[Transcript]  Mosaic News - 11/20/09: World News From The Middle East

Presenter, Man # 1
Iraqi Parliament speaker, Iyad Samarrai, said that the parliament will vote on Saturday on whether to override the Vice President’s veto of the election law. Meanwhile, the American embassy in Iraq called on Iraqis to reach an agreement in order for the election to be held on time.

Reporter, Man # 2
Elections can only be held after differences over the election law are resolved and an agreement is reached on the date for these elections. These elections will give birth to a new parliament which will nominate a new government and a presidential cabinet that will lead the country for the next four years. This explains why these elections are very important both inside and outside Iraq, especially for the US. The US is setting a timetable for the withdrawal of its forces from Iraq which makes the political process in Iraq important. The American Ambassador to Iraq has tried to pressure Iraq officials to approve the election law. First, President Obama thought that the election law had passed; he even told the American people about the good news only one hour after the law supposedly passed. Then Washington criticized the holdup in passing the law, confirming that the reasons are domestic and called for Iraqis to reach an agreement. Vice President Tariq Al Hashimi vetoed the first article of the election law, in turn forcing the parliament to hold another voting session on the election law. The parliament may accept or override the vice-presidential veto, which explains why the speaker of the parliament said that Saturday, the day in which the parliament will vote, is a decisive day. Although there are political and legal differences over the election law, it seems that the political process is bringing all sides closer to reaching an agreement that would enable the elections to take place. However, the political debate in Kirkuk was obstructed by the issue of displaced people, because of the different political sides could not find common grounds. This explains why the election law has problems, both the Kurds and the Sunnis feels that they are being marginalized and they both have their reservations.
Despite the negative media coverage about Hashimi’s veto on the election law, it is expected that the Iraqis will hold a reconciliatory meeting ahead of the parliament voting session. This meeting will enable them to reach a middle ground solution satisfying conflicting parties with a new formula to give the displaced and the Kurds more seats in the parliament. Otherwise, the political process in the country will face a new challenge. This, however, is a conflict directly linked to who will have the most influence and power in the next four years.

Presenter, Female #1
The British Defense Ministry said that it’s investigating the new allegations of prisoner abuse committed by its troops in Iraq. The British Independent newspaper has reported that 33 new cases of prisoner abuse, including rape and torture, have been recorded in Iraq since 2003. Richard Zakher reports.

Reporter, Male #1
It seems that Iraq is dealing with a new Abu Ghraib scandal, but with a British twist. The British Independent newspaper was the first to report on the scandal of prisoner abuse by the British forces in Iraq. The abuse began when the British forces were deployed in Iraq in 2003 and lasted until their withdrawal last summer. According to the Independent newspaper, the British forces used methods of torture similar to those used by the U.S. forces at Abu Ghraib Prison. British soldiers are accused of piling bodies of Iraqi prisoners on top of each other and subjecting them to electric shocks. In another case, a 16-year-old Iraqi boy said that he was raped by two British soldiers while in their custody in 2003. Furthermore, other detainees said that they were stripped naked, abused and photographed by British troops. The newspaper added that British female soldiers were accused, for the first time, of taking part in sexual and physical abuse of the detainees. Phil Shiner is a lawyer representing the family of Baha’ Mousa, an Iraqi boy who was beaten to death while in British custody in Basra. Shiner said that the Medical Examiner’s report revealed that Mousa had sustained 93 different injuries. He added that there are hundreds of other cases that have not been investigated. However, the British Defense Ministry said that the allegations of prisoner abuse are isolated incidents. British Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell said that they are “taking the allegations of abuse very seriously.” He added that:” Formal investigations must be allowed to take their course without judgments being made prematurely.”

Guest, Male #2
Any allegation of abuse is taken very seriously by the army and the government. However, there is no evidence of endemic abuse in the armed forces. The vast majority of British forces in Iraq have held themselves to the highest standards of behavior.

Reporter, Male #1
Director of Human Rights Watch, Tom Porteous, said that his organization is aware of the 33 new cases of abuse. Porteous further said that “it’s clear that a large number of British soldiers were involved in these cases,” and due to the seriousness of the allegations, his organization will prepare a special report.

Presenter, Female #1
In another development, the Iraqi Central Criminal Court has indefinitely postponed the trial of a British security contractor accused of killing two of his colleagues in Iraq. Justice Ministry spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar said that the reason for the delay is “merely administrative.” Bayrkdar further said that the case falls under the jurisdiction of the national criminal judiciary system because the crime was committed on Iraqi soil, and they will deal with it in accordance with Iraqi Penal code.

