most are increasingly unhappy about support- tered influence in the wider Middle East. ofIraq's politicians daim to want the same ing a government that does not appear to Such, at any rate, is the conventional thing America wants: a united, non-sectar- be making enough effort to restrain Shia wisdom. But is it correct? And did anyone ian state and an end to the violence that militias and reach out to the Sunnis tell Mr Bush? The president certainly faces has killed tens of thousands in the past Behind the scenes, Mr Bush probably a daunting array of problems in the region. year alone. But with a diffuse network of tried to encourage Mr Maliki to detach ln this special section we look at four of Sunni guerrillas pitted against equally dis- himself from Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical them: actual civil war in Iraq, potential organised Shia militias, nobody has the Shia deric whose followers are believed to civil war in Lebanon, the stalemate in Pal- authority to deliver. The governments that be responsible for a large share of the sec- estine and the hostility of an Iran that are party to the conflict, in Iraq and be- tarian killing. Mr Maliki, however, needs seems intent on acquiring nudear weap- yond, are several steps removed from the Mr Sadr, who is one of the few leaders to ons. And yet despite aIl that has gone actual killing: aIl they can do is to cajole have any influence over the Shia sectarian wrong in Iraq, America remains by far the others to cajole the armed groups. gangs, most of which daim association strongest external power in the Middle Mr Maliki succeeded in pressing Mr with his Mahdi Army but in practice oper- East-and for the next two years Mr Bush Bush to allow more Iraqi soldiers to come ate autonomously. The young firebrand will remain its president. under his direct control. Atpresent most of does appear to be doing a bit to restrain his On his way to Amman, Mr Bush did not them answer to the American chain of more out-of-control followers. talk as if he feIt like a weakling. He insisted commando But this will not have a huge Before the summit, the New Yorh Times ~~

3 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

~ published a leaked memo written by Ste- threatened to pull out of the government if estme too. But Iran and Syria do not feel phen Hadley, Mr Bush's national security Mr Maliki went through with his meeting they need America's invitation to become adviser, saying of Mr Maliki that he with Mr Bush, though in the event, the Sa- involved. Syria established formai ties "wanted to be strong but was having diffi- drists merely "suspended participation", a with Baghdad last week after a break of 25 culty figuring out how to do so". The good step short of a full walk-out. years. This week, Iraq's president visited memo emphasised Mr Maliki's need to ln Washington, debate is transfixed on Tehran (see next story) while Mr Maliki put sorne distance between himself and the report expected next week from the was packing for Amman. Iraq's neigh- Mr Sadr. Mr Sadr is meanwhile putting Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan committee bours have thelr own mterest in limiting pressure on Mr Maliki to distance himself promising sagacious advice on how Amer- the chaos. That does not make them eager from the Americans. After a triple car- ica can best extract itself from the quag- to help America. And nor did Mr Bush say bombing in the Mahdi Army's east Bagh- mire (see page 45). One much-Ieaked idea anything in Amman to suggest that he is in dad support base of Sadr City killed more is said to be for Amencan talks with Iran the market for that "graceful exit".• than 200 people last week, Sadrist officiais and Syria about how they could help calm said that the Americans were primarily to Iraq, perhaps in the context of a regional blame for failing to provide security. They peace conference that would touch on Pal-

The Economist December2nd 2006

Iran and America What hope of a grand bargain?

Two countries, never in tune Iraq's president meets Iran's

Americans debate whether a "grand aR close to three decades America and bargam" mlght bury the hatchet. The idea PIran have had little to say to each other would be to end Iran's support for terra- tivities. Each time he took a step towards officially except by megaphone. Now nsm and c1earup nuc1ear suspicIOns by re- Iran, it stepped up its nuc1ear work. An of- George Bush's Democratic critics want stonng relatIons, Improving political and fer from America's ambassador m Bagh- him to talk to both Iran and Syria to help trade ties and addressing Iran's security dad to discuss ways of quellmg the vio- find a way out of Iraq. Iran's fiery presi- concerns. The trouble is, Iran's interests lence in Iraq was likewise spurned. dent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was seldom chime with America's. With his coffers full of oil money, and this week hosting his Iraqi counterpart,]a- A bid by sorne in Iran's leadership to Europeans dependent on his oil, Mr Ah- lai Talabani, in Tehran, certainly pretends open a dIalogue after America's invasion madinejad is confident he can ride out any to the role of regional power-broker: he of Iraq in 2003 was rebuffed by the Bush sanctions. He boasts that with America says America should get out of Iraq. admmlstratIon, whose loudest voices tied down in Iraq, it is in no position either But Iran is not only a player in Iraq's were for "regime change". A missed oppor- to try a mihtary strike against Iran's nu- violent politics. It also arms Hizbullah in tunity? Iran's continued arming of anti- c1earfacilities or assist an Israeli one. its face-off with Israel, and funnels cash to Israeli terrorists, and its refusai to hand That could prove a miscalculation. militant Palestinian factions, including Ha- over members of al-Qaeda, supposed1y America has been gambling on a dip- under "house arrest" in Iran but suspected lomatic solution to the nuc1ear issue, with mas. It supports Syria's meddling in Leba- of having planned further attacks, helped sorne in the administration hoping other non, and continues to defy UN Security kill the proposed talks. talks might follow. But Mr Bush insists Council demands that it suspend the most Iran's ruling factIOns are likewise di- that, despite Iraq, ail options are open. dangerous bits of its nuclear programme. vided over how, or whether, to deal with ail, meanwhile, is off its peak and in- What to do about Iran divides the Bush America. Mr Bush's predicament in Iraq creasing Saudi capacity could soon cope administration in part because the stakes has emboldened the hardliners. For now, with a threatened Iranian oil eut-off. The are so high. Mr Ahmadinejad's virulent Iran appears not to want serious talks. extent of Iran's military support for Hiz- rhetoric, his desire to see Israel "wiped ln an effort to strengthen the hand of bullah in its war with Israel earIier this from the map" and his bid for wider Mus- European diplomats trying to talk Iran out year alarmed Arab "neighbours. And at lim leadership make an Iranian bomb a of ItSnuclear ambitions, Mr Bush last year home, the economy needs the investrnent nightmare for America, Israel and a Eu- agreed to a package of trade and other in- that Mr Ahmadinejad's threats scare away. rope soon to be in range of Iran's mIssiles. centives, inc1udmg sorne advanced nu- Iran can miss opportunities too .• Sorne Iraman officiais hint that they might clear technology. ln May this year he said consider helping in Iraq only if pressure on America would take part in negotiations, the nuc1ear programme is lifted. once Iran suspended its suspect nuclear ac-

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Newsweek -, ZeynoBaran DECEMBER 4, 2006 TheComing Coup d'Etat? URKEY IS A HAUNTED LAND. TOO OITEN lN ITS HISTORY, state and mosque are separated and in the past has been prologue. It may be so again. Almost 10 years which freedom of (as weil as freedom from) religion is guaranteed for all. ago, the Thrkish military ousted a popularly elected Islamist The Thrkish military is especially wary prime minister. The circumstances that produced that coup are ofhow the EU is coping with its own Is- Y lamic problem. European govemments re-emerging today. Once again, an Islamist is in power. Once again, the are reaching out to Islamists, ostensibly in generals are muttering angrily about how his government is undermin- order to transform them into allies against ing the secular state-the foundation of domestic terrorism. That may work in the modem Thrkey. As 1rate it, the chances of short-run, Thrkish critics say. But a simi- a military coup in Thrkey occurring in lar strategy would be intolerable to a ma- 2007 are roughly 50-50. jority ofThrks, who fear that once the 1saw the last one coming, thanks to a gates open to "moderate" Islamists, more conversation with a senior military officer radical forces will enter and take over. not long before the events ofFebruary With Thrkey and the EU so sharply di- 1997."1asked the Iranian generals after verging, the danger is that the Thrkish the 1979 revolution why they had done military, supported as in 1997 by other nothing to stop it. By the time they real- secularist groups, will no longer fee! ized how far the Islamists had come, they bound by the need to keep Thrkey on its replied, it was too late," he told me. "We European path. And this time, unlike the will never let that happen in Thrkey." In- past, the United States is in no position to deed, this very principle is enshrined in restrain them. That's partIy because of the bylaws of the Thrkish General Staff, Iraq, and Thrkey's unhappiness with what which declare that the military is "the sole it sees as Washington's kid-glove treat- protector" ofThrkish secular democracy ment of Kurdish terrorists operating out and of the "principles of Ataturk." MAN lN THE MIDDLE: Erdogan and the brass of northem Kurdistan, and partIy because And so it is now. Though most Thrks of its embrace ofErdogan, most literally agree that Prime Minister Recep Thyyip Erdogan is more moderate than his ousted predecessor, Necmettin Erbakan, he is Once again, the generals are muttering nonetheless an Islamist. The outgoing angrily about how the government is president Ahmet Necdet Sezer publicly wams that Erdogan's govemment is undermining the secular state-and Turkey. broadening its fundamentalist platform day by day, and challenging the basic clear that, while they would not want to when he met George w: Bush the same principles of secularism as defined in the see an interruption in democracy, the mil- day that Buyukanit made his remarks in Thrkish constitution. Pointedly, Sezer re- itary may soon have to step in to protect Thrkey. The United States opposed the minds the Thrkish armed forces of their secularism, without which there cannot be 1997 coup, and it will do so again. But as pledge to serve as its guardians. democracy in a majority Muslim country. one senior Thrkish official recently put it: The hawkish new chief of the General These are no-nonsense people who mean "If there were a coup, what would the o.S. Staff, Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, echoes that what they say. do-enact sanctions against Thrkey?" theme. ln a speech at the opening of the Why is this happening? Chiefly be- To be sure, the military may exert its in- academic year at the Thrkish War Acade- cause of the European Union. Never mind fluence without resorting to force. And if a myon Oct. 2, he asked: "Are there not peo- Cyprus, or the new human-rights laws coup were to happen, it would not neces- ple in Thrkey saying that secularism Thrkey has willingly passed under Euro- sarily translate to a nondemocratic Thrkey. should be redefined? Aren't those people pean pressure. The real problem is the More likely, it would simply mean the end occupying the highest seats of the state? EU's core demand: more civilian control ofThrkey's CUITent"Islamist experiment" Isn't the ideology of Ataturk under attack?" over the military. That, senior officers say, and a retum to a more conservative gov- Buyukanit went on to declare that an affir- would inevitably produce an Islamic emment -stalwartly secular, yes, but a mative answer to any of these questions Thrkey. As they see it, the nation simply democracy nonetheless. Ironically, this would confirm that Thrkey is threatened cannot afford to follow the EU on issues Thrkey might ultimately be seen to be a with "Islamist fundamentalism." that would theoretically ensure, but in re- better member of Europe than today's. ln recent weeks 1have spoken with ality endanger, its future as a secular Thrkey's most senior officers. AlI made democracy-that is, a country in which BARANis a Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute.

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DECEMBER 4. 2006

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J of their Humvces to patrol on foot, one of SUNW AND SHIITE the watchcrs will fly a kite, or releasc a 4 \~ i:;JJJ;~f.,;m"'Iraq POPulATION. 2006 f10ck of pigeons. Some of Sadr's people { 1F"'.g .... ;o, • have even infiltrated top ranks of the Iraqi - ':.'~";';;:"~E'WAYTO UNDERSTAND lN THE MIDDLE EAST police. CapL Tom Kapla, 29, says he knows who they are: "They look at you, ,.Moqtada al-Sadr is to think ofhim and you can tell they want to kill you." Shiile às a young Mafia don. He aims for Sadr is a unique force in Iraq: a leader 37.5% Sunni from the majority Shiites who has resisted ,~~~bility, and is willing to kill 62.5% Yetthe extent ofhis power i\merican occupation from the start. He's a ..b~'i-!!~'(,.NTodt.'" -" populist, a nationalist and an Islamic radi- " ':J.' ls»'t obvious to the untrained eye. cal rolled into one, Part ofhis power is sim- ....,.,..;s~:h~ ~,,~""" "'}'" )i"~~ , , ~~~~aS:ù~~sfa.zarmy or policeforce, and the Total 253 million ply that he's powerful. Large numbers of impoverished Shiites view Sadr as their GLOBALLY Mah~i Annygumnen he employs have no tanks guardian- the one leader who is willing not Qttl,ircraft.Y'éU cotùd mistake him-at your per- just to stand up for them but to strike back il-:-f~r*:èOmmo~thug or gang leader. And if on their behalf. "People count on the mili- tias," says Lieutenant Hartley, who deals ,h~ orh1~j>èoplewere to kill YOll for Y0uf igno- with Sadr's thugs on a regular basis, "It's ,rari'Ge, '\1~~uldn't daim credit. But the mes- like the mob-they keep people safe," (~:~qjl@'9,~clear to those who understand The longer Sadr has survived, the greater his prestige has grOWI1.lraqis and 'tlle:brutaUanguageofthe lraqi Street. Total: 1,385 billion foreigners who meet him are impressed by Ameri~h sbldiers who patrol Sadr's turfin Oil Revenues, 2005 the transformation. He's more diplomatie l}ll)tJ1~a~hfta({têtand.,Theycan spot his men. ln $ billions. and eommands more respect, He used to _Sa_ud_1A_rab!~!!!1~~~ greet visitors at his Najaf office sitting on "Tnéy'lqq){ like thêy're pulling security;' says pillows on the £loor.Now he has a couch set. ~U R.rtHartley, a 25-year-oldwho plays Iran _48 UAE -- =-riiïiIï45"-- His concems are high-minded: he speaks of '- cat and mouse with the Mahdi Army in the fuel shortages and cabinet pohtics, ln the Kuwall _43 Iraqi capitaL The Sadrists use children and past, Sadr was shrugged off as a rabhle- young men as lookouts. When GIs get out Iraq --"<'.~--rouser and a nuisance, Now he is undeni- 6 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti

ably one of the most popular leaders in the country. He is also its most dangerous, for for being there. As Sadr put it to NEWS- hello. Sadr squeezed Sheikh's hand tight he has the means to wage pohtical or actual WEEKearlier this year, "The occupation is and opened his eyes wide. "He was trying war against any solution that is not precisely the decision maker '" any attack is [Ameri- to give me a signal." Then Sheikh saw why: to his liking. He is driven by forces America ca's] responsibility." two men dressed in dishdashas, standing has long misread in Iraq: religious senti- The story of the US. confrontation with behind Sadr and near a Toyota with tinted ment, economic resentment and enduring Moqtada al-Sadr is, in many ways, the story windows, were watching. sectarian passions. of American follyin Iraq. It's a story ofigno- Saddam kept a close eye on Sadr be- And he is now a primary target of Sunni rance and poor planning, missteps and con- cause the young man inherited a wide net- insurgents bent on provoking ali-out civil fusion. Key policymakers often disagreed work of mosques, schools and social cen- war. Last Thursday, Sunni militants carried about the importance of Sadr and about ters built up by his father. The network out their deadliest attack since 2003. Multi- how to deal with him. The result was half- was foeused on the impoverished masses ple car bombs, accompanied by mortars, measures and hesitation. But the story isn't of Iraqi Shiites-the sort of people other killed more than 200 people in Sadr City, a just about past failures. It also contains les- religious and secular leaders didn't have Shiite slum of 2 million people in Baghdad sons-and warnings-about the future. much time for. Even sorne educated Shi- that is dominated by the Mahdi Army. Shi- ites dismissed Moqtada as azatut, or igno- ite forces responded immediately by firing rant child. Sorne ealled him "Mullah LITTLE MORE THAN Atari," because he apparently enjoyed mortars at a revered Sunni mosque in 'MULLAH ATARI' videogames as a kid. He certainly lacked Baghdad, and by torching other holy places. Only the presence of US. troops- MOQTADAAL-SADR DIO NOT APPEAR his father's stature: in his theologieal stud- and a wide curfew over the city-prevented on anyone's radar screen ahead of the ies, Moqtada never reached beyond the level of bahth al-khan} (pregraduation re- far bloodier revenge attacks. 2003 inva~ion. Even among Iraqis, al- search), according to a study by the Inter- More than anyone, Sadr personifies the though he came from an important cleri- national Crisis Group. But it's clear now dilemma Washington faces: If Arnerican cal fàmily he was seen as a weak figure. that most everybody underestimated him. troops leave Iraq quicldy, militia leaders Moqtada's father, Muhammad Sadlq like Sadr will be unleashed as never before, al-Sadr, had been a leading ayatollah, a and full-scale civil war could follow. But rival to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and THE TIME BOMB the longer the American occupation lasts, other top clerics. But gunmen-assumed STARTS TO TICK to be working for Saddam-murdered the the less popular America gets-and the Top AMERICANOFFICIAIS MAY HAVE eIder Sadr along with two of his sons in more popular Sadr and his ilk become. been misled, as in so many other tl1Ïngs, ]999. Moqtada was 25 at the time. To many, Sadr's brand of Shiite poli- by depending heavily on well-heeled Iraqi On the evening after his father's funer- tics-homegrown, populist and ruthless- exiles for advice. The outsiders, who had al, Moqtada presided over a memorial seems a natural outgrowth of the min left in lived for many years in London or Wash- Saddam Hussein's wake, and a powerful service at the Safi al-Safa Mosque in Najaf part of what Iraq has become. The United A storm was raging outside. At about ington or Tehran, disagreed vehemently Nations calculates that an unprecedented 8 p.m., three men wearing suits and ties with eaeh other on what an invasion would 3,709 Iraqi civilians were killed in October. swaggered into the mosque. Their jackets mean. But some told Americans what they bulged where handguns were holstered. wantcd ta hear: you will be greeted as lib- Death squads connected to the Mahdi They were smirking, recalls Fatah al- erators, cspecially by the Shiites and Kurds Army, as weil as to other Shia and Sunni Sheikh, a family friend who was present. long oppressed by Saddam. groups, capture and execute civilians in Everyone in the mosque knew they were Amencan officiaIs listened to Ahmad cold bloOO,sometimes dragging Ùlem out Saddam's men. One of the visitors offered Chalabi, the well-known scion of a seeular of hospitals or govemment ministries. Moqtada a package: a brick ofbank notes Shiite banking family. Another prominent Corpses tum up on the street with acid wrapped in cnsp white paper. "It was a exile was Abdul Majid al-Khoei, who was burns on their backs, or electric-drill holes message from Saddam Hussein," Sheikh supposed to be a key guide to the Shia reli- in their knees, stomachs and heads. Among reealls. "They wanted to tell Sayyid Moq- gious eommunity. Both had been away ordinary Iraqis, the United Sl:<'ltesbears tada, 'We killed your father.' They wanted from Iraq for many years, and were strang- much of the blame for the bloodshed-just to see ifSayyid Moqtada could be bought." ers to the place they had left behind. Moqtada declined the money, refused Al-Khoei paid with his life. The Lon- to shake hands and told the men to leave the mosque. A cleric followed the men out, don-based exile returned to the holy city This story was written by Jeffrey Bartholet apologized on Moqtada's behalf and ac- of Najaf, where he was born and raised, wtth reportingfrom KevinPeraino and Sarah cepted the money-knowing that to refuse un der us. Il1Ihtaryprotection. He quick- Childress inBaghdad; Michael Hastings in it would mean a death sentence. Fearing Iyorganized a local council ta get electric- Amman; Dan Ephron, Michael Hirsh and immediate retribution anyway, Moqtada ity and water flowing again, apparently John Barry zn Washington; Christopher cut short the memorial and eanceled two with CIA money. (The CIA .declined to Dickeyin Paris; Melinda Liu in BeIJing; days of official mouming. comment.) But al-Khoei's father had been Rod Nordland, Stryker McGuire, Mark Sheikh says that for the next four years, Iraq's top ayatollah-and a bitter rival of Hosenball and Rebecca Hall in London; Saddam's secret police followed Sadr wher- Sadr's father-during Saddam's mie. Now Babak Dehghanpisheh inBeirut; Scott ever he went. One hot summer day, Sheikh the sons were competing for power and Johnson zn Cape 1bwn; Christian Caryl recalls seeing Sadr leave the Imam Ali influence. Sadr castigated al-Khoei as a in Tbkyo, and Malcolm Beith and Karen Shrine in Najaf Sheikh walked up and said U.S. agent, and demanded that he tum Fragala Smith in New York

lN BAGHDAD, CORPSES TURN UP WITH ACID BURNS ON THEIR BACKS, OR ElECTRIC-DRlll HOlES lN THEIR KNEES.

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over the keys to the tomb of Imam Ali, to hand off the area around Najaf to a TAKING ON IRAQ'S the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law. multinational force with troops from A gilded cage surrounding the tomb Spain and Central America. Still, the NEWTALIBAN contains a box for pilgrims' donations, a Coalition had a secret arrest plan, and mo- THE U.S. INVASION HAD DESTROYED AN huge and vital source of income for reli- mentum toward nabbing Sadr was build- economy already crippled by years of inter- gious leaders. ing. "The pivotal moment was Aug. 19, national sanctions. Countless young men As al-Khoei and a colleague visited 2003:' says Senor. "We were down to fig- were unemployed, invigorated by the at- the shrine on the morning of April 10, uring out the mechanisms of ensuring that mosphere of violent change but also poor 2003, an angry mob attacked them with the operation was seen as Iraqi, executed and fearful. They wanted to be part of the ,grenades, guns and swords. "Long live on an Iraqi arrest warrant. 1 remember it new order-whatever it would be. The coun- Moqtada al-Sadr!" the mob cried out. was late afternoon and we had just re- try was also awash in guns and other weap- Al-Khoei was stabbed repeatedly, then ceived a snowflake from [US. Defense ons, induding those looted from Saddam's tied up and dragged to the doorstep of Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld ... with nine vast and unsecured arms depots. The Sadr- Sadr's headquarters in Najaf, where he different questions, rehashing how we ist network was perfectly positioned to capi- was still alive. A subsequent investiga- were going to do this, to make sure it was talize on the situation. Sadr himself was tion by an Iraqi judge determined to lead a na- found that Sadr himself tional movement-using gave the order to finish a potent mixture of anti- him off: "Take him occupation militancy and away and kill him in rnillennial preaching your own special way." about the coming of the Yet it wasn't clear at mysterious 12th imam, the time of the killing who Shiites believe will what Sadr's personal save mankind. "Moqtada role was, and "we didn't is absolutely hooked on want one of our first the concept of the reap- acts in country to be pearance of the Mahdi;' taking out one of the says Amatzia Baram, the most popular leaders," director of the Ezri Cen- says a U.S. military offi- ter at Haïfa University. cer familiar with Army The first sighting of intelligence on Sadr. black-dad militiamen The officer, who did identitying themselves as not want to be named part of Mahdi Army discussing intelligence seems to have come in matters, says the Army September 2003 in the was worried about pro- southern town of Kufah. voking riots. When Sadr's father was TO BREAK A STALEMATE "1 do not care what the Americans have to killed in 1999, Saddam violently crushed ln his search for allies, Chalabi (center) say about this, and 1 never did;' said Sadr protests by angry Shia mobs. "We helped persuade Sadr to join the political when asked about the new militia by re- thought that tens of thousands would system. Many argue that to do otherwise porters later that month. "Only the Iraqi take to the streets in Nasiriya, Karbala would disenfranchise a key bloc of poor Shia. people can choose who they want to protect and Baghdad. It always cornes back to their country:' The US. military, fighting an that-not enough guys on the ground." ever-growing insurgency by the minority One courageous Iraqijudge, RaidJuhi, Sunnis, who had lost power with Saddam's doggedly investigated the case. He ex- not seen as an American operation." CA downfall, didn't want to instigate a two- humed the bodies of al-Khoei and his col- "snowflake" was a Rumsfeld memo.) front war. But that left the United States league, and wrote up a confidential arrest Suddenly word came that insurgents without a strategy. If American forces warrant for Sadr in August 2003. "From had detonated a massive truck bomb at weren't going to fight Sadr, it made sense to that moment through April 2004, the issue the United Nations headquarters in try to entice him into a political process: But was whether we were going to enforce the Baghdad. Senor recalls rushing to the other Iraqi leaders, induding prominent arrest warrant," says Dan Senor, a senior scene with Hume Horan, a top US. diplo- Shiites, may have opposed that idea. official in the Coalition Provisional Au- mat and Arabist. Horan leaned over to ln the winter of 2004, a senior adviser to thority at the time. Senor and said, "We should take down Ambassador Paul Bremer, the American The CPA, the Pentagon and the mili- Sadr now, when no one's looking." But proconsul in Iraq, was traveling in the tary on the ground were in disagree- there was enough chaos to deal with al- south, meeting with friendly derics and ment. The Marines in southern Iraq were ready. The UN. bombing was "a huge dis- community leaders. "1could see how fright- particularly wary of stirring up trouble. traction;' says Senor, "and the Sadr opera- ened they were of [Sadr] and his Mahdi As it was, the United States was preparing tion was forgotten." Army;' recalls the aide, Larry Diamond. "1 '1WANTED TO GO AFTER HlM WHEN HE HAD 200 FOLLOWERS,' SAYS BREMER. 'THE MARINES RESISTED DOING ANYTHING.'

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was driven past an area, a kind of com- and sorne militants were shellshocked. Oth- seats. ln both cases, because of divisions be- pound where his black-c1adarmywas train- ers bragged about how they had fought back tween other large Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni ing for the upcoming revolution to seize tanks with AK-47s, or disabled Humvees parties, Sadr was able to play kingmaker. power and take over. Itjust dawned on me with a single grenade. Scores of militiamen 1\\'0 prime ministers since 2005- Ibrahim that these people were going to make this were dead, but Sadr's prestige was, if any- Jaafari and the current Iraqi leader, Nuri al- place an authoritarian hell of a new sort, thing, enhanced: he had fought the mighty Maliki-have depended on his swing votes Thliban style, and would murder a lot of our United States to a stalemate. for their majority. But Sadr himself stayed allies in the process." out of government, and kept his distance. Diamond went to Bremer and gave him GETTING SADR That way he could pursue a dual strategy- his assessment: the United States urgently rebuilding his militia even as he capitalized needed to act against Sadr. Bremer respond- INSIDE THE TENT on his control of key ministries, like Health ed that he was waiting for a new plan from SADR NEEDED A NEW STRATEGY, HOW- and 1hmsportation, to provide services to Coalition forces. "1 first wanted to go after ever. He wasn't strong enough to defeat the the poor and jobs ta his followers. him when he had probably fewer than 200 occupier head-on, nor could he eliminate The Sunni insurgents were pursuing a followers;' Bremer recalled in an interview his Iraqi rivals. So he took up what he calls new strategy, too. ln early 2004, U.S. forces with NEWSWEEK last had intercepted a wor- week. "1 couldn't make it ried letter from the Qae- happen ... the Marines da leader in Iraq, Abu were resisting doing any- Mussab al-Zarqawi, to thing." But in the mean- Osama bin Laden. Zar- time, on March 28, 2004, qawi fretted thathis fight Bremer suspended publi- against American forces cation of Sadr's newspa- was going poorly. But he per after it ran an editorial had a plan: "If we suc- praising the 9/11 attacks ceed in dragging [the on America as a "blessing Shiites] into the arena of fromGod:' sectarian war, it will be- The response was come possible to awaken swift: mass demonstra- the inattentive Sunnis as tions, which led to the they feel imminent dan- first of two Sadr upris- ger:' he wrote. ings in 2004. ln a final Throughout 2005, meeting between Dia- Sunni insurgents mond and Bremer on launched increasingly April l, Diamond pressed vicious attacks on Shiite the point that the United civilians and holy places. States needed more Sistani regularly called troops in Iraq. It was around 8 p.m., and GET OUT OF JAIL FREE on his followers to exercise restraint, which Bremer's dinner was sitting on a tray un- Prime Minister Maliki (Ieft) has torced the they did with remarkable forbearance. But eaten. He looked exhausted. '~d he just U.S. military to remove roadblocks trom Sadr Sadr, who had long positioned himself as didn't want to hear it," says Diamond. "ln City's perimeter and to release detainees who an Iraqi nationalist-and who had cooper- retrospect, 1 think he had gone to the well were jailed in sweeps against death squads ated with Sunni fighters in the early stages on this issue of more troops during 2003, of the insurgency-now publicly called for had gotten nowhere ... and had just re- Sunnis to disavow Zarqawi. New battle signed himself to the fact that these troops lines were being drawn. just weren't going to come. 1 think the "political resistance"-working from within The tuming point came on Feb. 22, tragedy is that everyone just gave up:' the system. Chalabi played an important 2006, when assailants bombed the golden- When fighting did break out, American role here. Washington's favorite lraqi had domed Askariya Shrine in Samarra. This forces hammered the Mahdi Army in Bagh- found that he had little popularity in his was the burial place of the lOth and nth dad and Najaf-first in the spring and then homeland, so he was seeking alliances. Cha- imams, and one of the holiest sites of the again, after a broken ceasefire, in the late labi also felt, as did many other lraqis and Shia faith. After the Samarra bombing, summer. Sorne of the worst fighting came in Americans, that it was better to bring Sadr many Shiites felt compelled to lash back. August, as Sadr's militiamen made their inside the process than to have him trying to Caught in a vicious street fight against Sun- stand around the Imam Ali Shrine in Naja£ destroy it. "Sadr is respected because of his nis, they decided that they'd rather have a They turned the area into a no-go zone, lineage and because he speaks for the disen- dirty brawler in their corner (like Sadr) than sniping at any sign of movement. U.S.forces franchised, the scared and the angry:' says a a gray-bearded holy man (like Sistani). "We retaliated by laying waste to large swaths of Chalabi aide, who did not want to be named have courage, large amounts of ammuni- central Naja£ ln the end, Ayatollah Sistani because of the sensitivity of the subject. "ln tion, good leaders, and it is a religious duty:' brought his influence to bear on the rene- that sort of situation, it makes absolute saysAli Mijbil, a 26-year-old mechanic who gade cleric and encouraged a ceasefire. sense to try to get him inside the system:' serves in the Mahdi Army. "So why don't we Attempts to enforce the arrest warrant Sadr made the most of the opening. fight them? We've been kept under Sunni against Sadr and severa!aides were dropped, Politicians in rus Sadr bloc won 23 of 275 and Sadr's forces disarmed in Najaf or head- seats in the January 2005 elections and, after ~~rn)2Click on our map of casualties in Irall- ed out of town. They were badly bloodied, fresh voting nearly a year later, now hold 30 W at xtra.Newsweek.com

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___1".- _ JOli Ut .J

rule for more than 14 centuries. It is the proper time to rule ourselves now." Sadr still insists his main fight is with How He CaTIs the Shots foreign invaders. He's the one Shia leader who has opposed the US. occupation from With a growing private army and a pivotai group of parliamentary seats at his command, the beginning, and who has continued to the radical Shiite c1eric Moqtada al-Sadr continues his rise as one of the country's calIfor a strict timetable for American with- drawal. An overwhelming majority of most powerful figures. A look at his influence-and his competitors: Iraqis now agree with him. A September polI by WorldPublicOpinion.org found that UNITED IRAQI ALLIANCE 63 percent of 501 Iraqi Shiites surveyed The UIA, an alliance of conservative Shiite groups-including Sadr's- supported attacks against Americans. Even holds 128 parliamentary seats, slgnificantly more than any other bloc. in Baghdad, where ethnic tensions are worst, Shiites agree with Sunnis on one The Supreme Couneil The party of lraql Prime Though its Ideology ISclose to thing: the polI found that 80 percent of the for Islamie Revolution Mmister Mallkl, Dawa that of the Sadnsts, Fadhila capital's Shiites wanted U.S. forces to leave in Iraq (SCIRI) ISc10sely possesses no organized has ilS own agenda and has within a year. That number has changed tled to-and reportedly mllitia. It also has fewer sometlmes elashed wlth tunded by-Iran dramatically in a matter of months. AJanu- eleries than SCIRI Sadr's camp ary poil found that most Shiites wanted US.-Ied troops to be reduced only "as the security situation improves." ln Washington, sorne politicians still talk about "victory:' while others aim only to stabilize the country and leavewith sorne semblance of dignity. Many in the US. capital are dusting off yesterday's proposals for tomorrow's problems-more training, more troops, disarming the militias, more stability in Baghdad. The GOP presidential front runner for 2008, John McCain, would prefer to increase the number of US. troops in Iraq by 20,000, at least temporarily. He has also called for Sadr to be "taken out." But it may be too late. The rnovernent may now be more im- portant than the man. Sadr "is faced with a IRAOI PARUAMENT SEATS cornmon problem," says Toby Dodge of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. "He can't control the use ofhis brand name, the use of his legitimacy:' Sorne eIder followers of Sadr's father have broken away, disillusioned with the son. And sorne young toughs seem to be free- lancing where they canoRenegade factions could eventually threaten Sadr's power. If he were to fall, "you'll end up with 30 dif- ferent movements:' says ValiNasr, a schol- ar and author who has briefed the Bush administration on Iraq. "There are 30 chieftains who have a tremendous amount of local power. If you remove hirn, there will be a scramble for who will inherit this movement ... It's a great danger doing that. You may actually make your life much more difficult." last month, US. soldiers sealed off the When the U.S. fails to respond to provo- Sadr City neighborhood where they be- cation, it loses credibility. And when it does HOW THE MAHDI lieved he was being held. But Prime Min- respond, it can also lose. Last "'t'ck, before ister Maliki-who depends on Sadr for the massive car-bomb attacks, U.S. and ARMYWORKS political support-quickly ordered the Iraqi forces carried out a pinpnck raid in FOR NOW, SADR AND HIS MAHDI ARMY Americans to remove their roadblocks. Sadr City to get intelligence on the kid- have the initiative. They can stir up trou- Maliki has also forced the US. military to napped military translator, Ahmed Qusai ble without much fear of retribution. A release men picked up during raids in al-Taayie. Like sa many othe!' US. military case in point: When kidnappers grabbed Sadr City on suspicion of belonging to strikes in Iraq, however, it came at a price. an Iraqi-American translator in Baghdad Shiite death squads. American forces capturcd Sc\ en militia-

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PRiNCE OF Bt\GHDAD Sadr exerts control over a growing number of neighborhoods besides the vast Shiite enclave of Sadr City, home ta 2 million or more Iraqis.

men, including one who f11lghthave infor- million on completed construction proj- signs giving all credit to their boss, accord- mation on al-Taayic. But police said a ects in Sadr City, for instance-building ing to LI. Zeroy Lawson, an Army intelli- young boy was amollg-thrl'c people killed new sewers and power lines-and projects gence officer who works in the area. in the raid. A membcr of P,\rhament from worth an additional $197 million are un- The Mahdi Army has other sources of Sadr's movement promptl)' ~howed up at derway. But the United States doesn't al- cash. It's taken control of gas stations the morgue, and hcld th.. COI pf-Cof the boy ways get credit for the good works. When throughout large parts of Baghdad, and in his arms as he r(\Jledag.lln~t the Ameri- the Americans doled out cash to construct dominates the Shia trade in propane-gas l'an occupation. four health clinics in Sadr City during the canisters, which Iraqis use for cooking. U.S. forces have tricd hard to win past year, Sadr's men quickly removed any Sometimes the militiamen sell the pro- hearts and minds. Thcy've spcnt $120.9 hint ofU.S. involvement. They also put up pane at a premium, earning healthy prof-

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Friday marked the an niver- sary, on the Islamic calen- dar, of the killing of Mu- hammad Sadiq al-Sadr and his two eldest sons. After the previous day's bomb- ings, Moqtada told govern- ment officials that he was out of the country. But that seems to have been a feint- to keep possible enemies off balance. ln fact, he appeared at the Kufah Mosque, where his father used to lead worshipers in chants of"No, no to Ameri- ca; no, no to Israel; no, no to the Devil!" As word spread that Moqtada would lead pray- ers, people crowded into the mosque, most of them clad in black as a sign of mourning. Sadr asked wor- shipers to pray for his dead relatives, and also for those who had been killed in Sadr City. He again called its; at other times they sell it at well below A FIGHT TO THE FINISH for the United States to set a timetable for market rates, earning gratitude from the withdrawal from Iraq. He urged a top poor and unemployed. Mahdi Army fighters pose with pictures of Sunni sheik to issue three fatwas: one A key source ofSadr's incarne is Muslim Sadr and the burned -out wreckage of a U.S. against the killing of Shiites, another tithes-or khoms-collected at mosques. First Infantry Division Humvee struck by a against joining Al Qaeda and the third to But his militiamen also run extortion and racket on the outskirts of Kufah, April 2004 rebuild the shrine in Samarra. He com- protection rackets-demanding money to pared his father's followers to those of the keep certain businesses and individuals Prophet Muhammad. ''After the prophet "safe."One lraqi in a tough neighborhood, 10 followers he believed were suspect. died," he intoned, "sorne of his followers who did not want to reveal his name out of They had been using the Mahdi Army deviated from his teachings, and the same fear, says he pays the local Mahdi Army the name, but Sadr believes they're really tools has happened with followers of my fa- equivalent of $13 a month for protection. ofIranian intelligence, says Sheikh. ther." The "cursed trio"-Americans, Analysts believe that Iran has also pro- Sadr has tried to distance himself from British and Israelis-were trying to divide vided support to Sadr, but not much. atrocities, insisting that they're carried out Iraq. "We Iraqis-Sunnis and Shia-will Tehran began supplying Shia insurgents, by renegades or impostors. Many Sunnis, always be brothers." including the Mahdi Army, with a special to whom Sadr has become a dark symbol No one in Iraq talks about arresting Sadr type of roadside bomb, using a shaped of Shiite perfidy, don't buy it. "If he says, for the murder of al-Khoei anymore. That charge, in May 2005. These are often dis- 'Kill Alusi,' 1will be killed," says Mithal al- seems like ages ago-back when Sadr's guised as rocks and are easy to manufac- Alusi, a moderate Sunni member ofParlia- armed supporters were estimated in the ture locally. But diplomats say they are ment. "If he says, 'Don't kill Alusi,' 1 will hundreds, compared with many thousands made to the exact design perfected by not be killed ... Nobody can go against his today. Now diplomats speak of trying to Iranian intelligence and supplied to Leba- orders or wishes." The Association of Mus- keep Sadr inside the political system, hop- nese Hizbullah in the 1980s. lim Scholars, which is loosely linked with ing he can tame his followers. He's a mili- Yet Tehran's main Shiite clients in Iraq Sunni insurgents, says the Mahdi Army tant Islamist and anti-occupation, they say, are rivals of Sadr, who is often critical of has attacked sorne 200 Sunni mosques, but he's also a nationalist, and not as close Persian influence. Sadr worries that Iran and killed more than 260 imams and to Iran as sorne ofhis rivals. Nobody knows may be trying to infiltrate his movement, mosque workers. whether Sadr is dissembling when he and he's almost surely right. Fatah al- AlI the killings will be remembered, speaks about Iraqi unity, or preparing for Sheikh, who is close to Sadr, says the boss and it will be a miracle if they go unan- all-outwar. What is clear-more todaythan sent a private letter to loyal imams around swered. Memories of martyrdom-and the ever before-is that it's time to stop under- Baghdad in the past two weeks ident:ifYing desire for revenge-can last forever. Last estimating him. • SADR WORRIES THAT IRAN MAY BE TRYING TO INFILTRATE THE MAHDI ARMY, AND HE'S ALMOST SURELY RIGHT.

12 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti LE COURRIER La Suisse tolère l'ouverture à Berne MERCREDI 6 DÉCEMBRE 2006 d'une sorte d'ambassade ... kurde! DIPLOMATIE • La Suisse ne s'est pas opposée à l'ouverture à Berne d'une représentation permanente du Kurdistan, seule province d'Irak épargnée par la guerre civile.

MICHEL WALTER Depuis vendredi, la police bernoise et l'armée suisse ont apparemment une nouvelle mission diplomatique à surveiller celle du «Gouvernement régional kurde». Situation très inhabituelle, voire surréaliste, puisque le Kurdistan est une province de l'Irak, Etat officielle- ment reconnu par la SUIsse. C'est un peu comme SI le Texas ouvrait une ambassade à Berne. Ou que le canton de Zunch accrédIte un diplomate au Kremlin.

Tous les attributs Mais SIl'on en croIt Kaddur Fawzi, chef de la nouvelle mission kurde à Berne, tout s'est passé dans les règles. Le Département fédéral des affaires étrangères aurait donné son feu fert. (VoIr le démenti cI-dessous). Et les autorités chargées de la protection des ambassades à Berne l'assurance que la représentatIOn kurde serait protégée comme les autres missions diplomatiques. (Une affirmation dont nous n'avons pas pu obtenir la confirmatIOn de la part de la police juste à côté de l'ambassade ... d'Iran. tIonahté sUIsse Il UJI1tllluera à traiter de facto depuis 1992 suite à la l"guer- bernOIse). Et à quelques centaines de mètres de dcs patlcnts, m,U5 occasionnelle- re d'Irak (guerre dite du Golfe) La mission du Kurdistan - 5 mil- l'ambassade ... d'Irak. ment seulcmcnt cal, nous dit-il, il Officiellement, le C;oUVerllCll1l'lIl lions et demi d'habitants - a en tout Selon M. Fawzi, cette double re- veut désormais sc consacrer corps et régional kurde aftlflllc vouloll 10111 cas tous les attributs extérieurs d'une présentation dans un même pays âme à son travail diplomatIque. faHe pour rester dans le gll 011 Il.1 ambassade. Bâtiment superbe dans d'entités officielles Irakiennes, qui Dans un premIer temps, la mis- klen pour autant que "Irak dCVll'lIl1(' le quartier dipiomanque, drapeau peut paraître étrange, n'a cependant sion comprendra, en plus de M. Faw- un véritable Etat fédéral et quI' ( (" flottant fièrement, plaque en métal, rien d'anormal. Elle seraIt conforme zi, deux employés, mais il est prévu sent les affrontements entre fdl110Il' écusson officiel de la province (<

DES MISSIONS UN PEU PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE PAS DE COMMENTAIRES DE BERNE Le Gouvernement autonome - «Gouvernement régional» - du Kurdlstan Irakien (mais le terme Interrogé par «La Liberté», le Département caractère offiCiel,«IIn'appartiendrait pas au (oraklen» n'est jamais utilisé) possède un réseau très . fédéral des affaires étrangères (DFAE)dément Département des affaires étrangères de com- étendu de miSSions permanentes dans le monde. : absolument aVOirdonné «son feu vert» à l'ouver- menter la chose» Le département tient en outre Cela dans les cinq continents. : ture en SUisse d'une représentation kurde. Ilne à préCiser qu'il n'entretient (

13 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti Trouvons une stratégie commune LE FIGARO 7 décembre 2006 pour apaiser le Moyen-Orient

a situation politique et tant au Moyen-Orient qu'ailleurs. Cela passe par une stratégie les problèmes de sécurité À l'avenir, plusieurs grandes fondée sur des moyens de nature sont extrêmement pré- Par puissances se manifesteront au politique et non sur une menace Loccupants dans la vaste Joschka Fischer * Moyen-Orient, notamment les d'intervention militaire ou de région comprise entre la vallée États-Unis, la Russie, la Chine et changement de, régime. À la pla- de l'Indus et la rive est de la Mé- l'Inde. Espérons que l'Europe se- ce, il faut des négociations direc- diterranée. ra de la partie, car sa sécurité se tes, des garanties de sécurité et Quand les États-Unis sont in- joue dans cette région. une aide à l'intégration politique tervenus militairement en Irak L'enjeu n'est plus seulement et économique. Pour réussir, cet- en 1991, leur objectif était d'en- l'Irak, mais l'avenir de toute la te stratégie nécessite aussi le re- traîner un changement radical région. Nous pourrons nous esti- cours à une menace réaliste dans toute cette région. Aujour- mer heureux si le chaos naissant d'isolation envers ceux qui conti- d'hui, il est clair que pour l'es- peut être limité à l'Irak. nuent à miner la stabilité régio- sentièl ils n'y sont pas parvenus, « Une nouvelle La reconnaissance par nale, ainsi que des progrès subs- quel que soit le domaine consi- Washington que l'Irak ne peut tantiels dans la résolution du déré. Et même un succès, la te- politique plus être gagné ni même stabilisé conflit israélo-arabe. nue d'électIOns libres en Irak, moyen -orientale sans un changement de structure Une nouvelle politique menace de diviser le pays, plutôt au niveau de toute la région est moyen-orientale doit donc privi- que de l'unifier. doit privilégier venue très tard, peut-être même légier quatre éléments: 1) une Les relations de pouvoir au une offre globale trop tard. Les États-Unis devront offre globale à la Syrie, pour la Moyen-Orient sont instables, en trouver un accord avec leurs al- détacher de l'Iran, et la résolu- transformation constante, ce qui à la Syrie, pour liés et entamer des pourparlers tion des points de friction; 2) n'entraîne pas un effet de domi- la détacher de l'Iran, directs avec tous les autres ac- une offre de négociations direc- nos vers la démocratisation, mais teurs pour essayer de parvenir à tes à l'Iran portant sur une soulève la menace d'une chute et la résolution des un nouveau consensus régional. perspective de normalisation en dominos vers le chaos. points de friction» Si ce changement de poli- complète des relations; 3) une En 1991, la décision de partir tique avait eu lieu il y a un an ou initiative décisive et réaliste en guerre contre l'Irak pour libé- même au début de l'été dernier, pour résoudre le conflit israélo- rer le Kowelt a marqué le début ,Au mieux, les États-Unis peu- les perspectives auraient été arabe; 4) une architecture de sé- du rôle de l'Amérique comme vent maintenant espérer un re- meilleures. Avec chaque jour qui curité régionale centrée sur la seul pouvoir militaire hégémo- trait qui leur permettrait de sau- passe, la po&ition américaine stabilisation de l'Irak et de nique dans la région. La décision ver la face. Le récent scrutin aux dans la région s'affaiblit encore l'Afghanis tan. de mener la guerre contre l'Irak États-Unis était un référendum et les chances de réussite d'une pour la deuxième fois et d'oc- sur la guerre en Irak. Le résultat nouvelle stratégie politique *Ancien ministre des Affaires cuper le pays en mars 2003 a conduit à un calendr!er vers étrangères et vice-chancelier transformé cette hégémonie en s'éloignent. « l'irakisation » et à un retrait Le plus grand danger vient de allemand de 1998 à 2005. Chef responsabilité directe des États- américain avant la prochaine l'Iran, le premier bénéficiaire du de file du parti des Verts pendant Unis quant à l'avenir du Moyen- élection présidentielle. vide de pouvoir en Irak. L'Iran a presque vingt ans, actuellement Orient. des ambitions hégémoniques professeur à la Woodrow Wilson Le positionnement des États- errière la trop prévisible fin qu'il cherche à réaliser en s'ap- School de l'université de Princeton. Unis comme acteur principal au D de la mission américaine de puyant sur son potentiel mili- stabilisation en Irak se profile Moyen-Orient pouvait débou- taire, ses réserves en pétrole et @ project Syndicate/Institute of cher sur deux scénarios diffé- une guerre civile qui menace de en gaz, son programme nuclé- Human Sciences, 2006. www.pro- rents. S'ils réussissaient en utili- se transformer en guerre entre aire, son influence sur les chiites ject-syndicate.org. TradUit de sant leur puissance militaire, cela Arabes et Iraniens par milices in: dans toute la région et ses tenta- l'anglais par Patrice Horovitz pouvait conduire à un nouveau terposées, avec pour enjeu le tives pour mettre fin au statu quo Moyen-Orient, démocratique, contrôle de l'Irak, du Golfe, du dans le monde arabo-musulman. mais si en dépit de leur force mi- Liban, des territoires palestiniens litaire ils échouaient, cela pou- et au-dèlà. Il faut aussi prendre éanmoins, ce pays est rela- vait entraîner un vide de pouvoir en compte le risque important N tivement isolé. Ses seuls al- déstabilisateur pour la région. présenté par le vide de pouvoir liés dans la régIOn sont la Syrie et C'est ce deuxième scénario, pré- en Irak qui pourrait fusionner le le Hezbollah. D'autre part, il est conflit israélo-arabe, la situation visible depuis le début, qui est menacé par une coalition anti- en Irak et en en une iranienne de facto de tous les devenu une réalité. mégacrise régionale. L'objectif même de la guerre autres pouvoirs régionaux ras- en Irak s'est transformé d'une À la lumière du retrait améri- semblés par leur crainte d'une mission de démocratisation à cain à venir, les pouvoirs régio- • domination iranienne. une mission de stabilisation très naux réévaluent leurs intérêts et Si l'Occident -l'Amérique et coûteuse en termes de vies hu- leurs objectifs. Les principaux ac- , l'Europe - agit vite et résolument maines et de moyens financiers. teurs seront l'Iran, la Syrie, l'Ara- dans le cadre d'une stratégie À la place d'un réaménagement bie saoudite, l'Égypte, la Jorda- conjointe, il reste une chance de radical des relations entre les nie, le Pakistan, la Turquie et stabiliser la situation. Mais, pour pouvoirs dans la région, l'objectif Israël. Avec la guerre en Irak, les y parvenir, il sera nécessaire de se réduit maintenant à maintenir États-Unis ont perdu leur posi- réexaminer les relations avec les le statu quo. tion de pouvoir unilatéral, cela principaux acteurs de la région.

