Mosaic News - 3/3/10: World News From The Middle East
Iraq: 31 killed in Baquba blast
Al Arabiya TV, UAEPresenter, Male #1
The death toll of the bomb attacks that struck the northern Iraqi city of Baquba has risen to 31. More than 48 people were also wounded in the attacks. Our al-Arabiya correspondent said that the victims were killed in two separate car bomb attacks, targeting emergency crews in the city of Baquba. The explosions were followed by a third car bomb attack, targeting the police chief, who was visiting the victims at a local hospital. Police sources in Baquba told al-Arabiya channel that the suicide bomber was disguised as a nurse and was on board the ambulance that was used to transport the victims to the city hospital. The police added that they have seized and dismantled a fourth booby-trapped car that was about to detonate. Elsewhere in Iraq, the Baghdad Operations Command Center aired a videotape showing the confessions of two Iraqi suspects who were implicated in the “Bloody Wednesday” attacks, which have killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 600 others. The Spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command Center, Lieutenant General Qassim Atta, said that a Syrian and a Saudi national were among the suspects arrested in the case.
Guest, Male #2
I have the bomber the car in the area of Alawi near the city bridge. The suicide bomber’s name is Abu Bakr. The car was packed with explosives and delivered to the area in question. Then, a person by the name of Abu Yasin and I went to the area of Alawi. Abu Yasin handed me a camera and told me to film the explosion that was about to occur. I told him that people would see us taking pictures, and would implicate us in the bomb attack. In the midst of it, the blast struck, targeting the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
Iraq holds early voting for security forces, inmates and the infirm
Al Jazeera, QatarPresenter, Female #1
The Electoral Commission said that 800 Iraqi forces from the police, army and security agencies, as well as sick people in hospitals and prisoners will be given the chance to vote early in more than 150 election stations located through-out the country. This special voting date will precede the general elections scheduled to take place on Sunday.
Reporter, Male #1
The special voting for the Iraqi parliamentary elections will start within the next few hours. The Independent Electoral Commission set the early elections to take place on March 4th. Members of the defense and interior ministries as well as prisoners who have received less than a 5 year-term, and sick people in hospitals, will be allowed to vote. Until now, the Electoral Commission has not disclosed the official number of voters from the security forces and other groups. The objective of these early elections is to give these groups the opportunity to practice their right to vote. The security forces will vote ahead of the elections so they can implement the security plans that were put in place by the Election Security Committee. The central plan is the most important one and calls for deploying 14 military brigades from the defense ministry through-out Iraqis cities; it will be the first line of defense. The second line of defense is the deployment of 500,000 members of the Interior Ministry near the election stations and in critical areas. Members of the intelligence agencies will be in charge of the third line of defense which will interact directly with the voters. Early voting of the armed forces and the security plans are aimed at maintaining security in Iraq on the day of the elections and avoiding any possible security breaches.
Rumors overshadow Iraqi elections
Al-Alam, IranPresenter, Female #1
Iraqis will be heading to the voting booth on Sunday. A large number of people are expected to participate in these elections in which 20 million voters will select 325 representatives. This Iraqi democracy displeases royal systems, where corrupt officials mobilize their media instruments and spread the news of Maliki issuing an arrest warrant for Al-Sadr; an allegation strongly denied by the Iraqi government. The Sadrist group accused the promoters of this rumor of inciting sedition. People are hoping the elections will unite the country and end the occupation. The latest development indicates a war of rumors.
Reporter, Female #1
The Iraqi government strongly denied that it issued an arrest warrant for the leader of the Sadrists, Mr. Muqtada al-Sadr, affirming that the he is welcome in Iraq and is part of the political process. Government spokesman Ali Dabbagh said that Sadr’s return is important for Iraq, so he can lead one of the most influential political groups in Iraq. He indicated that the rumors were part of dishonorable electoral campaigns. The Sadrist group said that these rumors are aimed at inciting sedition and disturbing the election process. The group’s leader Muqtada al-Sadr is expected to return to Iraq soon, after he fled the country to avoid the US occupation forces’ treacherous security crackdown. He is calling out to the majority of people, urging them to participate in the elections and political process to pave the way for Iraq to attain security, end the occupation and achieve independence and national unity. It is worth pointing out that a Saudi-sponsored media network promoted the rumors of the government issuing an arrest warrant for al-Sadr, linking him to the assassination of Mr. Abdul-Majid al-Khoei in the holy city of Najaf in April 2003. Al Sadr strongly denied having any connection to it.
