[Transcript]  Mosaic News - 11/24/09: World News From The Middle East

Presenter, Man # 1
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Haya said that Israel has not responded to demands made by the forces that captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Al-Haya told the BBC that nothing new has happened in regards to the Prisoner swap. He added that the information that has been leaked in Israel only aims to ease the public pressure on the government.

Guest, Man # 2
We have not heard any Zionist official announce anything. We are suspicious of all these leaks to the media. We think that they serve the interests of the Zionist enemy in easing the public pressure on them. They also want to cause panic among the Palestinians, by blaming Hamas for the delay in the prisoner swap. So far, according to my information, the Zionist enemy has not responded to the forces led by the Qasam Brigades that captured the Israeli soldier.

Presenter, Man # 1
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that no agreement had been reached in the prisoner swap. This comes as the Hamas delegation left Cairo and headed to Damascus, after having met with the German mediator.

Reporter, Man # 3
The presence of the Hamas delegation in Cairo increases the probability that a deal in the prisoner swap might be concluded soon. The captured Israeli soldier will be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The details of this deal are not being released, and everyone is careful when they talk about it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there must be some deal, but he also said that this will not happen in the coming hours. Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said that such a deal will not include Fatah Central Committee member Marwan al-Barghouthi, or Ahmad Sa’dat, the secretary general for the Popular Front for the liberation of Palestinian.

Guest, Man # 4
They will not be released. I think that this is understood by Hamas; there are talks about others who have been sentenced to 15 years in prison and those with life sentences. There are, a lot of demands to release many people, and this is an obstacle for completing this deal. Let us hope that in the future different views will be presented and lead to the release the Israeli soldier and end the suffering of his family.

Reporter, Man # 3
It is confirmed that there is a deal and that there is progress towards completing it. But it is also true that a difficult process has to be completed before that happens, especially after the statement of a senior Egyptian official. He said that no agreement was reached pertaining to the list of prisoners that Hamas wants to have released. Perhaps, the presence of the Hamas delegation here is a sign that final touches are being made to the deal of releasing the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who has been detained by Hamas for three years. This deal gives freedom to tens of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, but it also may never happen.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to downplay the progress made on the prisoner swap deal and has stated that he didn’t know if a deal will be made. However, reports continue to circulate that progress is being made to release Shalit. Adding to the speculation that a deal is imminent, a Hamas delegation entered Egypt to discuss the issue with Egyptian and German officials.

Presenter, Man # 1
The decision of the Jordanian King Abdullah II to dissolve parliament, was implemented today. However, it is still however when the parliamentary elections will take place. Some see in the king’s decision an attempt to take democracy forward by creating more accountability and transparency. However, others believe it will restore the respect that the Parliament has recently lost among Jordanians. Salwa Sawalqa reports from Amman.

Reporter, Woman # 1
The 15TH Jordanian parliament which was supposed to last four years only lived two years and four days. Jordanian King Abdullah II ordered the parliament to be dissolved and for early elections to be held, but no date has been specified yet. The king’s decision came after questions were raised about the performance of the parliament, which has made him subject to constant criticism. Even some Members of Parliament called for dissolving the parliament because in their eyes it did not live up to the expectations of their constituencies.

Guest, Man # 2
The Members of Parliament who took advantage of their position in order to benefit themselves have made a mistake and must be held accountable. However, in general when we used to ask for financial donations from citizens, the money was primarily used to serve Jordanian citizens.

Reporter, Woman # 1
The performance level of the parliament was unacceptable and was described as weak on several occasions. Members of Parliament were also accused of trying to achieve personal gains by blackmailing government officials in exchange for gifts and donations, which affected their role as a legislative and accountable body. Members of Parliament denied these accusations, but political indicated that many of those who participated in surveys believe that they are true.

Guest, Man # 4
When I vote for a parliament member, he must stay in touch with me. He should hold a meeting once every month or two, and invite the people he represents to learn about their problems.

Guest, Man # 5
The parliament did not live up to its responsibilities.