Presenter, Female #1
The Guantanamo Bay prison is supposed to be closed in about two months, according to the schedule that US president Barack Obama set in the beginning of his term. But Obama himself is finding it difficult to comply with this schedule due to legal and legislative problems. Meanwhile, more than 200 detainees are spending their life in the camp, hearing the same old promise with some minor changes. BBC visited the detention center.

Reporter, Male #1
Detainees are performing their morning prayers behind bars: this is Guantanamo, where the US has been keeping suspected terrorists for about 8 years. This is how a new day begins in one of the most infamous prisons in the world; and there are no signs that things will change anytime soon. Behind closed gates and tall surveillance towers, life here goes on as usual. The schedule that President Obama has set for closing the prison has not been complied with. But that is no surprise to people here. On the contrary, construction work for one of the camps is still underway. Change is slowly happening here. For instance, it was announced last week that the most famous detainee in Guantanamo Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be tried in a civilian court in New York. His living conditions in Guantanamo are still unknown. The fate of the rest of the detainees has not been decided yet. Some of them are still held in solitary confinement, but 70% of them are allowed to interact with their cellmates. For example, they can borrow books from the prison’s library, and participate in classes given by what they refer to as “instructors”. Some instructors say that life here is improving, but just like in the past, they have not been allowed to talk to the detainees or take photos of their faces. Guantanamo Bay prison is still open, and more than 200 detainees are still locked up in it. The image of US in the world may remain stained.

Presenter, Female #1
The Universal Postal Union has allocated an internal postal code to the Palestinians. The Palestinian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology considered this a gesture of international recognition of the independent Palestinian state. Iman Ariqat has the report.

Reporter, Female #1
Mohammed, a Palestinian, works in the Provincial Council of the town of Mukhmas close to Ramallah. He himself and his fellow citizens in the town are facing postal service problems such as delays in remittances and letters from overseas, especially from the US. Some believe that these postal delays have caused some to lose a travel or an immigration visa to the US.

Guest, Male #1
A person could wait for about two years for the appointment date to be interviewed for an immigration visa, but when the appointment letter finally arrives, the scheduled date would have already passed. The reason is the delay in the arrival of the mail. As I’ve said before, the embassy gives you a 30-day notice, and the stamp confirms the date that it was sent on, but it usually arrives more than a month later. So the American Consulate gives you a month, but the letter could arrive 3, 4 or 5 days late, in turn, that person loses their appointment.

Reporter, Female #1
This problem is supposed to be solved in the beginning of next month, when the Palestinians will receive an international postal code for Palestine. After a series of international gatherings and conferences, a meeting was held in the middle of last month by the administrative council of the Universal Postal Union and the decision was finalized. The councils of administration and international postal investments issued this resolution and granted an international postal code to the Palestinians, which is PSRMHA.

Guest, Male #2
This postal code allocated to Palestine is the equivalent of the recognition of the geographic, political and sovereign status of Palestine as a nation. Because usually, this code is only granted and given to sovereign countries. This code will also give us an opportunity to directly connect with other countries in the world through postal mails that are sealed and addressed to Palestine.

Reporter, Female #1
This decision was made in 1999 at the world conference for the Universal Postal Union in Beijing. But Israel’s control over the passage ways and the Palestinian border prevented it from being carried out. This prompted the Palestinian Ministry of Communication and Technology to request it again at the world conference in Geneva in 2008. Some viewed this decision as an international recognition of the Palestinian state, while others did not see it the same way.

Guest, Male #3
There are some special characteristics in Palestine’s case: Palestine is still under occupation; and Palestine is not yet a country in a true sense. But the question here is what if Israel does not comply with its obligations, but does the usual and ignore its duties? What kind of responsibility can we hold Israel accountable for? At least, I say that we could hold Israel accountable at the Universal Postal Union, and hold it responsible for creating obstacles in carrying out this resolution made specifically for it.

Reporter, Female #1
According to the UPU’s decision, Palestine is categorized in the 5th category among the countries of the world, which gives the union the right to apply the postal mail exchange system to it. Consequently, Palestine will benefit from getting an international postal code, and generate revenue from the direct postal exchange between Palestine and other countries through a special fund in the UPU council. From Ramallah, Iman Ariqat, BBC.

