[Transcript]  Mosaic News - 11/17/08: World News From The Middle East

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
During an exceptional session, the Iraqi cabinet approved the security pact between Baghdad and Washington. The pact determines future US military presence in Iraq. The draft set the middle of next year as the date for withdrawal of US forces from Iraq’s streets, towns, and villages’; with a complete withdrawal by the end of 2011. The previous agreement was not approved last month after Baghdad demanded last minute modifications. Iraqi government spokesperson Ali Al-Dabbagh said that the agreement is not the ideal solution for Iraq or the US, but is rather a procedure imposed by the current conditions in Iraq and the need to transition from its current state into a better situation.

Reporter, FEMALE, #2
It is not an ideal situation, but a procedure imposed by conditions forced the Iraqi government to finally sign the withdrawal agreement. The cabinet approved the security pact by a majority, considering it the best alternative. Otherwise, the military presence would be extended for an additional period of time. June 30th was set as the final date to withdraw into specified camps, with complete withdrawal to be completed by December 31st.
Guest, MALE, #1
The articles of the withdrawal agreement have been defined clearly, cancelling any articles that contradict the desire of the Iraqi government, which is withdrawal. By June 30th 2009, the forces will withdraw from cities, villages, and districts to specific camps agreed upon between Iraq and the US government.

Reporter, FEMALE #2:
The stipulations of the agreement allow any side to withdraw from it as long as one year is provided before termination. One issue regarding amendments witnessed wide-scale debate and appeared to change slightly. The issues of immunity and mail remained, with special emphasis added to the phrase “if deemed necessary from the American side.” Parliament members had different opinions about this.

Guest, MALE #2:
Actually, the agreement is degrading and humiliating from the first article to the last one. If the Iraqi public looked at this agreement, they would reject it outright.

Guest, MALE #3:
This is a first level success of Iraqi diplomacy. I will add that the cabinet of ministers, which has debated and agreed on the pact, reviewed the details of each article of the pact.

Reporter, FEMALE #2:
The altered draft included many points such as the continued US protection of Iraqi finances; the transfer of detainee cases to the government; and the prohibition of searching homes unless with the permission of an Iraqi judge. Observers say that these developments were the result of Nouri Malaki’s efforts. He obtained the blessing of the religious spiritual leader, Ali Al Sistani, which will increase the opportunity for greater public acceptance of the pact. Those who reject the agreement remain firm in their position. There is fear of a new storm, especially when the country is witnessing an intense security escalation. Thus betting on the future has become a necessity, especially considering that the past only held agreements that were nothing more than ink on paper. For Al Madar. Doha Haddad. Abu Dhabi TV. Baghdad.

Presenter, Woman # 1
The Shiite leader in Iraq, Muqtada al Sadr, announced the formation of brigades that will fight the Americans forces if they remain in Iraq. He also called for a united demonstration to express rejection of the security agreement between Baghdad and Washington.

Presenter, Man # 1
As explosions and acts of violence continue in Iraq, Iraqi University students expressed hope that the deteriorating security situation will end because it has been threatening all Iraqis.

Reporter, Woman # 2
The Iraqis barley experienced a sense of security for only a few months, only to be confronted with consecutive explosions in Baghdad and other areas, transforming them to blood baths. Many Iraqis are not as concerned with the reasons behind the deterioration of the security situation but rather they are preoccupied with staying alive and protecting the lives of their loved ones. However, thousands of Iraqi students and professors feel that that this is a legitimate question that should be answered. The consecutive attacks that took place in Baghdad in the last few days which left dozens killed or injured, came as students began their new academic year. They hope to see an end to the difficult security situation which has threatened their future. Some believe that the attacks were meant as a response to the security agreement that was negotiated between the US and Iraq and which reached its final stages in the last few weeks.

Guest, Woman # 3
The explosions may have been motivated by Iraqis who reject the agreement especially in the last two months.

Reporter, Woman # 2
The security agreement which has been facing a great deal of rejection from the Iraqi people is expected to allow the American forces to stay in Iraq until 2011. Iraqi Professors and students, however, have another opinion; they believe that the explosions are a message reminding the new American administration that they will inherit the burden of Iraq.

Guest, Man # 3
The explosions coincided with the American elections and the victory of Obama. Of course the groups that were responsible for the explosions want to send a message to the US president Elect that they are still there and that he must take them into consideration, and that they are an influential part of Iraqi society, and therefore they must be accounted for.

Reporter, Woman # 2
Some believe that this is a logical explanation. While people are looking for answers to why there has been a resurgence of attacks Iraqis including University students and their professors hope that the sense of security which they barley enjoyed for only a few months will return.

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and outgoing Israeli PM Ehud Olmert concluded their meeting in Jerusalem. They discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and the latest military escalation. According to Israeli and Palestinian officials, Olmert promised Abbas to release 250 Palestinian prisoners by the Eid al-Ahda holiday. Coordinator of the border crossings department, Ra’ed Fattouh said that Israel decided to partially open Kareem Abu Salem border crossing east of Rafah. It will allow the passage of 15 vehicles carrying basic food needs from UNRWA and international organizations. Amnesty International called on the Israeli authorities to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. It asked to put an end to what it described as collective punishment imposed by Israel on inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, hinted at wide scale operations against Gaza, and Defense Minister Ehud Barack said that such an operation will be executed at the proper time.