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<~ 7 DÉC_~MBRE 200~ Une région àlafrontière duprécipice Lacrainte d'un éclatement de l'Irak pourrait imposer la solution diplomatique.

e Groupe d'études sur consiste àsoutenir les gouver- l'Irak a recommandé nements irakiens successifs, hier l'établissement de qui s'emploient à stabiliser le discussions directes avec pays, et, en même temps, les l'Iran etla Syrie, traités groupes armés chütes qui par- jusqu'iciL en parias par Wa- ticipent à sa déstabilisation shington, afin que ces deux et à l'enlisement des forces pays contribuent à stabiliser américaines. Pourquoi? «C'est l'Irak. La veille,le Premier mi- notre assurance pour demain», nistre irakien, Nouri al-Maliki, répond le même responsable. avait annoncé une «conférence <.. rorisme», toutenrejetantl'idée iranienneestprofondémentop- ...~~ portuniste. Elle soutient le ca- " Chiites . du secrétaire général de l'ONU, Sunnites \ '''"'', KofiAnnan, d'une conféren- binetAl-Malik~ mais, comme il , 0 Kurdes RiyadO n'arrive à rien, elleappuieaus- "JAU' Ct'AN ce internationale à laquelle ARABIE Washington est hostile. si lesgroupes armés dans l'es- SAOUDITE poir d'avoir toujours une part Iran degâteau.» J.-P.P. (à Téhéran) o~/ Conserver tous YÈ"1ËN les fers au feu Turquie @ WAG / Liberation Il yale discours officiel, tran- Garder le contrôle cette zone limitrophe. «Ceux- ment d'âttitude de la Syrie chant, voire menaçant, com- sur les Kurdes cisavent avoir besoin de la Tur- contribuerait certainement à me celui du président Mah- quiepour exporter leurpétrole, une diminution de la violence moud Ahmadinejad qui, Un éventuel éclatement de et c'est de Turquie qu'arrive la en Irak, mais aurait un prix, dernièrement, appelait les l'Irak inquiète toujours plus quasi-totalitéde leurs importa- notamment au Liban. Pour peuples du Proche-Orient à Ankara, etle Premier ministre tions», selon Sefi Tashan, spé- autant, il ne faut pas suresti- «expulser les occupants étran- Recep Tayyip Erdogan s'est cialiste des relations interna- mer la capacité de la Syrie à gers», en particulier d'Irak où rendu ces derniers jours en tionales à l'université Bilkent contrôler ses frontières, ni «ils n'ont apporté que la cor- Jordanie, en Syrie et en Iran. d1\nkara sous-estimer les risques d'un ruption et la mort». Acôté de la Pilier du tlanc sud-est de l'Otan MARCSEMO retour de boomerang jiha- propagande, il y a une poli- avec son armée de 600000 Syrie diste sur le régime syrien. tique iranienne plus subtile, hommesetgrand~érégional C.A. mais soigneusement tue. «Si deWashington, laTurquie n'en Sécuriser vous nous demandez ce que Arabie Saoudite critique pas moins ouverte- nous pensons aufond de notre la frontière cœur, la réponse est "non,nous ment la politique de l'adminis- Défendre tration américaine, qui favori- ne voulons pas que les Améri- En Irak, les intérêts de la Syrie sel'émergence d'un quasi-Etat les sunnites cains quittent l'Irak"», confie ne correspondent pas à ceux kurde au nord de l'Irak, au un haut responsable iranien, de son allié stratégique ira- Riyadsepose en défenseurdes risque de relancer laquestion sous couvert d'anonymat, nien. Depuis la chute du régi- sunnites d'Irak face au nou- kurde en Turquie même, oùvi- contredisant les appels répé- me de Saddam Hussein, laSy- veau pouvoir chüte en Irak. A vent 13millions de Kurdes. Les tés du ministère des Affaires rie est devenue le lieu de un autre niveau, c'est en Ara- militaires turcs ont plusieurs étrangères au retrait des transit pour les candidatsauji- bie Saoudite qu'Al-Qaedare- fois menacé d'intervenir au- forces américaines de l'an- hadirakien venant du monde crute lamajorité des candidats delà de la frontière contre les arabe. Le contrôle de lafron- aux attentats suicides anti- cienne Mésopotamie, et aussi rebelles kurdes turcs du PKK. chütes en Irak et récolte ses fi- d'Afghanistan. Pour quelle rai- Ankara use aussi de son in- tière syro- irakienne est donc un enjeu essentiel pour l'ac- nancements. Une diminution son? «La crainte d'un éclate- fluence sur le gouvernement de la violence pourrait accélé- ment de l'Irak en trois, dont de Bagdad et sur la minorité tuel gouvernement irakien et les Etats-Unis. Sans compter rer le retour desjihadistesvers nous ne voulons à aucun prix.» turkmène afin d'éviter que la que nombre d'anciens cadres le Royaume et déstabiliser la D'oùune stratégie compliquée ville de Kirkouk, et ses riches bassistes irakiens ont trouvé monarchie saoudienne. Pour qui donne l'impression qu'il y réserves pétrolières, ne passe refuge à Damas, d'où ilsfinan- l'instant, Bagdad et Riyad s'ac- a plusieurs acteurs iraniens sous contrôle kurde. Mais,réa- cusent de ne pas coopérer centlaguérilla en Irak. Enfin, alors que la politique à!' égard lisme diplomatique oblige, la dans la lutte antiterroriste._ laSyrie a multiplié les contacts de l'Irak est de la seule respon- Turquie commence à miser avec les représentants de la C.A. sabilité du Guide suprême, sur une coopération avec les communauté et des tribus l'ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Elle dirigeants kurdes irakiens, qui garantissent la stabilité dans sunnites d'Irak. Un change-

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7 DÉCEMBRE 2006

qu'elle revendait ensuite», ra- Conseil des oulémas, laprinci- conte Samir Hachem. pale association religieuse En Iran, échos Pour lui aussi, la seule protec- sunnite, de cautionnercesvio- tion possible vient des deux lences: «Il encourage les sun- principales milices chiites, Le nites à tuer tous leschiites.» l'Armée du Mehdi, dujeune de la guerre président de cette organisation, chei- (~Mêt!1a n}Ji!!I~!lf police 6ecol.I!Jre de') kh Hareth ad -Dari, EX;!!:;:;;;!'£; aa~lSle(~ffre d"unevciture, ad'ailleurs fait l'ob- enG a ;J;~llrd'en aïrêter lesO(c!,I!(Jant~u civile voisine jet, le 16novembre, Samir Hachem, commerçant de Bagdad d'un mandat d'ar- rêt, annulé depuis par le chef chef radical Moqtada al-Sadr, Des chiites qui ont fui Bagdad pour du gouvernement, le chiite etles brigades Al-Badr, lebras armé del:,<\ssembléesuprême Nourial-Maliki. Qom racontent la peur et les morts. de la révolution islamique en L'Etat impuissant Irak (Asrii), deux formations Qom (Iran) envoye spécial sieurs semaines. Celui-ci est Dans son quartier d'Abou liées à l'Iran. Il accepte de re- ême si le gouverne- placé sous la responsabilité di- Tchir,lecommerçantvitsous connaître du bout des lèvres ment irakien ne veut recte du «bureau» du Guide la protection des milices que ces milices chiites se li- toujours pas le re- suprême de la révolution isla- chiites. Mais c'est une sécurité vrent aussi à de graves exac- , connaître, Bagdad a mique, l'ayatollah AliKhame- relative en raison des attentats tions contre les sunnites, et bel et bien sombré nei.Les Irakiens yontla possi- qu'elles contribuent à entraî- Mdans la guerre civile. «On ne le bilité de dormir, de se laver et à la voiture p'iégée qui visent . lesmarchés et des roquettes ti- ner le pays dans sa descente dit pas, mais elle a déjà com- defaire lacuisine. Levendredi, aux enfers. «Si elles le font, mencé. Pas seulement à Bag- ilsyreçoivent de la nourriture. rées depuis Ad-Doura par les hommes de MajidJabouri. c'est parce qu'elles sont obli- dad, mais dans tout l'Irak. Il Pas davantage. Sans doute gées de répliquer:. car c'est suffit de s'appeler Hassan pour ne pas que leur séjour se Autre commerçant, plusjeune contraire à la doctrine chiite. Hossein, Ali ou Jaafar pour pérennise. d'une dizaine d'années, Samir Sans elles, les sunnites au- que l'on te tue», explique Ali Selon tous les témoignages Hachem vit dans la grande raient déjà tué tous les chiites Jaber, 50 ans, un commerçant des «pèlerins», le quotidien banlieue chiite de Sadr City.Il d'Irak. Grâceàelles,lepeuplea qui vit à Abou Tchir, un fau- des habitants de Bagdad est a été témoin des attentats àla une armée», insiste- t-il. bourg chiite, à la limite du devenu terrible. Ainsi, Ali Ja- voiture piégée qui onttué plus grand quartier de Ad- Doura, ber affirme qu'il n'y a plus de de 200 personnes le 23 no- Dé~usdesAméricains dans le sud de la capitale. chiites dans le quartier d:'<\d- vembre dans ce quartier. «La Malgré la course sans fin à la Il sait de quoi ilparle: ses deux Doura, où ils étaient mino- police irakienne voit les gens violence, Samir Hachem et Ali frères, Morteza et Khadder ritaires. Toutes les familles Jaber déclarent souhaiter le Hossein, ont été assassinés chiites ont dû en partir sous mourirdevantses yeux mais ne peutrienfaire. Mêmequandel- départ des troupes améri- dernièrement dans le souk de peine d'être massacrées. Dé- caines. «Tout ce qu'elles fon~ ledécouvredesexplosifsdans le Charjaa, en plein cœur de la sormais, le quartier est entiè- c'est regarder lesgens s'entre- coffre d'une voiture, elleapeur ville. «Par deux hommes mas- rement contrôlé par les mi- tuer en se croisant les bras. d'en arrêter les occupants», qués qui onttiré sur eux à bout lices de Majid Jabouri, un Nous, nous leur avions souhai- portant et se sont enfuis», ra- leader sunnite dont la famille assure-t-il. té bienvenue quand elles sont conte- t-il, en pleurant. Deux est traditionnellement liée au Pareille impuissance est re- entrées enIrak, mais ellesn'ont de ses cousins ont connu un clan de Saddam Hussein. prochée aussi àNouri al-Mali- pas tenu leurs promesses», ki, le chef du gouvernement, sort analogue. Selon ce commerçant, l'épu- déclare le premier. dont ils préféraient le prédé- C'est ce qui explique notam- ration communautaire se Mais laguerre civilene risque- cesseur, Ibrahim Jaafari, en- ment qu'il soit venu avec sa poursuit actuellement dans t-elle pas de s'aggraver en cas core plus complaisant à!'égard famille se réfugier pendant d'autres quartiers mixtes: Ja- de départ des soldats améri- des milices chiites -et plus quelques semaines à Qom, maa, Adel, Saïdiya, Soueb. .. cains? «S'ils s'en von~je pense l'une des grandes villes «Les sunnites dressent de lié àTéhéran. que les dirigeants religieux saintes iraniennes. Leprétex- faux barragespour arrêter les Milices «protedrices)) chiitesetsunnites peuvent arri- te invoqué est un pèlerinage chiites. Après, ils leur coupent ver à se mettre d'accord entre Malgré tout, à la différence qui le conduira ensuite à Me- la tête. Mais ilsnefontpasque eux», répond Ali Jaber. Sans de nombre de quartiers, les chhed, l'autre grand sanctuai- lestuer. Ils lestorturent aussi. grande conviction._ écoles de Sadr City continuent re du chiisme en Iran. «C'est Desfois, ils remplacent la tête JEAN-PIERRE PERRIN vrai, on vient aussi en Iran de la victime par celle d'un de fonctionner sous la sur- pour être un moment tran- chien [animal considéré par veillance de la police. Mais quille», reconnaît-il. l'islam comme impur, ndlr], ou chaque famille se doit d'ame- alors ils la cousent dans son Centresd'accueil ner, puis de revenir chercher, ventre.» Selon un autre témoi- les écoliers tant la peur des Les autorités iraniennes ne gnage, provenant d'un autre kidnappings est grande. «Si la sont pas dupes. A Qom, elles endroit de Bagdad, ilest arrivé famille nepeut pas payer; l'en- permettentàces exiléstempo- que l'on couse dans l~.corps fantesttué immédiatement Ily raires, qui arrivent par cen- d'un père la tête de son propre a quelques jours, on a arrêté taines, de séjourner dans un fils. une bande spécialisée dans centre d'accueil pendantplll- Ali Jaber accuse le puiss.ànt l'enlèvement des jeunes filles

16 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti Irak: Bush et Blair cherchent la réponse à Baker

tés d'enrichissement» d'uranium. De même, George Bush sem- ble peu enclin à faire pression sur Israël pour négocier des accords de paix avec « tous ses voiSinS ", dont certains régimes sont jugés infréquentables. Enfin, le salut qu'attendent James Baker et Lee Hamilton de la communauté in- ternationale n'est pas garanti: qu'espérer d'un « groupe de sou- tien » associant des voisins mal in- tentionnés et des Européens réti- cents? L'impact du rapport risque d'être plus ressenti à Washington qu'à Bagdad. George Bush est libre d'y puiser des idées, mais la révi- En présence de Tony Blair, le prébident américain a répété, hier, son vieux discours sur « les radicaux qui sion interne amorcée par son ad- ministration lui permettra d'écar- utilisent le terrorisme pour stopper la progression de la démocratie. » Stefan 7.aklln/.~lpa ter ce qui le dérange. Pour inspirer une nouvelle politique, il faudrait une pression collective du Il est peu probable la faillite de la politique actuelle; ment d'État. Ils introduisent un Congrès. Or, la réconciliation na- que Bush accepte en voulant couvrir tout l'éventail critère de conditionnalité dans la tionale espérée n'est pas en vue. la stratégie de sortie des problèmes, il permet à chacun poursuite de l'aide américaine à Lesélus ont pris dans le document qui lui est proposée. de choisir ce qui l'arrange; et sa Bagdad, principe dont Bush se ce qui les arrangeait, mais aucun philosophie même risque d'être méfie. Ils pressent l'Administra- ne s'est engagé à l'appliquer tel De notre correspondant rejetée par l'Administration. tion de définir avec clarté ses ob- quel. Nancy Pelosi, chef de la pro- à Washington Mettre à plat la stratégie amé- jectifs, sur le maintien de bases chaine majorité démocrate, a ap- ncaine en Irak, c'est rédiger un ac- permanentes ou le contrôle des plaudi au « comtat d'échec de la MALGRÉtoutes leurs précautions, te d'accusation. À travers ses re- ressources pétrolières. politique de Bush ». Joseph Biden, les membres du Groupe d'étude commandations, le rapport Baker- sénateur démocrate aux ambitions sur l'Irak (ISG), coprésidé par Ja- Hamilton dresse l'inventaire de ce Réconciliation hors d'atteinte présidentielles, a estimé que mes Bakeret LeeHamilton, se sont qui aurait dû être fait, de ce a été C'est une révolution culturelle c'était « un pas en avant insuffi- peut -être brûlé les doigts sur l'Irak. fait de travers et de ce qui ne peut qui est demandée au locataire de sant pour quitter l'Irak sans laisser Les solutions qu'ils proposent, dé- plus attendre. On y découvre que, la Maison-Blanche, invité à faire le chaos II. John McCain, probable taillées dans leur rapport de sur les mille employés de l'ambas- entrer l'Iran et la Syrie dans le jeu candidat républicain en 2008,a re- 142 pages publié mercredi, sont sade américaine à Bagdad, sixpar- en dialoguant directement avec jeté toute « limitation de durée" loin de susciter le mouvement de lent couramment l'arabe. eux, contrairement à la ligne qu'il au déploiement militaire et jugé réconciliation nationale qu'ils es- Les « sages » y lancent des a fixée. Celle-ci a peu de chances « ténu, au mieux », le lien entre péraient. Et il est douteux qu'elles idées nouvelles, comme celle d'un de changer: le porte-parole du l'Irak et le conflit israélo-palesti- soient mises en œuvre dans leur « groupe de soutien international", président, Tony Snow, n'a pas nien. ensemble par la Maison-Blanche. impliquant d'inverser trois ans de écarté des rencontres dans le ca- Les experts ne sont pas en res- Les cinq démocrates et cinq cavalier seul américain. Ils prô- dre du « groupe de soutien », s'il te. Si Richard Haas, président du républicains de la commission nent une « offensive diplomatique voit le jour, mais un face-à-face Council on Foreign Relations, sa- indépendante ont recherché le globale" au Proche-Orient à la- Washington -Téhéran demeure lue « la meilleure chance de pro- consensus, adoptant leurs 79 re- quelle résistent depuis longtemps « exclu tant que l'Iran n'a pas sus- gresser », pour Anthony Cordes- commandations à l'unanimité. la Maison-Blanche et le départe- pendu defaçon vérifiablesesactivi- « C'est le seul conseil bipartisan que vous aurez ", a dit Lee Hamil- ton à George W. Bush. Ils ont es- rapport du Groupe d'étude sur l'Irak en quelques phrases clés sayé d'éviter tout règlement de Le comptes, traçant « une voie pour • Le rapport Baker recèle quel- du gouvernement irakien et une ment avec l'Iran et la Syrie pour aller de l'avant" sans ressasser les ques phrases appelées à nourrir le catastrophe humanitaire. Les pays essayer d'obtenir leur engage- ' vieilles questions sur les justifica- débat, dont celles-ci, relevées hier voisins pourraient intervenir." ment à mener des politiques 1 tions de la guerre ou les erreurs par la presse américaine: " " n 'y a " Des affrontements entre sunni- constructives à l'égard de l'Irak et i commises dans sa conduite. Ils pas de formule magique pour ré- tes et chiites pourraient se propa- d'autres problèmes régionaux. " '

ont tâché de trouver une voie mé- soudre les problèmes de l'Irak." ger et al-Oaida pourrait remporter " Les États-Unrs doivent accom- 1 diane entre un départ précipité et " La situation en Irak est grave et une vlctolfe de propagande. " " La plir des efforts réels pour dmlo- un engagement indéfini. Ils ont se détériore."" C'est une guerre pOSition mondiale des États-Unis guer avec toutes les parties en suggéré d'élargir l'effort diploma- longue et coûteuse. ",," n'y a pas pourrait se retrouver diminuée. " Irak à l'exception d'al-Oaida. " tique à l'ensemble de la région, de chemin garantissant le succès, " Si le gouvernement irakien ne " Les États-Unis ne peuvent pas pour apporter une réponse politi- même si les perspectives peuvent fait pas des progrès substantiels atteindre leurs objectifs au Pro- que à un conflit « dont la solution être améliorées. " (... J, les États-Unis devraient ré- che-Orient s'ils ne s'occupent pas ne sera pas militaire ». Efforts « Un glissement vers le chaos duire leur soutien. " « Les États- directement du conflit israélo-pa- louables, mais pour l'essentiel in- pourrait entraÎner l'effondrement Unis devraient discuter directe- lestinien. " fructueux: quelle que soit l'inten- tion des auteurs, le rapport expose

17 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

man, expert du Centre d'études 8 décembre 2006 LE FIGARO stratégiques (CSIS), « attendre L'embarras qu'un gouvernement irakien faible et divisé agisse contre lesforces qui des autorités irakiennes déchirent le pays est inepte: c'estle triomphe de l'espoirsur l'expérien- • Face à un diagnostic sans la substantIels vers des objectifs de avec leurs aspirations sécession- réconciliation nationale, de sécu- ce ». Danielle Pletka, vice-prési- moindre complaisance, les auton- nistes. dente de l'American Enterprise tés Irakiennes réagissent avec rité et de gouvernance ". SI la minorité sunnite, de son cô- Institute, refuge des néoconserva- une satisfaction tout offiCielle, qUi « C'est injuste ", estime le député té, approuve le bilan désastreux teurs, se dit « stupéfaite par la su- cache mal leur frustration. « Le. Mahmoud Othman, pour qUi « la dressé par la commission améri- perficialité » du rapport, dont les rapport Baker correspond aux pUissance occupante américaine caine, elle cntique, en revanche, est responsable du pays ". « recommandations sont simplis- vues du gouvernement, selon les- La mi- l'absence de calendner fixé pour tes, fondées sur des hypothèses quelles la sécurité doit être trans- se en garde de Baker rappelle un retrait des troupes étrangères, l'avertissement lancé la semaine fausses» et des « clichés éculés ». férée aux Irakiens ", se féliCite le sa pnnclpale revendication avant William Kristol, éditeur du Weekly Vice-premier ministre, Barham Sa- dernière par George Bush au pre- d'enVisager une plus grande im- mier ministre Noun al-Malikl, qui Standard, dénonce « une reddition lih, qui veut pnvilégler les aspects plication dans le jeu politique lo- à ses yeux positifs du document, se serait vu offm « une dernière déguisée ». Le fond du débat est là : cal. Les sunnites comptent pour- le rapport Baker-Hamilton ne pro- comme le désengagement pro- chance" lors de sa rencontre en sUivre la mobilisation des pays pose rien d'autre qu'une stratégie gressif des troupes américaines Jordanie avec le président améri- arabes en leur faveur. Face à ces d'Irak ou les craintes de voir al- cain. Pour calmer l'Impatience de de sortie. Les mots « victoire » ou manœuvres, Kurdes et chiites Qalda « remporter une victoire de Washington, Malikl a annoncé la « démocratisation » n'y figurent vont tout faire pour convaincre pratiquement pas. Un tel renonce- propagande ", si la lutte antiterro- tenue d'une conférence de récon- Bush de prendre ses distances ment n'est pas encore officiel. riste était relâchée. Ciliation en décembre à Bagdad. vis-à-vis d'un texte qUi Jette une lu- Les Kurdes, associés également PHIUPPE GJ3UE Pour les alliés irakiens de mière crue sur leur administration Washington, ce rapport contient, au pouvOIr en Irak, expriment des de l'Irak. D'où le voyage aux États- en effet, des recommandations réticences sur l'appel en faveur Unis du leader chllte Abdel Aziz : embarrassantes: en particulier, la de la préservation d'un État cen- al-Hakim, qUi vient d'être reçu à la menace de « réduire" l'appui trai fort, garant d'un partage éqUi- Maison-Blanche par George améncain au gouvernement Mali- table de la manne pétrolière, se- Bush. ki, s'il ne réalise pas « des progrès lon Baker, mais incompatible GM Israël rejette le rapport Baker,

-0 o o N W À bamas, un responsable du 0:: la Syrie l'apprécie CD ministère des affaires étran- ~ gères a en revanche qualifié de W Le premier ministre Pour obtenir un accord de paix U «positif» et «objectif» le rapport .w israélien n'envisage pas global dans la région, Washington o Baker. De son côté, le ministre co devrait par ailleurs presser Israël de négociations iranien des affaires étrangères o de restituer le plateau du Golan W prochaines avec la Syrie Manouchehr Mottaki a estimé 0:: en échange d'un arrêt du soutien o que le retrait américain d'Irak Z de Damas aux groupes radicaux w e premier ministre israélien ne nécessitait pas un dialogue palestiniens et libanais et des in- > Ehoud Olmert a marqué son avec Téhéran. gérences au !-iban, ajoute le do- .....>< Ldésaccord, hier, sur le lien en- Aux États-Unis, deux sortes de cument. Les Etats-Unis devraient o tre la guerre en Irak et le conflit critiques étaient exprimées hier 1-< offrir des garanties de sécurité à U israélo -palestinien établi par une envers le rapport Baker. Des Israël, y compris en proposant le l1:I commission américaine coprési- membres influents du Congrès, H déploiement à la frontière d'une dée par l'ancien secrétaire d'État notamment Joseph Biden et Tom force internationale, à laquelle ils James Baker. Parmi les 79 recom- Lantos, qui présideront à partir pourraient participer. mandations contenues dans un de janvier respectivement la cOm- «L,e. rappor! ne reflète pas la rapport remis avant-hier au pré- mission des affaires étrangères posltzon des Etats-Unis mais une sident George W. Bush, figure du Sénat et celle de la chambre 'opinion aux États-Unis, a réagi en effet celle d'

18 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti ..December9th 2006

November. Public support for the EU has aiready dropped to weIl below 50%,down from highs of 80% or more two years ago. Mr Erdogan will also take heart from the economy, which has grown by an annual average of 7%since 2001, four times as fast as the EU'S.The markets seem unfazed by the rows over EUmembership; the Turkish lira rose against the dollar this week. But economic progress hinges on whether Mr Erdogan sticks with his IMF- imposed reforms. It may also depend on whether he decides to become president when the incumbent, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Turkey and the European Union retires in May. Turkey's militantly secular generals recoil at the thought of both the presidency and the government being run The ever lengthening road by Islamists. How far they might go to stop this remains a vexing question. The EU

ISTANBUL membership talks have provided the most The obstacles in the way of Turkey's membership of the European Union get ever effective rein on the generals so far. more daunting Just as ominously, Mr Erdogan's daim that he will continue with political re- "FIRST they tied our arms, now they tions will worsen if Nicolas Sarkozy be- forms, regardless of what happens over are going to tie our legs." The words cornes France's president next spring: un- the EU,is beginning to look shaky. Article of a top Turkish officiaI sum up the gloom like Mr Chirac, he is fiercely against Turkish 301of the penal code, under whicl:!Orhan in Ankara as European Union leaders pre- membership. pare for next week's summit in Brussels, Turkey's hopes are now pinned on the pamuk, Turkey's best-known novelist, was where they will once again argue over Tur- Americans. President Bush is expected to prosecuted last year, remains on the key. Whatever the outcome, Turkey's pros- embark on a round ôf telephone di- books. Human-rights abuses against the pects of being the EU'Sfirst mainly Muslim plomacy this week. He may secure a re- country's 14m Kurds have been curbed but member have never seemed so bleak. duction in the number of frozen chapters. by no means stopped altogether. Turkey's long-delayed membership But regardless of their number, suspended MeanwhIie, Mr Erdogan's tired asser- talks opened almost 15months ago amid chapters -can be reopened only with the tion that rejecting Turkey would provoke a much fanfare. "HelIo Europe" read one unanimc:l8.s approval of all EU members. "clash of civilisations" by sending a mes- newspaper headline. But the talks soon This "leaves the door open for them to im- sage to the Muslim world that the EU is a ran into trouble over Turkey's rejection of pose further intolerable conditions on us," Chnstian club, is exaggerated. "Turkey has the EU'Sdemand that it fulfil its legal ob- comments the top Turkish official. no real connection to the Arab world, so ligation to open its ports and airports to Most Turks believe that Turkey's detrac- whether Turkey gets into Europe or not traffic from Cyprus (ie, the internationally tors simply do not want a large, Muslim doesn't really matter to the ordinary guy in recognised Greek-Cypriot republic). The country in their midst. Their aim is to wear Amman or Riyadh," says Yusuf AISharif, a Turks rebuffed a deadline of December down Turkey's resistance and induce it to Palestinian commentator. "There isn't 6th, insisting that they will not give way walk away. Yet the mildly Islamist prime even an Arab cultural centre in Turkey."Mr until the Europeans fulfil their own pro- minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, says he Erdogan's overtures to Iran and Syria (he mise to end the trade embargo on Turkish will not fall into that trap. "Forcing Turkey vislted both countries thlS week) have less northern Cyprus. to abandon the [negotiating] table would to do with Muslim solidanty than wlth a The European Commission has pro- be a dreadful mistake; Europe, not Turkey posed the suspension of eight of the 35 would stand to lose," he said this week. He common desire shared by aIl three to pre- chapters in the membership talks. This vent the emergence of an independent week the French president,Jacques Chirac, added that Turkey would pursue its mem- Kurdish state in Iraq. and the German chancellor, Angela Mer- bership goal with determination and, ln short, both sides in this dispute need kel, endorsed this plan, and also called for moreover, that it had a plan Band C. to regain sorne perspective. Turkey is right a full review of Turkey's progress in early Nobody seems to know what such to feel cheated over Cyprus (the Greek- 2009. "We don't want to set any kind of ul- plans might entail, but government Cypriots won EU membership even timatums," said Ms Merkel, who wants sources hint that consultations with the EU though they voted in April 2004 against Turkey to accept a "privileged partner- over, say, Afghanistan and Iraq, or on the UN'SAnnan plan to reunite the island, ship", not full membership. "But we want drugs and human trafficking, may be whereas the Turkish-Cypriots remain iso- slowed down. Instead Turkeywill try to re- lated even though they voted in favour). the commission to say to us what has been pair relations with America that remain But It must also show that it is sincere achieved and how we could proceed." fraught over Iraq, especially over the about pursuing Eu-inspired reforms. If the Late into the week, negotiations contin- increasingly autonomous Kurds in north- EUis to regain its moral authority with the ued un der the Finnish EU presidency. A ern Iraq. It will also build up its role in the mIllions of Turks who long to have a full- Turkish offer to open one port and one air- Middle East, the Caucasus and the oil-rich blown modern democracy, it needs to port to Cyprus seems unlikely to work as it former Soviet central Asian countries. prove that membership of its club is not Cocking a snook at the Europeans is dearly dependent on a reciprocal offer only the best way to achieve that goal-but could help Mr Erdogan's AK party to win by the Greek-Cypriots. If no compromise also one that is still genuinely on offer.• is found, little progress will be made. Rela- votes in parliamentary elections due next

19 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

Rtralb;':L~ribttnt December 9-10, 2006

Iraqis near A final stieking point over approval "There are those among us who say of oil contracts remains, so there is a we cannot go back to the former days of chance that parts of the working draft centralization, which were not condu- could be scrapped. But a deal could be cive to good business practice and to a draft law reached within days, according to offi- the idea of federalism that is enshrined ciaIs involved in the writing. The law in the Constitution," Salih said. would then go to the 'cabinet and Par- OfficiaIs met Thursday night to try to liament for approval. resolve the issue, but could not reach an on dividing The Kurds, who already have an au- agreement. The committee includes tonomous region in the north, had put politicians and ministers representing up a fight to have regional govemments the major Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurd- co11ect and redistribute oil revenues, ish blocs in government. oil revenue partieularly ones from oil fields yet to A possible compromise floated by be exploited. They had also proposed the Kurds is to aUow a proposed body that revenues be shared among the re- ca11ed the Federal Petroleum Council, Measure, if pa~sed, gions based on both population and whose mission would be to set oil crimes committed against people un- policy, to reject a regional contract only could help narrow der Saddam Hussein's rule. That would if it can mus ter a two-thirds vote, and give the Kurds and Shiites a share of the only if the contract does not meet very political divisions oil wealth larger than the proportions specific criteria. of their populations. "The Kurds are afraid that if they left By Edward Wong But the Kurds on the drafting com- the contracting up to the central gov- mittee have shelved those demands, emment rather than themselves, the BAGHDAD: A group of Iraqi politi- said Barham Salih, a deputy prime min- center might defer contracts," said the cians and ministers is close to finish- ister who is a Kurd and chairman of the Ameriean who is tracking the law. "For ing a draft of a national oillaw that, if committee. example, the govemment might find it enacted, would be the most significant "Revenue sharing is an accepted easier to contract for production in the legislation passed by the government principle by a11 the constituent ele- south or develop only the fields there." so far and help narrow some of the ments of the Iraqi government, includ- As for revenue distribution by popu- country's major politieal schisms, Iraqi ing the Kurds, and that is the unifying lation, the American officiaI said a na- and American officiaIs say. element that we're a11hoping for in the tional census expected to be taken next The officiaIs said the authors have oillaw," Salih said in an interview. year should determine the share of rev- reached agreement on one of the most An Ameriean officiaI here who has enue that goes to each province or re- divisive issues in Iraq: How revenues tracked the negotiations said the Kurds gion. But the proposed census and any from the oil industry should be distrib- . were willing to make concessions be- talk of demographies are volatile issues uted The working draft ca11s for the cause a national oil law could attract here - Sunni Arabs often claim they central govemment in Baghdad to col- more foreign oil companies to explora- are at least 60 percent of the population, lect oil revenues and distribute them to tion and development in Kurdistan. A not the 20 percent that is often cited, provinces or regions based on popula- large fQreign oil company would have and so have the right to rule over the tion, the officiaIs say.The measure could more confidence in signing a contract Shiites ana. Kurds. The Shiites are gen- calm some Sunni Arabs who oppose re- with the Kurds if the company were to eraUy estimated to be 60 percent of the gional autonomy because of fears that operate under the law of a sovereign population, and the Kurds 20 percent. Sunnis would be exc1uded from a fair country rather than just the law of an If doing a census next year is too po- share of oil wealth, whieh is concen- autonomous region, the officiaI said on litically fraught, or if security condi- trated in Shiite and Kurdish regions. the condition of anonymity. tions prevent it, then revenue percent- The law could also encourage foreign Furthermore, the officiaI said, some age could be determined by the house- investment in the oil industry, although Kurdish leaders believe that the conces- hold counts recorded in roUs used by security would remain a major concem sions are a worthwhile priee to pay for Saddam Hussein's govemment to dis- for companies operating outside the rel- having a stake in the much larger reven- tribute rations in the 1990s. atively safe region of Iraqi Kurdistan. ue pool of the entire country's oil indus- The national oillaw lies at the heart try. The southem fields of Basra ac- of debates about the future ofIraq, par- counted for 85 percent of total Iraqi ticularly the issue of having a strong crude production last year, partIy be- central govemment or robust regional cause northem production was governments. The question of oil has hampered by insurgent sabotage. The also exacerbated sectarian tensions, south has an estimated 65percent of the because of the worries of Sunni Arabs, country's 115billion barrels of proven who are leading the insurgency, over reserves. the potentiaUy lopsided distribution of But the Kurds are still holding out on oil wealth. the issue of oil contracts. They insist General George W. Casey Jr., the se- that the central govemment should not nior American commander here, and have final approval over contracts Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador, signed by the regions to develop future have urged Iraqi politicians to put the oil fields, Ameriean and Iraqi officiaIs oillaw at the top of their agendas, saying said. The Kurds, who have recentIy dis- it must be passed before the year's end covered two new fields in the north The report released this week by the after signing exploration contracts with Iraq Study Group said an equitable oil a Turkish company and a Norwegian law was a necessary cornerstone to the company, argue that the Constitution process of national reconciliation, and guarantees the regions absolute rights thus to endin~ the war. over such contracts.

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sifying sectarian violence that has shaken Iraq in recent weeks. Parts of the forensic experts' story had been told before, on visits by re- porters to the grave sites, and to the American-run forensics laboratory at Baghdad Airport, where the mass graves team did much of its work. But this was the first time that the men ac- cused of directing the killings - Sad- dam and six co-defendants, Îlkluding Ali Hasan al-Majid, known among Iraqis as Chemical Ali for his role in chemical weapons attacks against the Kurds - had been confronted in open court with details of what happened at the mass graves. The principal forensic witness was Michael Trimble, a 53-year-old forensic archaeologist from St. Louis, Missouri, temporarily assigned to the court from the Army Corps ofEngineers. He told of ~ finding tangled piles of victims, many hanassis Cambanls lobe with eyes blindfolded and wrists bound Two forensic experts, Michael1iimble, left, and Greg Kehoe, inspectiog a mass grave and roped together chain-gang style; of in N'rtra, Iraq. U.S.experts have given chilliog testimony at the . one mother lying dead with her right hand clutching a baby in a blanket who, like the mother, had been killed with a single pistol shot to the head; and of an- other mother with the bones of an un- Accounts of atrocities born child that remained folded in her dress as her body decomposed. Trimble, director of an international mass graves team, described other fea- aired at Saddam's trial tures of the killings: how men were sep- arated from women and children before being herded in groups into the wedge- Children were herded into mass graves shaped pits; how sorne victims were forced to squat beside the graves while By John F. Burns ted in Iraq have been carried out. awaiting pistoI shots to the back of the As hl.'has at other moments when the head; how others, standing in the pits, in- BAGHDAD: It has been the most court heard accounts of atrocities cluding girls as young as 5, were raked chilling testimony in the 14 months against civilians, Saddam listened im- with automatic fire that had some raising since Saddam Hussein and his associ- passively, showing little more than a arms and hands defensively, then "twist- ates first went on trial: an account of bookkeeper's interest. The former Iraqi ing and turning and trying to get away." how Iraqi death squads took 301victims leader, who is 69, took copious notes Trimble gave figures indicating that to remote desert sites in the late 1980s, and offered only brief, mostly matter- at one mass grave, south of Samawa in herded them into pits dug by power of-fact comments. At one point, he de- Iraq's southern desert, more than 600 shovels and gunned them down. manded to know the precise geographic automatic rifle rounds had been used to Among the victims, the court has coordinates of the exhumed graves, and kill1l4 victims, 85 of them children, and been told, nearly 80 percent were wom- their proximity to main roads. He that 12 of the dead had been struck by en and children, with 90 percent of the added that the court should not take his between 13and 22 bullets each. children 13years old or younger. interest in the details as an acknowl- At two mass graves near Hatra, south- After two years' forensic work, Amer- edgment that hl.' or his co-defendants west of Mosul, he said, a quarter of the ican experts were in court last week to "had anything to do" with the killings. 25 women killed and a similar propor- detail findings from three mass grave At no point did hl.'express remorse or tion of the 98 children who died sites dating from Saddam's so-called pity. If his mind was on violent death, suffered no gunshot wounds, suggest- Aufal military campaign against Iraqi his remarks suggested that it might have ing, though Trimble did not say so, that Kurds. The sites were chosen from been in anticipation ofhis own, as much sorne may have been buried alive. more than 200 mass graves identified as because of what had happened to the Amoog both adults and children at the since the American-Ied invasion of Iraq Kurds. On Nov. 7,Saddam and two asso- Samawa site, he said, the largest number in 2003, and the experts said what they ciates were sentenced to death in anoth- of bullets struck the victims' legs, along found there, and in other graves, re- er case, involving the execution of 148 with other strikes that shattered their vealed "the same pattern over and over men and boys from the Shiite town of skulls, spines, ribs, arms and hands. again," of a systematic program to carry Dujail, north of Baghdad. Testimony in Trimble said the ballistic evidence out mass killings quickly, efficiently that case ended last summer as the Au- conformed with something seen at and in secret. fal case began. mass grave sites elsewhere in the world, The testimony seems likely to stand The Dujail sentences are subject to an that the killers often squat and fire first as the closest any account will get to the automatic appeal, scheduled to begin at the victims' legs. '~nd there's a rea- final torment suffered by many of the Monday before the nine-judge appeal son," he said. "When you shoot people 180,000 Kurds prosecutors say were bench of the Iraqi High Tribunal, the in the legs, and bring them down, it's killed in the campaign. Moreover, with court trying Saddam. If the sentence much easier to dispatch them." the experts' reliance on computer- against Saddam is upheld, hl.' could go Saddam's lawyers have dismissed the aided analytical tools and graphics to the gallows sometime between mid- prosecution case, saying that what available only in recent years, their ev- January and mid-March, even before a happened to the Kurds occurred while idence may constitute the most com- verdict in the Anfal trial, according to Iraq was fighting an eight-year war plete narrative any court has heard of Iraqi court officiaIs, who have held dog- with Iran, and that actions against the how mass ~illings on the scale commit- gedly to three or four sessions of the Kurds were justified by Kurdish sup- Aufal trial each week despite the inten- port for Iran.

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government of the prime minister, Nuri Annan describes Iraq Kamal al-Maliki. Like virtuaIly aIl Kurds, Talabani is wary of interference here by Turkey, which has warned that it will invade the as being in a civil war autonomous region ofIraqi Kurdistan if the Kurds make any move toward inde- pendence or try to take control of the Br Edward Wong war, saying the Iraqis were working to oil city of Kirkuk. end the bloodshed themselves. Talabani's office released the presi- BAGHDAD: Secretary General Kofi Annan suggested last week that an in- dent's statements after he met in the Annan of the United Nations said Sun- ternational conference that included aIl morning with Representative Chris- day that Iraq had descended into a civil ofIraq's major political groups and rep- topher Shays, the Republican from Con- war that was even deadlier and more resentatives from around the region necticut who is advocating a timetable anarchie than the 15-year sectarian could help end the fighting. for withdrawing American troops. Like bloodshed that tore Lebanon apart. "We have an ongoing political process Annan, Shays is also pushing to con- "When we had the strife in Lebanon and a Council of Representatives that is vene a conference ofIraq's neighbors. and other places, we called that a civil the best in the region," Talabani said Meanwhile, the U.S. military said war. This is much worse," Annan said in Sunday in a written statement, using the Sunday that its forces killed two wom- an interview with the BBC. formaI name of the Iraqi Parliament. "We en, one child and six insurgents on Sat- Annan joined a growing number of became an independent sovereign state urday in assaults on two buildings in foreign and Iraqi leaders, policy makers and we decide the issues of the country." the town of Garma in Anbar Province. and news organizations who have said Talabani's stand on the issue contra- The women and child were killed with that Iraq is in the grip of civil war. Colin dicts not onJ,yAnnan, but also the rec- five of the insurgents during an air Powell, President George W. Bush's first ommendation by a growing number of strike on one house, the military said. secretary of state, said last week at a American policy makers that the The U.S. military announced eight conference in the United Arab Emirates United States and Iraq should hold a deaths of service people on Sunday. that Iraq was in a civil war. A former conference that would bring together Two soldiers were killed by a roadside Iraqi prime minister, Ayad Allawi, said aIl the countries in the region to try to bomb while on patrol in Anbar on Sat- the same thing in March. re-establish stability in Iraq. Such a urday and three marines died the same The Bush administration continues meeting might include Iran, Syria and day in Anbar from combat wounds. An- to deny there is a civil war. But the Iraq Saudia Arabia, aIl of which have been other soldier was killed Saturday by a conflict meets the common scholarly accused by various American and Iraqi roadside bomb near Taji. A soldier died definition: armed groups from the same leaders of fomenting violence here. in combat in Baghdad on Sunday. ln ad- country are fighting for control of the The Iraq Study Group headed by dition, the air force said Major Troy Gil- political center, control of a separatist . James Baker is expected to recommend bert, a pilot listed as missing after his F- state or to force a major change in this week that the United States open up 16 crashed last Monday in Anbar, had policy. diplomatic channels with Iran and Syr- been killed in the incident. On Nov. 27,Annan warned that when ia to discuss their roles. That suggestion ln Baghdad, the police found at least it came to civil war in Iraq, "we are al- has been received cooIly by the White 50 bodies across the city. One of them, most there." House, where some senior officiaIs said Hideab Majhool Hasnawi, the head of a The debate over the term "civil war" opening talks with those two countries leading Iraqi soccer club, was identified erupted more fiercely last week in the would in itselfbe a major concession to in the morgue. He was abducted last United States, after NBC and other ma- their authoritarian, anti-American gov- Wednesday. jor news organizations said they were The head of the popular Talaba club ernments. ready to apply it to Iraq. The discussion On Saturday, a powerful Shiite leader, and a member of the Iraqi Soccer Feder- is highly political because supporters of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, also rejected An- ation, Hasnawi was the latest in a num- the war fear that calling the Iraq strife a nao's calI for a conference. Hakim has ber of sports figures, performers and civil war would further erode support chafed at the idea that countries in the professors who have been kidnapped and executed lately. among Americans, even though polIs region dominated by Sunni Arabs could show that a vast majority already con- get more involved in Iraq. Hakim comes Khalid al-Ansary in Baghdad and sider this a civil war. from a pro minent religious family and Iraqi employees of The New York Times ln Baghdad, meanwhile, President has close ties to Iran. He was scheduled Jalal Talabani rejected a calI by Annan to meet with Bush in Washington this in Falluja, Mosul and Basra contributed reporting. for an international conference to reach week to discuss the deterioration of the a solution to the widening sectarian Report forces president to accept that Iraq potiey isn't working pen. his policy in Iraq is not working, and it Br SheryrGay Stolberg The commiSSlOners - five Demo- the American people do not support it. crats and five Republicans - tried to be If Bush embraces the report's blueprint WASHINGTON: ln 142 devastatingly kind to Bush, adopting his language for changing course, he himself will stark pages, stuffed with adjectives like when they accepted the goal of an Iraq have to reverse course - and meet "grave and deteriorating," "daunting," that can "govern, itself, sustain itself Democrats more than halfway. and "dire," the Iraq Study and defend itself." The study group, for instance, caIls News Group report is an impas- But gone is the administratioo's talk for direct engagement with Iran and Analysis sioned plea for bipartisan Syria; so far, Bush has refused. While consensus on the most di- of.Iraq as a beacon. of democracy in the MIddle East. Gone ISany talk of victory. Bush has steadfastly resisted a timetable visive foreign policy issue of this gener- for withdrawal, the report says aIl com- ation. Only one person - President Instead, the report forces the presi- o bat brigades "not necessary for force George W. Bush -:- can make that hap- dent to accept the painfui truth that cost Republicans control of Congress: protection could be out of Iraq" - note

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the carefui use of the conditional, could Are you prepared to be bipartisan as day moming, the commissioners made a - by the first quarter of 2008. well?' I1'san asymmetrical situation, be- pointed appeal to Bush to give their So while Bush called the report "an cause he has the policy, and he's the one study greater weight than the others, if opportunity to come together and work who has to change the policy." only because it bas the backing of both together," it was no surprise on Capitol Bush has spent weeks trying to shape sides. "This is the only bipartisan adviee Hill that Democrats were quieker to em- the politieal cIimate in whieh he would you're going to get," the Democratie co- brace it than Republicans, who seemed receive the report. He ordered up a Pen- chairman of the panel, Lee Hamilton, to be adopting a kind of wait-and-see tagon study, and commissioned his own told Bush, according to an account from posture, praising the report for its seri- White House review. He went to Am- the president's press secretary, Tony ousness and depth as they searched for man to meet with the prime minister of Snow. Commissioners said afterward cIues about just what Bush would do. Iraq, then retumed to Washington to re- that the president - who later pro- "ln a sense," said Dennis Ross, a ceive a powerful Iraqi Shiite leader at claimed the report "an opportunity to Middle East envoy who worked for both the White House. • come together and work together" - President Bill Clinton and the first Those moves have been aimed at giv- seemed to absorb that plea. President Bush, "what you have here of- ing Bush the flexibility he needs to do "1 don't want to put too much in his fers the Democrats a ready handle to pretty much whatever he wants; the mouth now," said Lawrence Eagleburger, show, 'We're prepared to be bipartisan president himselfhas repeatedly said he who was secretary of state under Bush's on the issue of Iraq, because we'Il em- would consider aIl advice. But, meeting father, "but there was not one bit of argu- brace the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. with him in the Oval Office on Wednes- ment. He didn't come back on us."

support of the Iraqi govemment." Bush has taken the opposite ap- v.s. panel caUs the Iraq proach, commission members note d, and as recently as last week, he assured Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki that the U.S.commitment to Iraq wouId situation 'grave' be undiminished until victory is achieved, and that he was not looking for a "graceful exit." But the commission headed by former Secretary of State James Baker 3rd and Lee Hamilton, a retired D~mocratic member of congress from Indiana, made clear that while Amencans will be in Iraq for years to come, the Iraqis must understand that the American military commitment is not "open ended." It is time, they concluded, to "begin to MOyeits combat forces out ofIraq re- sponsibly," and they acknowledged that their detailed prescription of a far more aggressive diplomatie agenda in the Middle East, incentives for recon- ciliation and reform in Iraq and an overhaul of the U.S. military role may end in failure. "The current approach is not work- ing, and the ability of the United States to influence events is diminishing," Hamilton said Wednesday moming at a news conference on Capitol Hill, after the panel presented its conclu- sions to Bush and leaders of Congress, and prepared to do the same with Iraqi leaders by video conference. "Our ship James Baker 3rd, left, and Lee Hamilton, the co-chairmen of the bipartisan commission, of state has hit rough waters. It must now chart a new way forward." on Capitoillill on Wednesday. The report was presented to Bush a day after the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously recommended ln rebuke to Bush, report maps confirmation of Robert Gates to suc- ceed one of the war's main architects, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. a troop pullback over 15months While Washington is awash in advis- ory panels, what played out Wednesday, By David E. Sanger ln unusually sweeping and blunt from the White House to Capitol Hill, language, the panel of 10 Republicans was a remarkable condemnation of WASHINGTON: Â' bipartisan com- and Democrats issued 79 speCifie rec- Ameriean policy drift in the biggest and mission wàmed Wednesday that "the ommendations, including direct nego- MOst divisive military conflict to in- situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorat- tiations with Syria and Iran and à clear volve U.S.forces since Vietnam. ing," and handed President George W. declaration to the weak and divlded It was aIl the more unusual because Bush both a rebuke of his current Iraqi govemment that if it does not Baker was the secretary of state to strategy and a detailed bl)leprint for a "make substantial progress" on recon- Bush's father, and because the group it- fundamentally different approach, in- ciliation and security in coming self, as its members noted repeatedly, cIuding the puIlback of aIl U.S. combat months, "the United States should re. came up with a strategy that was em- br~gades over the next 15months. duce its political, military or economic braced by both parties.