Reporter, Woman # 1
There are many reasons for holding early elections in Jordan; the most important of these are weakness of the current parliament and the increase in the budget deficit. These two issues make it important to establish a government that can make difficult economic decisions and introduce political reforms without having to deal with the bureaucracy of the parliament members. This will push political reform forward, especially after the general elections are held. A new law will have to be introduced to replace the current one which is rejected by the civil society and the opposition. Dissolving the parliament means that changes will take place soon, most importantly those pertaining to the government of Prime Minister Nader Dahabi Thahbi. It will be reformed in a way to make it more competent to deal with current developments. Salwa Sawalqa, Dubai Television, Amman.

Presenter, Male #1
The Iranian Air Force is continuing the second phase of its military maneuvers called “Defenders of the sky of Velayat Two”. Iran tested today an anti-aircraft defense system and its fixed and moveable radar networks. It also held a defense training exercise to prepare in case of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack. The maneuvers, which will continue till Friday, aim to show the deterrent power of the Iranian defense air force.

Reporter, Male #1
In order to defend the state, the Iranian Air Force is surveying the sky to detect any movement that may cross the Iranian border by air to target Iran and its vital installations. This is the second time this kind of air drill takes place. All kinds of military personnel attended the drills in the field: the army, the Revolutionary Guards, and the Basij forces. The common goal that gathers them here is putting their defense capabilities to the test.

Guest, Male #1
The imaginary enemy entered through the electronic war, and our forces managed to foil the attack by using the available technology. The goal of the drills is to show our capability in confronting any possible aggression.

Reporter, Male #1
The operations begin with confronting a psychological war that the enemy has launched, then activating the military equipment and executing the interceptive military plans, followed by deterring the attack. The “Defenders of the sky of Velayat Two” maneuvers are carried out in several locations. Their means include earth-to-air Missiles “Hawk”, Skyguard and Orlekan deterrent tools, and observant radars “Nibu”, “Kashif” and “Breaking Dawn”.

Guest, Male #2
The drills have a special importance, which is the coordination of all the armed forces. As for the level of equipment, we have reached self-sufficiency in the electronic wars. We have developed an electronic visual system that is used at low level flying.

Reporter, Male #1
The drills have gathered many tools, and they send a multi-meaning message. The message is sent to those who made threats as a means to intimidate Iran in an attempt to gain concessions on account of its sensitive programs. Another message is being sent to all the military powers in the region, which is that Iran’s eyes are not covered, and its hand is on the trigger. It’s not the first time nor the last time that Iran will hold military drills. The goal of showcasing these defenders of the state and the region is to put the Iranian military power to test. At the same time, Iran does not hide that it is also a message of warning to whomever is lurking around Iran and waiting for an opportunity to repress it. From the spot of military drills, Nordin Dughir, Alalam, Wusta province.

Presenter, Female #1
In the latest updates, the Saudi Army launched an attack on the Houthi infiltrators in the regions of Jabal al-Dukhan, Duwd and Ramih at the southern border of Saudi Arabia. The assault caused heavy losses on the Houthi side. On the Yemeni side of the border, the confrontations continue in Sa’ada and Harf Sufyan between the Yemeni army and the Houthi rebels. The army thwarted the Houthis’ attempt to infiltrate al-Maqash.

Reporter, Male #1
While the confrontation between the Saudi forces and the Houthi infiltrators is wrapping up its 3rd week, military operations continue in the areas near the Saudi-Yemeni border. The conflicts are especially intense in Jabal al-Dukhan, al-Ramih, al-Duwd and Wadi al-Mujad. The air raid by the Saudi air force destroyed the infiltrators’ caches of weapons and trenches. The army launched a wide range attack on the areas of Tibab, Jabal al-Ramih and Jabal al-Dukhan where the Houthis gather by using land forces, air forces and artilleries. The Houthis suffered heavy human and material losses, according to information given by military leaders in the battlefield. The Houthis attempted to use ambushes and deceptive tactics to infiltrate and surround the Saudi forces and attack them from behind. But the Saudi military’s deployment of land and navy forces, parachuted soldiers carried by F15 and Tornado fighters, and surveillance and Apache helicopters destroyed the infiltrators’ plan and overturned their operations. On the other hand, the Houthis stated that they had repelled an attack by the Saudi forces that began simultaneously in three locations. They mentioned that the Saudi Army carried out a missile bombardment, causing heavy damages on some areas and provinces. Meanwhile, a Yemeni military official affirmed that a number of Houthi rebel leaders were killed and others were captured, when the army destroyed a stronghold held by these leaders. 5 of them were killed. In Harf Sufyan, Yemeni forces captured two leaders, Ali Nasir Nisi and Abdul Karim Masoud Jarjar, when they were trying to hide to later escape. Another leader Ijarallah Ali Abdul and a number of rebels with him were killed when they were in one of the strongholds in Dokasma, and another leader Ali Ahmed Kasma was injured.