Reporter, MALE, #1
Tension surrounds both sides of the border between Israel and Gaza after confrontations broke the state of calm. This led some to think that the cooling off period had ended; but this is not necessarily the case. Both Israel and Hamas’ political leadership are concerned that calm remains, at least temporarily, until the two sides are ready for the day after the cooling off period ends.

Guest, MALE, #2 (Olmert)
We will not tolerate this cost that the terror organizations are trying to set against our right to prevent attacks and threats. I have informed the Defense and Justice Ministries to end the drawn-out discussion and to present an action plan to respond to violations of calm.

Guest, MALE, #3 (Barak)
When the time comes for a wide scale operation, we will execute it successfully. I do not recommend that anyone be sorry for the passage of any month in a state of calm. If the other side chooses calm, we will consider it seriously.

Reporter, MALE, #1
Israel killed four Palestinians today and eleven Palestinians over the past few days. Within the current round of escalations, Hamas fired dozens of rockets, including Grad rockets at Ashkelon. The next round might shatter the cooling off period if the Israeli army insists on targeting activists. Israel fears that they would dig tunnels and plant explosive devices near the border; they want to avoid a replica of the Lebanese Hezbollah incident. The firing of rockets might continue intermittently, since Hamas is trying to improve the conditions for the period of calm by extending it to the West Bank and opening the crossings.

Guest, MALE, #4
This confirms that the Zionist occupier is not interested in calm, and has decided to destroy all efforts, agreements, and conditions for it through this offensive and siege. If the Zionist occupier wants to abandon calm, we will not be regretful. The Zionist occupier will pay the price for its repeated and continuous crimes against our Palestinian people.

Reporter, MALE, #1
It is still unclear yet if Israel will carry out a large offensive against Gaza before the elections, even if it’s already preparing for it? The cooling off period is not only brittle, it is also very temporary. Variables on the ground indicate that calm is steadily moving towards its end. In the next few weeks, it will become clear if calm will surrender its last breath, or if it will last for a little while longer. Ziad Halabi, Al-Arabiya, from the outskirts of Gaza.

[Summary]
Yaakov Alperon, an infamous Israeli crime boss was killed in a car explosion. Three bystanders were also injured in the explosion. Alperon was driving in his car in North Tel Aviv when his car exploded. Alperon was the head of one of the countries largest crime families.

More Kassams fell on the Western Negev today as the security situation in the south continues to deteriorate. No one was injured in these attacks. PM Ehud Olmert said Israel is not planning for battle, but does not fear it if necessary.

Presenter, Male #1
An Egyptian elementary school teacher appeared before a criminal court in Alexandria for the beating to death of a student.

Presenter, Female #1
The case has drawn reaction from the public and media, bringing the issue of violence in school once again under the spotlight.

Reporter, Female #2
Islam has died, leaving his parents with 11 years of memories. The victim’s father called for the punishment of all those responsible for the killing of his son.

Guest, Male #2 (Islam’s father)
I’m demanding God’s justice. I want justice for my son. All I want is to seek justice for my son through Islamic jurisprudence, which is part of the rule of God. I don’t want more than that. You are the one who killed my son. By killing him, you have shown no sense of responsibility as an educator. The Minister of Education should also be held accountable, along with the teacher.

Reporter, Female #2
The suspect, a young teacher, is being charged with manslaughter for the beating to death of Islam. The teacher’s future doesn’t look too promising at this stage.

Guest, Male # 3
Be patient. The court will rid us of him. Be patient.

Reporter, Female #2
Relatives of the victim carried their feelings of anger and pain to the court, where the suspect is standing trial in the city of Alexandria. Today’s trial session witnessed a high public turnout. Since it came to the spotlight, the case has drawn wide reaction from the public and media. This prompted the defendant’s lawyer to speak out.

Guest, Male #4
The case has been turned into a political case. They are talking about the Ministry of Education and its Minister. This is irrelevant. We are talking about a case that is plain and simple. However, the media has blown it out of proportion, and now the public is giving it more momentum. There are other high profile cases in the country that the media should focus on.

Reporter, Female #2
One grade in this elementary school has witnessed the tragic incident that claimed the life of Islam. Many expressed fear that unless educational institutions firmly step up to counter violence in Egyptian schools, especially those that are government-run, a repeat of this incident is most likely to occur.

Guest, Male #5
This is not an education system. The teacher shouldn’t be allowed to hit a child. The teacher should call for a meeting with the child’s parents. He shouldn’t be allowed to hit a student.

Reporter, Females #2
The case of Islam is refocusing the spotlight on the issue of violence in schools, where may come in the form of beatings, harassments or verbal abuse. This news comes despite the fact that the Egyptian Minister of Education has repeatedly confirmed that hitting as a form of discipline is not allowed in Egyptian schools. However, it seems that some teachers have drifted away from this rule, and the victims are usually children at the age of budding flowers. The case of baby Islam exceeded the scope of the typical criminal case, as it helped open the file of violence in school. Many believe that the issue of violence is part of the larger educational problem in Egypt. Lina 1l-Ghadban, Aljazeera, Alexandria.