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While the panel was careful to mod- His national security adviser, Steph- said in its executive summary. "Neigh- ulate its' wording to avoid phrases and en Hadley, has said that the president boring countries could intervene. rigid timelines that would, in the words would announce a major change of Sunni-Shia clashes could spread. Al of one member "set off the president," course in "weeks, not months," but giv- Q;leda could win a propaganda victory !t also clearly attempted to box him in, en no hint how extensive it would be. and expand its base of operations. The presenting its recommendations as a Democrats largely embraced the re- global standing of the United States comprehensive strategy that would port. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the could be diminished. Amerieans could only work if implemented in full. That Democratie leader, said the group had become more polarized." appeared to be a warning to Bush, who done "a tremendous and historie ser- The co-chairmen write that "there is in recent days has said he would con- viee" by saying "there must be a change no magie formula to solve the problems sider the independent panel's findings in Iraq, and there is no time to lose." ofIraq." alongside studies by the Joint Chiefs of But other Democrats were clearly dis- Yet, the panel also found that "aU op- Staff and the National Security Coun- appointed that the commission did not tions have not been exhausted." cil, suggesting he would pick the best embrace rapid withdrawal, as Represen- It held out hope that if its recommen- elements of each of them. tative John Murtha called for a year ago, dations were implemented effectively It also abandoned the definition of or partition of the country, as Senator and the Iraqi government moved toward "victory in Iraq" that Bush laid out as Joseph Biden, the Delaware Democrat national reconciliation, "Iraqis will have his own strategy a year ago, walking soon to head the Senate Foreign Rela- an opportunity for a better future, ter- away, for example, from any short- or tions Committee, has said is necessary. rorism will be dealt a blow, stability will medium-term goal of turning Iraq into Bush can easily embrace some of the be enhanced in an important part of the a democracy. findings, including a caU for a five-fold world, and America's credibility, in- "We want to stay current," Hamilton increase in imbedded Ameriean train- terests and values will be protected." said briskly when asked about that de- ers in the lraqi forces, whieh the panel While urging contacts with Iran and cision, and Baker defended the de- said should happen down to the level of Syria, the commission was not overly cision to ignore Bush's past statements companies of Iraqi military. The com- sanguine about how easy this would be. and embrace his latest formulation of mittee rejected a more striet timeline "Iran appears content for the U.S. the mission in Iraq: to create a country for withdrawal advocated by William military to be tied down in Iraq," it said, that can defend itself, govern itself and Perry, the defense secretary under noting that this position limited U.S. sustain itself. President Bill Clinton, though Perry leverage. "That was the latest elaboration of convinced the commission to set clear The report quotes an Iraqi officiaI as goals for the withdrawal of troops. saying, "Iran is negotiating with the the goal," Baker said, "and that's the one The commission had blistering cri- United States in the streets of Bagh- we're working with." tiques of current policy. It said that intel- dad." Their findings left Washington buzz- While Syria had given hints of being ing with speculation over whether Bush, ligen~e agencies had far too few people more helpful - indicating a readiness who on Wednesday morning thanked workmg on the causes of insutgency. It for dialogue with the United States and the members for their work and, in a Il;0tedtha~the total cost of the Iraq inva- restoring diplomatie ties to Iraq last private meeting, did nothing to push SIonand ItS aftermath could be "as high month - its approach to date in Iraq back against their findings, would de- as $2 trillion," or 20 times higher than had largely been to "countenance ma- cide on a huge reversaI in policy. To do sorne administration estimates in 2003. lign neglect," doing little to patrol its so would mark an admission that three .The report painted a particularly dire border with Iraq. and a half years of strategy had failed, plcture of prospects in Iraq if matters "Miracles cannot be expected," the and that Bush's repéated assurances to continue to deteriorate. review said, "but the people ofIraq have the American people that "absolutely, "A slide toward chaos could trigger the right to expect action and pro- we're winning" were based more on op- the col1apse of Iraq's government and a gress." timism than realism. humanitarian catastrophe," the report The goal: Building a new consensus onaway forward

Dy Brian Knowlton and David Stout

WASHINGTON: The bipartisan re- port on Iraq received a largely warm re- ception Wednesday as a serious effort not just to .find better approaches in Iraq but to do so while seeking to forge a pragmatie consensus here around one of the toughest foreign policy chal- lenges of the time. "1wish we had this kind of report in the Vietnam War," said David Gergen, a no-nonsense former White House ad-

urry Downlnc/Reulen viser in both Republican and Democrat- George W; Bush at the White Bouse on Wednesday with the co-chairmen of the panel, ie administrations, "because if it had come early enough we might have Lee Hamilton, left, and James Baker 3rd. spared a lot oflives." He spoke on CNN.

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Some Democrats saw the report as a Baker said. '~nd it is in that spirit that treasure," Panetta continued. '~nd 1 clear repudiation of much of the admin- we have approached our study group's think we owe it to them to take one last istration's recent approach - as when task on a bipartisan basis." chance at making Iraq work and, more James Baker 3rd, the former secretary His language was a striking echo of importantly, to take one last chance at of state who was eo-chairman of the that used a day earlier by President unifying this country on this war." panel, said plainly that "stay the George W. Bush's nominee for defense And Alan Simpson, a former Republi- course," a formulation long associated secretary, Robert Gates, who told the can senator from Wyoming, lamented with the president but now abandoned, Senate Armed Services Committee that that "the American people see the Con- was "no longer viable." he wanted to help build an approach on gress and the administration as dysfunc- Democrats said that Bush must Iraq that would be made durable tional." He recalled how he and Panetta, change his approach and be ready to co- through strong, bipartisan support. though from different politieal parties, 1 operate with members of Congress in The Armed Serviees Committee, would lunch together wheJ;l Simpson \ finding a way forward, and eventually clearly sympathetic to his views, later out of, Iraq. unanimously recommended his confir- was assistant majority leader and spell "Their report underscores the mes- mation by the full Senate, and that was . ou~ what they could or could not get sage the Ameriean people sent one expected shortly. done. He deplored the loss ofbipartisan- month ago: There must be change in And Lee Hamilton, a former Demo- ship but said it might yet be revived. Iraq, and there is no time to lose," said cratie congressman from Indiana and "Maybe it's corny, maybe it won't Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, who will the Iraq panel's co-chairman, said the work," he said, "but it's sure as hell bet- be the Democratic majority leader in tone of the report reflected "a very ter than sitting there where we are right the new Congress. "It is time for the pragmatie" approach. "We tried to set now." Iraqis to build and secure their nation, forth here achievable goals," he said. The study group's leaders, judging by and it is time for Ameriean combat Tony Snow, the White House spokes- remarks, have a less idealistic vision of troops to be redeployed." man, rejected the suggestion that the re- Iraq than Bush, who has often described Some Republicans saw the report as port was a repudiation of administra- a new country as a beacon of democracy. ratifying an urgent search by the ad- tion policy - the White House and It seemed to contrast sharply to the ideo- ministration for responsible ways to pentagon had long since acknowledged logically driven approach of neoconser- edge out of Iraq, heavy on political and grave problems in Iraq and begun re- vative advisers in the administration. diplomatie dimensions but avoiding a viewing its options, he said - but he Still, while lawmakers we1comed the hasty withdrawal that could leave the embraced the notion of consensus. Baker report as pointing to a possibly region in chaos. "What you have here, 1 think, is a better way forward, some saw it as con- A pro minent Senate Republican, basis for both politieal parties actually firming their dim view of the pasto Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, praised the to begin working together," Snow said. "The Iraq Study Group report repre- group's findings. He said that White House officiaIs, sents another blow at the poliey of 'stay "The report is an acknowledgment when they met earlier with the commis- the course' that this administration has that there will be no military solution in sion members, were partieularly struck followed," said Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the senior Democrat on the Iraq," said Hagel, a member of the For- by this: "The one thing they thought Armed Services Committee. "The eign Relations and Intelligence commit- was absolutely important was to re- American people rose up again staying tees. "It will require a political solution build a sense of national unity on this." arrived at through sustained Iraqi and re- the course in Iraq, because the course is Indeed, several panel members not working." gion-wide diplomacy and engagement. stressed this during a joint briefing. "The president and Congress now Sandra Day O'Connor, who stepped Baker said the bipartisan study group must work together to frame a new down from the Supreme Court early had deliberately waited until after the mid-term elections to deliver its conclu- policy that will allow the United States this year, urged journalists to help en- to leave Iraq and the Iraqi people to gage Americans in the problem. "It's up sions. But Hamilton, the panel co-cha ir- make their own decisions as to their fu- to you, frankly," she said. "You're there man, and other members, avoided rais- ing any undue optimism about Iraq. "We ture," Hagel said. interpreting this and talking to ~er- Many people saw the report as draw- ica. 1 hope that the American people do not know if it can be turned around," ing power both from the eminence of its will feel that if they're behind some- he said. "We have an obligation to try." members - five Democrats and five Re- thing in broad terms, that we'll be better publicans, including two former secre- off. 1think we will." taries of state, a former defense secre- Leon Panetta, a former chief of staff tary and a former Supreme Court justiee to President Bill Clinton, said: "This - and by its insistence on the need to country cannot be at war and be as di- move American public opinion on Iraq vided as we are today. You've got to uni- from polarization to commonality. fy this country, and 1 suggest to the "We believe that a constructive solu- president that what we did in this group tion requires that a new politieal con- can perhaps serve as an example." sensus be built, a new consensus here ai "We have made a terrible commit- home and a new consensus abroad," ment in Iraq in terms of our blood and

Les autorités irakiennes refusent la conférence internationale ces questions soient débattues dans des Le premier ministre irakien Nouri AI-Mali- M. Maliki a en revanche écarté l'idée conférences internationales )J alors que ki a annoncé, mardi 5 décembre, la tenue d'une conférence Internationale avancée l'Irak dispose selon lui d'un gouverne- d'une conférence de réconciliation, dans par le secrétaire général de l'ONU, Kofi ment qui compte parmi (( les plus forts un pays déchiré par les violences confes- Annan. Le chef de la principale coalition de la région )J. sionnelles. « Tous les partis, qu'ils soient augouvernement ou non, participeront à chiite, Abdel Aziz AI-Hakim, s'était lui Le président irakien, Jalal Talabani, aussi opposé à cette initiative lundi, lors s'était également démarqué de l'initiati- cette confilrence )J, a affirmé le premier ve de M. Annan. ministre sur la chaîne de télévision publi- d'une visite à Washington en jugeant (( inacceptable pour le peuple irakien que -(AFP.) que Iraqia.

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« Merci pour votrefranchise. C'est quel- EelRonde Bab Gates :« Nous que chose qui a cruellement manqué à votre 7 DÉCEMBRE 2006 prédécesseur », a remarqué Hillary Clin- ton. Sachant qu'il devra travailler avec un Congrès démocrate, M. Gates a pris soin ne sommes pas d'apparaître comme l'anti-Rumsfeld: non agressif, prudent, un homme de bon- ne volonté ayant repris du service alors en train de gagner qu'il était le tranquille président de l'Uni- . versité A & M. du Texas. Il a promis de se mettre « d'urgence» au travail en commençant par se rendre à la guerre en Irak» Bagdad pour y entendre l'opinion des chefs militaires. S'il estime qu'il ne faut pas attendre de miracles ni de « nouvelles Etats-Unis Les démocrates louent la « franchise» idées », il s'est déclaré ouvert: « Toutes les options sont sur la table. » du secrétaire à la défense désigné par Bush Sur le fond, il a développé des thèses relativement consensuelles. Il partage WASHINGTON Gates. « En conséquence, le statu quo est inacceptable? », a repris le républicain. CORRESPONDANTE avec le président Bush le refus d'un « C'est exact », a répondu M. Gates. 'il n'a pas enthousiasmé tous les calendrier précis de retrait qui revien- Après la pause déjeuner, le futur secré- républicains, Robert Gates a fait drait à dire aux insurgés «combien de taire à la défense a fait une mise au point. Sl'unanimité chez les démocrates, qui temps ils ont à attendre avant de [les] voir «J'ai vu les informations à la télévision, en ont loué sa « franchise ». Dès le début de partir ». Mais il n'a pas hésité à se distin- mangeant mon sandwich, a-t-il expliqué. l'audition devant la commission des for- guer en soulignant l'erreur commise en Je maintiens mon commentaire. Maisjefai- ces armées du Sénat, mardi 5 décembre, 2003 en n'envoyant pas à Bagdad des sais référence à la situation générale en l~ démocrate Carl Levin a posé la ques- troupes en nombre suffisant. Selon lui, tIon : « Sommes-nous en train de gagner en Irak? » Robert Gates a pesé ses mots. Irak. Nos soldats font un travail formida- la présence de l'armée américaine sera « Non, monsieur. » b~e. Il ny a pas une seule bataille qu'ils nécessaire «pendant longtemps» les Ira- azent perdue. » Pour un homme choisi par Geor- ~ens n'ayant que peu de capacités logis- ge Bush pour succéder à Donald Rums- L'affaire était de toute façon enten- tIques et pas de puissance aérienne. feld au ministère de la défense, ce n'était due. Avecun langage aussi direct, Robert Mais les effectifs seront «considérable- pas un mince aveu. Il y a exactement cinq Gates,63 ans, a obtenu un vote unanime ment réduits». semaines, le président américain s'em- des quatorze membres de la commission portait quand on lui posait la même ques- après cinq heures seulement de débats. M. Gates a été interrogé sur le rapport tion : « Bien sûr que nous sommes en train Seul M. Levin, qui avait voté contre la qu'il a co-rédigé en 2004 pour un cercle de gagner! » C'était avant les élections de confirmation de M. Gates quand celui-ci de réflexion, plaidant pour des pourpar- mi-mandat du 7 novembre, la « claque» avait été nommé à la direction de la CIA, lers directs avec l'Iran. Il n'y est plus aus- infligée par les électeurs et la démission en 1991,par George Bush père, est reve- si favorable. « Les circonstances ont nette- de M. Rumsfeld. nu sur l'affaire Iran-Contra des ventes ment changé », a-t-il dit, citant l'arrivée Plusieurs sénateurs ont voulu s'assu- d'armes secrètes des Etats-Unis à l'Iran au pouvoir de Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. rer qu'ils avaient bien entendu. « Vous ne dans laquelle le rôle de M. Gatés n'~ Il continue à penser qu'il serait utile de croyez pas que nous sommes en train de jamais été vraiment éclairci. Le vote du disposer d'un «canal de communica- gagnerenlrak? », a insisté John McCain. Sénat dans son ensemble n'est plus tion » avec Damas et Téhéran comme au « Non, monsieur », a répété Robert qu'une formalité. temps de la guerre froide avec Moscou et Pékin mais il n'a pas semblé y placer beaucoup d'espoir. A plus long terme, il serait cependant salutaire de trouver le moyen d'amener ces pays « à être plus constructifs». Très clairement, il a exclu toute attaque contre l'Iran, sinon « en dernier recours absolu». « Nous avons vu avec l'Irak ce qui se passe une fois que la guerre est lâchée. » M. Gates n'a pas voulu dire s'il pensait que l'invasion de 2003 avait été une erreur: «Tous les services du monde, même lesfrançais, croyaient que Saddam Hussein avait des armes de destruction massive. » Mais quelle que soit la maniè- re dontla guerre a commencé, a-t-il ajou- té, « il semble que tous les "bad guys" du Moyen-Orient sont maintenant actifs en Irak ». Il a parlé du danger de « chaos» et de conflit régional en cas de retrait améri- cain «mal conduit », l'Arabie saoudite Chaque dimanche depuis le 15 février 2004, les vétérans de Santa Monica ou la Turquie ne pouvant « laisser lessun-' (Californie) installent à Arlington West, sur la plage, un mémorial provisoire nites irakiens être victimes d'une épuration en l'honneur des soldats américains tombés en Irak. Depuis le début ethnique» .• du conflit, l'US Army a perdu près de 3 000 hommes. GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP C.LS

26 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti femonde 8 décembre 2006 Rapport Baker: des scénarios pour sortir de la crise en Irak et au Moyen-Orient Nous publions des extraits des recommandations que]ames Baker et Lee Hamilton, coprésidents de la commission d'étude sur l'Irak, formée de républicains et de démocrates, ont remis mercredi 6 décembre au président américain Bush

LETTRE DES COPRÉSIDENTS ments que notre gouvernement a pris, éventuellement prises en Irak - sera JAMES A. BAKER III les Etats- Unis ont des obligations spécia- vouée à l'échec si elle n'est pas soutenue ET LEE H. HAMILTON les à l'égard de ce pays. par un large et durable consensus. , Les Etats-Unis, qui entretiennent des Il n'existe aucune formule magique relations et ont des intérêts à long terme RÉSUMÉ pour résoudre les problèmes de l'Irak, au Moyen-Orient, ne doivent pas s'en mais un certain nombre de mesures peu- désengager. Dans ce rapport qui expri- La situation en Irak est grave et va en vent être prises afin d'améliorer la situa- me leur opinion unanime, les dix mem- se détériorant. Aucune voie ne peut tion et protéger les intérêts américains. bres du groupe d'étude sur l'Irak présen- garantir la réussite, mais les perspecti- Beaucoup d'Américains sont mécon- tent une nouvelle approche, car nous ves peuvent être améliorées. tents non seulement de la situation en pensons qu'il y a une meilleure façon Les défis irakiens sont complexes. La Irak, mais également des conditions d'aller de l'avant. Toutes les options violence augmente tant en fréquence dans lesquelles se déroule notre débat n'ont pas été épuisées. Nous pensons qu'en létalité. Elle est alimentée par l'in- politique concernant l'Irak. Nos diri- qu'il est encore possible de mener des surrection sunnite, les milices et esca- geants doivent adopter une approche politiques différentes susceptibles d'of- drons de la mort chiites, A1-Qaidaet une bipartisane susceptible de mettre fin de frir à l'Irak la possibilité d'un avenir criminalité galopante. Les conflits manière raisonnable à ce qui est devenu meilleur, de combattre le terrorisme, de confessionnels constituent le principal une guerre longue et coûteuse. stabiliser une région critique du monde obstacle à la stabilisation. Notre pays mérite un débat qui privilé- et de protéger la crédibilité, les intérêts Même si le peuple irakien dispose gie la substance par rapport à la rhétori- et les valeurs de l'Amérique. d'un gouvernement démocratiquement que, et une politique à long terme finan- Les recommandations que nous fai- élu, celui-ci ne progresse pas de façon cée de manière adéquate. Le président et sons dans ce rapport exigent un niveau satisfaisante vers la réconciliation natio- le Congrès doivent travailler de concert. considérable de volonté politique et de nale, ne parvient pas à assurer un mini- Nos dirigeants doivent se montrer coopération de la part des corps exécutif mum de sécurité ni à fournir les services francs et directs à l'égard du peuple amé- et législatif du gouvernement américain. essentiels. Le pessimisme est généralisé. ricain afin d'obtenir son soutien. Elles exigent une mise en œuvre habile. Si la situation continue de se détériorer, Personne ne peut garantir à l'heure Elles exigent des efforts convergents de les conséquences pourraient être graves. actuelle qu'une quelconque série de la part des agences gouvernementales. Un glissement vers le chaos pourrait mesures enrayera les affrontements Et leur réussite dépendra de l'unité du entraîner l'effondrement du gouverne- confessionnels, la violence croissante ou peuple américain dans une période de un glissement dans le chaos. Si les ten- polarisation politique. Les Américains ment et déclencher une catastrophe dances actuelles se poursuivent, les peuvent et doivent exercer leur droit à humanitaire. Les pays voisins pour- conséquences potentielles seront graves. un débat exigeant au sein d'une démocra- raient intervenir. Les affrontements En raison du rôle et de la responsabilité tie. Mais la politique étrangère des Etats- entre sunnites et chiites pourraient se des Etats-Unis en Irak, et des engage- Unis - comme toute batterie de mesures généraliser. A1-Qaida pourrait rempor- ter une victoire de propagande et élargir sa base d'opérations. La position globale des Etats-Unis serait susceptible d'en souffrir.

Approche externe . Les pohtiques et les actes des pays VOI- sins de l'Irak affectent grandement sa stabilité et sa prospérité. Sur le long ter- me, aucun des pays de la région ne béné- ficierait d'un Irak plongé dans le chaos. Pourtant, les voisins de l'Irak n'agissent pas suffisamment pour aider l'Irak à par- venir à la stabIlité. Certains agissent même dans le sens de sa déstabilisation. Les Etats-Unis devraient lancer immé- diatement une nouvelle offensive diplo- matique visant à construire un consen- sus international pour la stabilité de l'Irak et de la région. Vu la capacité de la Syrie et de l'Iran à peser sur le cours des événements à l'in- térieur de l'Irak, et leur intérêt à ne pas 1

Le président George Bush entouré des coprésidents du Groupe d'étude sur l'Irak, James Baker (à droite) et Lee Hamilton (à gauche), mercredi 6 décembre, à la Maison Blanche à Washington. PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/AP

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voir le chaos s'y installer, les Etats-Unis dans des unités intégrées aux forces ira- confessionnelle qui cause le plus de victi- devraient tenter d'engager un dialogue kiennes, des équipes de réaction rapide mes civiles.Les milices chiites impliquées constructif avec ces deux pays. L'Iran dans la violence confessionnelle consti- devrait stopper le flot d'armes à destina- ou d'opérations spéciales, ainsi que pour tuent une menace substantielle à la stabili- tion de l'Irak et fermer les camps où s'en- l'entraînement, l'équipement, le conseil, té immédiate et à long terme. traînent les Irakiens, respecter la souve- la protection militaire, et pour les opéra- 2. Politique raineté et l'intégrité territoriale de l'Irak tions de recherche et de secours. La Peu après son entrée en fonctions, le et user de son influence sur les groupes recherche de renseignements et le sou- premier ministre Al-Maliki avait esquissé chiites irakiens afin d'encourager la tien logistique se poursuivraient. Une un louable programme de réconciliation réconciliation nationale. La Syrie devrait des missions essentielles des forces de nationale. Cependant, le gouvernement contrôler sa frontière avec l'Irak afin d'in- réaction rapide et d'opérations spéciales irakien n'a pris aucune mesure concer- terrompre le passage de fonds, d'insur- serait de réaliser des frappes contre nant les éléments-clés de la réconciliation gés et de terroristes à destination ou en Al-Qaida en Irak. nationale. La situation sécuritaire ne pour- provenance d'Irak. Il est clair que le gouvernement ira- ra s'améliorer tant que les responsables Les Etats-Unis ne pourront atteindre kien aura encore besoin de l'assistance n'agiront pas dans le sens de la réconcilia- leurs objectifs au Moyen-Orient s'ils ne des Etats-Unis pendant un certain tion nationale. Les responsables chiites temps, en particulier pour s'acquitter de doivent prendre la décision de dissoudre ses responsabilités en matière de sécuri- les milices. Les sunnites doivent décider Persorme ne peut garantir té. Les Etats-Unis doivent toutefois bien de poursuivre leurs objectifs dans le cadre à l'heure actuelle faire comprendre au gouvernement ira- d'un processus politique pacifique, et non qu'une quelconque série kien qu'ils pourraient mener à terme par la violence. leurs projets, y compris leurs plans de a.Economie de mesures redéploiement, même si le gouverne- L'Irak a enregistré quelques succès éco- enrayera ment irakien ne procédait pas aux chan- nomiques, et lepays dispose d'atouts consi- les alfrontements gements auxquels il s'est engagé. Les dérables pour sa croissance. Mais le déve- Etats-Unis ne doivent pas promettre loppement économique est entravé par confessiormels, inconditionnellement de maintenir une l'insécurité, la corruption, le manque d'in- la violence croissante forte présence de leurs troupes en Irak. vestissements, une infrastructure en ruine ou un glissement Tout en procédant au redéploiement, et l'incertitude. La croissance immédiate dans le chaos les responsables militaires devraient ren- et à long terme dépend tj.lp.remier lieu du forcer l'entraînement et l'éducation des secteur pétrolier. De nombreux indica- troupes rentrées aux Etats-Unis afin de teurs économiques sont négatifs. Au lieu restituer à notre armée toutes ses capaci- traitent pas le problème du conflit israé- d'atteindre les 10 % de croiE';'-TIcefixés tés de combat. lo-palestinien et celui de l'instabilité pour cette année, le pays n'aura enregistré Les Etats-Unis devraient travailler en régionale. Les Etats-Unis doivent s'enga- qu'une progression d'environ 4 %. L'infla- étroite collaboration avec les dirigeants ger à nouveau et de manière ferme dans tion est supérieure à 50 %. Lesestimations irakiens afin de parvenir à réaliser des la voie d'une paix entre Arabes et Israé- concernant le taux de chômage oscillent objectifs, ou jalons spécifiques dans le liens sur tous les fronts : Liban, Syrie, et, entre 20 % et 60 %. Le climat des investis- domaine de la réconciliation nationale, en ce qui concerne Israël et la Palestine, sements est morose, avec un taux d'inves- de la sécurité et de la gouvernance. respecter l'engagement pris en tissement étranger inférieur à 1% du PIE. Ne promettons pas de miracles, mais juin 2002 par le président Bush en 4. Soutien international le peuple irakien peut légitimement faveur de la solution des deux Etats. Cet Lesoutien international pour la recons- attendre des mesures et espérer des pro- engagement doit inclure des pourpar- truction de l'Irak a été timoré. Les dona- grès. Legouvernement irakien doit mon- lers directs avec, par et entre Israël, le teurs internationaux s'étaient engagés sur trer à ses propres citoyens - ainsi qu'à Liban, les Palestiniens - ceux qui recon- un montant de 13,5milliards de dollars ceux des Etats-Unis et des autres pays - naissent à Israël le droit d'exister - et la pour la reconstruction, mais moins de qu'il mérite un soutien solide. Syrie. 4 milliards ont effectivement été versés. Les politiques et les actes des voisins de Approche interne l'Irak influencent fortement sa stabilité et Les questions les plus importantes ÉVALUATION sa prospérité. concernant l'avenir de l'Irak sont à pré- De tous les voisins de l'Irak, l'Iran est sent de la responsabilité des Irakiens. Le Le succès n'est aucunement garanti en celui qui a le plus d'influence en Irak. gouvernement irakien devrait accélérer Irak. L'Iran entretient depuis longtemps des sa prise en main de la sécurité du pays en liens avec de nombreux politiciens chiites augmentant le nombre et la qualité des A. Evaluation de la situation irakiens, dont beaucoup ont dû s'exiler en brigades de l'armée irakienne. Pendant actuelle en Irak Iran sous le régime de Saddam Hussein. le déroulement de ce processus, et afin 1. Sécurité L'Iran a fourni des armes et des moyens de le faciliter, les Etats-Unis devraient Les attaques contre les forces américai- financiers, et assuré l'entraînement de augmenter de façon significative le nom- nes, les forces de la coalition et les forces miliciens chiites en Irak, ainsi qu'un sou- bre de personnels militaires, y compris de sécurité irakiennes sont incessantes et tien politique aux partis chiites irakiens. des troupes de combat, intégrés dans et en augmentation. Les sources de la violen- Certains rapports affirment également appuyant les unités de l'armée irakien- ce sont multiples: insurrection sunnite, que l'Iran a fourni des « dispositifs explosifs ne. Au fur et à mesure que ce processus Al-Qaida et groupes djihadistes affiliés improvisés» à des groupes - y compris des se déroulera, les forces de combat améri- milices et escadrons de la mort chiites, cri~ insurgés sunnites - qui s'en prennent aux caines pourront commencer à se retirer minalité organisée. Laviolence confession- forces américaines. Un haut responsable d'Irak. nelle - en particulier à Bagdad et dans ses sunnite nous a affirmé : « Chaque fois que Au premier trimestre de 2008, et à environs - est devenue le principal obsta- vous retournez une pierre en Irak, vous trou- moins de développements imprévus cle à la stabilité. verez l'Iran dessous. » dans la situation sécuritaire sur le ter- La plupart des attaques antiaméricai- Des responsables américains, irakiens rain, toutes les brigades de combat non nes sonttoujours lefait des insurgés sunni- et internationaux ont également évoqué nécessaires à la protection militaire pour- tes. Al-Qaida n'est responsable que d'une les points de friction entre les Etats-Unis raient être évacuées d'Irak. A ce moment- petite partie de la violence en Irak, mais et l'Iran, parmi lesquels le programme là, les forces de combat américaines en elle a signé quelques-unes des actions les nucléaire iranien, le soutien iranien au ter- Irak ne pourraient être déployées que plus spectaculaires. C'est la violence rorisme, l'influence de l'Iran au Liban et

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dans la région, et l'influence de l'Iran en Si les Irakiens continuent à considérer Irak. L'Iran semble satisfait de voir les lesAméricains comme une force d'occupa- Etats-Unis embourbés en Irak, une posi- Si les Irakiens continuent tion, les Etats-Unis pourraient bien deve- tion qui limite les options américaines à à considérer les Américains nir la pire menace pour eux-mêmes sur ce l'égard du programme nucléaire iranIen et comme uneforce territoire qu'ils ont pourtant libéré de la permet à l'Iran de peser sur la stabilité de tyrannie. l'Irak. Les pourparlers envisagés entre les d'occupation, les Etats-Unis Etats-Unis et l'Iran sur la situation en Irak pourraient bien devenir n'ont pas eu lieu. Un officielirakien nous a lapire menace pour LES DIFFÉRENTES OPTIONS dit : « L'Iran négocie avec les Etats-Unis dans les mes de Bagdad. » eux-mêmes sur ce tenitoire 1. Retrait précipité La Syriejoue elle aussi un rôle contre- qu'ils ont pourtant libéré Nous estimons qu'il serait une erreur productif. Les Irakiens sont furieux de ce de la tyrannie de la part des Etats-Unis d'abandonner le qu'ils considèrent comme un appui syrien pays en retirant précipitamment leurs sol- aux tentatives de saper le gouvernement dats et leur aide. Un départ prématuré irakien. Ce n'est pas tant que les Syriens B.Conséquences entraînerait très certainement une aug- prennent une part active aux événements, d'une détérioration prolongée mentation des violences religieuses et une mais ils jouent un rôle passif: ils détour- de la situation en Irak détérioration accrue de la situation. Sila situation continue de se détériorer, les conséquences pourraient être graves nent la tête lorsque des armes et des com- pour l'Irak, pour les Etats-Unis, pour la 2. Maintien de la politique actuelle battants étrangers franchissent leur fron- région et pour le monde. La politique américaine actuellene fonc- tière pour passer en Irak, et laissent d'an- Un effondrement de l'économie et du tionne pas. Le maintien en l'état de cette ciens responsables baasistes se réfugier en gouvernement irakiens paralyserait un politique ne ferait que remettre à plus tard Syrie. Tout comme l'Iran, la Syrie se peu plus encore un pays déjà incapable de l'heure du bilan, qui n'en serait alors que plus lourd. réjouit de voir les Américains englués en subvenir auxbesoins de sa population. Les Irak. Celadit, les Syriens ont indiqué qu'ils forces de sécurité pourraient éclater sui- souhaitaient un dialogue avec les Etats- vant les lignes de fracture confessionnel- 3. Augmentation Unis, et ont accepté en novembre de réta- les. Le fait qu'un grand nombre de réfu- des effectifs militaires L'augmentation soutenue du nombre blir des relations diplomatiques avecl'Irak giés seraient obligés de changer de région de soldats américains en Irak ne peut rien après une rupture de vingt-quatre années. en Irak, ou de gagner les paysvoisins,pour- contre la cause essentielle des violences en En deQ.qr~.fluRoyaume-;ijej, ~ge I).os rait entraîner une catastrophe humanitai- Irak, l'absence de réconciliation nationale. autres partenaires dans la coalition,la com- re. Le nettoyage ethnique pourrait sévir à munauté internationale n'a joué qu'un grande échelle. Le peuple irakien pourrait rôle limité en Irak. Les Nations unies 4. Transfert du pouvoir - agissant en vertu de la résolution 1546 être soumis à un nouvel homme fort qui à trois régions du Conseil de sécurité - n'ont qu'une fai- userait de moyens politiques et militaires Le transfert du pouvoir à un Irak divisé ble présence en"Irak ; elles ont collaboré à musclés pour faire prévaloir l'ordre sur en trois régions semi-autonomes sous la l'organisation des élections, à la rédaction l'anarchie. Les libertés seraient réduites houlette d'un pouvoir central faibleprésen- de la Constitution, à l'organisation du gou- ou perdues. te des risques trop importants. vernement et à la mise en place des institu- D'autres pays de la région redoutent tions. La Banque mondiale, qui n'a accor- que la violence puisse pénétrer chez eux. LA MARCHE À SUIVRE: dé que des ressources limitées, entretient Un Irak plongé dans le chaos pourrait UNE APPROCHE NOUVELLE un et parfois deux représentants en Irak. conduire ces pays à intervenir afin de pro- L'Union européenne y a un représentant. téger leurs propres intérêts, risquant ainsi 5. Conclusions de déclencher une guerre régionale géné- A. Construire LesEtats-Unis se sont investis massive- ralisée. Plusieurs ambassadeurs de pays un consensus international ment dans l'avenir de l'Irak, à la fois sur le voisins nous ont dit craindre l'éventualité Recommandation n° 1: les Etats-Unis, plan financier et sur le plan humain. Jus- d'affrontements entre chiites et sunnites à en collaboration avecle gouvernement ira- qu'en décembre 2006, près de 2 900 Amé- travers le monde islamique. Le terrorisme kien, doivent lancer une nouvelle offensive ricains ont perdu la vie en Irak. pourrait prendre de l'ampleur. diplomatique globale, et ce avant le 21 000 autres ont été blessés, dont beau- L'Irak constitue un test pour les capaci- 31décembre 2006. coup grièvement. Jusqu'ici, les Etats-Unis tés militaires, diplomatiques et financières Recommandation n° 2: en ce qui ont dépensé à peu près 400 milliards de des Etats-Unis et pèse lourdement sur concerne lesacteurs régionaux, cette offen- dollars pour la guerre en Irak, et les dépen- elles. La prolongation des problèmes en sivediplomatique doit se fixer les objectifs ses continuent de représenter environ Irak pourrait conduire à une polarisation suivants : soutien à l'unité et à l'intégrité 8 milliards de dollars par mois. Les Etats- accrue aux Etats-Unis mêmes. 66 % des territoriale de l'Irak; cessation des inter- Unis devront de surcroît s'acquitter des Américains désapprouvent la façon dont ventions et actions de déstabilisation; futurs «coûts additionnels ». S'occuper legouvernement conduit la guerre, et plus sécurisation des frontières irakiennes. des anciens comoattants et remplacer le de 60 % ont l'impression qu'il n'existe- Recommandation n°4: un groupe matériel perdu coûtera plusieurs centai- aucun plan clair pour progresser. Les élec- d'aide internationale à l'Irak doit être for- nes de milliards de dollars. Certaines esti" tions de novembre ont été largement consi- mé immédiatement après le lancement de mations placent à 2 trillions de dollars le dérées comme un référendum sur les pro- la nouvelle offensive diplomatique. coût final de l'engagement américain en grès réalisés en Irak. Recommandation nOS: ce groupe Irak. L'Irak est une épreuve et un fardeau d'aide doit intégrer tous les pays limitro- Malgré cet énorme effort, la stabilisa- pour les capacités militaires, diplomati- phes, les grands acteurs de la région, les tion de l'Irak semble irréalisable et la situa- ques et financières des Etats-Unis. Si cinq membres permanents du Conseil de tion ne cesse de se détériorer. Legouverne- l'Amérique devait donner l'impression sécurité des Nations unies, l'Union euro- ment irakien n'est pas actuellement en d'avoir échoué là-bas, c'est toute sa crédibi- péenne et, bien sûr, l'Irak. Les autres pays mesure de gouverner, de se maintenir et lité et son influence qui s'en trouveraient (par exemple l'Allemagne, le Japon et la de se défendre sans l'aide des Etats-Unis. affectées, au cœur du monde musulman, Corée du Sud) souhaitant participer sont Nous n'avons pas convaincu les Irakiens dans une région essentielle à l'approvision- également les bienvenus. qu'ils doivent prendre en main"leurpropre nement énergétique mondial. Cela enta- Recommandation n° 9: les Etats-Unis avenir. merait de surcroît l'influence des Etats- doivent entrer en contact direct avec l'Iran Unis dans le monde.

29 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti

et la Syrie afin de faire en sorte qu'ils s'en- AIDéricains,les Irakiêns et les pays de la tion, à l'équipement, au ~onseil,.à l'ass!s- gagent à pratiquer ~e politiqu~ cons~c- région soient bien informés. tance ainsi qu'aux opératIons antIterrons- tive en Irak et sur d autres enjeux reglO- Recommandation n' 22 : le président tes. naux. Dans cette ouverture du dialogue doit déclarer que les Etats-Unis ne cher- Recommandation n° 50 : l'ensemble de avec la Syrie et l'Iran, les Etats-Unis doi~ chent pas à établir des bases militaires per- la police nationale irakienne doit passer vent prendre en compte les facteurs aUSSI manentes en Irak. sous la tutelle du ministère de la défense, bien incitatifs que dissuasifs afin d'aboutir Recommandation nO23 : le président dans le cadre duquel les commandos de à des résultats constructifs. doit réaffirmer que les Etats-Unis ne cher- police seront intégrés à la nouvelle armée Recommandation n' 13 : les Etats-Unis chent pas à prendre le contrôle du pétrole irakienne. doivent renouveler et maintenir leur enga- irakien. Recommandation n° 51 : l'ensemble de gement envers une paix globale entre Ara- Calendrier proposé par le premier la police irakienne des frontières doit pas- bes et Israéliens, et ce sur tous les fronts : ministre irakien Nouri Al-Maliki : d'ici à ser sous la tutelle du ministère de la défen- d'une part pour le Liban et la Syrie,d'autre juin 2007, tenue d'élections provinciales; se, qui assumera l'entière respons,abil!t~ part pour Israël et la ~alestine ~~s la d'ici à avril 2007, les Irakiens reprennent du contrôle aux frontières et de la secunte ligne de l'engagement pns par le preSIdent le contrôle de l'armée; d'ici à septem- extérieure. Bush en juin 2002 en faveur d'une solu- bre 2007,lesIrakiens reprennent le contrô- Recommandation n° 57 : sur le modèle tion à deux Etats. le des provinces. de l'intégration des formateurs militaires Recommandation n' 14: cesefforts doi- Recommandation n' 27 : la réconcilia- américains au sein d'unités de l'armée ira- kienne, l'intégration des formateurs améri- vent passer (le plus tôt possibl.e~par la tion politique passe par la réinsertion des convocation et la tenue mconditIonnelle cains de police doit être étendue et le nom- baasistes et des nationalistes arabes dans bre de formateurs civils augmenté afin de rencontres, sous l'égide des Etats-Unis lavie de la nation, hormis les grandes figu- ou du Quartet (Etats-Unis, Russie, Union que les équipes puissent intervenir à tous res du régime de Saddam Hussein, qu'il les échelons des forces de police irakien- européenne et Nations unies), d'une part faut exclure. entre Israël le Liban et la Syrie, et d'autre nes, y compris dans les postes de police , . . . Recommandation n' 28 : partage des locaux. part entre Israël et les PalestmIens qw revenus pétroliers. Les revenus pétroliers reconnaissent le droit à l'existence de Recommandation n° 62 : le gouverne- doivent revenir au gouvernement central ment américain doit, le plus tôt possible, l'Etat hébreu. Ces rencontres auraient et être répartis sur des bases démographi- pour but de négocier des accor?s de paix apporter au gouvernement irakien une ques. Aucune formule confiant aux assistance technique pour préparer un pro- comme à la conférence de Madrid en 1991, régions la gestion des revenus des futurs jet de loi sur le pétrole dé~~ssant les et ceen deux volets distincts - l'un libano- gisements ou le contrôle d~s gis~I?e?ts syrien, l'autre palestinien. droits des gouvernements reglOnaux et n'est compatible avec la reconcIhatIon locaux et créant un cadre fiscaletjuridique Recommandation n' 16 : dans le cadre nationale. pour l'investissement. ,., d'un accord de paix global et solide, les Recommandation n' 30: Kirkouk. Israéliens doivent restituer le plateau du Recommandation n° 64 : 1aide econo- L'extrême dangerosité de la situation à mique américaine ne doit ~a:s être revue,à Golan. Kirkouk nécessite un arbitrage internatio- Recommandation n' 17 : en ce qui la baisse, mais au contrarre augmentee nal pour prévenir les violences commu- pour passer à 5 milliards de dollars par an. concerne le volet palestinien, parmi les r.autaires. conditions d'une paix négociée figurent: Recommandation n" 72 : le coût de la Recommandation n° 35: les Etats- guerre en Irak doit être in;:é.gréd~s la pro- le respect des résolutions 242 et 33~ d~ Unis doivent œuvrer activement à l'impli- Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU et du prmcr- position de budget du preSIdent a compter cation de toutes les parties prenantes en de l'exercice 2008 : la guerre est dans sa pe « terres contre paix », bases incontour- Irak à l'eJtCeptiond'Al-Qaida. Ils doivent nables de la paix ; des négociations dura- quatrième aImée, et le processus budgétai- trouver un moyen d'ouvrir le dialogue re ne doit pas être contourné. Les deman- bles qui régleraient les grandes. ~uestions avec le grand ayatollah Sistani,:Moqtada juridiques relatives aux frontIeres, aux des de fonds pour la guerre en Irak doivent Al-Sadr et les chefs des milices et des être présentées avec clarté au Congrès et colonies de peuplement, à] érusalem et au insurgés. droit au retour et la fin du conflit. auxAméricains. Recommandation n° 38: les Etats- Résolution n°77 :le directeur du rensei- Recommandation n' 18 : il est essentiel Unis doivent appuyer la présence en Irak que les Etats-Unis fournissent à l'~gha- gnement national et le secrétaire à la défen- d'experts internationaux neutres qui se doivent consacrer beaucoup plus de nistan une aide politique, économIque et conseilleront le gouvernement sur les pro- militaire accrue, en y affectant notanunent moyens d'analyse à la compréhension des cessus de désarmement, de démobilisa- menaces et des sources de violence en les moyens libérés dès lors que des forces tion et de réinsertion [des miliciens]. militaires quitteront l'Irak. Irak. Recommandation n° 40: les Etats- Recommandation n° 79: la ClA doit Unis ne doivent pas s'engager sans limite Les Etats-Unis doivent envoyer davantage d'agents en Irak p~ur de durée à maintenir d'importants effec- mettre sur pied et assurer la formatIon entrer en contact direct tifs militaires en Irak. d'un service de renseignement efficace et avec I1ran et la Syrie Recommandation n° 41 : les Etats-Unis construire un centre de renseignement afin defaire e~sort~ doivent faire clairement comprendre au antiterroriste qui facilitera l'action antiter- gouvernement irakien qu:ils mène:on~ à roriste basée sur le renseignement .• qu'ils s'engagent a pratlfJ.uer bien leurs projets, y compns les redeplOle- une politique constructive ments prévus, que l'Irak ait ou non accom- Traduitpar pli les changements prévu~. Il n',est ~~s Gilles Berton etfulie Marcùt enIrak . question que les autres besoms de 1Amen- que en termes de sécurité et le futur de B. Aider les Irakiens notre armée soient les otages de l'action à se passer des Américains ou de l'immobilisme du gouvernement ira- Recommandation n' 19 : le président et kien. les hauts responsables américains chargés Recommandation n° 42 : notre objectif de la sécurité nationale doivent entretenir doit être d'avoir terminé notre mission de des rapports étroits et fréq~~nts ave~ les formation et d'équipement à la fin du pre- dirigeants irakiens. En matIere de dIplo- mier trimestre 2008. matie ouverte [celle tournée vers l'opinion, Recommandation n° 43 : les priorités vers le public], le président doit rendre militaires en Irak doivent changer, l'abso- publique la teneur de ces échanges de la lue priorité devant être donnée à la forma- façon la plus détaillée possible, afin que les

30 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Gzeti Le rappo~ Baker inquiète les Kurdes irakiens

MOYEN-ORIENT Les responsables kurdes irakiens craignent d'être les victimes d'une éventuelle redistribution des cartes dans la région.

Le ministre israélien des Affaires étrangères, Tzipi Livni, est arrivé hier à Washington pour évoquer le rapport Baker avec ses interlo- ,r !if.. ~\ ~.... cuteurs américains. Cette visite ..-- if ,,1-) 1 intervient alors que le possible .. ~~~M~t b!l:~ ç:..... ~ ~. changement de cap de la politi- Des bidons d'essence sont vendus sur le bord des routes d'ErbU, la capitale du Kurdistan irakien. Les Kurdes voient que des États-Unis au Proche- d'un mauvais œUl'attention particullère accordée aux sunnites dans le partage des ressources pétrolifères.

