Iraqi TV: Rate of Withdrawal of Foreign Troops is Accelerating; Calls for Sunni-Shiite Reconciliation

Al-Iraqiyah, Al-Sharqiyah Roundup: Thirty Killed in Baghdad Suicide Bombing
Iraq — OSC Summary
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Document Type: OSC Summary . . .

Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah Television in Arabic, government-sponsored television station, run by the Iraqi Media Network, carried the following reports between 1500 GMT and 1700 GMT . . .

— “Iraqi Government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh today said that the implementation of the agreement on the withdrawal of foreign troops is moving forward at an accelerating rate and in accordance with the timetables agreed upon by Iraq and the United States. This came during a joint news conference held in Baghdad in the presence of Multi-National Force Spokesman David Perkins, who asserted th at 12,000 US troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of September 2009.” . . .
Cont’d (click below or on “comments”)

Within its 1500 GMT newscast, Al-Sharqiyah reported:

— “Iraqi forces arrested seven people on charge of attempting to revive the Ba’th Party, as the authorities put it. Ali Isma’il, commander of an Iraqi Army brigade, said that the group was arrested in the Diyala Governorate on Friday. In an unusual action following the arrest of the group, the security forces showed the arrestees blindfolded and sitting on the ground with weapons and other objects put in front of them. Isma’il added that the group is led by Jasim Muhammad al-Izzawi, a known Ba’thist in Diyala, and that some of the arrestees are members of awakening councils.”

— “Iyad Jamal-al-Din, a member of the Iraqi list, called for canceling the De-Ba’thification Law and enacting new laws that lead to achieving real national reconciliation in Iraq. Jamal-al-Din said that national reconciliation does not need conferences but rather laws and legislations and the cancellation of the De-Ba’thification Law, which deprived many Iraqi families of their salaries. Jamal-al-Din praised Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s call for reconciliation, describing it as a positive shift toward bringing all political forces closer to each other.”

Within its 1700 GMT newscast, Al-Sharqiyah reported: —

“Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi called for achieving real national reconciliation in Iraq through tangible laws, legislations, and measures rather than through holding symposiums or conferences to only raise slogans. In a political speech on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad, God’s blessings and peace be upon him, Al-Hashimi stressed the need for the return of the former Iraqi Army personnel through a real reconciliation project.”

Within its 1900 GMT newscast, Al-Sharqiyah reported:

— “The casualty toll from the sanguinary suicide bombing, in which a booby-trapped bicycle was used and which was targeted against police volunteers at the rear gate of the Iraqi Police Academy near the International Al-Sha’b Stadium in eastern Baghdad, has risen to 91 persons martyred or wounded. Security sources said that a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt on a bicycle blew himself up near a crowd of volunteers, killing 30, mostly policemen, and wounding 61 others.” . . .