Presenter, FEMALE, #1
Several factors contribute domestic violence in its various forms, and great efforts have been made over the years to limit this phenomenon. However, experts have found that this problem has continued and persisted, which has urged the concerned parties to work on limiting the problem through legislation to alter the psychology and behavior of perpetrators. More in the following report by Haya al-Majali.

Reporter, FEMALE, #2
The multiple factors breeding violence forces society to work together towards limiting violence against women and children. A royal decree made domestic violence a red line not to be crossed. Multiple intermingling factors produce domestic violence, which extend to many areas.

Guest, MALE, #3
Surely there are many interconnected factors affecting the phenomenon of violence against women and children. One of these are societal factors which are seen in inter-family struggles due to the extended family, the large number of children, and social roles within the patriarchal system of the Arab society, specifically. There are also psychological and economic factors. The media plays a large role in perpetuating violence against women and children.

Reporter, FEMALE, #2
Perhaps numbers are the only way to provide details on the issue of domestic violence and the kinds of crimes committed as a result of it.

Guest, FEMALE, #4
We have many kinds of violence that we need to address before talking about numbers. Violence can be physical, like beating; it can also be sexual, like sexual harassment and sexual abuse. According to police records, 23% of women reported having been sexually harassed or abused. There’s also psychological abuse, economic abuse, and legal abuse. Considering these percentages we take physical abuse as an example, here we find that one woman out of three is beaten by her husband. But these numbers cannot be generalized and they are not inclusive.

Reporter, FEMALE, #2
There is a need to re-examine current legislation so as to provide a punishment that is more affective in deterring domestic violence.

Guest, FEMALE, #5
This law protects women and children especially within this framework. The connecting link is the “Family Protection Agency”. Women and children have a large role to play in this; they need strong and clear motivations to reject this kind of abuse, and try to stop it. A woman might explain to her husband, or the person who is abusing her, that this act is unacceptable.

Reporter, FEMALE, #2
Re-Examining current legislation and focusing on setting more severe kinds of punishment is essential to limit the phenomenon of violence against women and children, or what is known as domestic violence. For 60 minutes, this is Haya al-Majali, Jordan TV.

Presenter, MALE #1:
A new crisis is looming between the National Assembly and the government in Kuwait. This time it is being caused by an Iranian Shiite religious figure. Yesterday, three Islamist parliamentarians confirmed that they will file a request to question the Prime Minister. Shaikh Nasser Mohamed Al Ahmed al Sabah for violating the law by allowing a religious figure, Mohammed Al Falee, to enter Kuwait. Last July, Al Falee was accused of insulting the companions of the Prophet Mohammed, may God be pleased with them. He was fined $37,000. His case is supposed to be heard again in an appellate court next month. To provide some details, joining us from Kuwait, is our correspondent, Ahmed al anazi. Ahmed, what are the old and new developments between the National Assembly and the government?

Guest, MALE #2:
Yes, there is a continued political deadlock between the legislative and executive powers. Thus, in the parliament, questions are put to the Ministers and the government daily, including questions to the Minister of Education, who was questioned in the last session. Even to the Interior Minister, who has been met with many questions by the parliament about numerous security issues. The new and old development is that many of these looming interviews questioning government figures, which will take place in the parliament, have created a more tense and heated atmosphere in Kuwait. It has led to more of a stalemate in the public, the media and in all sectors. The latest development came when three parliament members said that today they would present questions to the Prime Minister about this publicized issue regarding the religious figure who was banned from the country and who has actually returned to the country. This has created major controversy here in Kuwait.

Presenter, MALE #1:
Ahmed stay with us to discuss the Kuwaiti market and financial situation with the resumption of the stock market after an administrative court decision to halt it has expired. After another painful drop, this morning the Kuwaiti market reopened after being suspended for two days. The reopening resulted in a 180-point decline of the Kuwaiti stock market with the resumption of trading in a tough day, which witnessed the market index drop more than 1.5 percent. Leading stocks were especially affected. This caused a wave of angry reactions from many individual traders who requested the courts to halt the market until a government committee puts in place the necessary solutions to limit their ballooning losses. We return again to our correspondent in Kuwait, Ahmed Al anazi. Ahmed, how did these losses affect investors and trading?

Guest, MALE #2:
As you see, the market is closed right now and closed with many large drops and losses to the pockets of citizens. They had hoped that suspension of the stock exchange as a result of a lawsuit by two attorneys, who requested that administrative courts order the stock exchange halted for two days, would contribute to government measures that may stop continued financial losses in the stock exchange. However, regretfully, the stock exchange reopened today and incurred major declines, which was met with much displeasure

[Summary]

Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai, took a bold move in order to try to secure a peaceful future for his country without more fighting. Karzai has offered to talk with Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and offered him protection. The Taliban has rejected the offer, claiming that they clearly do not need Karzai’s help.