Orient suscite une inquiétude Champs TURQUIE grandissante en Israël. " d'hydrocarbures

LE RAPPORTBaker, qui propose un changement radical de la politi- l'autel des bonnes relations améri- que américaine en Irak, provoque cano-turques. SYRIE une levée de bouclier au Kurdistan Massoud Barzani accuse autonome. Les responsables de l'" ami américain» de ne pas cette région quasi indépendante avoir voulu l'écouter. Le rapport depuis la chute du régime de Sad- de l'ISG, qui évite d'aborder la dam craignent de faire les frais question de l'entité politique kur- d'un retour de Washington à la de, est en effet particulièrement realpolitik. Allié des États-Unis, le sévère avec les projets kurdes , président de la région autonome d'annexion du secteur pétrolier o du Kurdistan irakien, Massoud Samarra 1 de Kirkouk. Il demande, ni plus ni \ Barzani, a jugé « irréalistes et inap- moins, le report de l'organisation propriées » les conclusions du \ du référendum consacré à l'avenir groupe d'études sur l'Irak (lSG). Bagdad ~, de la capitale pétrolifère où vivent « Nous n'allons en aucun cas nous désormais une majorité de Kur- ~ La répartition ethnique ~ Le pétrole, en milliers de banls par lour , conformer à ce rapport », a-t-il as- des, mais aussi des Arabes et des Production _ Exportation suré. D'autres responsables kur- Arabes 1------, des, comme le député Mahmoud Turkmènes. LesKurdes s'appuient chIItes 1 /l--~~,\ sur l'article 140 de la Constitution Othmane, ont estimé la nouvelle pour planifier une consultation ( 60% \ approche conseillée par l'ancien Autres 1 ) populaire en 2007. Une initiative 3% ,secrétaire d'État aux Affaires qualifiée d' " explosive» par l'ISG, étrangères de Bush père, en oppo- qui préconise des « arbitrages in- 1 sition totale avec leurs aspirations. ternationaux» pour désamorcer Ils redoutent un affaiblissement les violences entre communautés. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2~~rC

31 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

« INTERVIEW RICHARD PERLE

0. , L'une des grandes figures du mouvement néoconservateur '2.o - ' ~~"..J ' W « Lerapport Baker n'est qU'un feu de paille» U. 14 décembre 2006 Z W ..J

"..J ristes qui poumlient les utiliser u~LePoint: Regrettez-vous l'interven- ~tion en Irak? pour tuer des Américains. Même si RichardPerle: Nous sommes inter- aucun stock d'armes de destruction venus en Irak pour empêcher Sad- n'a été trouvé, nous ne pouvions dam Hussein de fournir des armes pas le savoir. de destruction massive à des terra- Est-ce lafaute aux néoconservateurs si laguerre a maltourné? La conduite de la guerre n'a rien à voir avec une vision « néoconserva- trice». En fait, la plupart des néa- conservateurs se sont opposés à INTERVIEW ANDRÉ 6LUCKSMANN l'occupation qui a suivi la chute de Philosophe Bagdad. Nous aurions dû immédia- « L'Europeet la Francen'ont pas tement restituer l'Irak aux Irakiens, avec injonction de préparer des de solutions autres que verbales» élections. Au lieu de cela, nous LePoint: Regrettez-vous d'avoir sou- particulier n'ont pas de solutions avons permis à une libération de se transformer en occupation. Rappe- tenu l'intervention américaine en autres que verbales. Irak? Le retrait précipité d'Irak aurait lieu lez-vous le retour de De Gaulle en André Glucksmann: Je ne regrette sur un fond inquiétant, non pas de France quand Paris se libérait. Voilà nullement la chute d'un dictateur vietnamisation, mais de somalisa- le bon modèle. aussi terrible. Saddam Hussein a tion. On compte actuellement Voyez-vousdans le rapport Bakerune causé la mort d'Irakiens par mil- 3000 morts irakiens par mois, soit approche constructive? lions. Sa chute a été saluée par un autant chaque mois que le nombre Le rapport Baker contient quelques grand nombre de ses sujets. L'inter- total de GItués depuis 2003. Il ne bonnes idées et quelques nouvelles vention était justifiée, mais l'après- s'agit donc pas d'une insurrection idées. Malheureusement, les bonnes Saddam fut mal préparé. antiaméricaine comme au Vietnam, idées ne sont pas nouvelles. Et les Comment qualifiez-vousaujourd'hui mais d'un front terroriste contre les idées nouvelles ne sont pas bonnes. cette opération militaire? Undésas- civils. L'((offensivediplomatique)} [vers la tre? Dans«Lediscours de lahaine», vous Syrie et l'Iran] qu'il propose est ab- Le désastre, c'est l'après-guerre. Il dénonciezl'antiaméricanisme.La gu~r- surde et même dangereuse. Cela se- tient à la sous-estimation par tout re en Irakne l'a-t-elle pas alimenté? rait vu par les Irakiens comme un si- le monde, dont les Américains, du L'antiaméricanisme existait avant gne de capitulation. désert social et mental provoqué cette guerre. Les Américains ne Préconisez-vous une attaque par trente années de totalitarisme sont pas des anges. Je l'ai toujours préventive contre l'Iran? en Irak. L'erreur, c'est d'avoir sous- dit. Mais les antiaméricains oublient Je suis partisan de travailler avec évalué les effets à long terme d'une que les civils irakiens ont été et res- l'opposition intérieure en Iran. telle oppression. Les Etats-Unis ont tent aujourd'hui même assassinés Lerapport Bakermet-il un point final confondu une dictature hitléro-sta- par les zélotes de Saddam. à l'influencenéoconservatrice? linienne avec les dictatures latino- L'unedes conséquences de laguerre Le rapport est purement tactique. américaines de droite et de gauche est aussi le renforcement de l'Iran... Ce n'est qu'un feu de paille _ où la société civile est moins radi- Les mollahs iraniens n'ont pas PROPOS RECUEILLIS PAR H. V. calement décomposée. attendu l'intervention en Irak pour Que peut donc faire l'administration se doter d'un programme nucléaire américaine? Unretrait pur et simple? militaire, avec le soutien de la Une question préalable: que dit et Russie, de la Corée du Nord et la fait l'Europe? Puisque beaucoup complaisance chinoise. Bombes d'Européens ont critiqué la humaines, prolifération nucléaire, conduite américaine et prétendent chantage au pétrole et au gaz: voilà se retrouver dans le rapport Baker, des défis qui dépassent l'Irak, ils force est de constater vont dominer le siècle. Sans qu'aujourd'hui nos grands politi- entente transatlantique, nous ques croisent les doigts, souhaitant partons perdants. Il faut donc tirer en secret que les Américains ne ra- ensemble, Europe-Etats-Unis, le bi- patrient pas trop rapidement leurs lan de nos erreurs réciproques - troupes. L'Europe et la France en PROPOS RECUEILLIS PAR OLIVIER WEBER

32 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

litralb:;t;ëribunt December 9-10, 2006

need not offer the Iranians the world in return for their assistance. Right now, Tehran and its bombastie president are The Iraq report • By Kenneth M. Pollack riding high in the Middle East, and they will doubtless want something in re- turn for helping America deal with Iraq. For instance, they may demand that the Don't count on Ir~n United States drop its objections to their nuclear program or cave in to Hezbo11ah's demands for a greater say inLebanon. Especia11y given the likely limits on WASHINGTON however, not to exaggerate Iran's influ- what Iran can deliver in Iraq, these s anticipated, the Iraq Study ence. The problems in Iraq ;were not would not be prices worth paying. In- Group has recommended that caused by the Iranians, nor can Iran stead, the United States should empha- the United States begin talks solve them a11. size a shared interest in preventing A with Iran to solieit its assist- Most Iraqis dislike the Iranians. ln Iraq's further implosion, as chaos there ance in stabilizing Iraq. This recom- fact, "dislike" is too mild a term. ln 2004 could easily spread to Iran - a danger men dation seems so sensible that the and early 2005,when it still seemed as if most of Tehran's leaâers seem to appre- Bush administration's past reluctance the United States-led reconstruction of ciate. to fo11owit is hard to fathom. Still, ad- Iraq might succeed, Shiite politicians ln exchange for Iran's assistance, ministration officiaIs are right to were bending over backward to demon- America should recognize Iran's legit- counter that talking to Iran is not a strate thàt they were independent of imate interests in Iraq, keep it (gener- policy, let alone a solution to America's Iran for fear their constituents would , ally) apprised of military operations, problems in Iraq. not support them otherwise. and possibly even develop a liaison rela- The real questions are these: What do Furthermore, while Iranian support tionship with the Iranian military and we Americans say to the Iranians if we is no doubt gratefu11yreceived, the evi- intelligence serviees by whieh the two can get them to the table? What can dence suggests that it is now more a sides could exchange limited informa- they do in Iraq? What would they be supplement than a necessity for the m~- tion, thereby dampening Iranian fears willing to do in Iraq? And what will they jor militias. At this point, the ma1!l of malign Ameriean intentions. want in return? Shiite groups - the Supreme Councd Much of this could be accomplished We should have engaged Iran in Iraq for the Islamie Revolution in Iraq, the by forming a standing contact group years ago. Before and during the war in Mahdi Army, and the Fadhila Party made up of Iraq's neighbors - similar Afghanistan, the Iranians were quite among others - have considerable sup- to the international support group pro- helpful to the United States. They posed by Baker-Hamilton. The Iraqi shared our hatred of Al ~eda and the government and the coalition forces , and they provided us with ex- The limits on Iranian would regularly brief this group and tensive assistance on intelligence, logis- seek its advice, whieh should be ignored tics, diplomacy and Afghan internaI influence in Iraq are a only with good reason. ln return, the politics. After we turned our sights on members of the contact group would Saddam Hussein, the Iranians sugges- double-edged commit to providing specific kinds of ted that they would be willing to co. sword. economie, political, diplomatie and operate on that too. Unfortunately, the even military support. Bush administration declined the offer, There are at least three good reasons preferring to lump Tehran with Bagh- to try this approach. First, no neighbor- dad and Pyongyang in the "axis of port among the population and are ac- ing state is likely to significantly alter evil," cused of making enormous amounts of strategy unless they all do. Second, U.S. None of this should suggest that Iran money off oil smuggling and organized efforts to work with Iran in Iraq cannot was helping us for reasons other than crime. come at the expense of our traditional blatant self-interest, or that it had sud- So Tehran can influence the behavi- allies among the Sunni states ofthe re- denly given up its antipathy toward us. or of the Shiite groups, but it probably gion: Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and But it was demonstrating real pragmat- wou Id have a hard time forcing them to Turkey. Finally, the problems in Iraq ism and being very helpful on issues of do things they do not want to do - like have become so daunting and so inter- mutual concern, which should have disbanding their militias, accepting a twined that we need every ounce of been good enough. national reconciliation agreement, par- help we can get. Today, large numbers ofIranian intel- ticipating in an equitable oil-sharing We can't simply expect Iran to save ligence agents have infiltrated Iraq, scheme or accepting any of the other Iraq for us. We Americans need a new, where they seem to be providing major changes that the Bush adminis- feasible plan of our own. Only then will money, weapons and other supplies to tration is seeking. If Iran were to virtually a11 of Iraq's Shiite militias. threaten to end its support for these we know how best Iran can help, and There are reports that Hezbollah is groups, they would most likely tell what we are willing to pay for that help. training Iraqi Shiite militiamen in Leb- Tehran to get lost. What's more, the Ira- Talking to Iran without such a plan anon at Iran's behest. And the Shiite nians seem to understand this, having would be fruitless, if not fo11y. warlords all know that in an alI-out civil so far proven reluctant to try to force war, Iran would be their only backer. any of the Shiite groups to radica11y Kenneth M. Pollack is the director of re- AlI of that gives the Iranians influ- change course. search at the Saban Center for Middle ence over the Shiite militias - influ- The limits on Iranian influence are a East policy at the Brookings Institution ence that could be helpful to the United double-edged sword. They mean that and the author of "The Persian Puzzle: we cannot count on Iran to solve Iraq's States as it tries to forge a new strategy The Confliet Between Iran and America.~: toward Iraq. We should be careful, problems, but they also mean that we

33 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Gzeti

lftralb:E(Uribunt Baker and Hamilton DECEMBER 11,2006

Sunday about such comments. firm on Iraq report But more seriously, Baker said on CNN, '~merica has a huge problem here, the administration has a big prob- They defend 'responsible way forward' lem here and it's not going to be solved by those kinds of comments and editor- ials, and it's not going to be solved, despite Baghdad and conservative critics frankly, by a resort to politics as usual." By Brian Knowlton olence or face reduced U.S. military Many people on the right oppose and economic support. talks with Syria or Iran unless they first WASHINGTON: The leaders of the While Secretary of State Condo- cease support for terror groups. ln bipartisan Iraq Study Group defended leezza Rice is said to have cautiously Iran's case they insist it halt work on their approach Sunday as "a responsi- embraced the commission's approach uranium enrichment. ble way forward," even as criticism on pressuring the Maliki government, Blair, who has urged such talks, said rose from American conservatives and people in the National Security Coun- that as for Syria, "1 don't think there's from the president of Iraq, Jalal cil and the vice president's office are any problem with doing that at aIl, and 1 Talabani, who said it contained "some said to oppose it as too risky. don't think the president's got a prob- very dangerous articles." The British prime minister, Tony lem with doing that." The group's co-chairmen, James Blair, who during a Washington visit Iran was more problematic. Baker, a former secretary of state, and Thursday joined Bush in welcoming "It's undermining the Iraqi govern- Lee Hamilton, a former congressman, the commission report, seemed reluc- ment," he said, and "trying to build a co- appeared on four television programs, tant Sunday to threaten the Maliki gov- alition of extremism in the region." rejecting the criticisms calmly but ernment with diminished support. But Baker, unflappable during the firmly. "1 think we've got to plan to suc- four television appearances, seemed "Nothing we do can absolutely guar- ceed," Blair said on ABC-Tv. '~d 1 particularly convinced of the wisdom of antee success," Baker said on NBC-Tv. think that if we start saying to the such talks. But as the country faced a mounting people that we're fighting in Iraq that "What do we lose?" he said on NBC- crisis, he said, the unanimous recom- we're ready to get out, irrespective of Tv. "We don't give up anything." mendations of the 10-member group Hamilton added: "Iran and Syria are the success of the mission, 1 think that major players. Now to try to isolate "might give us the way forward." would be very serious for us." "What we're saying in this report is them, to shove them aside, to say they ln Baghdad, Talabani added his voice don't have any impact here, 1don't think we want to conclude this war," to others' criticisms, saying that the re- Hamilton added, "we want to conclude that gets you anywhere." port "is not fair, is not just, and it con- Moderate Republicans clung to the' it in a responsible way." tains some very dangerous articles As the administration concludes its which undermine the sovereignty of report as mapping a way Bush could be- own internaI review, President George Iraq and the constitution." gin the process of disengagement from W. Bush has appeared reserved about, or He called it "a type of insult to the a costly and difficult war. even skeptical of,the panel's key recom- Iraqi people" and said it seemed to treat "Clearly staying the course is wrong," mendations, including the withdrawal Iraq almost like a colony. ' Representative Christopher Shays, Re- of. most U.S. combat troops by early Talabani, a Kurdish leader and a publican of Connecticut, said on CNN. 2008 and the establishment of a region- staunch U.S.aIly, singled out the recom- "We need a diplomatie effort in the al dialogue to include Iran and Syria. mendation that thousands of officiaIs neighborhood. AlI of that makes tre- Administration officiaIs say some of from the ousted Baath party, many of mendous sense." the panel's recommendations appear them Sunnis, be allowed to return to Democrats remained mostly sup- impractical or unrealistic. With the their jobs, The Associated Press report- portive of the report. president expected to announce new ed. And embedding large numbers of "The fact it's being shot at from the directions for Iraq in the next two U.S. trainers with Iraqi units would un- right and the left shows to me it's pretty weeks, a small group inside the Nation- dermine Iraqi sovereignty, he said. sound," Representative Jane Harman of al Security Council has been racing to Kurdish officiaIs are also concerned California, a member of the intelligence come up with alternative ideas. that the plan might take control of oil committee, said on CNN. Conservative Republicans have in- revenues from Kurdish authorities. creasingly raised their own doubts and Baker, asked about Talabani's com- their skepticism now vies with the Jim Rutenberg, David E. Sanger, John ment, called it "disappointing." But he largeiy sûpportive reviews of Demo- M. Broder and Robin Toner contributed crats and some moderate Republicans. noted that the study group found some reporting. Critics calI the 2008 target date un- form of oil revenue-sharing among realistic; say a stepped-up emphasis on Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis "indispens- training Iraqi forces seems unlikely to ablè" to any hopes for national recon- iht.com/americas bring dramatic improvement; contend ciliation. Without reconciliation, he Go online for complete coverage of the Iraq that bringing Iran and Syria into talks added on CNN, the world could expect Study Group, induding thefull text of the can only mean trouble; and deplore as "not just a broad-based civil war but a report. defeatist the report's seant mention of wider regional war." the goals of democracy for Iraq - and From the American right, the report of an American "victor y." has endured pointed criticism. The OfficiaIs from the White House, Wall Street Journal's editorial page State Department and pentagon, as called it a "strategie muddle," the talk- weIl as foreign diplomats, describe a show host Rush Limbaugh labeled it deep reluctance in the White House to "stupid" and The New York Post por- follow a core strategy of the study trayed Baker and Hamilton as "sur- group: to pressure Prime Minister Nuri render monkeys." Kamal al-Maliki to rein in sectarian vi- The two men were good-natured

34 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti Kurds warn White House not to adopt

Baker ...Hamilton report December 12, 2006

By Mohammed A. Salih and Barzani considered the ISG's They disapprove major chang- has threatened to use military Jamal Ekhtiar failure to visit Kurdistan dunng es to the constitution as weil as force should Kurds secede from The Globe - Erbil the nine months that they were that might imperil their gains of Iraq. - preparing the report "a major federalism, "normalizing Kirkuk Likewise, Iran and Syria are President of the Kurdistan Re- shortcommg that adversely mflu- situation" and control of oil re- concemed about Kurds' grow- gion dismissed the report by enced the credibility of the (ISG) sources. ing influence and weight in Iraqi the Iraq Study Group (ISG) assessment." Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, politics. as "unrealistic and inappro- He threatened that Kurds will also a Kurd, expressed support All three countries have sizable priate" and lashed out at the seek mdependence should the for the statement by the Kurdlsh Kurdish populations with separa- major recommendations of the White House implement key regional president and branded list tendencies, which, they wor- group, saying it will endanger proposaIs by the Baker-Hamil- the report's recommendations as ry, will be inspired by the gains Iraq's territorial integrity and ton report on Kirkuk, federahsm, "dangerous". of Iheir fellow Kurds in Iraq. that Kurds will "in no way chan,ges in the constitution, and The ISG's 96-page report ad- Amld concerns in Iraq and the abide" by il. control of oil resources. vises Bush to launch a New Dip- U.S. on the report's fate, the The furious reaction by Mas- 'The part of the report that caIls lomatic Offensive and engage Bush administration has shown soud Barzani came two days for postponing the implementa- Iraq's neighboring countries, little willingness so far to adopt after the report by the ISG, co- including Iran and Syria and the report. tion of the constitutional article chaired by former D.S. Secre- Turkey, to help the U.S. resolve (140) on Kirkuk will lead to an On Thursday, Baker told the tary of State James Baker III and Irag's tense situation. explosive situation in the coun- U.S. Senate that Bush should former Democratic Congressman "Politically, Iran and Syna try," Ghafour Makhmouri, a treat his report as a whole and not Lee Hamilton, was released last scored a victory over the D.S., in a selective manner. member of Kurdistan Parliament Wednesday. and the report's recommendation Bush, however, is not consider- in Arbil, told the Globe. The report described the situa- 10 negoliate with them is an un- ing ail points of the report. Dur- On Fnday, Barzani told a gath- tion in Iraq as "grave and deterio- deniable proof for that," Kamal ing a joint news conference with ering of Kurdish lawmakers and rating" and made 79 recommen- Saadi, Head of Law Department British Prime Minster Tony Blair, mmisters in Baghdad that the dations to President George W. m Arbil's Salahaddin University one day after the report was re- real problem in Iraq will arise Bush on Iraq and wider Middle told the Globe. leased, he made it clear that talk- when Kurds feel there are parties East problems. "It is these neighboring coun- ing with Iran and Syria is not an "We think that the Iraq Study hindering Kirkuk's annexation to Kurdistan. tries that do not let Iraq admin- option. Group has made sorne unrealistic ister itself. They disrupt the Kurds feel they have not been Groups of Turkomans and Ar- and inappropriate recommenda- country's security and pohtical rewarded for their assistance to tions for helping the D.S. to get abs in the city are opposed to the idea and call for Kirkuk to be situation and help terrorists in- the D.S. during the war on Iraq out of these (Iraq) difficulties," filtrate into Iraq and are settling and its aftermath. They fear the Barzani said in his sharply word- given the special status ofa sepa- rate federal region. ISG report, if implemented, will ed statement released last Friday. their old scores with America on practically lead to a situation "If under this pretext, these m- Kurds are also against a major Iraq's soi!." recommendation of the report slmilar to 1975, when after the appropriate recommendations are Kurds fe~r the neighboring Aigeria Accord between Iran and imposed on us, we declare, on that cautions against Iraq's devo- countries' involvement in Iraqi lution into three regions. Along Iraq, Kurdish self-rule in north- behalf of the people of Kurdls- affairs will negatively affect their ern Iraq collapsed and hundreds with Shias, they advocate fed- tan, that we reject anything that position in the country. of thousands of people were dis- is against the constitution and the eralism on ethnic and sectarian Turkey does not recognize bases. placed. interest of Iraq and Kurdistan." Kurdistan 's federal status and "Such positions (in the report) are against the concepts of de- mocracy and human rights that America calls for," Makhmouri noted. "It will damage America's cred- ibility among the peoples who count on its help for their libera- tion."

Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani and US ambassador to Iraq Zalmai Khaiilzad talk to each other at a meeting of Kurdistan parliament ln Erbil May 7,2006.

35 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti TURKEY AND KURDS: GIVE PEACEA CHANCE! The unilateral "cease-fire declaration" of 1st October 2006, declarded by the PKK and by KONG RA-GEL, opens new and unprecedented political prospects for peace and reconciliation in Turkey. The search for a negotiated and non-violent political solution to the "Kurdish question" in Turkey also concerns the European Union and the entire international community. After the cease-fire, it is the task and dut y of the Turkish authorities to take this new opportunity to engage in a public and transparent political process of discussion with the representatives of the Kurds ofTurkey about the "Kurdish question". That is why we ask the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyp Erdogan, to embrace the spirit and the letter of the reœnt 's report "on Turkey's progress to accession to the EU", adopted on 27th September 2006 by the peoples' representatives of the 25 European Union's Member States, especially those paragraphs asking Turkey to enter into direct discussions with the representatives of the Kurds ofTurkey, a political process that will certainly have our support, the support of ail European institutions and of the international democratic civil society. We must support the cease-fire to give peace a chance, we must support the opening of direct discussions between Turkey and representatives of the Kurds to give democracy a chance, and the basic rights of the Kurdish people must finally be recognised. Signatories of the Appeal: TURKEY AND KURDS: GIVE PEACEA CHANCE! Harold Pinter, Nobel Peace Pnze Laureate, UK; Imre Kertész, Nobelpnce Owner (Uterature) BudapestIBerhn, Venerable Thich Quang Do, Unified Buddhlst Church of Vietnam (UBCV), Raflo Prize 2006; Bianca Jagger, Councii of Europe Goodwlil Ambassador, UK; Vo Van Ai, President of Que Me; Jean Ziegler, GenflZurich, United Nations Special Rapporteur / UN Task Force Iraq,Paulos Tesfagiorgis, Lawyer and Raflo Prize Laureate 2003, /USA; , EP-Kurds Group, MEP-GUElNGL; Monica Frassoni, Chair MEP-V-ALE Group, Francis Wurtz, Chair MEP- GUElNGL Group; Hélène Flautre, Chair DROI, MEP-V-ALE; , Chair DEVE, MEP-GUEINGL; Frieda Brepoels, MEP-PPE; Marie- Arlette Charlotti, MEP-PSE; Jiri Mastalka, MEP-GUElNGL; Ewa Pettersen Hedkvis~ MEP-PSE; Renate Sommer MEP-PPE; Jens Holm, MEP- GUEINGL; Panagiotis Beglitis, MEP-PSE; Britta Thomsen, MEP-PSE; Marios Matsakis, MEP-ADLE; Jean Lambert, MEP-V-ALE; Bernat Joan i Mari, MEP-V-ALE, Feleknas Uca, MEP-GUElNGL; Baroness Sarah Ludford, MEP-ADLE; Roberto Musacchio, MEP-GUElNGL; Baart Staes MEP-V/ ALE; Adamos Adamou, MEP-GUE; Pierre Jonckheer, MEP-PSE; Bairbre De Brun, MEP; Inger SegelstrOm, MEP-PSE; Dimitri Papadimoulis, MEP-GUEINGL; Umberto Guidoni, MEP-GUElNGL; Tatjana Zdanoka, MEP-V-ALE; Willy Meyer Pleite, MEP-GUElNGL; Mary Lou McDonald, MEP-GUElNGL; Pierre Jonckheer, MEP-Green/EFA; Jan Andersson, MEP-PSE; Miguel Portas, MEP-GUEINGL; Anna Hedh, MEP- PSE, Gabriele Zimmer, MEP-GUEINGL, Asa Westlund, MEP-PSE; , GUEINGL; Vincenzo Aita, MEP-GUE/NGL; Enrico Speroni, MEP-NI, Bernadette Bourzai, MEP-PSE; Chiesa Giulietto MEP-PSE, Sven Wollter,; Dr. Mehmoud Othman Member of National Assemply of Iraq; Bodil Ceballos, Member of Swedish parllament; Gunvor G Ericson, Member of Swedlsh parliament; Peter Radberg, Member of Swedlsh Parhament, Pater Wolfgang Jungheim, Pax Chnstl Nassau-Lahnsteln, Rashidi-Kalhur Ardishlr, President, Southern Califomla DiviSion United Nations Association of the USA; Mel Boynton Claremont, CA; Dfawer Afa' Aldeen, Professor ln MediCIne,Edltor-in-Chlef, Zanln Scienllflc Joumal,Dr. Dilan Roshani Nottingham, UK; Tove Skutnabb Kangas dr.phll, Roskilde University, Denmarl< & Abo Akademl UniVersity, Flnland; Robert Phillipson, Professor, Copenhagen BUSinessSchool, Denmarl<;Dr Ahmadzadeh Hasham, Lecturer in Kurdlsh Studles; UniverSity of Exeter, UK j Jaffer Sheyholislami, Lmguistlcs & Apphed Language Studies, Carleton University, Canada; Sen. Giovanni Russo Spena, -Senate; Sen. Albonetti Martino, Italy-Senate; Sen. Alfonzi Daniela, Italy-Senate; Sen. Allocca Salvatore, Italy-Senate; Sen. Boccia Maria Luisa, Italy-Seriate; Sen. Bonadonna Salvatore, Italy-Senate; Sen. Capelli Giovanna, Italy-Senate; Sen.; Caprilli Milzlade, ltaly-Senate; Sen Confaloneri Giovanni, Italy-Senate; Sen. Del Rolo Jose Luiz, Italy-Senate; Sen. Di Lello Giuseppe, Italy-Senate; Sen. Emprin Erminia, ltaly-Senate; Sen. Gaggio Adelaide, Italy-Senate; Sen.Gagliardi Rina, Italy-Senate; Sen. GIannini Fasco, Italy-Senate; Sen. Grassi Claudio, ltaly-Senate; Sen Liotta Santo, ltaly-Senate, Sen Malabarba Luigi, Italy-Senate; Sen. Martone Francesco, Italy-Senate; Sen. Menapace Lidia, Italy-Senate; Sen. Nardini Maria Celeste, Italy-Senate; Sen Palerme Anna Maria, ltaly-Senate; Sen. Sodano TommasO, ltaly-Senate, Sen. Tecce Raffaele, ltaly-Senate; Sen. Turogliatto Franco, Italy-Senate, Sen. Valpiana Tlziana, ltaly-Senate; Sen. Vano Olimpia, Italy-Senate; Sen Zuccherini Stefano, ltaly-Senate; Mecozzi Alessandra FIOM -Italy; Prof. Dr. Deltcho Balabanov, Sofia,Bulgana; Eva Bulling-Schroder, Member of German Parllament; Ulla Hoffman, member of Central Commlttee of The Swedlsh Lefl Party, Member of Parhament;Kalie Larsson, member of Swedlsh Parhament (The Lefl Party);Siv Holma, Member of Swedlsh Parliament (The Lefl Party); Amineh Kakebaveh, member of International Committee of The Swedlsh Lefl Party ;Anelli Dostan, Psychotherapist , Sweden; Karia Lopes, member of Swedlsh Parhament(The Swedlsh Green Party); Hama Dostan, Novehst, Sweden; Dr. Helen Coley, Education and Social Research Instltute, Manchester Metropohtan Unlversrt)(UK; Eugene Schoulgin, wnter, ; Céline Delforge, Député ECOLO; Mahfoudh Romdhani, Députée PS Vice-Président du Parlement BruxellOIS;Jan Beghin, Vice PréSident et Député du Parlement BruxellOIS;Bernard Granjon, ancien président de Médecins du Monde, Jacques Fath, Membre du Comité exécutif national du Parti communiste françaiS, Renée Le Mignot, vice préSidente du MRAP, chargée des questions Internationales, Christian Guyonvarc'h, vice-president of the Region of Bnttany ,Jean Paul Nune, CIMADE, André Métayer, PréSidentde l'aSSOCiation"Amlliés kurdes de Bretagne,,; On. Iacopo Venier PDCI-Italy; Vendola Nichi, presedente reglone della puglia-ltaly; Paolo Beni Arci-Italy, Rafaella Bollini , Arci-italy, Lionel Vandenberghe, sénateur-Spint, au parlement fédéral de la Belgique; Cornil Jean sénateur PS/Belgique; Belhouari Talbia, députée fédérale PSI Belgique; Maes Nelly PréSidente du parti Alhance Libre Européenne/Belgique; Genot Zoé députée fédérale ECOLO Belgique; Galand Pierre sénateur PS Belgique; Laloy Marie-José sénatnce PS parlement fédéral de la Belgique; Wiriya Rawenduzy, Dr, veteran antl Violence actlvist, Austria; Dr. Khidir Masurn, PreSidentof Koya, University - Iraql Kurdlstan; Hemln Seydi, lecturer; Dr. Nasir Simayi , Psychologlst and Lecturer; Suleyman Chukeli , Lecturer, The Collage of Education, University of Koya; Tony Benn, former Labour MP and Cabinet Mlnlster, UK, Lord Rea, House of Lords, UK, Lord Dholakia, House of Lords, UK; Martin Caton MP, UK; John Austin MP, UK; Hywel Williams MP, UK; Elfyn Llwyd MP, UK; Angus Robertson MP, UK, Mark Thomas, Comedlan and Broadcaster UK; Llz Davies, Chair Haldane Society of Soclahst Lawyers, UK,Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, The Mushm Parliament, UK; Shauna Gillan, Barnster Matnx Chambers, UK; Brendan Finucance QC, Bar Human Rights Commlttee for England, Scotland and Wales; Prof. Bill Bowring, Blrl

36 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti ftllIonac Dimanche 10 - LundI 11décembre 2006

la photo de l'exécution de onze Kurdes, prise en Iran en 1979, avait décroché le Pulitzer anonymement.

Un photographe sort de }'ombre

EN AOÛT 1979, une photo prise Selon un long article de Joshua nent des clichés jamais publiés. tifs aux autorités quand ellesleslui en Iran fait le tour du monde. Un Prager, spécialiste des enquêtes Lejournaliste américain a com- ' ont demandés. Il n'a pas touché un peloton d'exécution composé de au quotidien économique new- mencé à s'intéresser à l'histoire centime avec ces clichéspubliés à soldats de la République islami- yorkais, il s'agirait de Jahangir de cette photo à partir de l'été l'étranger. Aujourd'hui, ce n'est que fait feu sur une dizaine de Razmi, âgé aujourd'hui de 2002, en lisant un livre consacré pas lui qui a cherchéà me contac- Kurdes sans armes. Elle est 58 ans, vivant à Téhéran. aux lauréa~ du prix Pulitzer. ter, mais plutôt l'inverse. » d'abord publiée dans le grand Il était en reportage dans le quotidien iranien Ettela'at, puis, Kurdistan iranien en août 1979. Vrais et faux informateurs Convaincu de détenir ainsi les par l'intermédiaire de l'agence Il a assisté à la mascarade de pro- «J'ai mis beaucoup de temps à preuves que Jahangir Razmi est UPI, dans des centaines de publi- cès qui a abouti à l'exécution des remonter la piste, a-t-il expliqué bien le véritable auteur des pho- cations du monde entier. onze Kurdes. Les photos sont par- au Monde par téléphone depuis tos, Joshua Prager prépare un Quelques mois plus tard, elle ties par avion à Téhéran, tandis New York. Quand, finalement, livre sur cette affaire. A la suite remporte le prix Pulitzer. De que le reporter restait sur place. j'ai pensé que lephotographe était de la publication de l'article du manière anonyme. En effet, le Le rédacteur en chef d'Ettela'at a toujours en vie à Téhéran,j'ai ten- Wall Streetjoumal, l'agence UPI journal Ettela'at juge plus pru- décidé la publication de la photo té de contacterM. Razmi desEtats- a contacté les membres du jury dent de ne pas dévoiler l'identité et opté pour l'anonymat de son Unis, mais c'était très difficile de Pulitzer pour leur suggérer d'at- du photographe. auteur: «je voulaisprotéger Raz- naviguer entre les vrais et lesfaux tribuer nommément le prix à Au fil des ans, l'image devient mi », explique-t-il au Wall Street informateurs. je ne parle pas per- Jahangir Razmi. • un symbole de la violence du régi- joumal. san, et, quand j'ai enfin réussi à CATHERINE BÉDARIDA me de Khomeyni, et le mystère Joshua Prager a rencontré d'an- rencontrer M. Razmi à Téhéran, demeure. De temps à autre, tel ou ciens collègues du photographe, en août 2005, j'ai réalisé que tel photographe iranien à l'étran- des membres de la rédaction d'Et- j'avais parlé au téléphone avecdes ger se targue d'avoir pris ce cli- tela'at et d'anciens responsables interlocuteurs qui sefaisaient pas- ché, sans apporter de preuve déci- d'UPI, l'agence qui a réceptionné ser pour lui, mais qui n'étaient sive. la photo à Bruxelles, au lende- pas lui. » main de la parution en Iran. En Lejournaliste américain souli- Anonymat outre, il affirme que M. Razmi lui gne qu'en 1979 le photographe a Dans son édition du 4 décem- a montré des planches-contacts fait les choses en règle. « Il avait bre, le WallStreetjoumal affirme (épreuves papier avant tirage) de lapermission d'un juge pour pren- avoir retrouvé le véritable auteur. la sinistre exécution, qui contien- dre ces photos. Il a donné les néga-

37 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

siOIisme, réveille un vieux révisionnisme à prétention scientifique. Selon l'AFP, Fredrick Toeben est venu L'Iran conteste la Shoah à Téhéran avec une maquette du camp de concentraUon de Treblinka pour tenter de démontrer que l'existence des chambres à gaz est un « mensonge absolu». De son et provoque l'indignation côté, Robert Faurisson a rendu hommage au président Ahmadinej ad «pour son cou- Israël Le premier ministre Olmert dénonce « la haine vis-à-vis des juifs» rage, son héroïsme, sa clarté ». Après lui, il a répété que l'Holocauste est un « mythe». Cette «conférence » a a « conférence» organisée à Téhé- de la Shoah comme Robert Faurisson et d'ailleurs tourné au culte de la personnali- ran sur la Shoah - qui devait se Georges Thiel, condamnés par l~ justice té du président iranien, qui a compris conclure, mardi 12 décembre, par un française, l'Américain David Duke,ex-diri- L « l'importance de l'Holocauste comme dog- message du président iranien Mahmoud geant du Ku Kl~ Klan de Loui~iane"ou me qu'on ne peut pas questionner dans le Ahmedinejad - asuscité une vague de pro- l'Australien Fredrick Toeben, qw fut dete- monde occidental », comme l'a dit Fre- testations indignées en Israël, aux Etats- nu en Allemagne pour incitation à la hai- drick Toeben. Unis, en Europe. ne raciale. Les interventions rapportées Dès son discours d'ouverture, Manou- Jamais une tribune internationale par les agences de presse soulignen~ q~e chehr Mottaki, ministre iranien des affai- n'avait été ainsi offerte aux négationnistes cette « conférence », sous couvert d anU- res étrangères, avait levé l'équivoque sur le sens de la conférence : la dénonciation Mahmoud Ahmadinejad conspué par des étudiants d'Israël à travers la mise en cause du sio- nisme, dont les « méthodes» sont compa- Lors d'une visite du président iranien, tré des images. On ne sait pas si des arres- rées à celles du nazisme. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, à l'université tations ont eu lieu. Dimanche, des centai- « Aujourd'hui, ceux qui prétendent être Amir-Kabir de Téhéran, lundi 11décem- nes d'étudiants avaient dénoncé la répres- antÎ1l11Zissont eux-mêmes des racistes et colo- bre, un petit groupe d'étudiants a crié sion contre l'association islamique des nialistes et ce qu'ils ontfait à des gens n'est « Mort au dictateur! » et brOléses photos étudiants (réformateurs) et la « suspen- pas différent des crimes des nazis », a affir- sous ses yeux, selon l'agence estudianti- sion » de 20 de ses membres. La veille, mé M. Mottaki. Pour lui, l'antisémitisme ne ISNA. M. Ahmadinejad a répliqué qu'il des étudiants avaient publié un communi- est un « phénomène européen» et « dans avait « l'honneur de brûler pour le bénéfi- qué critiquant « l'interdiction d'accès aux la longue histoire de l'Iran, il ny a a aucun ce des idéaux de la nation et la défense du universités des professeurs indépen- document établissant une seule manifesta- régime », ajoutant: « LesAméricains doi- dants » et soulignant la « banqueroute » tion d'antisémitisme ». Quelques rabbins vent savoir que, même si le corps d'Ahma- et la « dégradation de l'image internatio- antisionistes participent à la réunion, com- dinejad est brûlé mille fois, Ahmadinejad nale » du pays. La semaine dernière, me le Britannique Ahron Cohen, pour qui ne reculera pas d'un centimètre sur ses 2 000 à 3 000 étudiants avaient manifes- « la Shoah a réellement existé et nous lui idéaux. » Quelques échauffourées ont sui- té à Téhéran, pour la première fois depuis avons survécu. Mais elle ne peut en aucune vi et - fait rare -la télévision d'Etat a mon- deux ans. - (AFP, Reuters.) manière être utilisée pour justifier les injusti- ces qui frappent lesPalestiniens. » ISRAËL DÉFENSE La communauté juive d'Iran (25000 personnes contre 60 000 avant la révolu- tion khomeiniste de 1979) a exprimé son M. Olmert sous-entend qu'Israël opposition. Seul député juif du pays, Moris Motamed a déclaré que « nier l'Ho- lDcausteest une immense insulte». dispose de l'arme atomique Cet amalgame de thèses révisionnistes et antisionistes a suscité un tollé dans le JÉRUSALEM France, les Etats-Unis, Israè1 ou la monde. Surtout en Israël : «Cette confé- CORRESPONDANT Russie ? Israël ne menace aucun rence est nauséabonde et prouve l'ampleur La possession par Israël de l'arme pays de quoi que ce soit et ne l'a de la haine vis-à-vis desjuifs et d'Israël», a atomique n'est un secret pour per- jamais fait », a-t-il ajouté. Miri sonne. Les experts estiment que commenté le premier ministre, Ehoud Eisin, porte-parole du premier Olmen. l'Etat juif possède entre 80 et ministre, a immédiatement fait AWashington, l'administration améri- 200 ogives nucléaires. Mais les savoir que ce dernier n'avait pas caine a évoqué un « geste honteux ». A autorités israéliennes n'avaient voulu dire qu'Israël possède la Paris, Philippe Douste-Blazy, ministre des jamais voululereconnaître,ni adhé- bombe atomique, précisant affaires étrangères, a exprimé 1'« inquiétu- rer au traité de non-prolifération qu' « Israè1 ne sera pas le premier de » du gouvernement. (TNP), se réfugiant derrière ce que pays à introduire l'arme nucléaire A Berlin, lors d'une réunion du Centre Shimon Pérès - considéré comme dans la région». pour l'éducation politique - qui refuse le « père» de la bombe israélienne Déjà, la semaine dernière, le d'apparaître comme une « contre-conféren- - a appelé la « politique d'ambiguï- nouveau secrétaire à la défense ce » qui ferait trop d'honneur à Téhéran - té ». Désormais, « l'ambiguïté» ne américain, Robert Gates, avait mis Raul Hilberg, l'un des principaux histo- semble plus faire illusion. à mal la «politique d'ambiguïté» riens de la Shoah, a dressé un nouveau Le premier ministre israélien, d'Israël en déclarant que « l'Iran bilan du génocide et répété que « tous les Ehoud Olmert, en voyage en Alle- est entouré de puissances nucléaires documents sont là pour prouver que ceux magne, a commis, lundi 11décem- avec le Pakistan à l'est, la Russie au qui nient cette réalité ont tort». bre, un lapsus significatif. Interro- nord et Israël à l'ouest ». Ses pro- Pierre Besnainou, président du gé> à propos du programme pos avaient provoqué des réac- Congrès juif européen, appelle les diri- nucléaire iranien, il a répondu : tions courroucées. Cette fois, l'op- geants européens à « prendre toutes les « L'Iran a menacé'( ...) de rayer position de droite comme celle de Israël de la carte. Pouvez-vous dire sanctions qui s'imposent» contre Téhé- gauche ont critiqué le premier ran .• que c'est une menace comparable, ministre et demandé sa démis- quand on cherche à obtenir l'arme sion.• HENRITINCQ nucléaire, à celle de pays comme la MICHEL BÔLE-RICHARD

38 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

ftlJton~t Les Kurdes jugent le rapport Dimanche 10 - Lundi Il décembre 2006 « irréaliste» et « inapproprié » pher Garver, porte-parole de l'armée LE PRÉSIDENT de la région autonome nite, a cependant annoncé aussItôt ven- américaine, a affirmé que l'armée a véri- du Kurdistan irakien, Massoud Barzani dredi qu'i! allait la boycotter. « Le Comi- fié qui étaient les victimes. « Il ny avait a rejeté, vendredi 8 décembre, le rappo~ té ne participera pas à la conférence de aucun enfant parmi les terroristes tués. rédigé par le groupe d'études américain réconciliation nationale organisée par le Malheureusement, les terroristes sont qui propose une nouvelle stratégie en gouvernement. Nous avons trop vu par le connus pour leur capacité à exagérer ou fal- Irak. M. Barzani l'a jugé « irréaliste et passé le gouvernement signer des accords inapproprié ». ce rapport évoque notam- qu'il a plus tard dénoncés », a expliqué sifier les informations après les succès d~ ment le sort de la région de Kirkouk Mohammad Bashar Al-Faidhi, porte- riche en pétrole, que revendiquent l~s opérations de la coalition », a-t-il affirmé. parole de l'association. Une enquête a Enfin, le chef des services saoudiens Kurdes irakiens. été ouverte en Irak contre le responsable Par ailleurs, des responsables irakiens de renseignement, le prince Muqrin Ben du Comité des oulémas, Hareth Al-Dha- Abdelaziz Al-Saoud, a affirmé vendredi ont annoncé, vendredi, que la conféren- ri, accusé d'inciter à la violence confes- , " ce de réconciliation nationale annoncée a Manama (Bahreïn) que le maintien de par le premier ministre, Nouri Al-Maliki, sionnelle. Ce dernier a depuis quitté la présence des troupes américaines en le 5 décembre, aura lieu à partir du l'ak.Ir En marge de ces"controverses l'ar- Irak contribuait à « créer plus de terroris- 16décembre. Annoncée de longue date, mée américaine se retrouve au cen~e tes ». Il a toutefois estimé que le moment c~tte conférence a été reportée à plu- d'une nouvelle polémique après la mort n'était pas venu pour ces troupes de quit- SIeurs reprises. Elle doit théoriquement de 20 personnes dans un raid mené au ter l'Irak, mais a souhaité l'établisse- nord de Bagdad, vendredi matin. Ce raid ment d'un calendrier pour leur retrait. réunir «( toutes lesforc'es politiques» ira- visait, selon elle, des « terroristes» d'Al- L'Iran, de son côté, s'est dit prêt, dans kiennes pour tenter de mettre un terme Qaida. certaines circonstances, à « aider» les aux affrontements confessionnels qui Etats-Unis à retirer leurs troupes d'Irak, ravagent le pays. Des témoins irakiens ont en revanche indiqué que cette opération avait entraî- par la voix du ministre iranien des affai- Le Comité des oulémas musulmans né la mort de «femmes et d'enfants inno- res étrangères, Manouchehr Mottaki _la principale organisation religieuse s~n- cents ». Le lieutenant-colonel Christo- samedi à Manama. - (AFP.) ,

1{l'ralb~Ü:0ribltnl' December 12,2006 He has spoken several times since then about a need to establish whether the politician and former Ku Klux Klan lead- Holocaust actually happened. Iran draws er, and Georges Thiel, a French writer Most of the speakers at the confer- who has been prosecuted in France over ence on Monday praised Ahmadine- his denials of the Holocaust. jad's comments. Bendikt Frings, 48, a Duke's remarks were expected to as- psychologist from Germany, said he be- Holocaust sert that no gas chambers or extermina- lieved Ahmadinejad was "an honest, di- tion camps were built during the war, rect man," and said he had come to the on the ground that killing Jews that way conference to thank him. "We are for- would have been much too bothersome bidden to have such a conference in skeptics to and expensive when the Nazis could Germany," he said. "AlI my childhood, have used much simpler methods, ac- we waited for something like this." cording to an advance summary pub- Fredrick Toben, from Australia, said conference lished by the institute. Ahmadinejad had opened an issue "Depicting Jews as the overwhelm- "which is morally and intellectually ing victims of the Holocaust gave the crippling the Western society." Dy Nazila Fathi moral high ground to the Allies as vic- . He said he was jailed for six months in tors of the war and allowed Jews to es- 1999 because of his ideas, and that a TEHRAN: Holocaust deniers and tablish a state on the occupied land of court in Germany had ordered him ar- skeptics from around the world Palestine," Duke's paper says, accord- rested if he spoke out publicly again gathered at a government-sponsored ing to the summary. denying that the Holocaust took place. conference here Monday to discuss One of the first scheduled speakers, The conference induded an exhibi- their theories about whether six million Robert Faurisson of France, also called tion of various photos, posters and oth- Jews were indeed killed by the Nazis the Holocaust a myth created to justify er material meant to contradict the ac- during World War II and whether gas the occupation of Palestine. cepted version of events, that the Nazis chambers existed. The conference prompted outrage in murdered millions of Jews and other ln a speech opening the two-day con- the West. The German government "undesirables" in death camps during ference, Rasoul Mousav~ head of the summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires the war. New captions in Persian on Iranian Foreign Ministry's Institute for in Berlin to protest. The French foreign some familiar photos of corpses at the Political and International Studies, minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, camps argued that they were victims of which organized the event, said the warned that the conference would be typhus, not the German state. conference was an opportunity for strongly condemned if it propagated Anti-Zionist literature, induding a scholars to discuss the subject "away daims denying the Holocaust. 2004 book by the American author Mi- from Western taboos and the restriction The conference was being held at the chael Collins Piper, about Zionist influ- imposed on them in Europe." behest of the Iranian president, Mah- ence in America, was on display. 50, ap- The Foreign Ministry had said that 67 moud Ahmadinejad, who likewise parently, was a video recording of 12 foreign researchers from 30 countries calIed the Holocaust a myth last year, Holocaust survivors telling their sto- were scheduled to take part. Among and repeated a well-known slogan from ries, suggesting that the views iepre- those speaking on Monday were David the early days of the 1979 revolution in sented at the conference may not have Duke, the American white-supremacist Iran: "Israel must be wiped off the map." been entirely one-sided.

39 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

wounded each month, or see the chaos, Barry R. McCaffrey murder and desperation of daily life for Iraqi families. Let me add a note of caution regarding a deceptive and unwise option that Beyond Baker-Hamilton springs from the work of the Iraq Study Group. We must not entertain the shal- One Approach to a Last Try at Stability in Iraq low, partisan notion of rapidly with- drawing most organized Marine and A collapse of the Iraqi state would be arena, it would be feasible to equip and in- Army fighting units by early 2008 and catastrophic - for the people of Iraq, for crease the Iraqi armed forces on a crash substituting for them a much larger num- the Middle East and for America's strate- basis over the next 24 months (but not ber of D.S. advisers - a 400 percent in- gie interests. We need a new political and the police or the Facilities Protection Ser- crease - as a way to avoid a difficult de- military approach to head offthis impend- vice). The goal would be 250,000 troops, bate for both parties in the New ing disaster - one crafted with biparti- provided with the material and training Hampshire primaries. san congressional support. But Baker- necessary to maintain internal order. This would leave sorne 40,000 D.S. 10- Hamilton isn't il. Within the tirst 12 months we should gistics and adviser troops spread out and Our objective should be a large-scale draw down the D.S. military presence vulnerable, all over Iraq. It would de- D.S. military withdrawal within the next from 15 Brigade Combat Teams (Bers), crease our leverage with Iraq's neighbors. 36 months, leaving in place an Iraqi gov- of 5,000 troops each, to 10. Within the It would not get at the problem of a con- ernment in a stable and mostly peaceful next 12 months, Centcom forces should tinuing civil war. ln fact, significantly in- country that does not threaten its six further draw down to seven Bers and creasing the number of D.S. advisers in neighboring states and does not intend to withdraw from urban areas to isolated each company and battalion of the Iraqi possess weapons of mass destruction. D.S. operating bases - where we could army and police - to act as role models The courage and ski1l of the D.S. armed continue to provide oversight and in- - is itself a bad idea. We are foreigners. forces have been awe-inspiring. Our sol- tervention when required to rescue our They WllQtus gone. diers, Marines and- Lack of combat experience is not the Special Operations central issue Iraqis face. Their problems forces have suffered are corrupt and incompetent ministries, 25,000 wounded and poor equipment, an untrained and unreli- killed, with many able sectarian officer corvo (a result of thousands perma- Rumsfeld's disbanding the Iraqi army), nently maimed, while and a lack of political will caused by the fighting this $400 bil- failure of a legitimate Iraqi government to lionwar. emerge. But the situation We need fewer advisers, not more - in Iraq is perilous and seleeted from elite, active military units growing worse. and with at least 90 days of immersion . Thousands of Iraqis training in Arabie. Iraqi troops will not are killed each fight because of iron discipline enforced month; hundreds of by D.S. sergeants and officers. That is a thousands are refu- self-serving domestic political concept gees. The govern- that would put us at risk of a national mili- ment of Prime Min- BY YAmA AHMED - ASSOCIATED PRESS tary humiliation. ister Nouri al-Maliki u.s. troops inspect the site of an attack on an American AIlof this may not work. We have very is largely dysfunc- convoy in Kirkuk, northem Iraq, earlier this month. few options left. ln my judgment, taking tional. Our allies, in- down the Saddam Hussein regime was a cluding the brave and competent British, embedded D.S. training teams, protect huge gift to the Iraqi people. Done right, are nearly gone. Baghdad bas become the the population from violence or save the it might have left the region and the Dnit- central battlefield in this struggle, which legal government. ed States safer for years to come. But the involves not just politically inspired civil, Finally, we have to design and empow- American people have withdrawn their war but alllOrampant criminality and vio- er a regional diplomatie peace dialogue in support for the war, although they remain lence carried out by foreign jihadists. Shi- which the Iraqis can take the lead, engag- intensely committed to and protective of ite and Sunni Arabs overwhelmingly an- ing their regional neighbors as well as our armed forces. We have run out of ticipate and endorse a D.S. strategie their own alienated and fractured internal time. Our troops and their families will withdrawal and defeat. population. remain bitter for a generation if we aban- We could immediatelyand totally with- We are in a very difficult position creat- don the Iraqis, just as another generation draw. ln less than six months, our ed by a micromanaged Rumsfeld war did after we abandoned the South Viet- 150,000 troops could fight their way team that has been incompetent, arro- namese for whom Americans had fought along strategie withdrawal corridors gant and in denial. The departing defense and died. We owe them and our own na- back to the sea and the safety provided by secretary, in a recent farewell Pentagon tional interest this one last effort. fi we the Navy. Several million terrified refu- town hall meeting, criticized the alleged cannot generate the political will to take gees would follow, the route of our col- distortions of the D.S. media, saying that this action, it is time to pull out and urnns marked by the burning pyres of they chose to report a few bombs going search for those we will hold responsible abandoned military supplies demolished off in Baghdad rather than the peaceful in Congress and the administration. byour rear guard. The resulting civilwar- fare would probably turn Iraq into a hu- scene he witnessed from his helicopter The writer is a retired Army general manitarian disaster and might well draw tlying over the city. This was a perleet, and adjutant professor of in the Iranians and Syrians. Itwould also and incredJ.ble, continuation of Donald international affairs at WestPoint. deeply threaten the safety and stability of Rumsfeld's willful blindness in his ap- He servedfour combat tours and was our allies in neighboring countries. proach to the war. From the safety of his wounded in action three times. There is a better option. First, we must helicopter, he apparently could not hear commit publicly to provide $10 billion a the nearly constant rattle of small-arms year in eeonomic support to the Iraqis tire, did not know of the hundreds of over the next five years. ln the military Marines and soldiers being killed or

40 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti

-Sadr and Sunni extremists, carries 7normous risks. The entire point of giv- Iraqis weigh alliance mg Sadr a voice in the political process was to persuade him to use political power to effect change rather than do- ing so through force of arms. If Sadr to marginalize Sadr thought he was being marginalized, he could ignite another rebellion, this time with a militia that has grown vastly New coalition wou Id bolster Maliki since 2004, when U.S. troops struggled to put down two uprisings. By Edward Wong moderate Sunni Arabs in Iraq to support Maliki, which would give the prime min- But senior U.S.commanders said that ister more leverage to break with Sadr. the attempts to make peace with Sadr BAGHDAD: Several of Iraq's major through politics may have failed, and a political parties are in talks to form an Last month, Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, wrote in a clas- mil.itar~ assault ~mhis strongholds may American-backed coalition whose aim be mevItable. HIS greatest support lies is to dampen the influence within the sified memo that Washington should press Sunni Arab and Shiite leaders to in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, government of the radical Shiite cleric with 2.2 million people, and in areas of Moktada al-Sadr and extremist Sunni support Maliki if he sought to build "an alternative political base." the southern Shiite heartland, where his Arab politicians, senior Iraqi officiaIs militia has clashed often with Hakim's. say. President George W Bush is direct- Iraqi officiaIs involved in the talks said they had grown frustrated with mil- On Monday, Falah Shanshal, a Sadr , ly pushing party leaders to create the legislator, denounced the idea of any coalition, the officiaIs said. itant politicians within the government. "A number of key political parties, political coalition that would exclude A major goal of the parties is to sup- Sadr officiaIs. "We're against any new port Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Ma- across the sectarian-ethnic divide, rec- ognize the gravity of the situation and bloc, new front or new alliance," he liki, a conservative Shiite, so that he no said. "We have to make unit y between longer has to depend on Sadr, one of the have become increasingly aware that their fate, and that of the country, can- us, to be one front against terrorism and most powerful figures in Iraq, and t? liberate the coun.try from the occupa- could even move militarily against him not be held hostage to the whims of the extreme fringe within their communi- tIon. Any new allIance will never be if needed, the officiaIs said. Sadr con- useful in this situation." troIs a militia with an estimated 60,000 ties," said Barham Salih, a deputy- prime minister and senior member of Iraqi officiaIs said another big risk was fighters that has rebelled twice against a backlash against the parties involved in the U.S. military here and is accused of one of the major Kurdish parties. "Should these parties succeed in the talks from other leaders in their own widening the sectarian war by murder- ethnic or sectarian communities. ing Sunni Arabs in reprisaI killings. tli\nscending the sectarian fault lines to . .For Ha~im and !'Aaliki,any attempt to The proposed coalition cuts across work together o~ the national 'demo- lom Sunm Arabs m an alliance against ethnic and sectarian lines. The groups cratic' project in Iraq, then Iraq will Sadr could invoke the wrath of Grand involved in the talks include the two have a chance," he said Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most power- major Kurdish parties, the most influ- The talks come at a time when Sadr's fuI Shiite cleric in Iraq. Since the top- ential Sunni Arab party and two power- relationship with Maliki has shown pling of Saddam Hussein, the ayatollah fuI Shiite parties, including Maliki's. signs of strain. On Nov. 30, Sadr sus- ha~.worke~har~ to bring various feuding The Americans, who are increasingly pended his political representatives - Shllte factIons mto one greater coalition frustrated with Maliki's ties to Sadr ap- 30 legislators and 6 cabinet ministers - to rule Iraq. Right now, that coalition pear to be working hard to help build fro~ participating in the government. which includes Sadr, is the dominant the coalition. Bush met last week in the MahkI called for the Sadr loyalists to re- bloc in the 275-member Parliament. White House with the leader of the other turn, but the politicians said they would Shiite party, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, and do so only if Maliki and the:Americans Abdul Razzaq al-Saiedi, Kirk Semple, is meeting this week with the head of the set a timetable for the withdrawal ofU.S. Sabrina Tavernise and Qais Mizher con- Sunni Arab party, Tariq al-Hashemi. troops. That demand was reiterated tributed to this article. ln late November, Bush, Vice Presi- Sunday by Sadr in a fiery written mes- dent Dick Cheney and Secretary of State sage from his home in Naja£ Condoleezza Rice met with leaders and Any plan to form an alliance across envoys from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and sectarian lines, and one that isolates Egypt to try to get them to persuade

Men suspected of kidnapping, who were captured in an Iraqt. A .d. • • Karim KadimlThe Associaled Press _ _ . rmy rai ,waitlng Monday ID the army's headquarters in Baghdad.