Presenter, Female #1
Welcome, Sheikh Mazin al-Saadi from Baghdad, leader of the Sadrist group. A Saudi-sponsored media network promoted the rumor that Prime Minister Maliki passed a resolution in the Security Council of the Ministry of Interior to issue an arrest warrant for Mr. Muqtada al-Sadr if he returns to Iraq. How accurate is this information?
Guest, Male #1,
Of course, Saudi Arabia’s negative role in Iraq, and especially in the elections, is present. This is clear to all political observers in Iraq. They believe that Saudi Arabia plays a prominent role to change and violate the political process in Iraq and is calling for Jihad. This Jihad, by its very definition, is hostile to the Iraqi people, supports terrorism and attempts to instigate sectarian strife among the Iraqi public. Therefore, Saudi Arabia’s negative role has been present in Iraq since the fall of the former regime and up until now. Anyone who follows the political situation in Iraq is familiar with this role. But the rumor about this arrest warrant, does it actually exist? Frankly, we cannot prove it 100%, and the government strongly denied the existence of this arrest warrant. The government rushed to deny that a warrant was issued, but until now, it has not been confirmed whether the rumor is true or not.
Arab League backs indirect peace talks with Israel
Dubai TV, UAEPresenter, Male #1
Arab foreign ministers approved indirect talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis, stipulating that they have to be completed within four months. They justified their decision by stating that this initiative will provide Americans the opportunity to revive the peace process. However, they pointed out that if these negotiations are not successful, that they will take a series of measures, including going to the UN Security Council. The decision was made this morning during the Arab Peace Initiative follow-up committee meeting which was held at the headquarters of the Arab League. 15 Arab foreign ministers attended the meeting including Arab League Secretary General, Amr Musa, and Syria’s Ambassador to Cairo, Yousef Ahmad. While the approval of the US special proposal for indirect talks with Israel was granted at the headquarters of the Arab League, the Palestine Liberation Movement, the PLO, has still not made a decision. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, who participated in the Cairo meeting, announced that the executive committee of the PLO will hold a meeting in Ramallah on Saturday to decide on the American proposal. According to a news report that we received a short while ago, the Hebrew state quickly welcomed the decision that was made in Cairo, which approved the US proposal of holding indirect talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Our reporter Ahamd Al Kilani joins us from Cairo. Do you have information pertaining to the Arab foreign ministers’ decision to approve indirect talks with Israel?
Reporter, Male #1
Yes, it seems that the meeting went smoothly. As you know, the opening session of the extended meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers started a few moments ago. Shortly before this meeting, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat announced that the approval for the US sponsored indirect talks between Palestinians and Israelis was granted. This is an unusual procedure because the Arab League secretary general usually makes these announcements. This is what happened at the opening ceremony of the Arab Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
Dubai seeks Netanyahu's arrest
Dubai TV, UAEPresenter, Male #1
“Finding the pertinent facts in the murder case of al-Mabhouh remains a top priority for the Emirates of Dubai and its security agencies.” This is what Dubai Police Chief Dahi Khalfan reiterated today, adding that he will seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of the Mossad intelligence agency Meir Dagan. Muna Abu Diab reports.
Reporter, Female #1
From the first day it was made public and until now, this footage continues to make international headlines….The credit goes to the Dubai Police Department and its investigation team. The Dubai investigation team called today for the arrests of the Israeli Prime Minister and the head of the Mossad intelligence agency. In a statement to the press, Dubai Police Chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan, reiterated that Dubai is committed to pursuing and arresting all suspects in the case of al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated on the Emirates’ soil. According to Khalfan, there’s strong evidence linking Israeli spy agents to the murder, as the police investigation has shown. “This requires us to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of the Mossad intelligence agency,” Khalfan added. The operation was executed over a month ago but it only took 20 hours after the crime was committed to begin following leads. In an exclusive interview with Al Sharq Awsat Newspaper, the Dubai police chief confirmed that his officers relied on nearly 10,000 security cameras to connect the dots in the case of al-Mabhouh. In addition, the police have followed the lead of more than 300 taxi drivers in order to track the cars used by the assassins. Moreover, the Dubai police department has summoned the files of more than 15,000 Europeans who visit Dubai on a daily basis. Khalfan said that the police used the same technique Bedouins use to track a missing camel, by looking at it, and “know from the track where it belongs.” Based on this method, the Dubai police were able to reveal the details of the operation after only 20 hours. He further said that the police have analyzed more than 600 hours of security footage. In a direct message to the masterminds of the Dubai murder, Khalfan said that the Mossad has used methods that are 20 years old, and described the way the team was disguised as “very naive.” Khalfan said that one more issue remains unclear at this point, in reference to those who betrayed al-Mabhouh, and passed information to the assassins. This information might be known only to those in close circuit to al-Mabhouh.