Presenter, Man # 1
The soccer match in Sudan, which ended by Algeria defeating Egypt and qualifying for the World Cup in 2010, was transformed from a sporting event into a big diplomatic crisis. Angry Egyptian protesters burned the Algerian flag, and threw stones and molotov cocktails at Egyptian security forces outside the Algerian Embassy in Cairo, injuring 11 police officers. Egyptians started the demonstrations yesterday after they were outraged by news reports indicating that Egyptian fans were attacked by their Algerian counter parts following the match in Khartoum. Our correspondent Ahmad Kilani joins us from Cairo. Ahmad how is the situation on the Egyptian streets? Is the Egyptian government going to take other actions, besides recalling the Egyptian Ambassador from Algeria?

Correspondent, Man # 2
The situation here is very tense. I’m standing on one of the streets that leads to the Algerian Embassy in Cairo in Al Zamalik neighborhood. There is an intensive security presence one kilometer away from the Algerian Embassy to prevent angry protesters from entering the area near the embassy. Yesterday night, there were clashes between angry Egyptians and the police. They destroyed store fronts and a gas station near one of the streets that lead to the Embassy. More than 22 police officers and soldiers were injured yesterday during these clashes. Today, after Friday prayers, a lot of people came to the same place. Thousands of security forces are currently deployed on the streets in order to control the situation.

Presenter, Man # 1
What about the official reaction from the government?

Correspondent , Man # 2
The official Egyptian response was that of anger. The Egyptian Ambassador in Algeria was recalled. The Egyptian government sent a strong message of protest to Algerian officials in Cairo complaining about what happened to Egyptian fans following the match. Perhaps, the situation was calm until the Egyptians who came back from Sudan told their compatriots about what the Algerians did to them.

Presenter, Man # 1
We thank our correspondent Ahmad Kilani who joined us from Cairo.

Presenter, Man # 1
The holy Kaaba gets a new Kiswa or draping every year according to old traditions. 160 skilled Saudi craftsmen take part in preparing this cloth, using one ton of natural silk, and 124 kilogram of pure gold and silver which is used to engrave Qur’anic verses on the cloth. We leave you with Khamis Al Zahrani.

Reporter, Man # 2
As always, the holy Kaaba gets a new Kiswa which is handed over to the Kaaba custodians in a special ceremony held by the Chairman of the the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques. The ceremony usually includes signing the hand-over papers and the speeches on the history of the kiswa.

Guest, Man # 2
The celebration held on the occasion of completing the Kiswa and handing it over was once attended by his highness King Abdel Aziz, may God have mercy on his soul. We know that he started this great tradition.

Guest, Man # 3
Every year at this time, the oldest custodian of the House of God is handed over the Kiswa of the holy Kaaba.

Reporter, Man # 2
The Al-Shaibi family still has the honor of being the custodians, responsible for dressing and cleaning the Kaaba ever since Prophet Muhammad gave them its key. The custodianship is inherited from father to the eldest son. The Custodianship of the House of God has changed many hands throughout history.

Presenter, Male # 1
Pilgrims coming to the House of God continue to converge onto the holy city of Mecca in preparation for this year’s Hajj. During their stay in the holy land, pilgrims buy gifts to give their family members and friends upon their return home.

Presenter, Female # 1
The Hajj season represents a rush in the economic activity for a number of merchants and self-employed vendors.

Presenter, Male # 1
A Report from our correspondent in Mecca, Beba wal-Damhadi.

Reporter, Male # 2
From every deep valley, they come to the House of God to respond to the call of the father of the prophets, Ibrahim el-Khalil, and they come to witness something valuable for them in this life and its aftermath. They perform the fifth pillar of Islam and aim to balance their selves by seeking self-repentance, an opportunity that isn’t provided to everyone.

Guest, Male # 3
To the pilgrims who are present, they should ask God to help their brothers who didn’t have the chance to perform this Hajj. Because this is an opportunity that others might not have. There are many who wish to come here, and God willing, they shall come.

Reporter, Male # 2
It is a duty that cannot be fulfilled in any other way than actually performing Hajj, indeed it is a duty according to the jurists. The presence of these crowded barbershops, that are adjacent to the Noble Sanctuary, is not an official requirement. But their services are a necessity, during Hajj and Umrah, which meet the needs of the guests of the Gracious God to have their hair cut or shaved, rendering the barbershops a single facet to the many mutually beneficial exchanges that take place here.