41 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti feJllonvi PROCHE-ORIENT DANS l'ATTENTE D'UNE NOUVELLE POLITIQUE AMÉRICAINE IEN~RAK 16 décembre 2006 L'Arabie saoudite s'interroge sur un soutien aux sunnites irakiens

IL Y A EU d'abord la tribune des chefs des confédérations triba- tion n'a été donnée à Riyad, com- publiée le 29 novembre, dans le les liés aux confédérations irakien- me c'est la coutume. Arrivéde Lon- Washington Post, par un conseiller nes, en faveur d'un soutien politi- dres où il officiait également com- saoudien en faveur d'un soutien que, financier, voire militaire aux me ambassadeur après avoir long.- aux sunnites d'Irak. Puis le brus- sunnites d'Irak. M. Obeïd avait temps dirigé les services de rensei- que départ, le 11décembre, de l'am- précisé qu'il ne s'exprimait pas au bassadeur du royaume àWashing- nom des autorités saoudiennes et gnement, Turki Al-Faiçal aurait ton, Turki Al-Faiçal, dont ce il était tombé en disgrâce dès la expliqué sa décision pour des rai- conseiller était un proche. Et enfin publication de sa tribune. sons privées. Elle pourrait aussi des informations du New York La menace d'un engagement de bien découler des rapports de for- , Times, mercredi 13 décembre, sur Riyad en Irak dans le cas d'un ces entre les membres de la famille ~\. les propos prêtés au roi Abdallah retrait américain aurait pourtant royale. . Le prédécesseur de M.Al-Fayçal lors de sa dernière rencontre avec été le message principal, selon le à Washington, Bandar Ben Sultan \ le vice-président américain Dick New York Times, que le roi Abdal- est le fils du prince héritier, Sultan Cheney, à Riyad, le 25 novembre. lah aurait fait passer à M. Cheney Ben Abdel Aziz, du puissant clan Autant d'éléments qui trahissent en novembre. La Maison Blanche des Soudeiri.Après avoirpassé plus l'inquiétude des Saoudiens Le roi Abdallah redoute une adhésion s'en est démarquée en assurant devingt ans àWashington, il aurait devant le bourbier irakien, l'éven- des sunnites irakiens aux thèses que cette hypothèse ne s'inscrivait conservé des contacts étroits avec tualité d'un retrait américain, et d'al-Qaida, en cas d'éclatement pas dans le cadre de la politique l'administration américaine. Cet les ambitions régionales de l'Iran. de l'Irak. Rab,h MoghrabrJAFP saoudienne. Officiellement, en entregent aurait pu compliquer la En Irak, Riyad redoute désor- effet, le royaume n'intervient pas tâche du nouvel ambassadeur à un mais le déchaînement de la guerre en Irak autrement que pour soute- moment critique des relations de l'Iran, dépeint comme une civile entre sunnites et chiites en nir financièrement les efforts de entre les deux pays, alors que la menace majeure par le conseiller cas de retrait américain. Dans une reconstruction. situation pourrait inciter certains, diplomatique qui envisageait dans telle situation, écrivait Nawaf au sein de la famillerégnante, àune l'article du Washington Post l'utili- Obeïd, conseiller diplomatique La menace iranienne politique plus agressive. Les mar- sation de l'arme du pétrole (rédui- pour l'ambassade saoudienne à L'impasse en Irak et un éventuel ges de manœuvre saoudiennes en re les prix en augmentant la pro- Washington, le royaume n'aurait revirement américain alimente- Irak sont pourtant limitées. Une duction) pour priver le régime de d'autre choix que d'intervenir raient des analyses divergentes au partie des djihadistes sunnites qui Téhéran de moyens financiers. pour défendre la minorité sunnite plus haut niveau saoudien, et des opèrent en Irak souhaitent ouverte- Son influence grandissante en et empêcher des « massacres ». dissensions qui pourraient expli- ment la chute de la famillerégnante Syriedepuis cet été et au Liban, de Le conseiller faisait état d'ap- quer ledépart soudain deWashing- en Arabie saoudite. • même que ses projets nucléaires, pels déjà lancés à la monarchie ton de l'ambassadeur TurkiAl-Fai- Les inquiétudes du royaume ne peuvent qu'aggraver le malaise saoudienne, notamment de la part çal à propos duquel aucune indica- sont renforcées par les ambi~ons saoudien .• GILLES PARIS

lirralb:;i;ï;er\bunt Saudis say they may fund Iraqi Decémber 14, 2006 Sunnis in war against Shiites

By Helene Cooper King Abdullah II of Jordan has also ex- "It's a hypothetieal situation, and pressed concern about rising Shiite in- we'd work hard to avoid such a struc- WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia has told fluence and about the possibility that ture," an Arab diplomat in Washington the Bush administration that it might Iraqi troops would be used by the said. But, he added, "if things become so provide financial backing to Iraqi Sun- Shiite-dominated government against bad in Iraq, like an ethnic cleansing, we nis in any war against Iraq's Shiites if the Sunni populace. will feel we are pulled into the war." the United States pulls its troops out of A senior Bush administration officiaI Bush administration officiaIs are Iraq, according to U.S. and Arab diplo- said Tuesday that part of the adminis- also working on a way to form a coali- mats. tration's wider review of Iraq policy in- tion ofSunni Arab countries and a mod- King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia con- volves the question of how to harness a erate Shiite government in Iraq, along veyed that message to Viee President coalition of moderate Iraqi Sunnis with with the United States and Europe, to Dick Cheney two weeks ago during centrist Shiites to back the Iraqi govern- stand against "Iran, Syria and the ter- Cheney's visit to Riyadh, the officiaIs ment led by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal rorists," another senior Bush adminis- said. Abdullah also expressed strong al-Maliki. tration officiaI said Tuesday. opposition to diplomatic talks between The Saudis have argued strenuously Until now, Saudi officiaIs have prom- the United States and Iran, and pushed against a U.S. pullout from Iraq, citing ised their counterparts in the United for Washington to encourage the re- fears that Iraq's minority Sunni popula- States that they would refrain from aid- sumption of peace talks between Israel tion would be massacred. Those fears, ing Iraq's Sunni insurgency. But that and the Palestinians, senior Bush ad- U.S. officiaIs said, have become more pledge holds only as long as the United ministration officiaIs said. pronounced as a growing chorus in States remains in Iraq. The Saudi warning reflects increased Washington has advocated a draw- The Saudis have been wary of sup- fear among America's Sunni Arab allies down of American troops in Iraq, porting Sunnis in Iraq because their in- about Iran's growing influence in Iraq, coupled with diplomatie outreach to surgency there has been led by ~eda coupled with its nuclear ambitions. Iran, whieh is largely Shiite. extremists opposed to the Saudi mon-

42 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

archy. But if the sectarian war in Iraq raising its production, a move that he its support for the Maliki government worsened, the Saudis would be likely to said "would be devastating to Iran, because there is no other game in town." line up with Sunni tribal leaders. which is facing economic difficulties On Monday, prominent Saudi clerics The Saudi ambassador to the United even with today's high oil priees." The called on Sunni Muslims to mobilize States, Prince Turki al-Faisal, who told Saudi government disavowed Obaid's against Shiites in Iraq. The statement his staff Monday that he was resigning column, and Turki ended his contract. called the "murder, torture and dis- his post, recently dismissed Nawaf But Arab diplomats said Tuesday that placement of Sunnis" an "outrage." Obaid, a consultant who wrote an opin~ Obaid's column reflected the view of The resignation of Turki, a former ion piece in The Washington Post two Saudi intelligence chief, was supposed weeks ago contending that "one of the the Saudi government, whieh has made to be formally announced Monday, offi- first consequences" of a U.S. pullout clear its opposition to a U.S. pullout ciaIs said, but had not happened by late fromlraq. from Iraq would "be massive Saudi in- Tuesday. "They're keeping us very tervention to stop Iranian-backed Shiite ln a speech in Philadelphia last week, puzzled," a Saudi officiaI said. militias from butchering Iraqi Sunnis." Turki reiterated the Saudi position. "Just Obaid also suggested that Saudi Ara- pieking up and leaving is going to create Hassan M. Fattah contributed report- bia could cut world oil priees in half by a huge vacuum," he told the World Af- ingfrom Dubai. fairs Council. "The U.S. must underline

caust has been wildly exaggerated and used to justify the creation of the Jewish Holocaust conference: state in 1948at the expense of Palestin- ians, a move viewed as yet another ex- ample of Western imperialism. Anti-Western rage fueled the 1979Ira- As much about Iran's nian r~volution, and Ahmadinejad has tried to rekindle the energy of the revo- lution by spreading Iran's influence be- yond its borders. Battling Washington, ambition as its beliefs chiding Arab leaders and claiming to promote the Palestinian cause have Dy Michael Slackman rael. As a former member of the Revolu- made him extremely popular on the tionary Guards, he was indoctrinated streets from Cairo to Morocco. CAIRO: Iran's so-called Holocaust with such thinking, political analysts in Such actions have also helped turn at- conference earlier this week was billed Tehran said, and in fact as a radical stu- tention away from his inability so far to as a chance to force the West to recon- dent leader, he championed such a view. deliver on promises of economic popu- sider ~e. historical record and, thereby, Now he bas a platform to promote his lism, including a redistribution ofIran's the legttlmacy of Israel. The question, theories and try to position himself re- enormous economic wealth and greater then, is why the Iranians would invite gionally as a reasonable man simply ask- social justice for the bulk of the country speakers with so little credibility in the ing the hard questions. The meeting in- that is struggling to make ends meet. West, including a former Ku Klux Klan cluded no attempt to come to terms with The president's ideas do not resonate grand wizard and disgraced European the nature of the well-documented Nazi in aIl corners of Iran, though, and some scholars. slaughter, offering only a platform to political scientists there say they have But that question misses the point. those pursuing the fantasy that it never served to embarrass officiaIs who, even Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadine- happened. ln addition, the organizers of if they agree, do not want to see a focus jad, sees conference partie- the conference, a small circle around the on Holocaust denial further isolate Iran. News ipants like David Duke, the president, have been building ties with "1raise two questions about this con- Analysis former Louisiana Klan lead- neo-Nazi groups in Europe. ference," said Ahmad Shirzad, a reform- er, and France's Robert "He is connected to people in Iran ist politician and former member of Par- Faurisson, who has devoted his life to who trust his way of doing things and liament. "First, how much does this solve trying to prove the Nazi gas chambers who seriously believe the Holocaust did the problems our people are faced with? were a myth, as silenced truth-tellers not take place," said Martin Ebbing, a And secondly, which one of our goals whose stories expose Western leaders as German journalist based in Tehran who were realized? It looks like he wants to the hypocrites he considers them to be. bas closely followed the issue with the make news and do provocative things." Just as Soviet leaders used to invite president. "They seriously believe it." Others see an even more ambitious Americans who suffered racial or polit- post-Iraq agenda reflected in Ahmad- ical discrimination to Moscow tô em- Evidence of that came in a revealing inejad's high profile on the issues of barrass Washington, Ahmadinejad en- interview last May with the German Jews, the Holocaust and Israel. joys pointing out that countries like magazine Der Spiegel. The interviewer "It is for public consumption in Arab Germany, France and Austria claim to mostly wanted to discuss Iran's nuclear countries," said Mustafa EI-Labbad, ed- champion free debate yet make Holo- ambitions and its refusaI to give up itor of Sharqnameh Magazine, which caust denial illegal. uranium enrichment, but the discus- specializes in Iranian affairs and is He has also repeatedly tried to draw sion kept returning to the Holocaust. At published in Cairo. "It is specifically di- !DoraI equivalency between question- one point, the exasperated interviewer rected toward deepening the gap be- mg the Holocaust and the decision in actually lectured the Iranian president tween the people and their regimes and Europe last year to publish cartoons on Germany's culpability. toward embarrassing the rulers so that lampooning the Prophet Muhammad. It "ln our view, there is no doubt that the regional power vacuum, especially wins him favor at home and across the the Germans unfortunately bear the after Iraq, can be filled by Iran." Arab world for standing up to the West guilt for the murder of six million," the and allows him to present himself a~ Spiegel journalist said to Ahmadinejad. morally superior to the West. The president gave little ground, say- But there is another important point. ing Germans should rid themselves of Ahmadinejad actually seems to believe such guilt. "1 will only accèpt some- l{t'ralb~(!tribllnt' that the volumes of documentation, thing as truth if 1am actually convinced testimony and living memory of the of it," he said. December 14, 2006 Nazi genocide are at best exaggerated Across the Middle East, contempt for and part of a Zionist conspiracy to falsi- Jews and Zionism is widespread and ut- fy history so as to create the case for Is- terly mainstream. Many say the Holo-

43 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti

lftralb:Eiltribunt New Iraqi law on oil December 15, 2006

Shahristani said. Iraq has 80 discovered stalled by dispute on fields. Twenty are already producing oil and will be assigned to the Iraq Na- tional Oil Co., Shahristani said. Devel- opment of the others would be offered division of powers up for bids, he added. Oil contracts signed with foreign By Edward Wong and development contracts to bè' put companies by Saddam Hussein's gov- entirely in the hands of the central gov- ernment would be reviewed by the fed- BAGHDAD: Iraqi politicians are split ernment, said Shahristani, a conserva- eral council to see whether they should along ethnie and sectarian lines in ne- tive Shiite. The committee's Sunni Arab be honored or scrapped, Shahristani go~iati.ons to resolve the f!nal stieking representatives, who are members of a said. For example, a Saddam-era con- pomt m a draft of the national oillaw politieal bloc called the Iraqi Con- tract the Iraqi government had signed the oil minister says. The issue involve~ sensus Front, are proposing that the Oil with Lukoil, the largest oil company in the division of powers between the cen- Ministry negotiate and approve aIl con- Russia, and another with a Syrian com- tral government and regional govem- tracts, Shahristani said. pany would be revisited, he said. ments in negotiating oil contracts. At the other extreme are the Kurds, As for revenue distribution, the vari- The minister, Hussain Shahristani who want regional governments to ne- ous parties have agreed that the money said he believed the parties could work gotiate the contracts and have final say will be divvied out to the regions through their differences, which would over them, Shahristani and other Iraqi through the central government's allow them to unveil the draft soon. officiaIs said. According to the Kurdish budget process, Shah rista ni said. Th~ law would be the first step to proposaI, a central body called the Fed- That means the central government ?penmp t~e door to foreign investment eral Oil and Gas Council, set up to make would be able to divert money to fi- ln Iraq s 011 sector by setting rules for policy, would simply review the con- nance its needs before giving the rest how Iraq would handle bids on con- tracts to make sure they conform to a out to the regions. Earlier in the negoti- tracts. Up to 60 oil fields would be standard set of criteria, the officiaIs ations, the Kurds had insisted that the offered for development in various said. The Kurds recently discovered two money, if collected by the central gov- rounds ofbidding, Shahristani said. new fields in the north after signing ernment, would not be funlleled into It is. unclear whether foreign oil contracts with a Norwegian company the central government's budget pro- compames would tolerate the risks and and a Turkish company. cess, but would be split up and given out security costs of operating in Iraq espe- The committee's Shiite Arab repre- to the regions automatically. cially if the violence worsens. ' sentatives, who are members of the The Kurds have raised two other is- Ameriean and Iraqi officiaIs also United Iraqi Alliance, the main Shiite sues for discussion, Shahristani said. consider passage of the oillaw to be a political bloc, fall in between the Sunni They are demanding that any con- crucial step in the process of national Arab and Kurdish camps. They argue tracts the Kurds have signed so far in •reconciliation because the law would that the regions should have the right to the north should be honored. They also lay out guidelines for the distribution of negotiate the contracts but that the con- want assurance that the contested oil- the country's oil wealth. tracts must be approved by a two-thirds city of Kirkuk will be included in Iraqi Shahristani and other officiaIs say an vote of the federal council, Shahristani Kurdistan if people in the province vote Iraqi committee has reached agreement said. for it to join the Kurdish north in a ref- ?n critieal princip les in the draft, most If the committee members 'can re- erendum scheduled for 200Z Importantly on a measure that would solve their differences on the contract- ln continuing violence, the country's allow the central govemment to collect ing issue, then the final draft would be widening Sunni-Shiite sectarian rift current and future oil revenues and re- finished quiekly, Shahristani said. was highlighted Thursday by a brazen distribute them to the provinces or re- The top American officiaIs here have mass kidnapping in central Baghdad. gions by population. been putting increasing pressure on the Masked gunmen in elite police uni- Sunni Arabs, who are leading the in- Iraqis to present a draft and perhaps forms abducted 20 to 30 men in the surgency, have been opposed to the idea even approve the law by the year's end. moming from a neighborhood of auto- ~f regional autonomy because they be- ln its report, the Iraq Study Group mobile spare parts shops, an Interior heve they would not get a fair share of Ministry officiaI and witnesses said. the country's oil wealth, whieh is con- said that an equitable distribution of oil , was necessary for national reconcili- The men released several Shiite hos- centrated in the Shiite south and Kurd- tages after beating them in a room and ish north. So putting oil revenue collec- ation and recommended that the cen- tral government retain full control of asking whether they were Sunni or tion and distribution in the hands of the Shiite, said a man who was freed. central govemment - and giving the revenues and oil fields, much to the cha- grin of the Kurds, who have enjoyed au- ln the region around Kut, the police money to regional governments based found 17bodies by a small river, police on population - would in theory pla- tonomy since the Ameriean military es- tablished a no-flight zone in the north officiaIs said. AlI the victims had been cate the Sunni Arabs to a degree. Sunni shot and killed after being tortured. Arab areas in Iraq have little or no ap- in1991. Once the oillaw is approved, the fed- ln Baghdad, a car bomb exploded by parent oil reserves. an Iraqi Army patrol, killing two But representatives of the main eral council will announce a round of bids for development of discovered people, including one soldier, and Sunni Arab,.Shiite and Kurdish political wounding seven others, including three blocs are still at odds over the issue of fields, Shahristani said. The Iraq Na- tional Oil Co., whieh was shut down by soldiers. Mortar rounds in western contracts, Shahristani said in an inter- Baghdad killed a woman and wounded view this week. A ll-member committee Saddam Hussein in 1987but is expected to be re-established by the law, would twoothers. made up of those representatives is re- A car bomb killed two policemen viewing and revising a draft of the oil be able to compete with foreign compa- nies in making bids. who were trying to defuse it and law written by the Oil Ministry. If the wounded four civilians late Wednesday, committee reaches agreement, then the The Iraqi officiaIs assigned to choose the oil fields to be offered in the first The Associated Press quoted police of- law would go to the cabinet and Parlia- ficiaIs as saying. The officiaIs said ex- ment for approval. round ofbids would try to come up with a geographieally equitable list, so re- plosives experts successfully defused a The Sunni Arabs want the process of second car b~mb in the same area. negotiating and signing exploration gions would not feel ignored,

44 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti

Kurdistan America between the Turl{sand Kurds

ANKARA AND WASHINGTON, De As tension rises between the Turkish government and Kurds in Turkey and Iraq, the ~ • "",",,'> '/.r;'c' ;>:: '.'_ Americansare inaquandary

..../' ~. i~ ~ \T:(~9::}; ",:;~

cans have been telhng the Turks to stay out of Iraq, despite the PKK'Sprovocations. So far Turkey has obeyed, hopmg that America would deal with the PKKitself. Its failure to do so is perhaps the biggest cause of rampant antI-American feeling in Tur- key. ln July Turkey's mildly Islamist prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ISsaid to have warned PreSIdent George Bush, in several telephone caIls, that he mIght be TIS looking ever more awkward for the a promised referendum on Iraq's disputed unable to restrain his hawkish generals IAmericans to keep two of their closest al- oil-rich province, Kirkuk, be postponed. after 15Turkish soldiers were killed n{PKK lies in the Middle East simultaneously And they were horrified by the report's caIl attacks in a single week. Sorne 250,000 sweet: Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds, who en- for America to improve relations with Turkish troops then briefly massed on the joy extreme autonomy in what is now the Syria and Iran, which have both long sup- Iraqi border, jolting the Americans into only stable part of Iraq. Kurdsthere are par- pressed Kurdish nationaIism. naming a former NATO commander, Jo- ticularly rattled by several of the recom- The Iraqi Kurds' biggest worry now is seph Ralston, as a "special envoy for coun- men datIons of the Iraq Study Group, co- that an American wobble might hasten tering the PKK"(bis own descriptIOn). But chaired by a former secretary of state, the feared Turkish invasion of their en- the PKK'Sattacks went on, despite its pro- James Baker (see page 46). The Turks, for clave. The Thrks would argue that they claimed ceasefire in September. their part, are increasingly angered by a re- merely wish to knock out some 5,00o-odd One big reason for Turkish restraint newal of attacks in Thrkey by guerrillas of PKKrebels in the mountains close to the against the PKKin Iraq has been repeated the home-grown Kurdistan Workers' Party border, then withdraw. But Iraq's 4m-5m warnings from the European Union, (PKK).Moreover, they have never liked the Kurds fear that the Turks' true aim would which Turkey has been bent on Joining. idea of an autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, be to ruin their successful experiment in But that restraint may weaken as the EU, or seeing it as a magnet for Kurdish national- self-rule, whieh has been inspiring Tur- at least sorne of its leadmg members, con- ism in the region-especially in Thrkey it- key's own restive Kurds,some 14m-strong. tinues to snub Turkeym ItSefforts to obtain self. "It's no longer a matter of if they [the membership. Indeed, there is a growing chance that Thrks] invade but how America responds If Turkish forces do invade Iraq, Amer- ~~ the Thrkish army will, perhaps as the when they do," says a seasoned NATO snows melt next spring, invade northern military observer. America would be loth Iraq in an effort to clobber the PKKin its to let the Iraqi Kurds help their PKKkms- safe haven just inside Iraq (see next arti- men fight back, since Turkeyis a cherished cle). The Iraqi Kurds might then feel ob- NATO ally and a pivotai Muslim state in liged to help their ethnie kinsmen fight the region. Thrkey's airbase at Incirlik, in back against the Turks. At that point, it is southern Turkey, is a hub for non-combat unclear what the Amerieans would do, for materiel flown in for American and allied they deem it vital to stay friends with both troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. the Thrks,who are members of NATO, and The increasingly confident Iraqi Kurds the Iraqi Kurds,who have hitherto been by sometimes helped Thrkey fight against the far the most pro-American group in Iraq. PKKin the 1990S,but now they say they Iraq's Kurds disliked the Study Group's will no longer kill fellow Kurds. Instead, suggestion that Iraq's centrai government they have been strengthening links with should tighten its control over Iraq's prov- their Turkish cousms, offering jobs and inces. They hated a recommendation that scholarships in northern Iraq. The Ameri-

45 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

~ ica's response will depend largely on the vigorous debate is taking place in Wash- is tightening again-and breeding discon- scope and scale. Most probably, they ington. The self-described realists favour tent. Friend and foe acknowledge that the would not penetrate far into the country. Thrkey:the country is a tested ally and far PKK could easily add to the S,ooo-plus "If they did, they would find themselves in bigger, richer and more powerful than to- guerrillas it has, scattered across the bor- the position that we do in Iraq, bogged day's fledgling Iraqi Kurdistan. The neo- der zone and operating in Thrkey. down in a guerrilla insurgency," says conservatives may favour holding on, at For ail that, the group is not prospering Henri Barkey, an American expert on the ail costs, to the only solid ally within a fed- as Mr Karayilan suggests; it is being Kurds who served in the State Department eral Iraq, namely the Kurdish regional gov- squeezed by events beyond its control. dunng the Clinton administration. ernment. But the mood may recently have Gone is the time when the PKK could suc- Plainly, it is in America's interest to eut shifted in favour of the Thrks. "The Iraqi cessfully manipulate rivalries between a deal between the Turksand the Kurds,in- Kurds are not the angels they were made Turkey,Iraq, Iran and Syria (countries that cluding a plan to disarm the PKK for good, out to be," says an American officiaI. have, between them, parcelled out the his- in return for wider cultural and political With Thrks and Kurds digging their toric region of Kurdistan) and move fight- rights for Kurds in Turkey. Conceivably, heels in, the Americans hint that they may ers with impunity between the four. Turkey might then be persuaded to accept be resigned to a limited Turkish operation Iraq's current wobbly overlord, Amer- the reality of an autonomous Iraqi Kurdis- that aims at PKK bases close to the Turkish ica, considers the PKK a terrorist organisa- tan; optimists point to burgeoning trade border; and they would tell the Iraqi Kurds tion. Syria and Iran, fearing American hos- links across the border. But pessimists, es- to stay put. But sorne in the Bush adminis- tility and apprehensive lest the autonomy pecially in Turkey,say the Turks (as weil as tration say the Americans should actually enjoyed by Iraq's Kurds plOve contagious, the Iranians) will never tolerate Kurdish in- help Turkey swat the PKK in Iraq. "At this have cosied up to their former rival, Tur- dependence, which is how they see the rate," says another American officiai, key. Mr Karayilan laments that both coun- Iraqi Kurds' present extreme autonomy. "we're not only going to lose Iraq but Thr- tries have got into the habit of handing If it cornes to a stark choice, it is hard to key too." That, for America, is a prospect over PKK militants to the Turks. say which way the Americans would tilt.A too ghastly to contemplate .• ln Iran's case, at least, the PKK senses an opportunity. The defeat of Iran's own re- 'l' , • .' •• • • form movement has reopened old divi- .Thë ,£ç(mo.mist 'De~erÎ1oër 16th. 2006 , \ - j • ~ , sions between the Shia Islamic Republic Turkish Kurds in Iraq and its mostly Sunni Kurdish minority. Step forward the Party of Free LIfeof Kur- distan, better known as PJAK, the PKK'S Lonesome rebels Kandil-based Iraman affiliate, which be- gan attacking Iranian forces in 2004 and claims to have more than 2,000 members. Guerrillas without a proper war; a per- KANDIL MOUNTAINS sonality cult whose object is incarcerated; 'furkey's Kurdish guerrillas may feel a cold a revolutionary force that has renounced revolution: to the uninitiated, Kandil re- wind of isolation sembles a never-never land whose inhab- itants eagerly imbibe Mr Ocalan's "demo- NA chilly mountainside hut, near the cratic-ecological paradigm" in timber lspot where Iraq's Kandil mountams schoolrooms and extol the virtues of sex- meet Turkey and Iran, Murat KarayIlan, a ual abstinence, the better to prosecute a guerrilla leader, is watching the news. cause whose ultimate goal has been lost Snacking on sunflower seeds, he fhcks from view. But no amount of fresh-faced from Roj TV, a Denmark-based satellIte sta- zealots can conceal the PKK'S quandary. tIOn that backs his Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in its revolt against the l\.ukISh Fight or die? state, to the mainstream channels beamed Unless it fights, suggests a former PKK mili- from Istanbul. The reception is excellent, tant in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, the news less so. Ayear since-according to the group will unravel, as it nearly did in Kurds-Turkish agents firebombed a book- 2003, before defectors were assassinated shop owned by a Kurdish nationaIist in a or silenced. But if the PKK returns to full- mamly Kurdish town, Semdinli, attempts scale war, America and the Iraqi Kurdswill to find the culprits have come to nought. find it harderto resist, as they do at present, "Sorne people in Thrkey", he sighs, "don't Thrkey's demands that they act against it- want peace." though senior Iraqi Kurds are wary of chal- To many 1\.uks, especially those who lenging fellow Kurds. That need not take have lost farnily members to PKK bullets KarayiLan says he wants peace too the form of a military assault; an embargo since the rebellion started in 1984, Mr Ka- on food, fuel and arms may be as effective. rayilan's peacenik patter is a bit rich. Three ment soon "show their hand"-by giving ln any event, it may have been Iraq's Kurd- months have elapsed since he announced the Kurds more cultural freedoms, enrling ish leaders who persuaded the PKK to an- the ceasefire that the PKK leader, Abdullah Mr Ocalan's solitary confinement and an- nounce a ceasefire. Ocalan, had urged from bis Thrkish prison nouncmg an amnesty for Kurdish mili- For its part, America wants to keep Iraqi cell, where he has been locked up since tants in Turkey~the PKK may go on the of- Kurdistan, the lone bright spot in its long 1999, yet fighting between his Kurdish fensive again next spring. Iraqi night, at peace. But "no country has guerrillas and 1\.ukey's army goes on, al- The PKK has dropped its demand for an ever been able to secure these mountains," beit a bit less fiercely than in the summer. independent country in Thrkey's Kurdish- smiles Mr Karayilan. "How are the Ameri- Mr Karayilan insists that his men (and majority south-east, but it remains, as Mr cans going to do what the Thrks have strug- women, for the PKK prides itself on its Karayilan boasts, the "ultimate force" in gled for years to achieve?" • commitrnent to sexuaI equality) are only the region. After a modest relaxation ear- replying to Thrkish attacks. But, he hints, lier this decade, 1\.ukey's policy towards unless peace-seekers in 1\.ukey's govern- Kurdish nationalists and their aspirations

46 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti Pour Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Israël, « comme l'URSS, va bientôt disparaître» En concluant la « conférence » d'Achille d'un cheval de Troie juif». déclaré que le comportement du prési- A sa diatribe contre Israël, le prési- dent iranien était « méprisable» et a qua- sur la Shoah, le président iranien dent Ahmadinejad a ajouté: « L'Iran est lifié ses propos de « totalement révol- a de nouveau souhaité la votre pays et lepays de tous les libres-pen- tants », avant d'ajouter: « A notre épo- seurs. Aujourd'hui, l'Holocauste est deve- que et dans une région qui tente de tourner « disparition» de l'Etat juif. nu une idole pour les grandes puissances. la page sur son passé, ce genre de déclara- Israël et les capitales occidentales Peu importe que l'Holocauste se soit pro- tion est absolument sidérant. » se disent « choqués» duit ou pas, peu importe si son ampleur est L'Union européenne (UE) a égale- grande ou limitée, il s'agit d'un prétexte ment fait part, mardi, de sa «profonde usqu'à son terme, la conférence néga- pour créer une base pour agresser et mena- inquiétude » et condamné « toute tentati- tionniste sur la Shoah, organisée par le cer lespays de la région. » ve de nier ou de remettre en question la jrégime iranien, aura donné dans la pro- Le président iranien a aussi exprimé Shoah ». La présidence finlandaise de vocation. Mardi 12 novembre, à Téhéran, le souhait de créer une « commission de l'UE s'est déclaré « choquée par les efforts le président Iranien Mahmoud Ahmadi- la vérité,formée par des chercheurs interna- continus du gouvernement iranien pour nejad s'est lui-même rendu devant les tionaux pour faire des recherches sur l'Ho- remettre en question ou banaliser lesfaits 300 participants et intervenants - dont locauste », sans que cette commission historiques indéniables de l'Holocauste et la plupart ont mis en cause le fait histori- soit soumise aux pressions « des grandes de ses horreurs ». que de la Shoah - et a une nouvelle fois puissances ». Pour le chef de la diplomatie françai- annoncé la disparition de l'Etat d'Israël. Ces interventions de MahmoudAhma- se, Philippe Douste-Blazy, les déclara- ; Pour le président iranien, qui avait dinejad ont soulevé une nouvelle tempê- tions du président iranien ne manque- déjà déclaré lors de sa prise de fonctions, te de réactions indignées dans ront pas d'avoir des consé- en août 2005, qu'Israël constituait une le monde. En visite à Berlin, le « Aujourd'hui, quences dans les discussions « tumeur» au Proche-Orient et devait premier ministre israélien, l'Holocauste en cours au Conseil de sécurité « de l'ONU sur un projet de réso- être rayé de la carte », les jours du Ehoud Olmert, et la chanceliè- est devenu « régime sioniste» sont comptés. lution sanctionnant l'Iran re allemande Angela Merkel une idole « Lorsque j'avazs dit que ce régime dis- ont rejeté « avec laplus grande pour les grandes pour son programme nucléai- paraîtrait, j'avais exprimé ce que les peu- fermeté» cette initiative révi- puissances re. ples avaient dans leur cœur. Les réseaux du sionniste iranienne. « L'Alle- » Ehoud Olmert a poursuivi, magne n'acceptera jamais _e • _ régime sIOniste m'ont alors beaucoup atta- mercredi 13 décembre à qzzé.Mazs tout comme l'URSS a disparu, le cela », a martelé Angela Mer- Le président iranien Rome, sa tournée européenne. régime sionzste va bientôt disparaître», a kel. Cette conférence a montré Ahmadinejad Il devait rencontrer le prési- déclaré M. Ahmadinejad sous les applau- le « caractère inacceptable» du dent du Conseil, Romano Pro- dissements. L'existence d'Israël, a-t-il gouvernement iranien et le « danger» di, et le pape Benoît XVI. insisté, est de moins en moins assurée, et qu'il représente pour l'Occident, a ajouté Acette occasion, le Vatican a aussi rap- sa disparition est « ce que Dieu a promis Ehoud Olmert. pelé sa position sur la Shoah: « L'Eglise et ce que toutes les nations veulent». Le premier ministre britànnique, aborde l'expérience vécue par lepeuple juzf La « conférence» de Téhéran sur la Tony Blair, qui doit se rendre prochaine- durant la seconde guerre mondiale avec un Shoah a largement donné la parole à des ment au Proche-Orient, s'en est aussi grand respect et une grande compassion », / révisionnistes occidentaux célèbres, pris à l'Iran, qu'il a accusé de « menace déclare un communiqué, qui ajoute: comme le Français Robert Faurisson et stratégique majeure» pour la région. Il « Le souvenir de cesfaits terribles doit res- l'Australien Frederick Toeben, qui nient s'est dit « incroyablement choqué» par la ter un avertissement pour les consciences, le génocide des juifs pendant la seconde conférence sur la Shoah, qualifiée de afin d'éliminer les conflits, de respecter les guerre mondiale. La seconde journée de « symbole de sectarisme et de haine envers droits légitimes de tous les peuples et d'ex- ce colloque a traité de thèmes ainsi défi- les gens d'une autre religion ». horter à la paix, dans la vérité et dans la nis : « Défi à l'histoire officielle de l'Holo- A Washington, le porte-parole du justice. ». causte », ou encore « L'Holocauste, talon département d'Etat, Sean McCormack, a HENRITINCQ

UE-IRAN MOUDJAHIDINS DU PEUPLE -.------..------Le PPE-DE avait invité Maryam Radja- vi en juillet, mais le gouvernement ira- L'opposante iranienne Maryam Radjavi nien avait alors menacé de rompre les négociations sur le dossier nucléaire et la reçue au Parlement européen visite avait été repoussée. Lorsque Mm,Radjavi s'est présentée devant le gr.oupe, mardi, les eurodéputés de l'UMP BRUXELLES, STRASBOURG plus important, celui du Parti populaire sont sortis pour marquer leur méconten- BUREAU EUROPÉEN européen-démocrates européens (PPE- Mardi 12décembre a été une bonne jour- DE, conservateurs et centre-droit) afin tement : « Les Moudjahidins du peuple née pour Maryam Radjavi, la présidente d'y présenter son action politique. A~Par- assassinent à tourde bras. Nous nefréquen- du Conseil national de la résistance ira- leIT,1ent,d~ ~~us en plus d'eurodéputés tons pas ces gens-là », a expliqué Alain . nienne, vitrine politique du mouvement est;unent, a 1Instar du socialiste portu- Lamassoure, porte-parole de l'UMP. Mm,Radjavi a assuré, au coUrs d'une des Moudjahidins du peuple: elle a été gaISPaulo Casaca, qu'elle représente « la reçue officiellement au Parlement euro- seule organisation d'opposition au régime conférence de presse, que c'est à tort que péen par le groupe politique qui y est le des mollahs ». les Moudjahidins du peuple ont été pla-

47 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti

cés sur la liste des organisations terroris- DE), qui participait à la conférence de Mm, Radjavi a assuré que l'arrêt du tri- tes de l'Union européenne, et que leurs presse de Mn" Radjavi, « c'est le Roya ume- bunal allait permettre de rayer les Moud- avoirs ont été gelés, au lendemain des Uni qui a réclamé le gel de ces avoirs, parce jalUdins du peuple de la liste des organisa- attentats du 11 septembre 2001, puis- que les mollahs l'ont demandé à Jack tions terroristes. « Cet a/Têt confirme l'ar- qu'ils auraient renoncé à toute activité Straw». gument de la résistance ira11lenne, selon militaire deplù~juin 2001. lequell'étiquette de "terroriste" est, depuis Mm, Radjavi s'est félicitée de ce que la Nouvelle décision le début, une question purement politique Cour de justice des Communautés euro- A Bruxelles, le chef du servicejuridique destinée à apaISer les mollahs », a-t-elle péennes ait annulé, mardi, une décision du Conseil, Jean-Claude Piris, a indiqué déclaré. relative au gel de ces avoirs, prise en 2005 que l'Union européenne allait, à l'avenir, Questionnée sur la raison pour laquelle par le Conseil de l'Union européenne. Le améliorer ses procédures afin de les ren- elle pone un foulard, alors que sa compa- tribunal de première instance de l'institu- dre plus transparentes et plus respectueu- triote Shirin Ebadi, lauréate du prix tion luxembourgeoise a jugé que la déci- ses des droits de la défense. Nobel de la paix, a refusé de porter le hid- Une nouvelle décision devrait être pri- sion n'était pas motivée, que les droits de jab, obligatoire en Iran, pour recevoir son se prochainement, selon ces nouvelles la défense n'avaient pas été respectés et prix en Norvège, Mn" Radjavi a répondu: procédures, sur le gel des avoirs. En atten- qu'il n'avait pu lui-même en contrôler la « Personne ne me l'a imposé; c'est le choix dant, celui-ci est maintenu, la décision légalité, faute de savoir avec certitude sur libre de chaque femme de porter ce qu'elle annulée ayant été, entre-temps, rempla- veut. » lIIl quelle décision nationale elle se fondait. cée par une autre ... qui n'a pas encore été Selon l'Ecossais Struan Stevenson (PPE- THOMAS FERENCZI attaquée. ET RAFAELE RIVAIS

which has allowed the prosecution of Turkish writers and academics for in- EU freeze on talks sulting "Turkishness." A writer, Ipek Calislar, and a publisher, Fatih Tas, are scheduled to be tried under the mea- sure next week. The fact that the EU's decision Mon- 'unfair to Turkey,' day did not mention human rights viola- tions was criticized by an Armenian lobby group. "The silence of the member countries on other Turkish violations Ankara declares are a lapse that seriously endangers European integration," a statement from the European Armenian Federation for Dy Katrin Bennhold the island. They point out that Turkish Justice and Democracy said. Cyriots backed a United Nations plan to Naif Bezwan, a Kurdish researcher at BRUSSELS: Turkey reacted angrily unify the island in 2004, while Greek Osnabrück University in Germany, said: Tuesday to a decision by the European Cypriots in the south rejected it. But the "Of course it's unacceptable that Turkey Union to impose a partial freeze on Greek part of the island still became a does not recognize a member of the very membership talks and said relations member of the EU and now has veto Union it wants to join, but when it comes were going through a difficult test. power over Turkish accession. to Turkey's compatibility with the EU The decision on Turkey set the scene Egeman Bagis,Erdogan's chiefforeign the main issue is how Turkey deaIs with for a European summit meeting Thurs- policy adviser, said the Cyprus dispute religious and national minorities." day where EU enlargement will figure was being used as a smokescreen in the Lagendijk said he hoped that a pledge prominently. The next phase of expan- debate over whether Turkey should join Monday by EU foreign ministers to seek sion takes place Jan. 1,with the entry of the EU. "Some countries in the EU un- an end to the economic isobtion of the Romania and Bulgaria increasing the fortunately want to keep it as a Christian Turkish part of Cyprus over the next six size of the bloc to 27 members. club," he said in a telephone interview. months would refocus the negotiations EU foreign ministers agreed Monday "Some countries are using Cyprus - on economic and political reforms. to punish Turkey for refusing to open and Cyprus is happy to be used." "You would hardly find anyone in its ports and airports to Cyprus, an EU The focus on Cyprus was also criti- Turkey siding with the EU on Cyprus," member. They suspended talks on 8 of cized from a different direction. ' - he said, "but you'll find a lot of people the 35issues under negotiation ahead of "The Cyprus issue has distracted calling for our support on human rights the possible accession of the mainly from the fundamental issues," said and political reforms." Muslim country more than a decade Joost Lagendijk of the Netherlands, Erdogan on Tuesday vowed to press from now. The decision is expected to chairman of the EU's Joint Parliamenta- ahead with reforms. be endorsed by EU leaders at their sum- ry Committee with Turkey. "Our reform process will continue mit talks on Thursday. "Human rights, minority rights, with the same decisiveness," he said. "This decision is unfair to Turkey," , But Bagis, his adviser, said some dam- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan women's rights, freedom of speech - those are the issues that go to the heart age had already been done. Ahead of said in a televised speech. "Let us not presidential and legislative elections in forget that our friends in the EU aIso of Turkey's compatibility with the European Union," he said . Turkey next year, the mood bas tumed have promises they have not fulfilled." more nationalistic, and the EU's demand ' He said that relations between Tur- A report by the European CommiS- sion last month that criticized Turkey's on Cyprus is one reason why support for key and the EU were "going through a EU membership bas fallen sharply over serious test, despite aIl our efforts. " refusai to trade with Cyprus also fault- ed Ankara for backsliding on many the last two years, analysts say. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gui said '~l these statements take away the the EU's decision represented "a lack of promised reforms. Turkey's limit~tion of the rights of Kurds and other mmor- people's motivation," Bagis said. "What vision." am 1supposed to tell our voter.s?" Turks are bitter that they are being ities was sharply condemned, as were punished for not trading with Cyprus at continuing reports of cases of t.orture a time when the EU has not fulfilled a and limits on freedom of expressiOn. two-year-old pledge to end a trade em- Erdogan's govemment has still not bar&o.on the Turkish Cypriot north of scraPJ?ed Article 301of the penal code,

48 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti ft1Rondt IRAK CONFÉRENCE DE RÉCONCILIATION 19 décembre 2006 M. Maliki tend la main en direction des anciens baasistes

LACONFÉRENCE de réconcilia- leur verser des pensions. Cette marines ont été tués en Irak marcherait », a-t-il estimé. tion nationale irakienne convo- mesure concerne théoriquement depuis le début de décembre. Le chef de la prochaine majori- quée le 16 décembre par le pre- 350 000 anciens officiers. Elle Alors que le premier ministre té démocrate au Sénat, Harry mier ministre, Nouri Al-Maliki, pourrait convaincre de nombreux britannique Tony Blair a salué Reid, a indiqué de son côté être s'est conclue, dimanche soir anciens baasistes, aujourd'hui dimanche, lors d'une visite surpri- prêt à un accroissement des trou- 17décembre, par une série de actifs au sein de l'insurrection sun- se en Irak, le « courage» des sol- pes sur place seulement «pour « recommandations» dont les nite, de déposer les armes. dats britanniques déployés dans deux ou trois mois» et dans le principales concernent les ce pays et réaffirmé son soutien cadre «d'un programme pour anciens cadres du régime de Sad- Enlèvements au gouvernement« démocratique- nous sortir de là, comme prévu, l'an dam Hussein. Ces derniers L'insécurité qui règne à Bagdad ment élu» de son homologue ira- prochain». Le président George avaient été brutalement écartés a été illustrée, dimanche, par l'enlè- kien al-Maliki, le débat reste vif Bush doit annoncer au début de après l'intervention américaine vement en plein jour de aux Etats-Unis sur les moyens de 2007 une inflexion de la politique de 2003. Parmi les autres « recom- 25 employés du Croissant-Rouge remédier à la crise irakienne. L'an- menée en Irak par les Etats-Unis. mandations» figurent la réinstau- irakien et d'un nombre indétermi- cien secrétaire d'Etat américain Dans ce contexte, M. Powell a ration du service militaire, la clari- né de civils. Ces enlèvements par Colin Powell a estimé, dans un assuré: « Nous devons parler avec fication des compétences des des hommes armés non identifiés, entretien à CBS, dimanche, que unpayscommelaSyrie.» L'ancien régions, et la mise au point d'un confirmés par une porte-parole de l'armée américaine ne devait pas secrétaire d'Etat a estimé que le calendrier de départ des troupes l'organisation, ont eu lieu dans les être utilisée comme une force de cas de l'Iran est plus difficile étrangères. locaux du Croissant- Rouge. En fin police de la ville pour sécuriser même s'il est également favorable S'agissant du sort des membres de journée, six personnes ont été Bagdad. «Je ne suis pas persuadé à une ouverture. « Il y a une hostili- de l'ancien parti unique Baas, la libérées. Par ailleurs, l'armée amé- qu'une autre hausse du nombre de té qui dure depuis 27ans, ilssont dif- conférence a repris la proposition ricaine a annoncé, samedi et soldats à Bagdad [décidée] dans le ficiles à aborder et ils se comportent du premier ministre, samedi, de dimanche, la mort de cinq soldats but de mettre fin aux violences com- vraiment très très mal », a-t-il esti- 'les réintégrer dans l'armée, ou de tués au combat. Soixante-trois munautaires, cette guerre civile, mé. - (AFP.). Iranians deal blow to Ahmadinej~d

The Associated Press Anti-Ahmadinejad sentiment was vis- Reformist candidates ible in a paraUel election held to select TEHRAN: Iranian reformers and members of the Assembly of Experts, a moderate conservatives asserted Mon- upset his hard-liners body of 86 senior clerics that monitors day that they had struck a blo~ 3:gainst Ahmadinejad has escalated Iran's the supreme leader and chooses his suc- President Mahmoud Ahmadmejad by nuclear dispute with the United States, cessor. Several pro-reform clerics were winning most of the seats in local elec- pushing ahead with uranium enrich- barred from running, but conservative tions and exposing public discontent ment despite UN demands that Iran opponents of the president appeared to with the president's hard-line political suspend the process. As a result, outperform his supporters. stances and ineffieient administration. Europe has come to support Washing- A former president, Ali Akbar Hash- The voting for local couneils repre- ton's caUs for sanctions to stop a pro- emi Rafsanjani, who lost to Ahmadine- sented a partial comeback for reform- gram they fear aims to develop nuclear jad in the 2005 runoff, won the most ists, who favor closer ties with the West weapons, a claim Iran denies. votes of any Tehran candidate to win and a loosening of social and political At the same time, Ahmadinejad has re-election to the assembly. Also re- restrictions under the Islamic govem- elected was Hassan Rowhani, Iran's ment. ln past years, hard-liners drove angered Europe and the United States former top nuclear negotiator whom reformers out of the couneil, Parliament by proclaiming that Israel should be Ahmadinejad accused of making too and finaUy the presidency, leaving the "wiped off the map" and hosting a con- many concessions to the Europeans. once popular movement demoralized. ference that was meant to cast doubt on By contrast, Ayatollah Mohammad But the victory in Friday's elections whether the Nazi Holocaust took place. Taqi Mesbah Yazdi - regarded as the '~madinejad's list has suffered a de- president's hard-line spiritual mentor was for moderate conservatives, sup- eisive defeat nationwide," said the Is- - won an assembly seat with a low porters of the cleric-led power struc- lamic Iran Participation Front, the number of votes. One Yazdi allv was de- ture who ..re angry at Ahmadinejad, largest reformist party. "It is a big no to feated by a more moderate cOnServative saying he ha~ needlessly pr<;>vokedthe the government's authoritarian and in- cleric in the city of Qom. West with hlS harsh rhetonc and bas effieient methods." Turnout in the local council vote was failed to address the faltering economy. ln couneils of some major cities - more than 60 percent - substantiaUy The election does not directly effect such as Shiraz and Bandar Abbas in the higher than the 50 percent in the last Ahmadinejad's administration and is south - not one pro-Ahmadinejad can- one, held in 2002. not expected to bring immediate policy didate won a seat, according to partial The moderate conservative camp - changes. It select~d local cou~eils .t~at results released by the Interior Ministry. typified by ~libaf, the mayor, and his handle commumty matters m cltles ln Tehran, the capital, candidates supporters - emerged as a strong polit- and town across the country. who support Mayor Mohammed Baqer But it represent~d the first t~mt; t~e ical fql'I'e, positioned between pro-Ah- Qalibaf, a moderate conservative, were madinejad hard-liners and the reform- public has weighed m on Ahmadmejad s on track to win 7 of the 15council seats. stormy presidency since he took office ists. ln their campaign, the moderate Reformists appeared to win four and conservatives stressed promises to im- , ,n June 2005. The results could pressure Ahmadinejad's allies had three, the par- prove living standards, modernize the ,Ahmadinejad to change at least his tone tial results showed. The last seat would economy and promote "competency" in and foeus more on high unemployment probably go to an independent. Final re- administration. and economic problems at home. sults were expected Tuesday. Qalibaf and his sUl?porters do not

