[Excerpt: Minas Ibrahim al-Yussufi, secretary general of Iraq's Christian Democratic Party, said his "kidnappers demanded the departure of US troops from Iraq. And we, with the Committee of Muslim Scholars, have one simple demand: a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces."...Speaking at a press conference at the headquarters of the Sunni committee at Baghdad's Umm al-Qura mosque, he said: "I urge (US) President George W. Bush to rethink his plans and leave Iraq to the Iraqis.".....Leaders of the Kurdish Alliance confirmed Saturday that they have reached an agreement with the Shiites over the principles of the next government and the thorny issue of the fate of the disputed northern oil city of Kirkuk and the Kurdish peshmerga militia.]
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/050319/1/3rd88.html Sunday March 20, 1:01 AM Diverging Sunni positions in Iraq amid anti-war protests in Europe Iraq's embattled Sunnis are of two minds about joining the political process as protestors in Europe demanded an end to foreign troop presence in Iraq two years after the US-led invasion. And Iraqi-Swedish Christian politician freed from captivity on Friday said he sympathised with those demands. Minas Ibrahim al-Yussufi, secretary general of Iraq's Christian Democratic Party, said his "kidnappers demanded the departure of US troops from Iraq. And we, with the Committee of Muslim Scholars, have one simple demand: a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces." Speaking at a press conference at the headquarters of the Sunni committee at Baghdad's Umm al-Qura mosque, he said: "I urge (US) President George W. Bush to rethink his plans and leave Iraq to the Iraqis." Contrary to previous reports Yussufi said he was abducted on January 21 as he drove through the tunnel of Tahreer Square in the heart of Baghdad. His kidnapping was claimed by a group calling itself the Brigades of Iraqi Vengeance in a videotape released last month showing him begging for his life. Yussufi's party, like most Sunnis, boycotted the landmark January 30 elections in which the long oppressed Shiites and Kurds came out on top. The Committee of Muslim Scholars has been putting out feelers that it would like to play a role in the drafting of a permanent constitution and has said that it would not oppose the participation of Sunnis in the next government. But it has not climbed down from its strong opposition to US troop presence. It even held a festival at its vast headquarters Saturday honoring what it called the "martyrs and prisoners of war." "Our martyrs are shining stars in Iraq's sky and our prisoners of war are models of fortitude," read banners and posters splashed at the entrance of the mosque. The committee decided to skip a gathering of about 300 Sunni leaders organised by the heir to Iraq's former Hashemite monarchy, Sherif Ali bin Hussein, to urge the members of the community that dominated Iraq under ousted leader Saddam Hussein to join the current political process. "Sunnis have hurt themselves by staying out of the process," said Sherif Ali. "We are being invited to join the political process, we think it is wise to respond to this call." The Iraqi royal ran in the January election without winning seats in the national assembly, which was inaugurated Wednesday. The Shiites and Kurds have been eager to carve a role for Sunnis in the next government, aware that the tenacious insurgency is centred in Sunni-dominated areas like Mosul, Samarra and Al-Anbar province. Leaders of the Kurdish Alliance confirmed Saturday that they have reached an agreement with the Shiites over the principles of the next government and the thorny issue of the fate of the disputed northern oil city of Kirkuk and the Kurdish peshmerga militia. Both sides have agreed that the issues will be dealt with in accordance with the interim laws passed under the previous US-led occupation. "We, the two main lists, have agreed on the principles and the door is open now for the other lists," said outgoing Vice President Ruj Shawis and senior member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). "We have now entered into the details of forming the government but we need a few more sessions to reach a definitive agreement." KDP leader Massoud Barzani met with the other Kurdish chieftain Jalal Talabani in a resort outside the northern Kurdish town of Arbil. "These talks will shape the destiny of the Kurdish people, so we have to discuss them with our other brothers in as much detail as possible," said Talabani. He addied that he would favour the participation of as many groupings as possible in the next government including Sunnis and the coalition headed by outgoing prime minister Iyad Allawi. A senior Shiite negotiator, Jawad Maliki, said a proposal had been presented to Allawi's coalition and that an answer is expected on Sunday. Thousands of people, meanwhile, gathered in London brandishing posters denouncing the "war on terror" and the US-led invasion of Iraq. There were similar protests in Athens and several Turkish cities. In a reminder of the daily violence plaguing Iraq two years on, three policemen were killed and seven others wounded when a bomb exploded in Kirkuk as the funeral cortege of a comrade killed the previous day passed by, police chief General Turhan Yussef said. The policeman killed on Friday died when a patrol went to investigate a bag that two masked men had left in the street near the police academy, and a bomb inside exploded, according to another police chief. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Take a look at donorschoose.org, an excellent charitable web site for anyone who cares about public education! http://us.click.yahoo.com/_OLuKD/8WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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