Netanyahu orders Barkat halt East Jerusalem building plan, house demolitions
IBA, IsraelIn a last minute request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he managed to convince Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to put off his controversial plan to build a park in the Silwan neighborhood of Eastern Jerusalem. Concerned about negative fallout, Netanyahu asked the mayor to allot more time to try to reach an understanding with Silwan residents regarding demolishing their houses for the project.
Interview with 'Son of Hamas'
BBC Arabic, UKPresenter, Male #1
One of the most visited stories on the BBC website is the interview with Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas leader Hassan Yousef. We will broadcast a short clip of this interview now, let’s watch it.
Guest, Male #1
I did not betray him; I betrayed his understanding of heroism. What did he expect of me? Did he want me to become a suicide bomber? Did he want me to become a hero? I love him as a father, but ideologically, we differ. I’m at war with his God, the one he prays to five times a day. I do not fear death; there are scarier things to face in life. If I have a dead soul, that is scary to me. At least now I live in peace. To talk about danger; I have been in danger my entire life.
Mafia roams freely in Lebanon
New TV, LebanonPresenter, Male #1
Small groups, acting like Chicago’s Al Capone mafia, are wreaking havoc in Lebanon, and with no one to deter them, they are destroying dance clubs and coffee shops. We leave you with the report of Rami Amin.
Guest, Male #1
They shot the bodyguards at the entrance. They shot one in the leg and stomach and shot the other one in both of his legs. They went inside, shot 20 rounds of bullets and injured the manger. We notified the police, but the armed group continued to shoot as they were walking away from us, all the way to Venecia Street. As they were passing by on the street, they were shooting at the windows. There was one police patrol unit, but it pretended not to see them.
Guest, Male #3
All of a sudden, 30 or 35 armed individuals wearing military uniforms broke all the glass in the bar and on the tables.
Guest, Male #4
All of a sudden, 5 individuals took their weapons out and started shootings. One of them was looking for a person by the name of Mazen, and when he found him he shot him three times. Then, they went out and kept on shooting on everything. When they were outside, they were talking about how they are the most powerful people, and how they can beat anyone regardless of how big they are. They said that they don’t care about ministers or parliament members. They also told us that they were not done with us, and that they will be back.
Guest, Male #5
All I can say about these incidents is that the perpetrators don’t have anything to deter them. This kind of behavior and the fact that they are acting this way in public, without having any remorse, has a lot of implications. Armed groups come and go and use up a huge quantity of bullets. They take their time and a lot of blood is shed as a result, then they simply go back to wherever they came from. Some were even able to leave Lebanon.
Guest, Male #6
The most dangerous thing about this matter is the fact that the government did not swiftly control the situation. The public who saw this incident in the media believes that the government did not try to stop the perpetrators, regardless of whether or not they were directly involved. It’s true that these kinds of incidents take place in New York, Paris, Cannes and Nice. Some people have weapons and do these kinds of things; Lebanon is not the only country whose citizens carry arms. In fact, if we take into consideration the large number of outlaws, the large quantities of weapons and drugs and the high level of corruption…then what took place is not surprising. This issue must be resolved in a comprehensive manner. As we have said earlier, we must take tangible and serious steps to control who has weapons. We must also improve the judicial system. The security service must continue to exert gradual efforts so that it can have complete control over the situation. We hope that they can do that quickly.
Turkey warns against resolution recognizing Armenian 'genocide'
Press TV, IranTurkey has warned American lawmakers not to adopt a resolution to recognize the mass killing of Armenians in 1915 as genocide. Turkey says that this resolution would have a damaging effect on the reconciliation efforts underway after the 2 country signed a deal last year to establish diplomatic ties and open their border. Observers say that even if the resolution was adopted, it wouldn’t have a legally binding impact on Turkey in the short term.
Close
Post Response