49 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti

back moving closer to the United States among reformers because his officers since many of their candidates were and they oppose giving up uranium en- did not crack down on the few anti-gov- barred from running by Parliament , richment, a position shared by almost ernment protests that have occurred at committees that have the power to vet aH camps in Iran, where the nuclear universities during Ahmadinejad's those running. program is a source of national pride. presidency. Among the apparent victors in But they oppose extreme stances that Still, the mCldè'rateconservatives crit- Tehran was Massoumeh Iftikhar, who fuel tensions with the outside world and icize the reformers, accusing them of . served as Iran's first female vice presi- they have accused Ahmadinejad of pro- seeking to end the clerical rule created dent during the term of Mohammad voking the West. after the 1979Islamic Revolution. Khatami, the pro-reform president. The moderates also tolerate the less A political analyst, Mostafa Mirzaei- Khatami was elected in 1997 and re- restrictive social rules on mixing of an, said Iran's politicallineup was mov- formers gained control of Parliament sexes and women's dress, while many ing toward "a coalition between re- saon after. But in recent years, hard- hard-liners want ta re-impose tougher formers and moderate conservatives, at liners succeeded in regaining the legis- restrictions. the expense of hard-line extremists lature by using cleric-run bodies to bar One moderate headed to victory in who support Ahmadinejad." top reformists from running. the council, a former Tehran police The moderates' showing raised chief, Morteza Talaei. was popular hopes for the reformers, especiaHy En Iran, les proches du président Ahmadinejad essuient leur premier revers électoral

Selon les premiers résultats, les ultraconservateurs sont tenus en échec aux municipales. Mentor politique de M. Ahmadinejad, l'ayatollah Mezbah Yazdi est devancé à l'Assemblée des experts e président ultraconservateur Mah- moud Ahmadinejad vient-il d'enre- ~' ~ L gistrer son premier revers électoral ~-"~~ .. )."'.<~ ... >-.... ;.,...1",,,, ... -"1'" ...... ~ .. - ...~ depuis son arrivée au pouvoir à l'été L'ex-président Hachémi Rafsandjani (à droite) vo~~e 15 déc_e~~~. ~ Té~~an, où~ 2005 ?LesIraniens qui, contre toute atten- arriverait en tête à l'Assemblée des experts. AP te, s'étaient fortement mobilisés - avec menei, l'échec de l'ayatollah fondamenta- blesse, mais le peuple iranien a montré son une participation record de 60 % - sem- liste Mezbah Yazdi, mentor politique du intelligence et sa grandeur au monde blent avoir mis en échec la stratégie du président Ahmadinejad, qui ne finirait entier. » La presse réformatrice, en revan- clan conservateur au pouvoir, qui voulait qu'à la sixième place, est très symbolique. che, avant même les résultats définitifs s'imposer lors du double scrutin du ven- dredi 15décembre. Aux municipales, l'offensive des ultra- attendus entre lundi et mercredi, tirait la Il s'agissait à la fois d'élire les conservateurs est également contenue. A leçon de cette double élection. « Les pre- conseillers municipaux dans tout le pays, Téhéran, la bataille a été particulièrement miers résultats montrent que les Iraniens de même que les 86 membres de l'Assem- disputée. Lespremiers résultats au conseil sont plutôt favorables aux forces modérées», blée des experts, ce rouage clé du régime municipal de la ville, qui compte quinze commentait le quotidien réformateur Ete- chargé de contrôler, voire désigner ou révo- sièges, montrent que sept candidats de la mad-e-melli. Dans l'entourage de l'ex-pré- quer le guide suprême de la révolution. Or, liste des conservateurs modérés de l'actuel sident réformateur Mohammad Khatami, selon les premiers résultats officiels don- maire de Téhéran, Mohammad Bagher une lueur d'espoir est revenue après la nés dimanche soir par le ministère de l'in- Ghalibaf,rivalmalheureuxde M.Ahmadi- série d'échecs infligés à ses partisans, qui térieur et cités par l'agence Isna, les parti- nejad à la présidentielle, sont en tête. avaient successivement perdu les élec- sans de M. Ahmadinejad arrivent souvent tions municipales de 2003, les législatives derrière les conservateurs modérés et les « Le peuple a gagné» de 2004 et la présidentielle de 2005. réformateurs aux municipales et ne réus- Les réformateurs, évincés du conseil Reste à savoir, commentaient certains sissent pas à évincer leurs adversaires à municipal en 2003, ont quatre candidats analystes iraniens joints par téléphone lun- l'Assemblée des experts. qualifiés,contre trois seulement pour la lis- di matin, ce qui a été le plus déterminant C'est même le contraire qui est en train te de M. Ahmadinejad, intitulée « La bon- dans ce « réveil» réformateur, entre le suc- de se produire :l'ancien président iranien, ne odeur de servir». Parvine Ahmadine- cès de leur stratégie de présenter un front le pragmatique et affairiste Ali Akbar jad, sœur du président, n'arrive qu'en uni (en 2005 ils avaient largement perdu Hachémi Rafsandjani, devenu récem- onzième position. en raison de leur dispersion) ou lespremiè- ment, en raison de ses prises de position Enfin, petite originalité de cette élec- res déceptions de l'électorat devant une plus ouvertes et moins antioccidentales tion, plusieurs femmes sont en tête dans politique populiste qui tient mal ses pro- sur le dossier nucléaire, l'adversaire le plus des villes importantes comme Chiraz, au messes? Peu avant lesélections, M.Ahma- craint par M. Ahmadinejad, est en voie de sud du pays, où c'est une étudiante de dinejad avait reconnu publiquement qu'il remporter un véritable plébiscite à l'As- 25 ans qui semble l'emporter; de même à avait épuisé son budget trois mois avant la semblée des experts, avecl'appui des réfor- Arak, au centre et Ardébil au nord. fin de l'année iranienne qui s'achève le mateurs. Il aurait plus de 1,5 million de Le seul commentaire de Mahmoud 20 mars et avait précisé qu'il demanderait voix à Téhéran. Et même si, au final, l'As- Ahmadinejad, dimanche, a été des plus une rallonge au Parlement. _ semblée reste dominée par les conserva- laconiques:« Lepeupleagagné, a-t-il affir- M.,\RIE-CLAUDE DECAMPS teurs, mis en place patiemment ces derniè- . mé, les ennemis qui veulent le mal pour (AVEC AFP ET REUTERS) res années par le-yuide,l'ayatollah Ali Kha- l'Iran pensaient avoir trouvé un point defai-

50 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

;;: ~) ;<... Illl'"~ «- ~ • t~;~.:the Kurdlsh Globe December 19, 2006 Time for Iraqi Kurdistan to play its Kurdish cards in neighbouring countries;

Behrooz Shojai Globe Poli tical Desk for its own survival --."'-- ...... ----- work for the consolidation of from interfering III South. sharing the sovereignty with The Baker-Hamilton re- the Kurdish- national move- Restricting Iranian Kurdish the Turkish populatIOn m port is a clear indication, if ment in other parts, to which movements obviously has Turkey and last but not least not a warning, of the fragil- it is adjacent to. Iraqi Kurdis- not constrained Iran from lll- to democratizing the nahon- ity of Kurdistan's position. tan needs buffer zones to- terfering in Kurdlsh internai al movement in North. The It is true, that external fac- wards its northern and east- affairs in South. second strategy would be tor, namely the interna- ern nelghbours; and the best Northern Kurdistan is to win the sympathy of the tional political conditions buffer zones are the Kurds in more problematic in that the Kurdish population in North. at the end of the tirst Gulf these areas. movement is still vital, but The Kurdish authorities here War facilitated this historie Until the USA intervention rather confused, disoriented would play an important role. experiment, but Kurdish i", Iraq the Kurdish authori- and astray. The main Kurd- ln this sense the authorities ties always talked about the endeavours should not be lsh organization in Turk- have done nothing or nothing ignored. The key factor, ] "tender" Kurdistan Regional lsh Kurdistan, i.e. PKK, has Government in Southem of importance. A good exam- believe, is this issue. Since smce the beginnmg of 1990s pIe is the flood catastrophe the beginning of 1990s we Kurdistan (Iraqi Kurdistan); become a battle field for re- all Kurdish activities from in northern clties; after the have anticipating antago- formists and conservative left flood not a single Kurdish nists' miscalculations. other parts in South were re- wing. Reformists are those stricted, if they could be re- NGO or Kurdlsh authonhes Saddam Hussein's "mis- who advocate a liberal no- were engaged in rescue ac- takes" in Kuwait and Second stricted. The Kurdish move- tion of Kurdish nationahsm, ment in Eastem Kurdistan tivities in North. Sorne peo- Gulf-War are the best ex- the leftists, stubborn apoists ple would say that the Turk- amples. Relying entirely on (Iranian Kurdistan) reached are in opportunist allegiance the minimum of activlhes ish government would stop Great Power politics is not, with the captured leader, all attempts of support by only a sign of the reactive since the 1ranian revoluhon Apo (uncle) Ocalan. Their in 1979. The PKK, of course, South. Tens of municipahties approach in the Kurdish poli- are governed by pro-Kurdish tics - read Kurdish national ignored these restrictions and political discourse alternates it grew during 1990s. ln nel- concurrently with Ocalan's mayors; one could coordi- movement-, but also a policy nate the supply through these which may well undermi- ther case were the interests ideological adventures from municipalities. Even if the nethe entire Kurdish nation- of Iraql Kurdistan and other Democratic Republic to So- government stopped all sup- buildmg project, particularly parts were in concert. cial Confederation and re- cently to Democratie Nation. port at the very border, the in Iraqi Kurdistan. Let alone Considering the situation ln all cases nothing infring- people of North would feel in the international arena, now the movement in Turk- ing the Kemalist notion of the support of their brethren even withm the regional con- ish Kurdistan is experiencing Turkish statehood, subse- in South, not to mention the text, the Kurds are not major a conceptual crisis within its political discourse and Irani- quently nothing mentioned care from their government. players. Depending on the South needs North's sympa- an Kurds are left out without about eventual Kurdish sov- Regional and Great Power ereignty in Turkey. thy; to get that sympathy it interests, they can be - and political leadership, because The confusion within the has to do something about they have been - used in or its political movement ~nd political discourse of PKK it. The achievement in South "sold out" dunng internation- leadership lias been eXlled has led to armed struggle, should be materialized not al "horse-trading". The main and as such pacified and out- only for Southern Kurds, but reason behind this not so a recent truce and now in- dated. The political move- timidation of armed struggle also for all Kurds all around c\ean game has been that fact ment in Iraqi Kurdistan has again. The political reason the world, particularly those that the Kurds, ideologically a moral and strategie obliga- offers us only a peaceful way in North. And Northern fron- and practically have never tion towards Iranian Kurdls- of solution in North, a11other tiers are of immense impor- given trans-national feature tan in that it has to reactivate options are count~r-produ~- tance for South's further to their national movement. and vitalise the movement tive, because the wmners wIll survival. By securing the On the contrary, on the trans- in this part. Morally be- be hardliners within Turkish northern frontier South can nationallevel different Kurd- cause, apart from being their political establishment, who breathe freely and not be de- ish national movements have brethren, defending Kurdish are against Turkey's EU- pendent so much on interna- been used against each other. rights in Iranian Kurdistan membership. tional pohtlcal conJuncture. The achievement in Southern and Iran, in general, is a mat- The political es.tablishf!1~nt, South and North need recon- Kurdistan paves the way for ter ofuniversal human rights. including all ItS pohtIcal ciliation and coheSIOn; it is a new approach; namely, us- The traditional precautionary parties, in Iraqi Kurdist~n for both side's sake. And it is ing the trans-national nature measures are just a bad ex- should apply two strateglc crucial for the entire Kurdish of Kurdish nationalism for cuse and a disservice both to approaches towards Turkey's national. the Kurdish interests. Only the movement in East and to Kurdish population; support- The survival of Southern in such case the Kurds will the people of South. Strategi- ing and changing the power achievements is important be considered a real, if not a cally because a strong Kurd- balance within PKK in the for the Kurds as nation, but formidable, factor in the re- ish movement in East would favour of liberal national- this survival cannot be real- gion. From the point of the keep the Iranian governm~nt ists, who can implement a ized without South's support view of Kurdistan of Iraq it busy with its "own K~rdls~ c1ear-cut national discourse to other parts of Kurdistan. means that it should actively problem" and constram sIt closely related to quest for

51 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

o~"";',., ft ~'\'i ~_ ]lhe Kurdish Globe December 19,2006 The Kurdish case for Kirkuk

By Dr. Nouri Talabany mld-seventeenth century The Globe when Ottoman Sultan Mu- rad IV wrested the region While Kirkuk's demog- from Iranian control. As raphy has been in flux in Murad returned to Istanbul, recent decades, largely a he left army units III posi- result of ethnie c1eansing tion to control the strategic campaigns implemented route Imking Baghdad and by Ba'athist regime of Anatolia; the Iraqi Turco- Sadam Hussein, but wh en mans descended from these free from that regime, troops. Promment Turco- People demonstratlng agalnst Kirkuk Arabization process many Kurdish refugees man famlhes in Kirkuk, and demand nonnalizatlon ofthe city. have returned to their such as the Neftçiler and Awçi, trace their ancestry to ture. Other Arabs settled in homes in the city and Kirkuk as civil servants or monarchy, that many Tur- trict near Kirkuk, replacing its immediate environs. Murad's troops; moreover, comans became mayors. them with Arabs from cen- the prominent ethmc Arab serving as officers and sol- Many diplomats and ana- diers in the Second Divi- The first Arab mayor took trai and southern Iraq. Iysts may be tempt ding Tikriti family also traces office m ]969, when the After the Baath party con- their presence in the region sion of the Iraqi army, most to delay decisions about of whlch was stationed in Baatlllst reglme appointed solidated power in ]963, the final status of Kirkuk, to Murad's soldiers, and the Muzhlr al-TikntI. the National Guard (al- Sultan's gift of land in and Kirkuk. whether it should remain Because there was no Vnttl ]955, the Kirkuk Haras al-Qawmi), recruited around Kirkuk as a reward as if is, or joins Iraq's census taken in Iraq until had just one high school Arab Ba'athists and Turco- for their military service Kurdistan Region, any ]947, however, such fig- and the majonty of the stu- mans who systematically against the Iranians. delay could be counter- ures are estimates, and the dents had Kurdish and Tur- attacked ethnic Kurds. Be- ln the late Ottoman period, productive to the goals of ]947 census itself is of lit- coman backgrounds, with tween ]963 and 1988, the Kirkuk was the administra- peace and stability. tle help because its glves no smaller numbers of Arabs, Ba'athist regime destroyed tive center of the wilayet precise details of the ethnie Assynans, Chaldeans, and 779 Kurdish villages in A Mixed City (province) of Sharazur. ln composition of the popu- Armenians. Most Arab stu- the Kirkuk region-razing 493 pnmary schools, 598 Historically, the majority 1879, it became a sanjak lation. However, the ]957 dents were the children of of the clty's population was (district) within the vilayet -widely acknowledged as civil servants, military per- mosques, and 40 medical chmcs. ln order to prevent Kurdlsh and Turcoman. of Mosul. Further changes the most valid because it sonnel, or employees of the The Turcomans traced their occurred in the reglon ln was the least politicized- Iraqi Petroleum Company the return ofthe Kurds, they burned farms and orchards, famIlles back to the Otto- 1918 when the British army broke down population (IPC). confiscated cattle, blew up man era. Later, Arabs began occupied the Mosul wilayet by rnother tongue, finding By long-standing tradi- wells, and obliterated cem- to settle in the region. Writ- and created a new Arbil Kirkuk was 48.3 percent tion, the Kurds, Turcomans, mg of the ethnic composi- govemorate. ln 1921, the Kurd, 28.2 percent Arab, Chaldeans, and Jews have eteries. ln ail, this ethmc c\eansmg campalgn forced tIon of the city, the Ottoman British estimated the popu- 21A percent Turcoman, had their own cemeteries. encyclopaedist Shamsaddin lation of the Kirkuk region and the rest Chaldean, As- The Arabs, being a minor- 37,726 Kurdish families out of their VIllages. Given Sami, author of the Qamus to be 75,000 Kurds; 35,000 syrian, or other. ity, buried their dead in the average rural Kurd- al-A'lam, pubhshed in Is- Turcomans; 10,000 Arabs; While demography might the Turcoman cemeteries. ish family slze of between tanbul m 1897 found that, 1,400 Jews; and 600 Chal- shift with time, Klrkuk's However, in ]99], Saddam five and seven people, this "Three quarters of the in- deans. A League of NatIons various communities have Hussein 's government cre- policy forced over 200,000 habItants of Kirkuk are Committee that visited a long history of coexist- ated special ce:meteries for Kurds to flee the region. Kurds and the rest are Tur- the Mosul wilayet in 1925 ence. PolitIcally, Kurds Arab settlers and banned The Kurds were not the re- comans, Arabs, and others. estimated that the Kurds have a long tradition of Arab Shi'ites from taking gime's only victims. During Seven hundred and sixty comprised 63 percent of leadership in Kirkuk. On a their dead back to Najaf for the Iran-Iraq war, the cen- Jews and 460 Chaldeans Kirkuk's population, the natIOnallevel, most Kirkuk bunal in order to bolster trai govemment destroyed also reside in the city." Turcomans, 19 percent, and representatives in the lraql the Arab claim to the city. about ten Shi'ite Turcoman The Kurds predate other the Arabs, 18 percent. parliament were Kurds The Baathist regime sub- villages south of Kirkuk. resldent groups; the north- Many Kurds grew crops and a smaller number of sequently began to rewrite em and eastem districts of and raised livestock near Turcomans. Local Arab Kurdish tombstone inscrip- The Iraqi government also the clties have been tradi- the streams and wells in the representatives entered the tions wlth Arabic in order compelled urban Kurds to tionally Kurdish. Turco- northem and eastem parts parliament after settlement to retroactively alter the leave Kirkuk. It transferred mans later migrated to the of the Kirkuk region while, of the Hawija region. ln demography. 0!1. company employees, region. According to the in the city of Kirkuk, Arab, the late Ottoman era, the CIVil servants, and teach- Encylopedla of Islam, the Assyrian, and Armenian sultan's governors mostly Ethnie Cleansing ers to southern and central local Kurdish population migration to the city accel- nommated Turcomans as The Ba'athists sough Iraq. The Ba'athist gov- m Kirkuk was Joined by a erated after the 1927 dis- mayor although, on certain to implement their Arab ernment renamed streets Turcoman minonty as far covery of oil. From 1935, occasions, Kurds also held nationalism by force. ln and schools in Arabic and as the ninth century C.E., Arab families migrated to the position. Later, during June 1963, the short-lived forced businesses to adopt when caliphs installed the nearby Hawlja plain, the monarchy, Kirkuk's Ba'athist regime of Ali Arab names. Kurds could Turcoman garrisons in the southwest of Kirkuk, af- mayors were mostlY Kurds Saleh al-Sa'adi destroyed only se1\ real estate to Ar- region. ln his history of ter the Iraqi govemment from the Talabany family. thirteen Kurdish villages abs; non-Arabs could not the vanous Iraqi provinces, launched a large-scale ir- It was only during the late around Kirkuk and ex- purchase property in the Iraql hlstorian Abdul Majid rigation project to open the Ottoman era and the Iraqi pe1\ed the populatIOn of city. The government al- Fahml Hassan placed the drier southwestern portion another thirty-four Kurdish located thousands of new Turcoman migration in the of the region to agricul- vi1\ages in the Dubz dls- residential units for Arabs

52 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basln Ozeti

only. Ethnic c1eansing in- peshmerga liberated Kirkuk sire. The four sub-dlstricts Arab League nations and co-existed peacefully in from Baathist control. Many tensified after the 1991 of Kifri, Chemchemal, Ka- Turkey opposed to the ex- Kirkuk until Abdul-Karim Kuwait war when the Re- victims of Saddam's ethnic lar, and Tuz-Khurmatu an- Qasim's 1958 coup d'état. publican Guards crushed c1eansing campaign sought nexed to neighboring gov- pansion of Kurdish self- The central government in a short-lived uprising. ln to return to the region, only ernorates by the regime in mIe, an V.N. envoy would Baghdad rather than local 1996, the regime passed to be prevented by V.S. 1976 should be returned to not have the confidence politics fueled most subse- an "Identity law" to force authorities. Many remain the governorate of Kirkuk. of most of Kirkuk's resi- quent conflicts. Any cen- Kurds and other non-Ar- in tent-city limbo. Article Article 140 also states that dents. Nor should outside sus is sure to confirm the abs to register as Arab. The 58 of the March 8, 2004 a local census must be or- organizations, however majority status of Kurds government expelled from Transitional Administrative ganized and a referendum well-meanmg, delay imple- inside Kirkuk. They will the reglOn anyone who re- Law sought to settle dis- held to decide the future of mentation of Article 140. A demand the right to have fused. ln 1997, the Iraqi putes in Kirkuk by means the province. The set dead- wide swath of Iraqi society thelr voice heard through government demolished of an Iraql Property Claims line for the implementation accepted the constitution the ballot box. But Kurdish Kirkuk's historic citadel, Commission and "other rel- of thls article IS December after extensive consultation. empowerment through the with its mosques and an- evant bodies." ln practice, 2007. However, if Iraqi And, on August 9, the Iraqi democratic process need cient church. Human Rights however, successive Iraqi PrIme Mmister Nuri al-Ma- government nominated a not mean disenfranchise- Watch estimated that be- governments have done liki does not implement the high committee chaired by ment for the local Arabs tween 1991 and 2003, the little, creating suspicion article wlthin the allocated the Minister of Justice to and Turcoman communi- Iraqi government expelled among many lraqi Kurds as tlme, ethnic and sectar- Implement Article 140 of ties. There is no reason why between 120,000 and to the central government's ian unrest could explode in the Iraqi constitution with- the various communities 200,000 non-Arabs from intentions. The uncertainty Kirkuk, the effects rippling out delay. within Kirkuk cannot coex- Kirkuk and its environs. over Kirkuk's status has out throughout Iraq. Until the December 2007 ist peacefully again. ln September 1999, the impeded local development A report by the Interna- referendum, which the V.S. State Department re- and sidelined the issue of tional Crisis Group propos- U.N. has expertise to or- Dr. Nourl Talabany,profes- ported that the Iraqi govern- refugee resettlement. es that the Iraqi government ganize, it will be impossi- sor of Law, author of sever- ble to know whether local ment had displaced approx- Article 140 of the new Ira- invite the U.N. Secunty al books and articles about residents wish Kirkuk to be Imately 900,000 citizens ql constitution has adopted Council "to appoint an en- Iraql Kurdish hIS/Ory.He is absorbed into the Kurdis- throughout Iraq. The report Article 58 of the Transi- voy to start negotiations to currently an independent contmued to describe how tional Administrative Law, deslgnate the Kirkuk gov- tan Regional Government. member of parliamen/ in Many Kurds do, but others "Local officiais in the south which necessitates the nor- ernorate as a stand-alone, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. have ordered the arrest of malization ofthe situation in federal region for an in- are afraid of being pushed aside by established patron- any officiaI or citizen who Kirkuk, by wltich the legis- terim period," and recom- provides employment, food lature meant the assistance mended postponing the age networks and political or shelter to newly arriving of the return of internally constI tuti onaily-mandated machines imposed from Kurds." displaced people and their referendum because of the outside the city. reclamation of seized prop- threat that It could further Rather than destabilize A New Beginning for erty. Arabs mstalled m the exacerbate an already un- the reglOn, formaI resolu- Kirkuk? region should be helped to certain security situation. tlOn of the dispute over ln April 2003, coalition return to southern and cen- There is no need for an- Kirkuk's status should calm the city. Various ethnie forces and the Iraqi Kurdlsh tral Iraq, should they so de- other envoy. With many and sectarian communities Kirkuk rejects Baker-Hamilton Report Hundreds of people in Kirkuk and the Kirkuk demonstration IS "This is an' apparent violation "We are working to implement organized a demonstra- the latest one. of the Iraqi constitution," Kirkukl article 140 and the report wants Rizgar HaJi KIRKUK tion against the Iraqi Study sald. to create obstacle. The report is Group's report on Dec 12, Hama, head Sorne Arabs participated in the talking about centralization, "he 2006. The demonstrators were of Patriotic demonstration. Hassan Fathullah, said, "We have been workmg for from different ethnicities such UnIOn of 46, an Arab, said, "We rejeci it by de-centralization in the last three as Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens Kurdistan 's ail means, because it will put the years, now it wants to bring back and several political factions, Democratic future of the city in danger." dictatorship." gathered in front of the US Organizations The report descnbes Kirkuk as The demonstration ended Consulate and chanted vari- in Kirkuk, a barrel of explosive and tlme ous slogans like, "No ... No... said that they bomb and It has angered the peo- peacefully and police escorted Baker- Hamilton." will go against ple of the city. the crowd during the entire time Sorne recommendations of the anything that Tahssin Kahyya, a Shia Turk- of the protest. report, released on Dec. 6, directly contradicts men m the committee to Imple- The demonstrators spent more put the achievements of the Iraqi the Iraqi con- ment article 140, condemned the than an hour in front of the US Kurds in danger such as postpon- stitution. report for using such a word to de- consulate three representatives, ing the referendum in Kirkuk that The demonstrators submitted a scribe Kirkuk, "The report is way two Kurds and a Turkman, met is expected to be held no later letter in Kurdish and English to too far from the reality, because with the consulate officiaIs. than 2007. It is against article 140 the Consulate. we, Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and After the meeting the represent- of Iraqi constitution that asks for Adnan Kirkuki, member of the Assyrian have lived together for atives told the crowd that the US holding the referendum and nor- Kurdistan Democratie Party's a very long time." consulate has assured them the malizing the situation in that city. Kirkuk branch, said Kurds were "This report is just a (number) vOlces of the demonstrators will The report also recommends for not consulted during the entire of recommendations, because the be taken into consideration and empowering the central govern- nine months of preparing the re- constitution is above everything," that the Baker-Hamilton report ment and reinforcing the former port. doesn't represent the officiaI V.S. Iraqi Ba'th members in their jobs. "We won't let any outside will he said. policy. ThiS is a clear intervention in the to be imposed on us," he said. Babakir Sidiq, head of Kikuk's Iraqi constitution. He also said that they will con- committee to implement article The people of Kurdistan have tinue to put pressure on the U.S. 140, said that people will reject e Kurdish Globe reJected the report in various oc- through peaceful means to reject the report, "because 68 percent casions; making petitions and the items that are not in favor of of the Iraqi people have voted in December 19, 2006 demonstrations are one of them the Kurds. favor of the constitution."

53 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti Ûmon.Jf 20 décembre 2006 Iral(,scénario autour du retrait américain Le départ des Etats-Unis est désormais plus que plausible. Les conséquences de la guerre sont déjà désastreuses pour la région

aintenant que américaines devront donc demeu- d'Etat Condoleezza Rice peut le peuple améri- rer dans la région pour une certes aboyer, mais elle est cain a admis Martin période indéterminée ; elles pratiquement incapable de mor- que la guerre seront probablement stationnées dre. Les forces armées sont à ce en Irak ne peut Van Creveld au Koweït (dont une bonne partie point ébranlées et démoralisées être gagnée, du territoire a d'ores et déjà été que va-t-il Ile Professeur à l'Université hébraïque transformée en une vaste base passer? Réponse: les Etats-Unis de Jérusalem, expert en histoire américaine), à Oman et dans vont vouloir diminuer leurs pertes et stratégie militaires d'autres pays du Golfe.On ne peut et se retirer. L'hypothèse la plus qu'espérer que ces forces, et la probable est que ce retrait s'amor- volonté politique qui les soutien- cera d'ici quelques mois pour être re, qui fournissait autrefois 90 % dra, seront suffisamment solides Les troupes plus ou moins achevé à l'automne de ses revenus au pays, n'est plus pour dissuader l'Iran de se lancer laisseront derrière elles 2007. Si cela n'était pas le cas, la qu'un champ de ruines. Une esti- dans l'aventure. guerre dominerait les prochaines mation récente parle de Plus encore que les Etats-Unis, un pays dévasté, élections américaines comme 150 000 morts irakiens. Et le pire certains pays du Moyen-Orient ne dont l'infrastructure elles ont dominé les dernières, ce est qu'aucun signe n'indique manqueront pas de s'inquiéter de dont ne veulent ni les démocrates l'émergence d'un gouvernement la puissance iranienne. Tout en se a été anéantie et où ni les républicains. capable de maîtriser la situation. tournant vers Washington pour l'industrie pétrolière Rapatrier 140 000 hommes Du fait de ce vide, il ne fait prati- leur propre protection, il est prati- avec tout leur équipement est une quement aucun doute que chiites quement certain que plusieurs n'est plus qu'un champ opération d'une extrême complexi- et sunnites vont continuer encore d'entre eux envisageront de de ruines té. En 1945 et en 1973, les Etats- démarrer leur propre programme longtemps à se déchirer; et com- nucléaire. Chaque fois qu'un pays Unis s'étaient contentés d'évacuer me si cela ne suffisait pas, certains leurs troupes, laissant la plus gran- se dotera d'un arsenal nucléaire, chiites pourraient également se ses voisins se demanderont s'ils de partie de leur matériel à leurs battre contre d'autres chiites. Les protégéseuropéens,puissud-vie~ ne devraient pas faire de même. A Kurdes seront les bénéficiaires de terme, l'Arabie saoudite, la Tur- namiens. Dans le cas irakien, les ces affrontements. Depuis quel- quie, l'Egypte et la Syrie pour- qu'elles ne parviennent à regarnir choses se présentent différem- que temps déjà, ils expulsent dis- raient finir par devenir des puis- leurs rangs qu'en enrôlant des ment. crètement la population arabe des sances nucléaires. Ilest pour l'heu- grands-mères de 41 ans. C'est L'équipement militaire moder- provinces septentrionales de re impossible de dire en quoi cett;e pourquoi la première tâche qui ne est tellement précieux que l'Irak, jetant ainsi les fondations nouvelle configuration pourraIt incombera à Robert Gates, le même la plus grande puissance de de leur futur Etat. influer sur l'équilibre régional. nouveau secrétaire à la défense, et la planète ne peut se permettre Une longue période sera néces- Un Irak dépourvu de gouverne- à ses successeurs sera de recons- d'en abandonner de grandes quan- saire avant qu'un Irak unifié voie ment et en proie à une guerre civi- truire les forces armées afin qu'en tités; de ce point de vue-là, le le jour, s'il le voit jamais. Un Irak le chronique constituera une pépi- cas de besoin on puisse de modèle serait non pas le Vietnam morcelé renforcera considérable- nière idéale pour toutes sortes de nouveau faire appel à elles. ou la seconde guerre mondiale, ment - a déjà, à vrai dire, considé- terroristes. On peut supposer que Mais surtout, les Etats-Unis doi- mais la première guerre du Golfe. rablement renforcé - la position laplupart d'entre eux se contente- vent soigneusement reconsidérer En second lieu, le matériel éven- de Téhéran. L'Iran jouera à coup ront de participer et de tirer profit leur politique étrangère. Quel rôle .tuellement laissé en Irak tombe- sûr un rôle majeur dans le devenir de la guerre civile, mais d'autres la plus grande puissance du rait très probablement entre les de l'Irak, mais dans quelle direc- auront sans aucun doute à l'esprit monde doit-elle jouer dans l'arène mains des ennemis de l'Amérique. tion exercera-t-il son influence, et des objectifs plus larges. La plu- internationale, et quelles sont les Le Pentagone n'aura donc d'autre quel en sera l'impact exact, cela part opéreront à l'intérieur de limites de ce rôle? Limites notam- personne ne le sait. Une seule cho- ment économiques liées à ses choix que d'évacuer d'Irak des l'Irak, mais on peut parier que cer- se en tout cas est absolument sûre. déficits commercial et budgétaire. millions de tonnes de matériel tains s'en prendront aux régimes Pour s'assurer qu'aucun (e) futur Il est peu probable que ces militaire par le même chemin des pays arabes voisins, comme la (e) président (e) américain (e) ne questions reçoivent une réponse utilisé pour l'y apporter - Jordanie ou le Koweït. se mette dans l'idée d'attaquer rapide; à vrai dire, elles risquent c'est-à-dire de le ramener au Certains pourraient atteindre le de devoir attendre que l'élection moins jusqu'au Koweït. Cette opé- l'Iran comme a été attaqué l'Irak Liban, d'autres Israël. D'autres présidentielle américaine de 2008 ration prendra beaucoup de (c'est-à-dire, au fond, sans aucune encore tenteront d'étendre leurs expédie ce qui reste de l'adminis- temps et coûtera extrêmement raison), les Irarrlens vonttoutfaire activités aux pays occidentaux. Il tration Bush dans les poubelles de cher. Elle entraînera inévitable- pour se doter le plus vite possible est parfaitement envisageable l'histoire .• ment des pertes : les convois se d'armes nucléaires. qu'un nouveau Ben Laden installe dirigeant vers le sud seront la cible Un Iran puissant constituerait son quartier général quelque part Texte traduit de l'anglais par de tirs et d'attentats. une menace pour l'approvisionne- en Irak, d'où il pourra diriger ses Gilles Berton Les troupes américaines laisse- ment du monde en pétrole et ne opérations. ront derrière elles un pays dévas- manquerait donc pas d'inquiéter La guerre en Irak a affaibli la té, dont l'infrastructure a été Washington. Afin de contrer les position des Etats-unis sur la anéantie et où l'industrie pétroliè- ambitions de Téhéran, les forces scène internationale ; la secrétaire

54 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bastn Ozeti

fe1Jlonde Dans un entretien au« Washington Post », le président 21 décembre 2006 américain se démarque du rapport Baker-Hamilton

qui ne cachent pas leur plaisir d'avoir enfin été débarrassés M. Bush envisage de Donald Rumsfeld, coupa- ble à leurs yeux de n'avoir jamais voulu mobiliser un des renforts en Iral{, nombre d'hommes suffisant. Certains démocrates, tels que Harry Reid, leur chef de où la guerre file au Sénat, ne sont pas hosti- les à la possibilité d'accroître brièvement les effectifs en Irak. Devant le consensus « n'est pas gagnée» en train de se dessiner, les chefs militai- res n'ont pas hésité à faire part de leurs WASHINGTON remarques avant que nous ne commen- inquiétudes, au risque de se trouver en CORRESPONDANTE cions, a-t-il dit. Il est ivident que je suis en porte-à-faux avec les autorités civiles. inq semaines après la défaite des train de réfléchir à la marche à suivre en Quelques heures avant de recueillir son républicains aux élections de Irak, etje parle à beaucoup de gens, et aussi entretien avec M. Bush, le Washington Cmi-mandat et deux semaines après de la marche à suivre dans cette lutte idéolo- Post avait publié un article répercutant - la publication du rapport Baker-Hamil- gique. Il y a une réflexion dont je veux vous de manière anonyme - l'hostilité des ton plaidant pour un changement de stra- faire part, je suis enclin à penser que nous plus hauts responsables de l'armée. Pour tégie en Irak, le président George Bush a devons augmenter le nombre de nos sol- ceux-ci, affirmait le quotidien, un accrois- fait, mardi 19 décembre, une proposition dats, l'armée de terre, les marines. » Il a sement des effectifs n'aurait de sens allant nettement à contre-courant: aug- indiqué avoir demandé au nouveau secré- qu'accompagné de vigoureuses initiati- menter les effectifs des forces armées taire à la défense, Robert Gates, de lui fai- ves politiques et économiques. américaines. re des recommandations en ce sens. Le porte-parole de la maison Blanche, Dans une interview publiée par le La déclaration de M. Bush est interve- Tony Snow, a démenti toute divergence. Washington Post, M. Bush a indiqué que nue alors que Washington est en proie à « Ils travaillent ensemble. Le président a le cette idée ne s'appliquait pas à l'Irak en un vif débat sur l'envoi de renforts en plus grand respect pour la chaîne de com- particulier mais à l'armée en général, Irak, pour une durée de temps dite « limi- mandement », a-t-il dit. Les chefs militai- durement mise à l'épreuve par la « guerre tée ». La solution diplomatique d'un dia- res considèrent que leurs unités sont déjà antiterronste ». Pour l'Irak, il a indiqué logue avec la Syrie et l'Iran, préconisée au bord du point de rupture. M. Bush a que sa décision n'était pas prise. Selon la par le rapport Baker-Hamilton, n'est pra- reconnu que l'armée était, sinon « prau'- Maison Blanche, l'augmenta- tiquement plus discutée, à l'exception quement cassée» comme l'a dit, diman- tion des effectifs est l'une des d'une fraction des démocrates tels que che l'ancien secrétaire d'Etat Colin possibilités à l'étude concer- les sénateurs John Kerry et Christopher pO\o~ell,mais du moins « éprouvée». nant le changement d'appro- Dodd, qui sont arrivés, mardi, à Damas La prise de position de M. Bush inter- che promis au lendemain des pour une visite désapprouvée par le vient aussi alors qu'un supplément bud- élections du 7 novembre. Pour département d'Etat. : gétaire doit être demandé au nouveau la première fois, M. Bush a Le débat se concentre maintenant sur Congrès en février 2007. Le président n'a admis que les Etats-Unis ne l'option militaire, non pas celle d'un pas caché qu'il entend mettre la majorité gagnaient pas la guerre. désengagement des troupes de combat démocrate au pied du mur. « La question « Nous ne gagnons pas, nous ne perdons tel que l'a proposé la commission bipar- fondamentale, c'est de savoir si les républi- pas », a-t-il dit. tite, mais sur un accroissement des for- cains et les démocrates seront capables de Leprésident a annoncé son projet d'ex- ces. Cette solution est préconisée par le collaborer avec cette administration» pansion de l'armée en prélude à son présidentiable républicain John McCain pour donner à l'armée les moyens de entretien avec le journal. « Quelques et par les néoconservateurs du cercle de mener une guerre longue, a-t-il dit .• réflexion American Enterprise Institute, CORlNE LESNES Plus haute autorité chiite aux Etats-Unis, l'imam Al-Sahlani « ne sous-estime pas la lassitude des Américains» des 14millions de chiites ên Irak, où Fad- NEW YORK hel Al-Sahlani s'est rendu à plusieurs blie "la police est presque inexistante, les CORRESPONDANT criminelsfontce qu'ils veulent. » « Pen- Plus haute autorité chiite d'Amérique du reprises au cours des dernières années. Sollicité par l'administration américai- dant des décennies, rappelle-t-il, il ny Nord, originaire de Bassora dans le sud avait pas de loi, seulement la parole de Sad- de l'Irak, l'imam Fadhel Al-Sahlani a fui ne pour la conseiller, l'imam se dit « étonné que legouvernement américain dam [Hussein]. » Le dignitaire religieux les persécutions du régime de Saddam cite ainsi la réunion, « il y a deux mois, Hussein dont sa famille a été victime. Il en soit encore, trois ans et demi aprè,çl'in- vasion, à chercher à comprendre la situa- des plus grands et des plus respectés chefs dirige depuis seize ans le centre islami- religieux chiites et sunnites» d'Irak. « Ils que Al-Khoei dans le Queens, à New tion du pays». Il explique ne pas avoir été surpris par le chaos et la violence qui ont signé un accord et appelé solennelle- York, fréquenté par 5 000 familles chii- ment à lafin des tueries. Cela n'a servi à tes. Modéré, il est le représentant officiel règnent en Irak. Mais il « n'imaginait pas que cela durerait aussi longtemps». rien! », constate-t-il. Un rapport de aux Etats-Unis du grand ayatollah Ali l'ONU indiquait ainsi que le nombre de Al-Sistani.le chef spirituel incontesté « Le problème, dit-il, est que l'autorité du gouvernement n'a toujours pas été éta- civils tués en Irak avait atteint un niveau

55 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bastn Ozeti

Unis, de prouver ses affirmations sur lafai- record en octobre avec 3709 morts, victi- et de la Syrie, l'imam Sahlani estime blesse américaine et occidentale et enfin mes de violences intercommunautaires. qu'il «faut imposer aux puissances étran- d'avoir la possibilité de créer un sanctuai- Pour autant, l'imam ne veut pas croire gères de cesser leurs inteiférences ». «Je re au cœur du Moyen-Orient ». « Cela à la partition du pays, même s'il la redou- crains que les voisins de l'Irak ne lefassent reviendrait aussi à affaiblir, voire déstabi- te. Selon lui, « cela créerait une guerre per- pas sans contrainte », ajoute-t-il. lisel~ le~Tégimes modérés alliés des Etats- manente [alors qu'il] est toujours possible C'est la raison pour laquelle il ne sou- de faire cohabiter les chiites, les sunnites et haite pas et ne croit pas à un départ pré- Unis comme l'Egypte, l'Arabie saoudite, la Jordanie », précise-t-il. les Kurdes». « La racine du problème, cipité et proche des troupes amé.~caines. Par ailleurs, l'imam estime qu'il ne explique-t-il, ne se trouve pas au sein « La présence militaire de la coalztz?n est même des communautés qui cohabitent indispensable encore un moment, sznon ce faut pas surestimer l'influence iranienne depuis des siècles.je ne veux pas diminuer sera un désastre », précise-t-il. Cela sur la communauté chiite irakienne: l'ampleur de la violence et des haines, mais reviendrait, d'après lui, à laisser le « Nous sommes arabes et ils sont perses, je crois que si on s'attaque à l'origine politi- champ libre aux extrémistes, et notam- nous n'avons pas la même langue, ni la même culture, ni la même histoire et ni tou. que de cette violence, au jeu des pays de la ment au leader radical chiite Moqtada région et aux différents intérêts qui pour jours les mêmes intérêts. » Il reconnaît Al-Sadr, dont l'objectif « est de prendre le pourtant que « certains groupes chiites prendre lepouvoir alimentent le chaos, la pouvoir par les armes ». obtiennentdel'aidedel'Iran ». « Leur violence s'affaiblira. Ilfaut construire une Dans le même temps, l'imam Sahlani certaine forme de confiance entre diri- loyauté et leur reconnaissonce sont liées à « ne sous-estime pas la 1l11"oitudedes Amé- cela », ajoute-t-il. geants chiites et sunnites. » ricains ». Un récent sondage montrait Pour l'imam Al-Sahlani, la malédic- que sept Américains sur dix souhai- tion de l'Irak « est d'être devenu le champ Ne pas exagérer le rôle de l'Iran taient le retrait de leurs troupes de bataille de la région, les sunnites contre Deux semaines après la publication déployées en Irak. Mais, avertit l'imam, les chiites, les Saoudiens contre les Ira- du rapport Baker censé offrir une alter- « ce serait bien trop coûteux d'abandon- niens, les Turcs contre les Kurdes, AI-Qai- native à la politique de l'administration ner l'Irak, bien plus que la défaite au Viet- da contre les Etats-Unis ».lIiI Bush en Irak et plaidant pom le lance- nam. c...) Cela donnerait à AI-Qaida une ERIcLESEJ ment d'une « nouvelle offensive diplomati- énorme victoire qui permettrait de galvani- que », notamment à destination de l'Iran ser ses partisans, d'humilier les Etats-

La justice turque veille sur le culte d'Atatürk

TURQUIE que Mustafa Kemal, dont nul d'entre irrévérencieux, ont donné lieu à une Une journaliste a été jugée nous '1 'nserait juger le courage, afait campagne médiatique contre leur puis acquitée, hier, pour une telle chose est la plus grande in- auteur qui a été suspendu par le rec- atteinte à la mémoire sulte qui soit. » En Turquie, le fon- teur de la faculté où il enseignait, et de Mustafa Kemal. dateur de la République, mort en un procureur a ouvert une enquête. 1938, fait l'objet d'un véritable culte En Turquie, les gardiens du Istanbul de la personnalité, forgé par ses dogme surveillent toute atteinte à la successeurs. Et la journaliste Ipek doctrine kémaliste et ils se mon- L'HISTOIRE OFFICIELLE de la Ré- Calislar n'est pas la première à faire trent de plus en plus tatillons. Au publique turque n'avait pas retenu les frais de cette loi de 1951 censée printemps dernier, le maire d'une cet épisode rocambolesque. Une protéger la mémoire du premier petite ville des bords de la mer Noi- nuit de 1923, pour échapper à une président de la Turquie moderne. re, membre de l'AKP, le parti isla- mutinerie de soldats, Mustafa Ke- Selon les décomptes de l'associa- mo-conservateur au pouvoir, a ain- mal aurait fui le palais présidentiel tion Bianet qui répertorie les attein- si été emprisonné pour cause par une porte dérobée, caché sous tes à la liberté d'expression, ces der- d'outrage. Au cours d'une cérémo- un tchador. Pour avoir relaté cette niers mois « onze personnes ont été nie, il avait déposé une gerbe de évasion sous des vêtements fémi- déférées devant un tribunal au nom fleurs devant une statue représen-

nins et religieux dans Latife Hanim, de ce texte, et deux ont été condam- tant le grand homme tout en masti- une biographie de la première épou- nées à de la prison ». Il s'agit d'édi- quant du chewing-gum. Pour le se d'Atatürk, la journaliste Ipek Ca- teurs, de journalistes ou de défen- camp nationaliste, l'héritage de lislar comparaissait hier devant un seurs des droits de l'homme. Mustafa Kémal est menacé par le tribunal correctionnel d'Istanbul. Habituellement, cette loi concer- gouvernement qui disposerait d'un Elle risquait, en même temps qu'un nait plutôt des islamistes présumés. « agenda islamiste caché». Et, Ata- rédacteur en chef du quotidien Hür- türk, soixante-huit ans après sa dis- riyet qui a publié les passages incri- Campagne médiatique parition, reste plus que jamais adu- minés, une peine de quatre ans et La dernière victime en date est lé dans cette république laïque. demi de prison pour « insulte à la un professeur de l'université Gazi Tous les écoliers connaissent par mémoire d'Atatürk ». Les deux pré- d'Ankara. Au mois de novembre cœur son Discours à lajeunesse, qui venus ont été acquittés. dans une conférence, Atilla Yayla a trône dans les salles de classe du Après avoir lu cette version de déclaré: « Le kémalisme a davantage pays. Et depuis le début de l'année, l'équipée nocturne du « père de tous à voir avec la régression que leprogrès six millions de visiteurs sont allés les Turcs », un lecteur outragé avait (... ) Dans lefutur, on nous demande- s'incliner sur sa tombe, au mauso- lancé une pétition, à l'origine des ra pourquoi il y a des statues de cet lée d'Anitkabir à Ankara. poursuites, affirmant: « Prétendre homme partout. » Ces propos, jugés LM.

56 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti Irak: comment l'argent du pétrole finance la guerre civile Le détournement est estimé à quatre ou cinq milliards de dollars chaque année.

'- Des éléments de la Garde nationale irakienne, lors du contrôle d'un convoi suspecté de détourner du pétrole. AP

GOLFE La manne de l'or noir Dans un pays en pleine déliquescence, le marche noir du brut, de plusieurs L'Irak a exporté pour environ 40 milliards milliards de dollars l'an, nourrit de dollars US de pétrole depuIs l'opération militaire la corruption des officiels américaine de mars 2003. et alimente la guérilla. Le pays se situe au deuxième rang des réserves mondiales prouvées de brut, d'environ 115 milliards LES EAUXdu Golfe sont-elles, soudain, devenues de barils. Cependant, les réserves réelles très poissonneuses? Chaque mois, 50 à 60 nouveaux seraient largement supéneures, les recherches bateaux de pêche sont fabriqués à Bassora, dans le ayant éte ralenties par les années de guerre. sud de l'Irak. On y recense désormais 1 600 esquifs! L'Irak prodUit en moyenne 2,2 millions de barils « Une telle flatte permettrait d'approvisionner toute la par jour, dont 300 000 à 350 000 qUI sont écoulés péninsule Arabique en crevettes géantes », sourit un sur le marché nOir. responsable du syndicat local des pêcheurs. Il révèle 55 % des actes de vandalisme dont souffre le mystère de ce boom du cabotage: la contrebande l'industne pétrolière visent les oléoducs par où de pétrole. Le fléau est estimé, en privé, à quatre ou transitent les exportations de brut. cinq milliards de dollars chaque année par le vice- Huit ports illégaux ont vu le Jour premier miRistre, Barham Salih. Le manque à gagner sur le Chatt al-Arab. est considérable, dans un pays qui compte utiliser la manne de l'or noir pour sa reconstruction. C'est aus- si une pièce maîtresse de la corruption, du terrorisme chargement. <7Après paiement de tous les frais, préci- et de la criminalité. se le rapport, le profit de la contrebande atteint « L'Irak produit environ 2,2 millions de baril cha- 8 400 dollars par camion de pétrole écoulé au noir. » que jour, explique un expert pétrolier occidental, il Les trafiquants peuvent aussi revendre sur le marché en exporte 1,5 million, le reste se partage entre les raf- irakien des produits raffinés importés des pays voi- fineries et la contrebande, c'est-à-dire à peu près sins, comme le Koweït ou la Turquie. 350000 barils quotidiens ». Sous Saddam Hussein, Le laisser faire des autorités issues de l'après- l'exploitation du pétrole, nationalisé en 1972, était guerre a encouragé les contrebandiers à profiter du une affaire d'État. Le trafic existait, mais était stricte- vide sécuritaire et de la porosité des frontières. Entre ment contrôlé. Mais dans un pays en pleine déli- le 1er septembre 2004 et le 15février 2005, pas moins quescence, la contrebande s'est propagée tous azi- muts, de manière alarmante, estime l'inspecteur de 1 551 camions partis des entrepôts de Bassora ne général américain en Irak, Stuart Bowen, dans un ré- sont jamais arrivés à leur destination finale. Le trafic cent rapport. alimente un vaste réseau d'intérêts politico-crimi- Lebrut peut être siphonné dans les dépôts ou dé- nels. La guérilla sunnite tout d'abord, qui bénéficie tourné à partir des oléoducs. Il est ensUite acheminé de l'expérience des anciens saddamistes. par terre ou par mer, à travers les frontières terrestres ou via les ports illégaux sur le Chatt al-Arab, la voie « Une dangereuse mafia» L'insurrection capterait entre 40 et 50 % du trafic d'eau au confluent du Tigre et de l'Euphrate, près de soit 2 milliards par an, de loin sa principale source d~ Bassora. Le trafic est très rentable, qui touche aussi financement, qui lui assure une survie pendant des bien les zones kurde et sunnite que le sud chiite. Le années encore. Les officiels ensuite. Au cours d'une chauffeur peut empocher jusqu'à 800 dollars pour récente opération de police conduite sur trois semai- transporter la cargaison jusqu'à son embarquement. nes, 400000 barils de brut, qui devaient passer clan- Il corrompt le policier en versant en moyenne destinement en Syrie par le poste frontière de Rab- 500 dollars à toute patrouille qui voudrait fouiller son byah, furent saisis.