Guest, Male # 4
The season of Hajj is good for all us, good for Mecca and all Muslims.

Reporter, Male # 2
Does that mean that your income increases during this period?

Guest, Male # 4
Thank God, all of us are making a living and so is every Muslim in Mecca.

Reporter, Male # 2
Approximately, by how much does your income increase? 7 or 8 times?

Guest, Male # 4
No, we have a tenfold increase. God blesses all of us during Ramadan and Hajj, this is our season for work.

Reporter, Male # 2
Between prayers, many pilgrims shop. What Muslims acquire in Mecca or Medina differs in its mists and symbol from what can be purchased from the duty free, on board of the plane or in the fanciest stores of Paris, Milan, London or Cairo. The merchants of Mecca realize that their products have a spiritual value, and they eagerly await this season.

Guest, Male # 5
We wait for this month the whole year. We call it the month of blessing. This is the only month of the whole year that we wait for, the whole world waits for it. Not just us, but also the stores, homes and all the people.

Guest, Male # 6
Pilgrims come in the morning to buy gifts from Mecca. They are blessed in the morning. It is the best gift. They also buy clothes…There is a wide variety of gifts to be purchased. We also have perfumes, and especially Arab perfumes made in Saudi Arabia.

Reporter, Male # 2
Love each other and give each other gifts was the message entrusted on us by our prophet, may the blessings and peace of God be upon him, but it does not necessarily require a big budget. Every drop contributes to the economic activity that benefits both the seller and the buyer.

"Hamas is negotiating with Israel:" this is what Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confidently said to a BBC -Arabic reporter in an exclusive interview. How does he know? Abbas asserted that there are "no secrets in Israel".

If things could only be this simple in the Middle East, Mr. Abbas would have known from the get-go that the Oslo Accords were a disaster for the Palestinians, Bush's Road Map for Peace was just another road to nowhere, the Annapolis Peace Conference was dead on arrival, and Obama's promises for "change" do not mean squat when it comes to Israel.

The President of the Palestinian Authority added that the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for January will be postponed and that he would not seek a second term as president. Abbas looked frustrated...he looked like a beaten man.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government in recent days has been scrambling for yet another distraction to offer the beleaguered Palestinian Authority President: an interim accord that would include a Palestinian state with provisional borders. This way he'll have a quasi-state with temporary borders to show for all the endless negotiations. What a brilliant idea!

The reasoning behind this brilliant idea is that it would remove contentious issues that have prevented an agreement in the past, such as the Palestinian refugee issue and Jerusalem, from the negotiating table. No big deal, really!

This is starting to sound like another chapter from One Thousand and One Nights.

In another development, the Israeli government has recently approved the construction of 900 new housing units in Gilo, a Jewish neighborhood built on lands captured by Israel in 1967. The announcement has caused an uproar in the international community and has drawn sharp criticism and "dismay" from the White House.

And yet another brilliant idea: according to the Jerusalem Post, in an attempt to lure the PA back to the negotiating table, in private discussions, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he was prepared for a moratorium on new settlement construction, as long as it did not include Jerusalem and did not preclude construction of public buildings needed for normal life in the settlements.

Translated, this means construction will continue as usual in E. Jerusalem along with expanding current Israeli settlements.

Meanwhile, with all this happening, media reports have been surfacing that a final deal has been reached for the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Some Arab media outlets have been reporting that Shalit might be released as early as the Muslim Eid holiday in exchange for 1000 Palestinian prisoners. Should this happen, it will be a major victory for Hamas and another blow to Abbas.

Last month Hamas handed Israel a video of Shalit in exchange for 20 female Palestinian prisoners; something that was widely seen as a major victory for the organization by many Palestinians.

According to a poll published in Haaretz, 57 per cent of Israelis support the idea of talking with Hamas. The poll was taken in the wake of a statement by former defense minister Shaul Mofaz, who last week unveiled a plan that includes negotiations with Hamas and an interim Palestinian state on 60 percent of the West Bank in a year.

"If Hamas would be elected and would want to negotiate and accept the Quartet's conditions, from that moment, it is no longer Hamas", said Mr. Mofaz. He also added, "Responsible leadership in Israel would sit with those who changed their agenda".

So if Hamas is no longer Hamas, and the Palestinian Authority is no longer an authority, what options do the Palestinians have?

To be continued on another night...