57 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti

En amont, ses parrains avaient offert un million A quelques mois d'un début de retrait militaire de dollars pour que le responsable de la commission britannique de Bassora, le contrôle de la contreban- sur l'intégrité publique de Mossoul ferme les yeux ! de est l'un des principaux enjeux de la lutte sanglante Des fonctionnaires irakiens et syriens des ministères que se livrent les milices chiites rivales. Ici, le gros du de l'Intérieur, des Finances et du Pétrole étaient trafic conduit en Iran, que Bagdad accuse de donner complices. Le cas est loin d'être isolé. En 2005, 450 refuge aux contrebandiers. Régulièrement, des gar- de-côtes irakiens, lancés à la poursuite de trafi- employés de l'administration pétrolière furent con- quants, sont attaqués depuis des navires iraniens, gédiés pour avoir tenté de revendre du pétrole hors sans doute de mèche avec les voleurs. d'Ii'ak. « Les gangs pétroliers sont devenus une dangereu- L'État impuissant contre la guérilla se mafia qui menace les responsables de la lutte anti- Pris en tenaille entre la guérilla sunnite et les mi- corrùption >l, affirme Ibrahim Bar al-Ouloum, ex-mi- lices chiites, l'État est impuissant. Il est difficile de sé- nistre du Pétrole. L'ancien député Mishan Jbouri n'a curiser les 7 000 kilomètres d'oléoducs. Il est impos- pas résbté aux offres sonnantes et trébuchantes: le sible de contrôler les 200 000 camions qui sont entrés ministère de la Défense lui avait demandé d'utiliser en Irak via le poste frontière kurde de Zakho en 2005. sa tribu pour sécuriser, entre Kirkouk et Bayji, le pi- « Si la contrebande est devenue un sport national, peline d'exportation vers la Turquie, régulièrement c'est aussi parce que les Irakiens n'ont pas confiance saboté par la guérilla. En échange d'un partage du dans un État qu'ils jugent illégitime >l, estime Yahia butin, le parlementaire sunnite laissa des insurgés, Said, expert pétrolier à la London Economic School. , liés aux trafiquants, infiltrer la police tribale. Aujour- « En raison de l'insécurité, aucune autorité n'est d'hui en fuite, Jbouri est accusé d'avoir dérobé l'équi-, présente à certains postes frontières >l, regrette le rap- valent de plusieurs millions de dollars. port américain, qui préconise la création d'un dépar- À Bassora, « des personnalités politiques influen- tement spécial au ministère de l'Intérieur pour com- tes dirigent ces opérations de contrebande >l, accuse battre le pillage des ressources de l'Irak. Un ministère Salim Hussein, directeur de la société Basra Oil Pro- de l'Intérieur dont dépendent les gardes frontières, ducts. Il est de notoriété publique que Mohammed infiltrés par des milices chiites, elles-mêmes impli- al-Waeli, le gouverneur de la cité méridionale pro- quées dans le trafic. « L'imbroglio donne une idée de che de l'immense champ pétrolier de Rumeila, a ce que pourrait devenir la contrebande de pétrole en partie liée avec les trafiquants. Il appartient au Fadi- cas d'éclatement de l'Irak >l, prévient un diplomate la, le parti chiite qui contrôle le ministère du Pétrole européen. à Ba.gdad. GEORGES~ALBRUNOT La répartition des recettes pétrolières, un enjeu colossal

Déterminante pour gisements pétroliers, exigeaient qu'elle a déjà passés avec des Absent d'Irak depuis 2004, en l'avenir de l'IraK, la loi au contraire que ces ressources compagnies pétrolières étrangè- raison de l'insécurité, Total lor- sur1'exploitation soient gérées par les provinces. res sur ses gisements pour vérifier gne toujours les deux champs pé- des gis~Il!ents pétr~li,ers Les deux groupes ethnico-reli- leur conformité avec la nouvelle troliers de Noomar et Majnoun, pourrait etre exammee gieux au pouvoir à Bagdad pen- loi. Parmi ces compagnies figure au sud du pays. Le groupe fran- bientôt par le Parlement. saient ainsi se donner les moyens la norvégienne DNO. çais avait reçu la promesse de de l'autonomie territoriale. Mais Ces derniers mois, le gouver- Saddam Hussein d'une conces- LES « MAJORS» occidentales en matière pétrolière, les Améri- nement autonome kurde (nord) a sion de ces gisements, estimés sont dans les starting-blocks. Le cains restent attachés à l'unité de entre 20 et 30 milliards de barils. projet de loi sur les conditions l'Irak. en effet signé plusieurs contrats d'exploitation. Mais à Bagdad, Aujourd'hui, Total s'estime enco- d'exploitation des gigantesques Selon l'accord qui se dessine, re bien placée pour les exploiter. réserves pétrolièr.~s i:~kiennes les régions seraient autorisées à Hussein Charistani avait récusé ces accords, les jugeant « illé- À condition, toutefois, que le est en voië de -finalisation. Après négocier des contrats avec des in- gouvernement irakien ne remette gaux >1. Pour J'instant, aucune des des mois d'âpres discussions à vestisseurs étrangers mais le der- pas en question tous les ac- nier mot resterait au gouverne- « majors », les grandes compa- Bagdad, les différents partis poli- gnies pétrolières américaines ou cords datant de l'ère Saddam. Or tiques sont parvenus à s'entendre ment central. Le Conseil national européennes, n'a encore soumis- sur ce point également, le débat sur l'un des aspects les plus de la politique pétrolière aura le sionné sur le marché kurde. Et ce, est vif. Les chiites ne veulent pas controversés d'un texte qui va pOUVOirde rejeter tout contrat malgré les clins d'œil des respon- récompenser ainsi les pays qui se dessiner, en creux, l'avenir insti- proposé pour un gisement. Le sables du Kurdistan. Ainsi, est-ce sont opposés à la guerre qui leur tutionnel de l'Irak: comment ré- premier ministre irakien, Nouri à la demande de Jalal Talabani a permis de se débarrasser de partir la manne pétrolière? àl-Maliki, a « signalé son appro- que celui-ci a rencontré les res- Saddam. Comme le préconise le récent bation » hier du projet de loi, a in- ponsables de Total, le mois der- G.M. rapport américain Baker-Hamil- diqué l'agence Reuters. nier, lors de sa visite officielle en ton, ce~le~~~re..ster~it ?U,ressort France, en tant que président de du gouvernement central, qui re- Pressions kurdes la République. distribuerait les recettes aux ré- Les Kurdes, qui ont reculé sur Les « majors» ont besoin d'un giOllS,au prorata de leur popula- le partage des revenus, ont fait cadre législatif clair avant de re- LE FIGARO tion. Un Conseil national chargé pression sur le mimstre du Pétro- venir opérer en Irak. « Et ce cadre, de la politique pétrolière, présidé le, Hussein Charistani, pour para- c'est le gouvernement central qui 21 décembre 2006 pher les futurs accords pétroliers. par le premier ministre, sera créé. ~eut le fixer >l, souligne un res- Les Kurdes et, à un degré moin- Selon le projet d'accord, la région dre, les chiites, dont les zones de du Kurdistan a cependant arcep- ponsable d'une compagnie euro- population concentrent 85 % des té de réexaminer les contrats péenne.

58 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti ItlRtludc 22 décembre 2006 Pour le démantèlement de l'Irak Assiste-t -on à la fin d'un Etat récent qui de putsch en dictature avait su s'imposer régionalement ? Certains analystes l'affirment

ux petites heures du pour les Etats-Unis. Ceux-ci peuvent soit matin du 22 février, des tenter d'unifier un Etat qui n'a jamais insurgés irakiens - pres- Peter W. Galbraith fonctionné et qui est rejeté par une quecenrninementdessun- grande partie de la population, soit nites liés à Al-Qaida - Conseiller de Massoud Barzani et ancien accepter le fait que l'Etat n'existe plus, et détruisirent le sanctuaire ambassadeur américain en Croatie conclure des accords séparés avec les chiite Al-Askariya de régions sunnite, kurde et chiite du pays. Samarra. Depuis cejour, le sanglant cha- S'ils choisissent la première solution, os irakien est devenu sans conteste une les Etats-Unis devront jouer le rôle de tampon entre sunnites et chiites irakiens, guerre civile. nellement et fonctionnellement indépen- Dans l'après-midi du même jour, les mission qui requerra des troupes beau- dantes du reste de l'Irak. Les six autres coup plus nombreuses qu'aujourd'hui, responsables irakiens se rassemblèrent à provinces sûres se trouvent dans le Sud Bagdad au quartier général du chef kur- durera des années et occasionnera chiite; elles aussi sont gouvernées d'innombrables pertes supplémentaires. de Massoud Barzani, où je séjournais à indépendamment de Bagdad, et l'on y son invitation. Malgré les fortes paroles La seconde solution ouvre une voie de voit les milices chiites appliquer une loi sortie pour les Etats-Unis. Un Irak divisé appelant à l'unité nationale, tous avaient islamique à l'in.nienne sans tenir aucun conscience de ce qui se profilait : la en régions autonomes serait constitué du compte des libertés censément garanties Kurdistan dans le nord du pays, d'une guerre civile. Et ils savaient qu'ils étaient par la Constitution irakienne. impuissants à l'empêcher. région chiite rassemblant les neuf provin- Dans un contexte de guerre civile, une ces chiites du Sud, et enfin d'une région L'explosion de violence qui a débuté stratégie visant à établir un gouverne- ce jour-là a désormais atteint des sunnite comprenant les trois provinces ment d'unité nationale doté qui se trouvent au cœur de l'insurrection proportions ahurissantes. La capitale d'institutions assurant la sécurité irakienne, qui abritait autrefois un actuelle: celles d'Anbar, de Ninive et de nationale, comme la police et l'armée, n'a Salaheddine. Si les limites de la région mélange hétérogène de sunnites et de aucune chance de marcher. Non chiites ainsi que quelques Kurdes, chiite correspondraient sans problème à seulement le gouvernement d'unité celles des provinces qui la constituent, la chrétiens et mandéens [adorateurs de nationale est profondément divisé, mais saint Jean-Baptiste], est aujourd'hui frontière mal définie entre la zone de de surcroît il ne gouverne rien, et surtout peuplement sunnite arabe et la zone nettement divisée en un secteur sunnite pas Bagdad. Policiers et militaires ne à l'ouest et un secteur chiite à l'est. Les kurde se trouverait contestée. sont pas les garants imparti~ux de la La Constitution irakienne prévoit un Kurdes et les minorités non musulmanes sécurité publique, ce sont des combat- partent de plus en plus au Kurdistan, où référendum à la fin de 2007 pour établir tants impliqués dans une guerre civile. définitivement cette limite et décider si la règne une relative sécurité, ou bien Le groupe bipartisan d'étude sur quittent le pays. Pour les millions province de Kirkouk, riche en pétrole, l'Irak, coprésidé par l'ancien secrétaire sera intégrée au Kurdistan ou restera d'autres qui restent, la vie est devenue à d'Etat James Baker et l'ex-représentant dans l'Irak arabe. Bagdad devrait garder la fois difficile et angoissante. démocrate Lee Hamilton, recommande un statut de « région capitale » pour le Dans l'est de Bagdad, dominé par les un retrait programmé de la plus grande pays dans son ensemble, mais elle devra chiites, la sécurité et ce qui tient lieu de partie des troupes américaines avant peut-être être, elle aussi, partagée afin de loi et d'ordre sont assurés par l'Armée du 2008, certains devant rester pour former refléter sa division de facto entre un Mahdi, une milice chiite liée au religieux et appuyer l'armée et la police secteur occidental sunnite et un secteur radical Moqtada Al-Sadr. Dans la partie irakiennes. Ce projet semble procéder de oriental chiite. occidentale de la ville, à majorité sunnite, l'idée que l'armée et la police sont ou peu- S'il est pratiquement sûr que le de nombreux quartiers sont contrôlés vent être des garants neutres de la sécuri- Kurdistan deviendra indépendant dans par Al-Qaida, par des groupes terroristes té publique. En réalité, ce sont avant tout un avenir pas si éloigné, le fait que sunni- qui s'en inspirent, ou par des baasistes. des chiites ou des sunnites, et ils ont tes et chiites irakiens soient animés d'un Les institutions nationales irakiennes choisi leur camp dans la guerre civile. même sentiment national pourrait leur sont une plaisanterie. Le gouvernement Le groupe d'étude recommande égale- permettre de coexister de façon plus ou d'unité nationale tant vanté, dirigé par le ment l'ouverture de pourparlers avec la moins lâche au sein d'un même Etat. De premier ministre Al-Maliki, est en perma- Syrie et l'Iran. Pour l'instant, même s'ils toutes les populations irakiennes, seuls nence au bord de l'implosion. De son y étaient disposés, ni l'un ni l'autre de ces les Arabes sunnites s'opposent à la parti- côté, l'armée irakienne est divisée en pays ne pourrait faire grand-chose pour tion - certains par nostalgie de l'époque bataillons largement homogènes de sun- résoudre la crise irakienne. La guerre où ils dirigeaient le pays, d'autres parce nites, chiites et Kurdes, dont les unités civile irakienne se nourrit d'elle-même, qu'ils rejettent tout ce qui s'est passé refusent de manière régulière d'obéir et, sauf avancée majeure avec la Syrie ou depuis que Saddam Hussein a été chassé aux ordres de la direction civile légale si l'Iran sur des questions qui n'ont rien à du pouvoir. Mais puisque le Kurdistan ces ordres vont à l'encontre des souhaits voir avec l'Irak, aucun de ces deux pays existe déjà et que le Parlement irakien a de leurs chefs religieux ou ethniques. n'a les moyens d'aider les Etats-Unis à voté une loi approuvant la création d'une Au mieux, neuf provinces irakiennes s'extirper du bourbier irakien. région chiite, les sunnites ont le choix sont sûres, et trois d'entre elles sont Reconnaître que l'Irak est plongé dans entre créer leur propre région ou devenir situées au Kurdistan, donc constitution- la guerre civile clarifie les choix possibles un vide politique coincé entre le

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économiques et politiques avec le Kurdistan et le Sud chiite. Kurdistan, qui est, comme la Turquie, En fait, les sunnites auraient sans laïque, non arabe, pro-occidental et doute beaucoup à gagner d'une partition favorable à la démocratie. Un Kurdistan de l'Irak. Dans une région qui leur serait Les voisins arabes indépendant servirait de tampon entre la propre, ils pourraient entretenir une Turquie et un Irak dominé par l'Iran. armée et assurer leur propre sécurité. redoutent qu'un éclatement De fait, l'actuelle guerre civile Les sunnites craignent d'être privés du pays n'établisse irakienne est en train de faire voler en des ressources pétrolières, situées dans éclats un Etat créé par des étrangers qui, le nord et le sud du pays. Or, pour un précédent dangereux durant ses quatre-vingts années faciliter la partition, chiites et Kurdes ont pour leur propre intégrité d'existence, n'a apporté que souffrance d'ores et déjà accepté de garantir aux et misère à la majorité de sa population. sunnites une part proportionnelle des Un des grands atouts d'une éventuelle revenus pétroliers irakiens, et, d'autre partition est qu'elle constitue une part, de larges zones des régions sunni- solution irakienne à un problème tes n'ont pas encore été prospectées. irakien. Et il n'y a aucune raison de Les voisins arabes de l'Irak redoutent penser qu'entériner l'éclatement de qu'un éclatement du pays n'établisse un La Turquie, qui abrite quelque 14 mil- l'Irak aggraverait la situation. Avec un précédent dangereux pour leur propre lions de Kurdes, craint qu'un Kurdistan peu de chance, cela pourrait même intégrité, mais ils pourraient également indépendant ne contrIbue à exacerber le contribuer à faire baisser la violence. III! estimer qu'un Sud chiite irakien sous sentiment séparatiste kurde en Turquie. influence iranienne vaut mieux qu'un Pourtant, jusqu'à présent, le Traduit de l'anglais par Gilles Berton contrôle iranien sur l'ensemble du gouvernement d'Ankara a réagi avec @NewYorkTimesSyndicate territoire. pragmatisme et développé des liens

v.s. bands Iraqis control of Najaf By Marc Santora Major General Kurt Cichowski, who Handoyer in Iraq attended the ceremony, said: "It is a ma- NAJAF, Iraq: More than three years jor step forward in improving security after the initial invasion, and two years With Najaf, Iraqi security forces and strengthening the authority of the after U.S. forces put down a revoIt here have now assumed responsibillty government." by the militia ofMoktada al-Sadr, Najaf for three There was music and chanting and a on Wednesday became the first provinces. karate demonstration. Dozens of new province under American control to be vehic1es, many paid for by the multina- handed over to the Iraqis. It is the third tional forces, were driven around the province in the country to have power stadium, adorned with plastic flowers. transferred. The general public did not attend the Even as a debate continues in Wash- event. ington about what should be done to As soldiers paraded past a grand- help pacify much of the country, espe- stand with top American and Iraqi mil- cially Baghdad, coalition forces say they itary officiaIs, as weIl as dozens of tribal want to turn over aIl provinces in Iraq leaders, a group of commandos with by the end of 2007. there faces blackened gathered for a The transfer means that the Iraqi gov- NowlJndl1r demonstration of their courage. ernment will get control over its 8th lraql COl1trol Each man reached into his right pock- Army Division, which has roughly et, pulled out a frog and bit its head off. 10,000 soldiers. Shiite leaders, who con- They threw the squirming legs to the trol both this province and the national fer ceremony and also used the trip to ground as the leader of the group held government, have been anxious to get meet with Sistani, discussing the prob- aloft a live rabbit. He slit its belly and more operational control over the Iraqi lem of militias. plunged his mouth into the gash. The Army, which the U.S. military has been Briefing reporters after his conversa- carcass was then passed around to the laboring to train. tion, he said he told Sistani of the gov- rest of the soldiers who aIl took a bite. But security in the city of Najaf was emment's "plans to reinstate and inte- It was explained later that this prac- already largely under Iraqi control, as grate the militias and armed groups." tice was especially popular among Sad- American forces, cognizant of the reli- He said Sistani agreed with this goal. dam Hussein's feared Fedayeen militia, gious importance of the area, have "His eminence called for national whose members had done the same steered c1ear after putting down an up- unity and the cohesiveness ofIraqis and thing with live snakes and wolves. rising by the Sadr militia, known as the to rally around the national unit y gov- Mahdi Army. emment," he said. • Abizaid to retire in early '07 As the center ofShiite scholarship and The local authorities closed aIl the the home of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sist- roads in the city before the transfer cere- ani, Najaf has not been plagued with the mony, and while the security situation is General John Abizaid, who com- kind of sectarian violence that is tearing relatively stable here, foreigners still bad mands U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanis- •Baghdad and other major cities apart. to travel escorted by military convoy. tan as head of the Centtal Command, ; But there have been struggles be- Inside a soccer stadium at the heart plans to retire early next year, his com- tween Shiite factions, and residents of this ancient city, the Iraqi Army, the mand said Wednesday, Reuters reported , privately expressed concem that many police, border control officers and the from Washington. The departure of Mahdi Army members were still armed fire brigade paraded for over an hour Abizaid, 55,who bas served in his post and ready to fight if provoked. before a delegation of top American and since July 2003, longer than any previ- Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the Iraqi nation- Iraqi military officiais, attempting to ous commander, could set the stage for al security adviser, attended the trans- display their competence and fealty. strategie changes under review by Bush.

60 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Gzeti Sunnis losing ground in Baghdad At least 10 districts have become almost entirely Shiite By Sabrina Tavernise ily to the better protected Green ~lone starting to lose Sunnis. inOctober. "This is the fault llne now," said the BAGHDAD: As the United States de- Iraqi officiaI, pointing to an area in The debate reaches to the heart of the western Baghdad near Mansour. "It's at bates what to do in Iraq, this country's , U.S. enterprise here. Shiite majority is already moving to- the west of the west." While President George W. Bush is ward its own solution. The general, a Shiite who commands . considering injecting more troops to a brigade in western Baghdad, said he ln a broad power grab in Baghdad help prevent an escalation in sectarian Shiite militias are pushing Sunnis out, blamed Iraqi political leaders, both violence, Many in the Shiite-Ied govern- forcing them to flee to an increasingly Sunni and Shiite, and the militias they ment are saying the Amerieans should embattled territory in the western part commando stay out of that fight. Shiite and Sunni of the city. At least 10 mixed neighbor- "Now we face a new style of splitting militias are at war, they say, and pro- hoods have become almost entirely the neighborhoods," he said. He asked tecting the Sunni side will simply pro- Shiite this year, say residents, local offi- that his name not be used because he long it. ciaIs and U.S. and Iraqi military com- could be killed for talking. "The politi- "If you don't aIlow the minority to manders. cians are doing this." lose, you'Il carry on forever," said a se- It is a fight for control of Baghdad ln the neighborhood of Na'ariya in nior Iraqi officiaI. "It would be painful that Sunni militants were once win- southern Baghdad on Saturday, the lo- ning. For the first two years of the war, at the beginning, but then you'Il have a cal office of Moktada al-Sadr, the radie- historie deal that would aIlow the ma- they forced Shiites out of ncighbor- al Shiite clerie, was arranging for a hoods across the city, systematically jority to rule." Shiite refugee famil}' t? occupy a house killing bakers, barbers and trash col- lectors, jobs often held by Shiites. But in February, after the bombing of the Samarra mosque, Shiite militias struck back, pushing west from eastern strongholds and redrawing the sectari- an map of the capital. Shiites are seizing power broadly. The Shiite-dominated government is demanding more control over the Iraqi security forces, but militias have settled deeply within their ranks and the Sunni public is terrified at the pros- pect. There are plans for a new bridge that would isolate a violent Sunni area in the east and a proposaI for land handouts in towns around Baghdad that would bring Shiites into what are now Sunni strongholds. Sunni political control in Baghdad is aIl but nonexistent: Of the 51members of the Baghdad Provincial Council, whieh runs the city, just one is Sunni. ln Many ways, the changes are a nat- Johan Spanner for e New York Times ural development A Shiite refugee family that fled Baquba after Sunnis kiUed the father, a son and Shiites, a majority of this nation's kidnapped another son. "We are a ship that sank under the ocean," said the mother. population, were locked out of the rul- ing elite under Saddam Hussein and that had just recently been owned ~y a now, after decades of oppression, have The Amerieans do not trust the Iraqi Sunni family who had fled the nelgh- security forces and are institutionaIly borhood after a spate ofkillings. power that matches their numbers. unable to back one side, the officiaI "They told us it's safe here, it's a Sunni Arabs now say that an em- said.- Shiite neighborhood," said Mustafa, boldened militant fringe will conduct They appear to be leaning toward one of the family's sons. "The Mahdi broader killings without being stopped sending more troops. "The Americans Army is protecting the area," he added, by the government, or, some fear, with are very close to making a fatal stra- referring to Sadr's militia. its help. tegie mistake." The family knew about the Sunnis, That could, in turn, draw Sunni ln an army base in northern Baghdad, but had no sympathy. ln July they fled countries into the fight and lead to a an Iraqi Army general moved his hand Baquba, a relentlessly violent town protracted regional war, precisely the across a map of the capital. The city is north of.Baghdad, after Sunni militants outcome that the Americans MOStfear. dividing fast, he said, writing, "Sunni" killed the father (a man in his 70s), kid- The Shiite-dominated government and "Shiite" in graceful Arabie script napped a brother and killed another publicly condemns violence against across each neighborhood. brother as he was returning to their Sunnis and says it is trying to stop the Neighborhoods in the east - MOst house to collect their belongings after militias that carry it out. But the vulnerable to militias from Sadr City, the funeral. cleansing continues unabated and Sun- the largest eastern distriet and one ofits Around 400 Shiite families have fled nis say the government is somehow poorest - have lost much of their Baquba to Na'ariya and nearby Baghdad complicit. minority Sunni populations since Feb- Jedidah in the past few months, said "They say they're against this, but on ruary. Mustafa, citing local officiaIs in Sadr's the ground they do nothing," said Mah- Even the solidly Middle class neigh- office. moud al-Mashhadani, the speaker of borhoods of Zayuna and Ghadier, very "We are a ship that sank under the ParliaItlent. a Sunni,He moved his fam- mixed as little as six months ago, are ocean," said his mother, Aziza, 46, sit-

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ting on a cushion on the floor, her two By Alwan's account, in early Decem- ington, talked with confidence. small daughters hovering nearby. ber, an enraged Shiite neighbor banged The Americans would not be around Besides, Mustafa said, Shiite militias on her door. His brother had just been for much longer, he said, and Iraqis pursue only Sunnis with suspicious af- killed and he demanded, gun in hand, were now thinking strategically. filiations. Pamphlets from Al Q!1eda to see her husband. She refused, and the Using the unlikely analogy of Sad- were found in a house behind the one neighbor threatened her children, who dam draining the marshes in southern they have occupied, he said, and the had gathered near her, hearing the com- Iraq to destroy the marsh Arabs, he family ran away. Shiites from Baquba motion. talked about plans to encircle Baghdad are living there now, he said. "He said, '1 will kill them. They are using a network of rivers, a dam and The Sunni militias, on the other Sunnis. They are my share,''' Alwan re- several highways to choke off supply hand, "are killing anyone who is called. Soon after, they fled with other lines of Sunni militants. Shiite," Aziza said. "My husband was an families to Adel. "He divided it, drained the water and ordinary man." (A relative in a separate An American colonel advising the within two to three years it was a interview said one of Aziza's sons had Iraqi Army unit that controls the area desert," he said. "1believe Baghdad will killed more than 10 Sunnis since com- said Shiites occupied the houses within be like this." ing to Baghdad in the autumn. The fam- 48 hours. Americans counted about 180 Militias are already doing their part families who had fled. The Iraqi general to defend Shiites. ln a Shiite mosque in said it was 50. northern Baghdad, refugees from the Shiite politicalleaders were skeptic- embattled northern village of Sabaa al- 'The Amerieans are very al. "These are lies," said Hadi al-Ameri, Bour, many of them women in black elose to making a fatal head of the security committee in Par- abayas, gathered in October asking for liament and a member of the Badr Or- food and shelter. Killings of Shiites in strategie mistake.' ganization, the armed wing of one of the town had enraged leaders in Bagh- . Iraq's most powerful Shiite parties. "It's dad, and Hazim al~Aaraji, the religious merely propaganda to create fears leader in the mosque, had provided aid. ily deniecl any involvement in militias.) among Arabs," a reference to Sunni But weeks had dragged on, and one' But the fighting devours ordinary men, Arab countries. morning in October, a volunteer walked regardless of sect. The main problem, Ameri said, was through the refugees telling them to go A Sunni man named Bassim, his Sunni insurgents and their suicide backhome. Shiite wife and their three children, 1to bombs. He talked with an intensity that The Mahdi Army was there now, she 3 years old, said Shiites forced them to spoke of deep scars inflicted by the past said. The town was now safe for leave their home in Hurriya, west of the regime. Shiites. Tigris, one afternoon this month. "They want to go back to the old Shiites are also making inroads on Bassim left his jobs - as a butcher in equation, when they were the officers the local and federallevels. Shuala, a neighborhood now militantly and the Shia were just soldiers and Baghdad's municipal government is Shiite, and as a hospital c1eaner in an- slaves," Amari said, referring to the taking bids for designs of a bridge that , other Shiite area - because it was dan- Sunni elite under Saddam Hussein. would connect Greyat with Khadamiya, gerous to be a Sunni in those areas. "This will never happen again. They two major Shiite areas in northern He has stayed home since September, should believe in the new equation." Baghdad on opposite sides of the Tigris said his wife, Zahra Kareem Alwan. 1t Iraqi cellphone rings are also an indi- River. Adhamiya, a Sunni area where had become too dangerous to go out. cation of the Shiite mood. A popular the bridge is now, would be bypassed al- "My husband is a Sunni, but he has one in northeast Baghdad plays a tune together. nothing to do with insurgents," she said, with the words: "If you can't beat me, "The former regime refused to make holding her sobbing daughter on her don't fight me." the connection because it would hip in a school in Al Adel, a Sunni Ameri, a Shiite politician who works strengthen the Shia," said Naem al- neighborhood in western Baghdad closely with Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one Kaabi, a deputy mayor of Baghdad. where the families took temporary of Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders refuge early this month. who met with Bush last month in Wash- Qais Mizher contributed reporting.

Newsweek. DEC. 25, 2006/JAN. 1, 2007 The Syria Gambit Does the regirne ofBashar al-Assad hold the key to America's problerns in the Middle East? Sorne in Washington like to think so, but they are probably wrong.

As its enemies cower, the Syrian regime BY CHRISTOPHER DICKEY crows-even as it denies responsibility for OLED UP lN THE GRAND those memories now seem as old and frag- the murders. "Our relations with Lebanon Serail, the center of govem- ile as shards of Phoenician glass. One by will be stronger than when we had our ment in the heart of Beirut one, brutally and spectacularly, Syria's Army in that country;' Syrian Vice Presi- five surviving members of high-profile opponents in Lebanon have dent Farouk al-Sharaa boasted in the Arab Lebanon's cabinet have been been eliminated. The most recent: Indus- press earlier this month. "Syria is on a roll;' H try Minister Pierre Gemayel, the son of a concedes Jonathan Paris, a fellow at Wash- living in fear. Just last year they were lead- ers of a mass movement that forced Syrian former president, gunned down in No- ington's Hudson Institute and a frequent troops out of the country and seemed to vember. Since then, no minister has been critic ofDamascus. "As in the '90s, Syria is ~pen the way for a thriving democracy. But sure if, or when, he'lI be next. seen as the indispensable player."

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President George W. Bush, let it be said, is not convinced. Put aside for a mo- among the Shiite religious ment the poor Lebanese. The Syrians parties fighting the Sunnis themselves "deserve a government whose in an increasingly vicious legitimacy is grounded in the consent of civil war. "America has two the people, not brute force;' a White different options;' says Syri- House statement declared last week. Bush an author and political ana- called for a regime in Damascus "that Iyst Sami Moubayed. "Ei- ther they deal with Syria, fights corruption, respects the rule of law, while excluding Iran, or guarantees the rights of ail Syrians and vice versa. Dealing with works toward achieving peace in the re- " both is impossible and deal- gion:' The coterie around Syrian President ing with neither is also im- Bashar al-Assad wouldn't qualifYon a sin- possible." gle count. ln fact, the hope of sorne But the Iraq Study Group's recommen- analysts in Washington and dations for new strategic approaches to the Tel Aviv is that Syria even- Middle East put dialogue with Damascus tually can be pressured and near the top of the list, aqd a parade ofU.S. persuaded to play a less dis- senators, including Democrat John Kerry ruptive role. An analogy and Republican ArIen Specter, already is on might be Libya, which re- the way to Assad's palace for grips and nounced terror, gave up grins. Such is the growing international weapons prograrns and consternation about the Iraq debacle's im- made its peace with the pact that any force for regional stability, West in 2003. But the years even a regime run likeAl Capone's Chicago, ofboycotts and internation- is likely to be asked for help. Syria, it is be- al isolation that finally lieved, could help calm Iraq by closing its forced Libyan leader borders to insurgents who frequently come dictable as it is complex. But can it work? Muammar Kaddafi to come around were and go with impunity. IfLebanon is not to The Iraq Study Group hinges its rec- imposed only after criminal investigations descend into civilwar, Syria'scooperation is ommendation on one key judgment: "No nailed members of the Libyan regime for critical. Ditto for the occupied territories. country in the region will benefit in the blowing up an airliner over Lockerbie, There's even hope that Damascus can be se- long term from a chaotic Iraq:' Yet as Scotland. Then the workings of a special duced away from Iran, countering its hege- Jonathan Paris points out, Syria thrives on tribunal were key to convicting at least one monic ambitions in the greater Middle the level of unrest that exists right now. "If of culprits and forced the Kaddafi govern- East. "Syria is a key partner;' says Syrian you were Bashar, the one thing you would ment to assume sorne of the responsibility. political scientist Marwan Kabalan, "in ail be afraid ofis regional stability," says Paris, The only hope of marshaling the same these regional issues:' "because then Syria's 19 million people kind of pressure on Syria is to nai! the Assad ln fact, "key spoiler" would be a more would ask why they are ruled by this clique regime in a United Nations-backed tribunal :~~~~~~~~::~~K~~:::;"If the Bush administration fails to engage 'III ~~~e:~~~eir~~~:~;:d Syria, it will continue to sink in a quagmire. '7 regime can't fully control any of those threats, but it can make ail of of 15 or so who run the country like it is investigating the Valentine's Day massacre them worse. Syria's foreign policy is essen- their own bank." of ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri and by- tially a protection racket. To prevent harm, Meanwhile, Assad's supposed tools- standers in Beirut last year, and the other you pay it off. ln a none-too-veiled threat, the Sunni radicals of Hamas and the Shiite high-profile killings since. That's what the an editorial in the government-controlled revolutionaries of Hizbullah-have links five Lebanese ministers in the Grand Serail daily Al Baath wamed last week that if the to Islamist groups that might someday are holding out for. And that is precisely Bush administration fails to engage Syria, threaten the Assad regime directly. (It's why they've been put under siege by Hizbul- "it will continue to wallow and sink in the still a capital crime to be a member of the lah and other Syrian allies trying to destroy quagmire and the situation in the region Muslim Brotherhood, which nearly over- altogether the government of Prime Minis- and the world will continue to be subject- threw the Syrian regime in the early 1980s. ter Fuad Siniora. "Political assassination is ed to upheavals and instability:' Yet Hamas is nothing more or less than the very, very common in Lebanon;' says Ah- The price of protection can be money, Palestinian branch of ,the Brotherhood.) mad Fatfat, one of the ministers in the dialogue and, especially, respect-which Despite an alliance with the mullahs in Serail. "We need the tribunal to stop this. If lends the dictatorship legitimacy. Iran that goes back more than a quarter we cannot succeed in this project, it is im- Lebanese opponents of Syria fear their century, Syria's secular regime and Assad's possible to preserve our democracy:' freedom could be part of the bargain, too. minority Alawite sect, seen as heretical by Indeed, if they cannot succeed, it may And the Israelis see the Iraq Study Group many Islamic fundamentalists, simply do be impossible to preserve the shreds of ready to put the future of the Golan not have the same interests as Tehran's. the Bush administration's policies in the Heights on the table. If a dialogue ln Iraq, for instance, Damascus is Middle East. But the Assad regime, so with Washington finally does begin, the linked mainly to ex-Baathist and Sunni good at spoiling, so good at surviving, is wheeling and dealing could be as unpre- tribal leaders, while Iran's strength is likely to go on. •

63 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Gzeti Iran's influence spreading to Afghanistan

Dy David Rohde j ISLAM QALA, Afghanistan Two years ago, foreign engineers built a new highway through the desert of western Afghanistan, past this ancient trading post and on to the outside world. Nearby, they strung a high-voltage power line and laid a fiber-optic cable, marked with red posts, that provides telephone and Internet access to the region. The modernization comes with a message. Every 8 to 16 kilometers, or 5 to 10 miles, road signs offer quotations from the Koran. "Forgive us, God," de- Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times c1ares one. "God is c1ear to everyone," says another. A graceful mosque rises A sign inscribed "God is great" posted on a highway in Afghanista!l built by Iran: roadside, with a green glass dome and ¥ • 1f, Koranic inscriptions in blue tile. The style is unmistakably Iranian. AlI of this is fruit ofIran's drive to be- come a bigger player in Afghanistan, as it exploits new opportunities to spread its influence and ideas farther across the Middle East. The rise of Hezbollah, with Iran's support, has demonstrated the extent of Tehran's sway in Lebanon, and the

1 American toppling of Saddam Hussein has allowed it to expand its influence in Iraq. Iran has been making inroads into Afghanistan, as weIL During the tumultuous 1980s and 1990s, Iran shipped money and arms to Afghan subcontractors building a school as part of the reconstruction effort in Herat, near groups fighting first the Soviet occupa- tion and later the Taliban government. a Iibrary built by Iran. But since the United States and its allies Shiite leaders in Afghanistan say the Iranians about Iraq, the Bush admin- ousted the Taliban in 2001, Iran has Tehran is funneling money to conser- istration has adopted a posture of un- taken advantage of the central govern- /vative Shiite religious schools and easy détente over Afghanistan. Ameri- ment's weakness to pursue a more nu- former wa,rlords with longstanding ties can officiais say that they are watching anced strategy: part reconstruction, to Iranian intelligence agencies. c1osely,and no evidence has emerged of part education and part propaganda. And as the dispute over Iran's nuc1ear recent arms shipments to Iranian prox- Iran has distributed its largess, more program has escalated, leading the ies, as it did in Iraq, or of other efforts to than $200 million in aIl, mostly here in United Nations Security Council to im- destabilize the country. Iran's Shiite the west but also in the capital, . It pose sanctions on Iran on Saturday, Ira- leaders appear to be maintaining their has set up border posts against the nian intelligence activity has increased historie opposition to the Sunni heroin trade, and next year will begin across Afghanistan, Ameriean and Taliban, who consider Shiites hereties. work on new road and construction Afghan officiaIs say. This has inc1uded Iran, they also say,is failing to gain pop- projects and a rail line linking the not just surveillance and information ular support among Afghans, 80 per- countries. ln Kabul, its projects inc1ude collection but the recruitment of a net- cent of whom are Sunni Muslims. a new medical center and a water test- work of pro-Iranian operatives who Of far greater concern, according to ing laboratory. could attack Ameriean targets in Af- Ameriean, European and Afghan offi- Iran's ambassador, Muhammad Reza ghanistan. Last week, in London, British ciais, is Pakistan, America's ostensible Bahrami, portrayed his government's officiais charged the interpreter for ally against terrorism. They say the activities as neighborly good works, NATO's commanding general in Af- Pakistanis have allowed the Taliban to with a certain self-interest. Iran, he ghanistan with passing secrets to Iran. create a virtual ministate and staging said, is eager to avoid repeating the Discerning Iranian motives, however, base for suicide attacks just across Af- calamities of the last 20 years, when is notoriously difficult. Government ghanistan's eastern border. Suicide at- two million Afghan refugees streamed factions often have competing agendas. tacks have quintupled, to 115thfs yea~ over the border. Even so, the question of Iran's inten- from 23 in 2005, killing more than 200 "Our strategy in Afghanistan is based tions in Afghanistan has come under a Afghan civilians. on security, stability and developing a microscope in recent weeks amid de- Western diplomats say that, at the strong central government," he said. "It . bate in Washington over whether to very least, Iran's goals in Afghanistan not only benefits the Afghan people, it's deal with Tehran as part of a possible are to hasten the withdrawal of Ameri- in our national interest." solution in Iraq. Some Ameriean offi- can troops, prevent the Taliban from re- Still, there are indications of other ciais suggest that Iran's seeming co- gaining power and keep the Afghan motives. Iranian radio stations ale operation in Afghanistan may be some- west firmly under Tehran's sway. broadcasting anti-American propa- thing of a model for Iraq. "Keep this area stable, but make it ganda into Afghanistan. Moderate So far, even as it declines to talk with friendly ~or them," said a senior Euro-

64 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti

a nonindustrialized country, according or its Afghan proxies. Behind every sus- pean diplomat in western Afghanistan. to James Dobbins, the senior Ameriean picious event in the Afghan west, they "Make it difficult for outsiders to oper- envoy to Afghanistan at the time. contend, lies an Iranian hand. ate here." A week later, President George W. Such accounts are clearly exagger- Afghanistan, analysts say, is one ex- Bush situated Iran on the "axis of evil." ated. Still, Western and Afghan officiaIs ample of the way Iran is increasingly But even as they assailed that character- say that, beyond its much-trumpeted re- spending its oil money in a variety of ization, Dobbins said, Iranian officiaIs construction program, Iran is aiso enga- countries to realize its self-image as an privately offered to. t~ain ¥gha!l sol- ging in a range of activities it is less ascendaJ;lt regional power. diers. The Bush admmistratIon reJected eager to publicize. One Western officiaI said that by fo- theoffer. Qari Ahmad Ali, a Shiite commander cusing on high-profile const.ruction Today, the $4.5 billion. American once backed by Iran, said that since projects, diplomacy and publIc rela- training and reconstructIon effort 2001, his former patrons had funneled dwarfs Iran's. But while the United millions of dollars to Shiite schoois and States has built schooIs, government charities in western Afghanistan. He buildings, roads and clinies, a 2005 gov- said the Sadaqia Madrasa, one of the 'l'm not saying Iran is ernment audit found that recqnstruc- Iargest Shiite religious schoois in Herat, gaining power ail over tion had been siowed by inconsistent fi- was at the center of an effort to spread nancing, staff shortages and poor Shiite fundamentalism. the world. l'm saying the oversight. Amid th~ Taliban resur~en~e "Iran does not have military activi- and public perception of corruptIon ID ties," Ali said. "They have politieai and U.S. is losing it fast.' the government. o~ President Hami~ social activities." Karzai, recent opmIOn polIs show OptI- A senior Afghan intelligence officiaI mism declining across the country. said that Radio Mashhad, a state-run tions, Iran was, in effect, employing Iranian officiaIs said they had fo- station in northeastern Iran's Iargest Ameriean Cold War tacties to increase cused on roads and power as a quiek city, broadcast anti-Ameriean messages its soft power in the region. way to strengthen Afghanistan's econo- over the border. ln Iraq, that means not just financing my. A major project has involved ,,!p- "Iran is providing a lot of assistance an array of Shiite politieal parties a~d grading roads linking Afghanistan wIth for religious and cultural activities in Af- militias; the Iranian ambassador m the Iranian port of Chabahar, on the ghanistan," said the officiaI, who spoke Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, said Gulf of Oman. on condition of anonymity because of Tehran was already providing power ln many ways, Muhammad Reza the secret nature ofhis work. "That is the and planned to build three hospital~ Dabbaghi, an engineer, embodies Iran's easy way to build influence." and set up a $1billion loan fund for Iraqi new approach in Afghanistan. Dab- Moderate Shiites agreed. "We worry businesses. Similarly, Iran gave Hezbol- baghi is the top executh:e here for !he about the situation," said Abbas Noyan, lah not just weapons and training but Iranian company that bUllt the 1l3-kIlo- a Shiite member of Parliament. "Right money for roads, schools and social ser- meter highway through the desert to now, the Iranians have a strong hand." vices that made it the de facto govern- Iran two years ago, is paving much of ln interviews, three Shiite officiaIs ment in south Lebanon. Iran has a small the northwestern city of Herat and said new religious schoois were being but growing presence in Syria, too. built with Iranian money. They also hopes to build the new railway, aIl with lranian officiaIs cast themselves as a said that more Afghans were celebrat- Iranian financing. counterweight to the United States, ing formerly obscure Shiite holidays. which they say has mishandled opportu- Dabbaghi said his company was t.ry- Western diplomats said lran's influ- nities to stabilize Afghanistan and Iraq. ing to work in neighboring countnes, ence waned two years ago, after the but he complained that the United States "U.S. policies, partieularly under the United States doubled aid to Afghanistan current administration, have created a was spreading "mass propag~nda," l?b- and removed Ismail Khan, the governor bying governments not to hue Iraman huge amount of resentment around the of Herat and a powerfui Iranian-backed companies, especially in Afgha~istan. world," said a senior Iranian officiaI, warlord who dominated the west. ln Kabul, Ameriean contracfors, ad- who requested anonymity because he Since then, though, Ameriean troops visers and aid projects clearly dominate was not authorized to comment pub- have turned responsibility for Herat licly. ''l'm not saying Iran is gaining the city, but Iran is there, too. l!l addi- over to the Italians, and this year, the tion to a handful of Iranian advIsers at power aIl over the world. l'm saying the United States cut aid to Afghanistan by U.S. is losing it fast." government ministries, Iranian experts 30 percent. Iran, meanwhile, has kept have trained more than 1,200 Afghan Afghanistan, a fragile mosaie of eth- its aid money flowing steadily and con- teachers, Jibrarians and diplomats. tinued to back its proxies in the region, Last year, the Iranian Em?assy open~ nie and religious groups, has long been according to a Western diplomat. the Iranian Corner, a room m Kabul Um- ln February, Herat experi~nced its susceptible to intervention from more versity's main library filled with com- powerful neighbors. As the world's first religious violence in decades. Six puters, books and magazines from Iran, people were killed as Sunnis and largest predominantly Shiite country, promoting Iran's ancient culture and Iran is the traditional foreign backer of Shiites staged gun battles on city modern achievements. Librarians say it streets, according to religious leaders. Afghanistan's Shiites, roughly 20 per- is more popular than the adjoining cent of the country's population. Some local officiaIs blamed Khan's United States Embassy-sponsored protégé for fomenting the violence. During the anti-Soviet jihad of the American Corner, primarily because it 1980s, Iranian Revolutionary Guards fi- Others attributed it to rising grass-roots has a better Internet connection. Sunni-Shiite tensions. nanced and trained fundamentalist Afghanistan's economic reliance on Shiite militias, as weIl as Sunni fighters. ln Kabul, though, Afghan government Iran has increased in another way, as officiaIs, desperate for aid, say they have ln the civil war after the Russian with- Taliban attacks have slowed the econo- drawai in 1989,Iran was a patron of the decided to trust Iran's intentions. my. Each morning: hundreds of Afgh~n "History may prove that overly opti- Northern Alliance, while Pakistan sup- men line up outsIde the Irama!l mIS- ported the ultimately victorious Taliban. mistie," said Jawed Ludin, Karzai's chief sions in Herat and Kabul for VIsas to of staff. "But it is in our interests today When the Taliban were ousted in work in Iran. Iranian officiaIs said they 2001,Iran promised to help stabilize Af- to trust our Iranian neighbors and ex. expected to issue up to 450,000 visas to pect the same in return." . ghanistan. ln Germany that Decemb~r, Afghans this year, nearly twiee the it was Iranian diplomats who stepped m 250,000 issued in 2005. Alan Cowell contributed reportingfrom to save foundering talks to form a new ln the murky world of western Af- Afghan government, persuading the . London, Michael Moss from Baghdad and ghanistan, centuries of Iranian influ- Michael Slackmanfrom Damascus. Northern Alliance to accept the agree- ence have left many local people with a ment. Soon after, Iran pledged $560 mil- perception of Iran as all-powerful lion in aid and loans to Afghanistan nemesis. Many said their lives would be over five years, a "startling" amount for in danger if they publicly criticized Iran ------:6-::5 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti ln Kurdish custody, TURKEY with no trial in sight Prison population includes insurgent s, but legal system fails to sort out fates By c.}. Chivers The Kurdish government that holds the prisoners says they are dangerous, SULAIMANIYA, Iraq: The inmates and points out that the population in- began their strike with an angry call. cludes men who have undertaken ter- '~lahu akbar!" - God is great - they rorist or guerrilla training in Iraq or Af- shouted, 120voices joining in a cadence ghanistan. But it also concedes to being punctuated by whoops. stymied, with a small budget, limited They thrust their arms between the prison space and little legal precedent metal bars and ripped away the cur- to look back on. Many of the detained men exude tains and plastic sheets covering the "We have not had trials for them," menace. But others claim innocence. windows facing the prison courtyard. said Brigadier Sarkawt Hassan Jalal, the And Kurdish officiaIs say they have a Their squinting faces were exposed to director of security in the Sulaimaniya limited capacity to disentangle the light. region. "We have no counterterrorism groups. Their Kurdish guards gathered, ready law, and any law we would pass would Brigadier Hassan Nouri, the Kurdish to control a prison break. security officiaI responsible for the There was no break. The inmates not affect them because it would not be prisons in northeastern Iraq, said the were able only to shove their bunks retroactive." detainees' status resembles that of the against the doors and barricade them- The problems reach back to before American-held detainees in selves in their cells. They settled into a the American-Ied invasion, when Guantânamo Bay. "We cannot let them day of issuing complaints. northern Iraq was a Kurdish enclave out go, and we will hold them as long as we They were not allowed the Koran, of Saddam Hussein's control. have to," he said. they said. Their rations were meager At the time, the Kurds in northeast- The size of the detainee population is and often moldy. Sometimes the guards ern Iraq were fighting Ansar al-Islam. a unclear. ln this prison run by the local beat them, they said, and several in- small insurgent and terrorist group that security service on a Kurdish military mates had disappeared. The entire in- seized control of a slice of territory base at Sulaimaniya's outskirts, 120ac- mate population had either been denied along the Iranian border in 2002. cused insurgents are held. trials or had been held beyond the terms The Kurds captured several prisoners Hania Mufti, a researcher for Human of their sentences, they said, lost in le- and suspected insurgents, but had no Rights Watch who has investigated the gallimbo in the Kurdish-controlled re- clear idea what to do with them, other prison conditions and the absence of gion ofIraq. than to hold them in cells. due process for the inmates, said that The prison strike here, on Dec. 4, Several weeks after the war started in about 2,500 people were being held by ended when the local authorities agreed 2003, an attack by American special the security services of the two ruling to transfer three unpopular guards and forces and Kurdish fighters pushed An- Kurdish parties. She estimated that to allow copies of the Koran in the cells. sar al-Islam off Kurdish turf. But the two-thirds of them had been accused of But it exposed an intractable problem border with Iran had not been sealed participating in the insurgency. that has accompanied Kurdish coopera- before the attack. Mufti said she has encouraged Kurd- tion with the United States in Iraq. Most of the insurgents escaped. ish politicalleaders to set up an inde- The Kurdish prison population has ln the years since, Ansar al-Islam's ideological war has spread throughout pendent commission to review each of swelled to include at least several hun- the cases of the accused insurgents. dred suspected insurgents, and yet Sunni Arab regions of Iraq, becoming a rar more dangerous insurgency. Kurd- "We're not saying, 'throw open the there is no legal system to sort out their doors of the prisons,'" she said, but fates. So the inmates wait, a population ish jails have swelled with people ac- cused of participating in it. rather are suggesting that the Kurds for which there is no plan. create a means to examine the merits of

#»-; ~ ""4~~f,;;;,,[:/" / " ,y "~ "~;?'tf%T4';,di Christoph Bangert for The ew ork Times The Sulaimaniya prison, where as many as 30 inmates live in a cell about six meters by seven meters large and share a toilet.

66 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basln Gzeti

each man's detention, and to determine The detainees themselves blame the in Al Qaeda," he said. why and whether each of them should Kurds. As the disruption began, one in- He was an Islamic cleric, he said, and be held and for how long, and under mate who had been outside the cells to his brother was an insurgent. what conditions. meet a family member was swiftly He said he did not know the reasons Kurdish officiaIs have not yet de- pushed into a guard bunkroom and left for his Incarceration. "The people who veloped such a policy; the detainees are with two journalists. are here don't know why they are here," essentially warehoused. The strike in The man, Yunis Ahmad, of Kirkuk, he said. early December exposed the strains the said he had been held two years without The International Committee for the unresolved status had placed on the being charged. He was briefIy detained, Red Cross has an office in Sulaiman- Kurdish government and the inmates he said, by the American military, and iya. alike. then turned over to the Kurds. !ts head of mission declined to com- The four visible cells here, spaces of Behind him on the wall of the guards' ment about the prisoners' allegations, about six meters by seven meters, or 20 room hung two pieces of heavy electric other than to say that the organization feet by 24 feet, each were packed with 30 cable, a common tool for beatings. visits the prison and the inmates and is men. The men shared a toilet on the Ahmad said that the Americans had in contact with the Kurdish authorities. fIoor outside the cells, in a hall. The The V.S.military said it was also not group seethed. One inmate shouted at treated him decently, :'';lterviewing him directIy involved in these jails. "We just two journalists through the bars, "Stop politely and giving him fLod and juice. don't have that role in the Kurdish legal your hatred toward Islam! Otherwise But since being in Kurdish C11Stody,.he system," said Major Derrick Cheng, a we will kill you!" said, he had been tortured, ir.::-ludil'lg spokesman for the 3rd Brigade, 2Sth In- Speaking from a law enforcement having a bed placed on him and then be- fantry Division. perspective, Jalal said the close quarters ing nearly crushed with weights and "We have security overwatch in the and evident anger had made many of having his arms almost pulled from his area, but we don't have an Immediate or the inmates more radical, and that the shoulder sockets by the guards. direct role in the prisons." prison serves as an insurgents' nest. "1 promise you, if they pulled your arms like that, you will confess to being

~t1Ronat Ahmadinejad 26 DÉCEMBRE 2006

vote unanime des premières sanctions • contre l'Iran depuis que les activités nucléaires clandestines de ce pays ont auxOccidentaux • été révélées, en 2002, après avoir été tenues secrètes pendant dix-huit ans, a un parfum de victoire p'Jur les Occiden- taux. En dépit de quatre mois de négocia- «L'Iran est un tions tendues, jusqu'au bout, en effet, une abstention russe était à craindre. De fait, la résolution 1737 est le fruit d'un difficile compromis, et les sanc- tions ont été édulcorées à la demande de pays nucléaire» Moscou. Elles consistent pour l'essentiel en un embargo sur les matériaux et les technologies «sensibles» qui pour- Ur:aniUUl enrichi Sourd aux sanctions de l'ONU, raient, bien que l'Iran nie vouloir se doter de l'arme nucléaire, aider Téhéran Téhéran va installer 3000 centrifugeuses à Natanz à y parvenir. Les avoirs de vingt-deux personnes et organismes liés au pro- éhéran persiste et signe: il ne Ahmadinejad, qualifiant la résolution de gramme nucléaire iranien sont égale- reviendra pas sur son programme l'ONU de « morceau depapier déchiré», a ment en partie gelés. nucléaire. Au lendemain de l'adop- T affirmé pour sa part: « Que l'Occident le Si l'Iran cesse ses activités controver- tion à l'unanimité au Conseil de sécurité veuille ou non, l'Iran est un pays nucléaire, sées, les sanctions seront suspendues. des Nations unies, samedi 23 décembre, et il est de son intérêt de vivre aux côtés de Si, dans soixante jours, l'AlEA constate d'une résolution fixant des sanctions à l'Iran nucléaire c...). Les signataires de la le contraire, de nouvelles sanctions son encontre, le régime iranien a défié résolution vont bientôt regretter leur action seront étudiées. l'ONU en annonçant, dimanche, une superficielle et triviale. » Quel sera l'impact de cette résolution accélération de ses activités d'enrichisse- Le Parlement iranien a lancé, diman- au pouvoir limité? Le ministre français ment d'uranium. che, une procédure d'urgence pour voter des affaires étrangères, Philippe Douste- « Notre réponse immédiate à la résolu- une loi obligeant le gouvernement à révi- Blazy, a appelé les autorités iraniennes à tion du Conseil de sécurité est que dès ser sa coopération avec l'Agence interna- coopérer pour rompre leur «isole- aujourd'hui nous allons commencer nos , tionale de l'énergie atomique (AlEA).Plu- ment» : « Il est grand temps pour l'Iran, a activités pour installer 3 000 centrifugeu- sieurs députés ont pris la parole pour dit le ministre, de revenir à la raison. » ses sur le site de Natanz, et nous irons de demander que l'Iran quitte le traité de Les Etats-Unis, qui militaient pour un l'avant à toute vitesse », a déclaré Ali Lari- non-prolifération (TNP) et expulse immé- texte plus sévère, envisagent, de leur djani, négociateur en chef iranien, au diatement les inspecteurs de l'AlEA pré- côté, des mesures financières plus journal conservateur Kayhan. sents sur son territoire. contraignantes. !!Il Le président iranien, Mahmoud En dépit des réactions iraniennes, le

67 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Dzeti

fellilmoe 28 décembre 2006 ki,a plusieurbfoisPlurnis« uneexé CZZtivllavant lajin de l'année ». Leprocès en cours pour« géno- La justice irakienne ordonne que l'ancien cide contre les Kurdes » dans la campagne militaire d'Anfal, en président Sadd am Hussein soit pendu 1987-1988, se poursuivra. Nul ~ ~ doute, cependant, que les argu- , e processus qui conduira l'an- ments à charge contre Saddam cien maître de l'Irak au gibet Hussein tomberont d'eux-mêmes lj semblt: désormais inélucta- dès lors que l'ancien président ble. Mardi 26 décembre, au terme aura été exécuté. d'une journée particulièrement Ladécision de la cour, dénoncée sanglante à Bagdad, la cour d'ap- par de nombreuses organisations pel a confirmé la sentence du Haut de protection des droits de l'hom- Tribunal pénal irakien condam- me,a été saluée par la Maison Blan- nant Saddam Hussein à la mort che, qui y a vu « une journée [qui] par pendaison pour son implica- fera date dans les efforts des Irakiens tion dans la tuerie de 148 chiites pour remplacer la loi du tyran par l'Etat de droit ». Hasard du calen- du village de Doujail, en 1982. drier, la nouvelle est survenue le Ladécision doit encore être vali- jour où le nombre des Américains dée par la signature du président morts en Irak dépassait celui des irakien,le KurdeJalalTalabani, ain- victimesdes attentats du 11septem- si que par celledes demcvice-prési- bre2003. dents du pays. Mais il ne s'agit là, Au même moment, au sud de selon certains juristes, que d'une l'Irak, les troupes britanniques ont simple formalité. lancé une vaste offensivedont l'ob- Selon la Constitution irakienne, jectif est de « nettoyer» la provin- la sentence doit être appliquée ce de ses éléments les plus crimi- dans un délai de trente jours sui- nels afin de pouvoir transférer, d'ici vant la décision de la cour d'appel. avril,l'essentieldes tâches sécuritai- Le premier ministre, Nouri AI-Mali- res aux institutions locales. ii

feE.nie A Bassora, les Britanniques s'attaquent à la police, 28 décembre 2006 infiltrée par les milices

L'OPÉRATION militaire lancée à Basso- sariats de police de cette ville de plus de nats et des menaces, leur proportion est ra dans la nuit de Noël par plusieurs cen- 1,2million d'habitants -l'armée britan- passée d'environ 30 % à moins de 15%. taines de soldats britanniques, accompa- nique avait découvert dans un sous-sol Dans la province de Bassora, où les gnés d'autant de troupiers irakiens, a sus- 127détenus dans un état lamentable. pouvoirs locaux sont exercés par les par- cité la colère des chefs de la police locale. Beaucoup avaient eu les mains et les tis chiites fondamentalistes qui ont rem- pieds écrasés sous la torture, le dos L'offensive, au cours de laquelle sept Ira- porté les élections de janvier 2005, ce constellé de brûlures de cigarettes. kiens, civils et policiers, ont été tués et le sont les milices, affiliées ou non à des Prisonniers de droit commun et « poli- commissariat du quartier de Jarniat rasé partis, qui tiennent le haut du pavé, tiques» - c'est-à-dire, pour l'essentiel, à l'explosif, « était illégale et violait les siphonnent le pétrole des pipelirIes et de confession sunnite - cohabitaient droits de l'homme », a commenté, mardi s'affrontent régulièrement à coups de dans un cloaque officiellement à la char- 26 décembre, le général Mohanuned mortier pour le contrôle de la plus riche Hammadi, chef de la police de la province ge de « l'Unité de police des crimes province pétrolière d'Irak. sérieux». Selon un porte-parole de l'ar- de Bassora. Son second, le général Ali L'offensive britannique de Noël à Bas- Ibrahim, a précisé que le commandement mée britannique, « plusieurs d'entre eux sora s'inscrit cependant dans une opéra- de la police n'avait« pas été prévenu ». devaient être purement et simplement exé- tion plus large, dénommée « Sinbad », Si cette information était authentique, cutés incessamment et c'est pourquoi nous lancée le 28 septembre. Pour Londres, elle confirmerait ce que chacun sait dans sommes intervenus ». l'objectif est de « nettoyer» la province le sud de l'Irak, à savoir que les 7 200 sol- de ses éléments les plus criminels afin de dats britanniques ne font plus confiance Exode des sunnites transférer aux institutions locales, d'ici à aux institutions qu'ils ont eux-mêmes Cen'est pas la première foisque les trou- avril, l'essentiel des tâches sécuritaires. contribué à mettre en place dans la pes étrangères découvrent des prisonniers « Si tout va bien, a expliqué Gordon seconde ville d'Irak, y compris la police. torturés dans les sous-solset les arrière- Brown, ministre qui doit succéder à De fait, un porte-parole du ministère cours des commissariats de police,voire du Tony Blair en 2007, nous pourrons envisa- de la défense expliquait, le 27 septembre ministère de l'intérieur à Bagdad. Ces prati- ger de retirer une partie de nos troupes - » fIII à Londres, combien « la police de Basso- qllescontribuent largement à l'exode.A des milliers - dès l'an prochain. ra [était] désormais infiltrée par les mili- Bassora,la minorité sunnite, qui représen- PATRICE CLAUDE ces chiites de même que par des gangs cri- tait 3 % à 4 % de la population, a diminué minels ». Lundi, avant de faire sauter le de plus de moitié. Demême dans les peti- bâtiment de Jamiat -l'un des 17commis- tesvillesalentour où, à la suite des assassi-

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L'ex-dictateur avait accueilli la sentence, le 5 novembre dernier, en criant à la cour « Dieu est plus grand que l'occupant».'

Selon la loi irakienne, aucune autorité ne peut user du droit de grâce ni commuer les peines prononcées. D BandidAP

l'État, ne peut user du droit de grâ- cette journée «ferait date Il pour ce ni commuer les peines pronon- les Irakiens. Mais l'Inde, qui avait cées, a rappelé le porte-parole du des relations étroites avec le régi- tribunal, Raëd Jouhi. « Ceci s'appli- me de Saddam, a appelé à la clé- que à l'ancien président Saddam mence, espérant « que la peine de Saddam Hussein qui a été reconnu coupable mort contre l'ancien président de crimes contre l'humanité Il, a-t-il irakien Saddam Hussein ne sera souligné. Le premier ministre, pas appliquée Il. Nouri al-Maliki, avait indiqué peu Hussein après la condamnation à mort de Autre procès l'ex-dictateur qu'il s'attendait « à L'exécution du dictateur l'em- ce que l'exécution se déroule avant pêcherait d'être jugé en personne la fin de cette année Il. pour les autres crimes retenus par sera le tribunal. Saddam Hussein est « Les voies d'appel épuisées» actuellement accusé dans un autre Maliki avait ajouté que son procès, pour avoir ordonné et mis pays ne renoncerait pas à son en œuvre les campagnes militaires exécuté « droit Il d'exécuter l'ancien hom- Anfal en 1987 et 1988 dans le Kur- me fort. Quant au président ira- distan (nord) qui ont coûté la vie à Tous les recours en justice ayant été kien Jalal Talabani, il avait reconnu 180000 Kurdes, selon l'accusation. récemment avoir un jour signé un C'est pendant cette campagne épuisés, l'ex-dictateur irakien devrait appel international contre la peine que la ville martyre d'Halabja avait être pendu dans les trente jours. capitale, mais avait plus tard préci- été attaquée à l'arme chimique. sé que le droit irakien prévalait sur Plus de 5 000 personnes, dont les ses convictions personnelles. trois quarts de femmes et d'en- PROCHE-ORIENT que l'occupant Il, avant d'être éva- La Cour d'appel a confirmé cué de la salle. Son demi-frère Bar- « Une fois que toutes les voies fants, avaient été tuées immédiate- hier la peine ae mort zan al-Tikriti,ancien chef des servi- d'appel auront été épuisées, le ju- ment, et 7 000 de plus affectés par contre l'ancien dictateur. ees de renseignement, et l'ancien gement devient exécutoire et le pré- les gaz. président du tribunal révolution- sident n'a pas à signer d'arrêté De nombreux membres de la SADDAMHUSSEINpeut être pen- naire, Awad al-Bandar, avaient éga- d'exécution Il, avait-il déclaré lors communauté kurde, au premier de son voyage à Paris, début no- du « à n'importe quel moment Il, lement été condamnés à la peine rang desquels le président irakien à partir d'aujourd'hui. C'est ce qu'a capitale. Leur appel a lui aussi été vembre. Jalal Talabani, avaient déclaré déclaré hier à Bagdad un juge de la rejeté et leur condamnation à mort Le verdict avait été alors dé- que Saddam Hussein ne devait Cour d'appel, ArifShaheen. Le tri- confirmée, selon la télévision publi- noncé par plusieurs ONG de dé- pas être exécuté avant la fin du bunal venait de confirmer la que Iraquia. fense des droits de l'homme, sui- procès Anfal. Mais le pouvoir issu condamnation à mort de l'ancien «Lejugement de la Cour d'appel vies par de nombreux pays des dernières élections gagnées président irakien, rendue le 5 no- est prévisible, nous n'avons pas été d'Europe, où la peine capitale a par les chiites pourrait avoir inté- vembre. Lesstatuts du tribunal pré- du tout surpris, car nous sommes été supprimée. Le premier minis- rêt à éliminer au plus vite Saddam voient que la sentence devrait être convaincus que c'est un procès poli- tre britannique, Tony Blair, avait pour tenter de conforter une rappelé son opposition de princi- exécutée dans les trente jours. Sad- tique à cent pour cent Il, a commen- autorité ébranlée par la guerre ci- dam Hussein avait été condamné à té d'Amman, en Jordanie, l'avocat pe à la peine de mort. Hier, la vile. Il est ainsi possible que le mort pour l'exécution de 148villa- du président déchu, MeKhalilDou- Grande-Bretagne a de nouveau procès de l'offensive Anfal se geoischiites de Doujail,dans les an- laïmi. « Cejugement figure dans les réagi, mais un ton en dessous. poursuive sans le principal inté- nées 1980, en représailles à un at- agendas américain et iranien visant « Nous sommes opposés au princi- ressé. Saddam Hussein n'aurait tentat contre le convoi présidentiel. à diviser l'Irak et à l'engager dans pe de la peine de mort mais la déci- pas non plus l'occasion d'évoquer L'ex-dictateur avait accueilli la une guerre civile ", a poursuivi sion appartient aux autorités ira- cette période, pendant laquelle il sentence un Coran à la main, trem- Me Doulaïrni. kiennes Il, a précisé hier un combattait l'Iran, avec les encou- porte-parole du ministère des Af- blant et en criant à la cour: « longue Selon la loi irakienne, aucune ragements de l'Europe et des faires étrangères britanniques. vie à l'Irak Il, « Dieu est plus grat}d autorité, pas même le chef de États-Unis. La Maison-Blanche a jugé que PIERRE PRIER (AVEC AFP, R.EuTEm

69 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

"According to the law, no execution can be carried out during the holidays," Iraq is preparing said an officiaI involved in the negoti- ations. '~fter all the hard work we have done, why would we break the law and ruin what we have built?" The Muslim holiday ofId al-Adha be- to bang Saddam gins Saturday for Sunnis, which is Sad- dam's sect, and Sunday for Shiites, who were oppressed under Saddam's rule 'We will do it very soon,' judge says; but who now control the government Iraqi law seems to indicate that execu- sorne are stunned by speed of events tions are forbidden on the holiday. HatiLad dismissed those concerns, injecting some of the sectarian split that is ripping this country apart into his response to a question on the sub- ject. "Tomorrow is not Id," he said. "The officiaI Id in Iraq is Sunday." As for Saddam's being a Sunni, Had- dad said: "Saddam is not Sunni. And he is not Shiite. He is not Muslim." His comments seemed to reflect the views of Maliki, whose government is ultimately responsible for the final de- cisions regarding Saddam's fate. Speaking in Baghdad on Friday to the families of people who had been killed while Saddam ruled, the prime minis- ter was blunt in his desire to see Sad- dam executed quickly. '~yone who rejects the execution of Saddam is undermining the martyrs of Iraq and their dignity," he said. "Nobody can overrule the execution sentence issued against Saddam." Without specifying a time, date or Saddam Hussein in court on Nov.5as he received the death sentence for place, he said, "There is no review or killings in the mainly Shiite village of Dujail in 1982. delay in implementing the execution verdict against Saddam." Esam al-Gazaw~ another lawyer who By Marc Santora which coincides with the hajj, the represented Saddam, said in Jordan that Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca - meant while one of his colleagues in Baghdad BAGHDAD: The close of the final the execution should be postponed for had been asked to collect Saddam's per- chapter of the brutal reign of Saddam aweek. sonal belongings, he had no idea when Hussein approached Friday night as If it goes ahead, Maliki would seem the execution would actually take place. Iraqi officiaIs prepared the, last legal to have forced through a decision popu- "No one knows when it's going to notice necessary before his execution lar with Shiites in the face of resistance happen except God and President - a "red card" that will be presented to Bush," he said. the former dictator to inform him that from Saddam's fellow Sunnis and pop- Gazawi said he had been told that Sad- his end is near, Iraqi officiaIs said. ular with Kurds eager to see Saddam dam had met with his two half-brothers, "We will do it very soon," said Mu- executed for carrying out a campaign Sabawai and Wataban, who are also in neer Haddad, a judge on the Iraqi High of genocide against them. custody, but no other family members. Tribunal who will represent the court But Haddad, the judge, said a11that "His sons are dead and his daughters at the execution. He said the execution remained was the technicallegal mat- are here in Amman, so he met no one," would probably take place "tonight or ter of court officiaIs' filling out the red he said. Saddam's two sons, Uday and tomorrow." card, the formaI notice of impending Qusay, were killed by American sol- The pace of events left even some of execution created during the Saddam diers after the 2003 invasion that the U.S. advisers working on the case era and widely used by his much-feared toppled him from power. stunned, a Western officiaI said. secret police. After his government collapsed, Sad- For a11the guidance the Americans Iraqi and American officiaIs have dam went into hiding and was eventu- provided, in the end the dictator's de- kept outsiders, including his legal ally found in a hole near his hometown, mise did not go the way they expected, team, from contact with him, said Najib Tikrit. He was charged in three cases, the officiaI said. "It just goes to show al-Nauimi, one of Saddam's lawyers, a11for crimes against humanity. that the Iraqis calI the shots on some- who was in . The first case involved the killing of thing like this," the officiaI said. There bas been heated debate among almost ISOShiite men and boys in the It was still possible that the execu- Iraqi officiaIs about how swiftly to sma11town of Dujail in 1982,after an at- tion could be delayed, Western and carry out the death sentence, which was tack on his motorcade there. Saddam Iraqi officiaIs cautioned. A senior Iraqi handed down Nov. 5 and upheld Tues- was found guilty and sentenced to die officiaI said there could be other legal day. The appeals court said the hanging byhanging. hurdles. had to take place within 30 days. A trial on the far more sweeping A leading member of Parliament An Iraqi officiaI close to the negoti- charges that he directed the killing of from the dominant Shiite majority be- ations on when to execute Saddam ex- 50,000 Kurds in an organized ethnie hind Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al- pressed deep disappointment that after cleansing campaign is continuing. Maliki said in an interview with Reu- y~ars of forensic investigation, detailed The final case, involving the savage ters that he was waiting only for a rul- litigation and careful deliberation, the crushing of a Shiite uprising, whieh left ing from clerics on whether the start of process could be compromised in the thousands dead, has yet to go to trial. the Id al-Adha holiday Saturday - final hours by politica11y driven haste.

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Saddam was due to face a series of tri- Iraq forever als over incidents of far greater mag- nitude, but Iraqi proseeutors started No. 1 - his US. military code name - By Neil MacFarquhar with Dujail because the evidence was heaped scorn on the Iraqi judge who re- cleareut, including Saddam's signature ferred to him as the "former" president For decades, it seemed that Saddam on at least one execution order. after asking him to identify himself on Hussein's unflinching hold on Iraq If a man's life can be boiled down to the first day of his trial. . would endure. The tyrant who op- one physical mark, the wrist of Sad- "1didn't say 'former president,' 1said pressed Iraq for more than 30 years - dam's right hand, tattooed with a line of 'president,' and 1 have rights according unleashing dev~stating regi~n~l wa.rs three dark blue dots, is significant. to the Constitution, among them im- The mark is commonly given to chU- and reducing hlS once proml~lUg,

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stuff of gory public soap operas. Saddam once sentenced his eldest volts erupting between the assassina- ieal weapons. Iraq had become a region- son, Uday, to death after Uday beat Sad- tion of King Faisal II in 1958 and the al power, and Saddam expected to dom- dam's food taster to death in front of putsch in July 1968 that brought the inate the Arab world much as his hero, many horrified party guests; he later Baath Party to power. Nasser, had done in the 1960s. rescinded the order. The husbands of Saddam's main role while he was still During the 1990s, Saddam repeatedly his two eldest daughters, whom he had in his early 30s was organizing the took Iraq to the brink of renewed war- promoted to important military posi- party's militia, whieh became the seed fare by refusing UN weapons inspec- tions, were gunned down after they de- of the dreaded security apparatus. By tors the unfettered access they required fected and then inexplicably returned November 1969, he had eliminated to catalog and destroy what was be- to Iraq. rivaIs and dissidents to the extent that lieved to be an arsenal of weapons of Saddam was born in 1937in a mud hut President Ahmad Hassan Al-Bakr ap- mass destruction, as specified in the on stilts near the banks of the Tigris pointed him vice president and deputy cease-fire agreement after the ejection River near the village of Tikrit, 160kilo- chairman of the Revolutionary Com- of the Iraqis from Kuwait. meters, or 100 miles, northwest of Bagh- mand Council, as the cabinet was The United Na~ions maintained strict dad. He was raised by a clan of landless known. economic sanctions against Iraq until peasants. His father apparently deser- Saddam remained head of the intelli- 1996, when some oil exports were al- ted his mother before his birth. (Gov- gence and internaI security agencies, in lowed to pay for food, medicine and war ernment accounts said the father had effect controlling Iraq. reparations. The sanctions, devastating died.) The Arab Baath Socialist Party, to ordinary Iraqis, proved a boon to "His birth was not a joyful occasion, whose name means "Renaissance" in Saddam and his henchmen. The Gov- and no roses or aromatie plants be- Arabie, had been formed in the 1930s to ernment Accountability Office in the decked his cradle," his officiaI biogra- promote a secular, socialist creed as the US. Congress estimated that the Iraqi pher, Amir Iskander, wrote in "Saddam ideal path to achieving Arab unity. But leader had siphoned at least $10billion Hussein, the Fighter, the Thinker and that dogma proved a sinister excuse for from the program by ma king oil trades The Man," published in 1981. the imprisonment, exile or execution of off the books and demanding kick- Saddam told his biographer that he all potential rivaIs. backs. had not missed his father while growing No other Arab despot matched the Still, in an effort to end sanctions, up in an extended clan. But persistent savagery of Saddam as he went about Baghdad over the years offered at least stories suggested that Saddam's step- bending all state institutions to his five different "full, final and complete" father had delighted in humiliating the whim. Hi~ opening act, in January 1969, weapons disclosures, whieh the United boy and had forced him to tend sheep. was hangmg about 17so-called spies for Nations dismissed as woefully incom- Eventually Saddam ran away to live Israel, as many as 13of them Jews, in a pIete. with relatives who would let him go to central Baghdad square. Hundreds of During his presidency, each of Sad- school. arrests and executions followed as the dam's 20 palaces was kept fully staffed, Saddam's first role in the rough world civilian wing of Baath gradually ec- with meals prepared daily as if he were of Iraqi politics came in 1959,at age 22, lipsed the Iraqi military and the era of in residence to conceal his where- when the Baath Party assigned him and coups ended. abouts. Delicacies like lobster, which nine others to assassinate Abdul Karim Saddam invariably made sure that were imported for him, were first dis- Kassem, the despotie general who ruled those around him were complicit in his patched to nuclear scientists to test Iraq. Violence was a quick way for a bloody acts, which he identified as pa- them for radiation and poison. young man who had grown up father- triotism, making certain that there Saddam was particularly phobie less in an impoverished village to ad- wo~l~ be no guiltless figure to rally op- about germs. Even top generals summoned to meet him were often vance himself; bloodshed became the POSItiOn. major theme ofhis life. ln an authoritative account of Sad- ordered by his security guards to strip During the failed assassination, Sad- dam's regime called "Republic of Fear: to their underwear and their clothes dam suffered a bullet wound in the leg. The Polities of Modern Iraq," a self-ex- were then washed, ironed and X-rayed The officiaI version portrayed Saddam ile~ . Iraqi architect, Kenaan Mikiya, before they could get dressed to meet as a hero who had dug a bullet out ofhis wntmg under the pseudonym Samir Al- him. They had to wash their hands in own leg with a penknife; the other ver- Khalil, estimated that at least 500 disinfectant. sion suggested that the plot had failed people had died in the purge that con- Saad al-Bazzaz, an Iraqi writer and becausè Saddam had opened fire pre- solidated Saddam's power. editor, said that Saddam, having risen so maturely. Saddam's titles reflected his status as far beyond the village and cheated Saddam sought asylum in Egypt, an absolute ruler modeled after'one of death so many times, believed that God where President Gamal Abdel Nasser his heroes, Josef Stalin of the former So- had anointed him. viet Union. They included president of Iraq under Saddam had a stifled qual- nurtured the region's revolutionary the republic, commander in chief of the ity. Imprisonment, torture, mutilation movements. armed forces, field marshal and prime and execution were frequent occur- Soon after retuming to Iraq, Saddam minister. ln addition, the state-owned rences, at least for those who chose to married his first cousin and the daugh- press referred to him repeatedly as the dabble in anything vaguely political. ter ofhis political mentor, Sajida Khair- Struggler, the Standard Bearer, 'the Simple information like the weather re- allah Tulfah, on May 5,1963.The couple Knight of the Arab Nation and the port was classified. There was no free- had five children including two sons, Sword of the Arabs. dom of expression - even foreign Uday and Qusay, and three daughters, The eight-year war that he undertook newspapers were banned - and no Raghad, Rana and Hala. against neighboring Iran, beginning freedom to travel. Contact with foreign- Saddam had mistresses, including with an invasion in 1980, resulted in ers was proscribed. several pro minent Iraqi women, but he hundreds of thousands of deaths on There were widespread reports that never flaunted them. both sides. His invasion of Kuwait in Saddam himself periodically carried Saddam's wife, three daughters and 1990 brought an overwhelming mili- out the torture or even execution of about a dozen grandchildren are still tary response from a broad coalition of those he felt had crossed him. alive. Uday and Qusay, along with other countries. Saddam often tried to draw parallels Qusay's teenage son, Mustapha, died in ln keeping with a ruling technique between himself and the famous lead- July 2003 during a fierce gun battle with that used violence to achieve and sus- ers of Mesopotamia, one of the earliest U.S. forces in a villa in the northern city tain power, Saddam's biggest invest- civilizations in the region, as well as of Mosul. Denounced by an informant, ments were in his military. He ended Saladin, the 12th century Kurdish theyhad been the two most wanted men the Iran-Iraq war with one million men Muslim military commander who ex- in Iraq after their father. underarms. pelled the Crusaders from Jerusalem. The first years of Saddam's marriage By then Iraq had embarked on exten- What preoccupied him, Saddam said, coincided with politieal tumult in Iraq sive projects to acquire a homegrown was what people would be thinking with at least six coups or attempted re~ arsenal of nuclear, chemical and biolog- about him 500 years from now.

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U) 0 Un procès q4i laissera un goût d'inac~evé i 0 W'" Il: ~ ID :;: s..... w à de nombreux Irakiens .w0 W Q M ..., W J: 0 La plupart des crimes Z el: commIS par le régime :;: du dictateur ';"n 2i ne seront pas jugés. , ."... 1 ~ ~ .,0 1"'1) 2i LES FAMILLES des victimes de ~~,.l~-~ .... w :;: Saddarn ne pouvaient rêver ~':" -, - lA d'une meilleure vengeance: la - "~~ ~ -- ~': '. :.-~- ~-=-- -=-~': =--......

, f.~'~lil~~~~O~edl~~~~~t~~r;~~~~~ ; '11~~- : 'n'~''iI~-r <> ';..~ ;'h; ml IOn de personnes. Mais à l" • .." 1 l'instar de nombreuses organisa- ' . - "A' ilt,;,

des secrd~t;lq~d'onn'aura pas eu le • . .'1", : ~ 'JO 1"'. .' • emps e UCI er ", soupire Hos- , ~",j,~'-' ._~_ -".... __ ~ '. J "", -, •..:;..~",~. ~-'-~:"'-, ij 'le \4 ---;:"- I~; t sein Mohammadian, un Kurde de . _",,';,;:-P',:' ~,~~ --;~. -. - , . . - .:: ::: ' : -t '~<~- ~- '} - ... ~ Sardacht; petite ville du nord- ;;~~" _ . ,.., -, -"'j.,..!'l#- ": .. , ';. \:~ " ~ ouest deI Iran voisin, bombardée~'f ' ,----,-l_r ~J a.IfI ..... , ''Ii . lfdIj a~ gaz chimique par l'armée ira- Les famillesde victimes-dela dictature Iraki .------. --' --"--- kienne en 1987. Il regrette, com- enne sont restéessur leur faim devantune condamnation me beaucoup d'autres, que l'an- : prononcéepour un seuldescrimesdu raïs.c. BouronclelAFP. cien dictateur soit ~xécuté pour . un seul d~ ses crimes, le massa- cre de 148 civils dans la ville chii- la crédibilité de la justice irakien- l'ambassade américaine et les compréhensible ", remarque Reed te de Doudjail, en 1982. Or. sur la ne dans son ensemble. Pour un bureaux des principaux officiels Brody. "Pour elles, il est impor- longue liste des crimes contre pays en pleine transition politi- irakiens. Avec de nombreux re- tant de pouvoir faire la lumière l'.humanité commis par Saddam, que, c'est un très mauvais exem- bondissements liés au contexte sur ce qui s'est passé. " Et puis, il y figurent des actes d'une plus pIe ", déplore Richard Dicker, en de violence et de guerre civile: a ce grand point d'interrogation grande ampleur: l'opération An- charge du programme de justice l'assassinat de trois avocats de la qui reste toujours sans réponse: fal contre les Kurdes, dont le pro- internationale au sein de HRW. défense, d'un témoin de l'accu- pourquoi ne pas avoir laissé le cès est en cours, le gazage de Ha- L'organisation, qui condamne sation et'la démission de deux temps d'ouvrir les dossiers liés labja en 1988 - qui fit au moins ouvertement l'exécution de Sad- présidents de cour. ({On aurait aux attaques chimiques (notam- 5 000 victimes! -, ou encore dam, a relevé une série d'attein- espéré que'les erreurs du procès ment Halabja en Irak et Sardacht l'écrasement de la rébellion chii- tes à l'indépendance et à l'impar- Doujail, liées entre autres aux en Iran) orchestrées par Saddam te en 1991. Sans compter d'autres tialité du pouvoir judiciaire aléas de l'Irak d'aujourd'hui, Hussein? " Cela aurait forcé Sad- dossiers passés aux oubliettes: la irakien, parmi lesquels des délais pussent être corrigées au cours dam à faire des révélations qui guerre Iran-Irak' H980-1988) et trop courts impartis à la défense des autres procès ", regrette Hany auraient embarrassé les Améri- l'invasion du Koweït en 1990. cains, mais aussi certains pays des accusés et le remplacement Megally. Mais le Haut Tribunal " Les contraintes de temps européens qui fournirent, à l'épo- de certains juges sous la pression irakien en a décidé autrement. l'ont malheureusement emporté que, Bagdad en armes chimi- du gouvernement. ({Bien enten- La condamnation à mort par sur la notion de justice ", constate ques ", remarque Hunain Kaddo, du, nous ne remettons pas en pendaison de l'ancien raïs, pro- Hanny Megally, le directeur du membre du Parlement irakien. question la culpabilité de Sad- noncée le 5 novembre dernier, a " Cela montre que le tribunal ira: programme Afrique et Moyen- dam, mais il aurait été bon de , été ratifiée le 26 décembre par la kien reste sous influence américai- Orient à l'lCT] (International pouvoir la prouver dans le cadre Cour d'appel. La sentence peut Center for Transitional Justice), ne ", déplore, pour sa part, Saeed d'un procès équitable ", ajoute survenir à n'importe quel moment Abu Taleb, un député iranien. une organisation non gouverne- Reed Brody, conseiller juridique dans le mois qui vient. Mais les DELPHINE MINOUI mentale basée à New York. au sein de HRW. audiences liées à l'affaire Anfal, Organisé sous l'égide du qui ont commencé cet été, de- « Un très mauvais exemple)) Haut Tribunal irakien, créé à vraient se poursuivre sans Sad- Chez Human Rights Watch, l'époque de Paul Bremer, le pro- dam. En revanche, personne n'est une autre organisation de défen- cès de Saddam Hussein et de en mesure de confirmer, depuis Se des droits de l'homme, qui a , suivi de très près le procès, on sept de ses lieutenants a démar- B~gda?, si les autres accusés, im- ré à l'automne 2005. Il s'est dé- pliques dans les autres crimes, s'interroge également sur son roulé dans l'enceinte ultraproté- auront rendez-v~us avec la j~stice. équité. ({La façon dont le procès gée de la zone verte, qui héberge . '; La frustratzon desfamilles de de Doujail s'est déroulé va nuire à vlcUmes de ces autres crimes est

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TIleMiddleEast December 2006

KURDISH LEADERS The worst TALK MORE AND MORE OPENLV OF INDEPENDENCE, case SATISFIED FOR THE • TIME SEING WITH A scenario FEDERAL SOLUTION Iraqi Kurds are increasingly restless about the is December 2007.If we do, we destroy every- future of the region, the promised referendum thing," claims Adnan Mufti, a PUK politician and the speaker of the Kurdish parliament. and the debate over withdrawal of western troops. Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani is more Chris Kutschera reports concilia tory: "There is no other option if we want a working fMeral solution. But the ques- tion of Kirkuk is a very complicated issue. What is most important is to have a strong HE FATE OF Kirkuk, Khanakin and Moreover, Al Maliki committed himself will to solve the issue. If needed, we must be Sinjar and their eventual reintegra- to reintegrating the districts which were ar- patient. Maybe the referendum will not take tion into the Kurdish region con- bitrarily detached by Saddam Hussein (Ki- place at the fixed date. We want a political tinues to hound Baghdad. Former fri, Tuz Khurmatu, Kalar and Chemchemal) solution." Prime Minister Iyad Allawi created into the governorate of Kirkuk. This, he said, Many Kurds are haunted by the fear that Ta 'normalisation commission' with a view to would be implemented by government decree the US, UK and Turkey will push Baghdad addressing the Kurdish displacement. The in March 2007.A census would take place in on proposing a 'special statu te' for Kirkuk, commission, chaired by Hamid Majid Musa, July 2007 and the referendum in December which would, in fact, scrap its reintegration secretary-general of the Iraqi Communist 2007. Already several thousand Shi 'a Arabs into a Kurdish region whose fate is already Party was allocated a budget of $80m but from Kirkuk have sent a delegation to the very uncertain. remained without members, without head- Kurdish parliament in Erbil indicating they Meanwhile, Kurdish leaders talk more quarters, and without money because the are ready to move if provided with the neces- and more openly of independence. Massoud $80m was never transferred. sary assistance. Barzani has repeated several times that it is a The situation deteriorated still more under Whether this timetable will be respected 'legitimate right', but that the Kurds, aware of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, who encour- and Al Maliki can impose his will on the geopolitical conditions, appear satisfied for aged the Shi'a Arabs who fled Kirkuk after the other members of the government remains to the time being with a federal solution. fall of Saddam Hussein to come back. be seen. Experts underline that the 'commis- Barzani's adviser, Fuad Hussein, says But dunng his July meetings at Erbil with sion for the solution of conflicted property' Kurds and Arabs should agree on a truly Massoud and Nechirvan Barzani (president has already received more than 40,000 files, federal solution, with the creation of three and prime minister of the Kurdish region), of which only 3,000 have been resolved. federal regions - Sunni, Shi'a and Kurdish Nuri Al Maliki, the new prime mimster of But even if the authorities in Baghdad - with Baghdad as a federal capital. "If not," he the Iraqi government dwelt at length on the display their goodwill, it will be physically says, the Kurds will separate ... "provided we implementation of article 140of the new Iraqi impossible to solve tens of thousands of cases enjoy the support of the US and the presence constitution, which stipulates the organisa- within one year and to organise and assist the of American bases in Kurdlstan." If not? Hus- tion of a referendum in the disputed areas departure of the Arabs and the return of the sein only answers: "What can the peshmergas before December 2007. Kurds who, in most cases, have no houses (Kurdish fighters) do against Turkey?" He announced the creation of a new 'nor- or schools. Those demanding sorne form ofindepend- malisation commission' of nine members, And many Kurds are convinced that, in ence tend to forget the brief existence of the chamd by justice minister Hachem Chibli spite of the prime minister's commitment, Republic ofMahabad (22 January-17 Decem- - a liberal Shi'a whose wife is Kurdish - with Arab leaders in Baghdad will do everything ber 1946). Set up in Iranian Kurdistan under a budget of $200m, which was immediately in their power to postpone a referendum in- the shadow, if not the protection, of the Soviet transferred. He even discussed details of the definitely. One concern is that no-one knows armed forces which occupied the northern normalisation of the situation in Kirkuk, and how it will be organised: district by district, part ofIran, the Kurdish Republic governed the departure of the Arabs transplanted by or globally for the disputed areas. by Qazi Mohammed collapsed when the Sovi- Saddam Hussein withm the framework of The Kurdish leaders are divided on what ets were forced to withdraw their forces from his campaign of Arabisation: their houses line to follow if this happens. "If the Arabs Iran and abandoned the Kurds. slwuld be bought back, and they should be refuse to organise the referendum, we will The Kurds are perhaps too complacent provided with tents and money in order to apply the law of sinjar - i.e. we will use force," about US support. Their current situation resettle in Southern Iraq, allowing the Kurds says a Kurdish general. "There is no way to is based on a 'Region of Kurdistan', created to return home. compromise on the date of the referendum, it in 1991at the initiative of a US, British, French

74 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

and Turkish coalition. It continued develop- ing until the end of Saddam Hussein's re- gime, under the protection of the western air forces based at Incirlik, in Southern Turkey and still enjoys American protection nowa- days. Kurdish leaders daim serenely that there will not be any big change in American policy in the near future, that the US will not aban- don Iraq, and that the "treasons" of the 1975 Aigiers agreement and of the 1991Kurdish uprising will not be repeated. "We had and we have shared interests wlth the US," claims Khaled Salih, spokesman of Nechirvan Bar- zani. "Rernoving Saddam Hussein, recreat- ing an Iraqi state, protecting Iraq frorn its neighbours' interferences. The Amencans will still be here in corning years." "We are now an important factor in Iraq," adds Adnan Mufti. "We have a strong pres- ence in the governrnent and we are at the top of the American interests list. We are not worried about our Arnerican relations. Massoud Barzani was welcomed as president of the Kurdish Region at the White House by President George W Bush, and many Kurdish delegations were received in Washington ... And the Arnericans cannot withdraw from Iraq. If they do, they lose the war against ter- rorisrn." Under constant questioning, Salih ac- knowledges sorne repetition of the Viet- namese fiasco and agrees the withdrawal of the Arnericans from Iraq is an "unpleasant scenario" but he qualifies: "1 do not believe they would leave Kurdistan, because they know the Kurds like them, and they would need to protect an important Nato ally, Tur- key, from the Arab chaos." Mufti dismisses a US departure as less than 5% likely: "The civil war goes on, the Arnericans leave, the Turks invade us, the Iranians come in to support the Shi'as, and the Saudis to support the Sunnis. And then what happens to the poor Kurds? Several million Kurds cannot go to the rnountains. Noway." On the other hand, Arnerican scholar, Michael Gunther, recentiy rerninded a Kurd- ish audience that: "The US is on the other side of the world and will not stay here forever." And many Kurds do not conceal the fact that they are worried. "The situation remains uns table," confides Petros Harbole, Chaldean bishop of Dohok "If the Americans leave, the Turks will invade us. We cannot resist for even one month." Il

MASSOUD BARZAN l, welcomed as the president of the Kurdish region by George Bush, says independence is a "Iegitimate right"

75 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

31 décembre 2006 Saddam Hussein a été pendu à Bagdad Iral\:« La justice a été rendue au nom du peuple », s'est félicité le chef du lu préciser « car ce n'est pas bon », peut- gouvernement, Nouri Al-Maliki être à l'intérieur de Camp Justice, selon d'autres sources irakiennes, l'ancienne rois ans ou presque, jour pour jour, soit exécuté un jour spécial», a expliqué le base des services de sécurité du régime après sa capture par l'armée améri- conseiller à la sécurité nationale irakien baassiste, aujourd'hui régulièrement uti- T caine, dans une cache, dans sa Mouaffaq Al-Roubaï. ' lisée pour les exécutions de condamnés à région natale de Tikrit, Saddam Hussein Selon ce témoin des ultimes instants, mort. a été exécuté par pendaison, samedi Saddam Hussein a écouté la lecture de la M. RoubaÏ a assuré que les Irakiens 30 décembre, peu avant 6 heures, heure sentence vêtu de noir, coiffé de son cha- sauraient tout. « Tout a été filmé, depuis de Bagdad. L'ancien dictateur souhaitait peau et un Coran dans les mains. Il a la remise de Saddam aux Irakiens jusqu'à lapotence », a-t-il dit, ajoutant que la télé- mourir « avec les honneurs dus à un chef confié le nom d'une personne à qui ilsou- militaire », sous les balles d'un peloton haitait que ce Coran soit remis. Puis, au vision nationale Iraqia allait diffuser très d'exécution. Le premier ministre irakien, moment de monter sur la potence, ila refu- rapidement les images. « Montrer ces Nomi Al-Maliki, qui avait exprimé le désir sé le bandeau qu'on lui tendait. Il a gravi images relève d'une décision politique de de voir disparaître Saddam Hussein avant les marches « sans opposer de résistance, nos dirigeants. C'est une question très sensi- la fin de l'année, s'est félicité de « l'exécu- avec résolution et courage. Il a crié "Dieu est ble et nous'ne voulons pâs exciter certaines personnes. » Il a souligné que « leproces- tion du criminel Saddam ». « La justice a grand", puis il est mort sur le coup». été rendue au nom du peuple irakien, a-t-il sus a été totalement irakien. Les Américain Saddam Hussein avait perdu son pou- sont restés hors du lieu d'exécution. Les déclaré, ce qui rend à jamais impossible le voir avec l'invasion américaine de l'Irak étrangers sont restés à l'extérieur. » retour de la dictature et du parti unique. » et la chute de Bagdad, le 9 avril 2003, Aux Etats-Unis, le président George Outre M. Roubaï, deux magistrats, le puis sa liberté en décembre de la même représentant de la cour d'appel, le juge Bush a déclaré, dans un communiqué dif- année. Très vite un Tribunal spécial, fusé de son ranch texan de Crawford, que Mounir Haddad et le procureur général financé par les Américains, fut organisé Mounqith Al-Faroun étaient présents, la mort de Saddam Hussein représentait pour juger ses crimes. Au terme d'un long ainsi qu'un médecin et un représentant une « étape importante sur le chemin de la procès émaillé d'incidents, le raïs déchu a du premier ministre Nomi Al-Maliki. été condamné à mort, le 5 novembre, démocratie en Irak, une démocratie qui Toujours selon M. Roubaï, le corps du pour « crimes contre l'humanité », pour pourra se gouverner, se soutenir et se défen- condamné «pourrait être remis à sa dre par elle-même». avoir fait exécuter 148 habitants chiites famille pour être enterré». La fille de Sad- Les Irakiens ont appris la mort de du village de Doujai1,en 1982. Les autres dam Hussein, Raghd, qui vit en exil en procès, notamment celui qui juge actuelle- l'homme qui dirigea leur pays d'une Jordanie, a demandé que son corps soit ment la campagne d'Anfal de'1987-1988 main de fer pendant un quart de siècle inhumé « temporairement au Yémen, jus- par la télévision nationale Iraqia, alors , pour laquelle Saddam Hussein était accu- qu'à ce que l'Irak soit libéré et qu'il puisse sé de « génocide» contre les Kurdes, se que retentissaient les premiers appels à être réinhumé en Irak », a rapporté une la prière marquant le début de l'Aïd déroulera sans sa présence. source proche de la famille. al-Adha, la fête la plus sacrée du calen- L'exécution s'est déroulée à Bagdad, Dans une lettre manuscrite rendue drier musulman. « Nous voulions qu'il en dehors de la « Zone verte », dans un publique peu après la confirmation de sa ;lieu que Mouaffaq Al-Roubaï n'a pas vou- condamnation à mort par la cour d'ap- pel, le 26 décembre, l'ancien dictateur s'est exprimé une dernière fois aux Ira-, , kiens. «Je m'offre en sacrifice, avait-il écrit. Si Dieu le tout-puissant le désire, mon âme ira auprès des martyrs et verra Dieu sereinement.» « a grand peuple d'Irak, ajoutait-il, ton unité t'empêchera de sombrer dans la servitude», et il concluait: « a braves, pieux Irakiens engagés dans une résistance héroïque. afils d'une nation unique, dirigez votre hostilité contre les envahisseurs. Ne les lais- sezpas vous diviser. Longue vie au djihad et aux moudjahiddines ». Les deux co-accusés de Saddam Hus- sein dans le procès de Doujaïl ayant égale- ment été condamnés à mort devaient être exécutés peu après Saddam Hussein, !f . ~ peut-être dès samedi. - 'CÉCILE HENNION t:,¥ (AVECAFP,AP,REUTERS) Peu~~rès l'annonce de la mort de Saddam Hussein, samedi matin, des habitants de Sadr City, quartier chiite de Bagdad, manifestent leur JOIeen promenant dans les rues, au bout d'une corde, un mannequin à l'effigie du dictateur exécuté. AHMAD AL-RU BAYEl AFP

76 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Baszn Ozeti

PRINCE OF B/,GHOAD Sadr exerts control over a growing number of nelghborhoods besides the vast Shiite enclave of Sadr City, home to 2 million or more Iraqis.

men, including one who fllight have infor- million on completed construction proj- signs giving all credit to their boss, accord- mation on al-ThaYlc. BUI police said a ects in Sadr City, for instance-building ing to Lt. Zeroy Lawson, an Army intelli- young boy was amonl{ thrl'c people killed new sewers and power lines-and projects gence officer who works in the area. in the raid. A member of Pàrliament from worth an additional $197 million are un- The Mahdi Army has other sources of Sadr's movement promptl) ~howed up at derway. But the United States doesn't al- cash. I1's taken control of gas stations the morgue, and hcld th,' Ull p~c of the boy ways get credit for the good works. When throughout large parts of Baghdad, and in his arms as he railed ap;all1~tthe Ameri- the Americans doled out cash to construct dominates the Shia trade in propane-gas can occupation. four health clinics in Sadr City during the canisters, which Iraqis use for cooking. U.S. forces havc tried hard to win past year, Sadr's men quickly removed any Sometimes the militiamen sell the pro- hearts and minds. Thcy've spent $120.9 hint ofU.S. involvement. They also put up pane at a premium, eaming healthy prof-

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