A delegation representing the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council has met with the Sudanese Presidential adviser in charge of the Darfur file, Dr. Ghazi Salah al-Deen. The AU delegation said that their visit comes within the context of ongoing support and solidarity with the peace efforts in Darfur. They discussed a number of issues related to the overall situation in Sudan. The Sudanese government said that, alongside the AU Peace and Security delegation, they are trying to find new mechanisms to help them deal with the Darfur report prepared by the AU panel, led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. The Sudanese government further stated that they will deal with the report in accordance with the constitution.

Presenter, Female #1
The Vice President of Iraq, Tariq al-Hashimi, has criticized the new election law, describing it as “unconstitutional and adverse”, in turn, starting a new round of criticism.

Presenter, Male #1
Meanwhile, Barham Salih, the Prime Minister of the regional government of Kurdistan in Iraq, stated that the Kurds have agreed to the law in its current form.

Reporter, Male #1
The fact that the upcoming election uses the candidate lists of 2005 and not those of 2009, means that a province like Ninawa, for example, will lose more than a third of its seats in the parliament, which were given to it by the commission only days ago. Meanwhile, the provinces in Kurdistan of Iraq will preserve the number of their seats. This is the crux of the matter that turned the Kurds from a group that wanted to boycott the elections into a stubborn constituency pushing by force to enact the new law.

Guest, Male #1
Yes, this is our final position and this is the final law that was approved by the Iraqi parliament, and accepted by the region. We still have our reservations, but as a whole it has been accepted.

Reporter, Male #1
Even though the Shiites and the Kurds benefit from the election law in its current form, which the Sunnis do not accept, the political process in the country is no longer trying to reach a consensus among all the political groups. This means that, in the past, all the groups used to have to agree on the law before it can be passed for voting. It was clear that there was a difference in the last session of the council of representatives. The Shiites agreed with the Kurds, while the Sunnis left the session angrily.

Guest, Male #2
We hold the presidency of the republic responsible for carrying this bill without having any real strategy, a bill that preserves the seats of the provinces. We also hold responsible the political groups committed to voting without the existence of a consensus or the presence of political groups that represent social elements.

Reporter, Male #1
Once again, the Vice President of Iraq Tariq al-Hashimi finds himself facing storm. If the Kurds have accepted his criticism in the past, they now appear to be against him. But the Hashimi office welcomed the speculations and analyses regarding its new position on the bill, and came out with a statement affirming that the way the bill was modified was unconstitutional, because some items were modified without first being reviewed. Hashimi also considers the current law more unjust than the previous one, and he believes in dealing with it similarly. This is another wave of criticism by al-Hashimi of the new bill. But his criticism this time, if considered in its second round, will make the matter more complicated. The first consequence would be the delay of the Iraqi elections, and not just the creation of a political controversy.

Presenter, Female # 1
UNESCO has refused to reinsert the historic city of Babylon on its list of World Heritage Sites because of the changes that the city has undergone. Most notably, because of the construction of a touristic resort and the carving of Saddam Hussein’s name on walls built on the ruins of the city.

Reporter, Male # 1
The first constitution in the history of mankind was put in place right here. It is here that mankind learned how to read and write, and to split the day into 24 hours and the hour into 60 minutes. This is Babylon, one of the most important and oldest civilizations of the world. The US Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contributed 700 thousand dollars to support the efforts of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage to develop a plan for the conservation and management of the historic site of Babylon.

Guest, Male # 2
I consider this amount to be a first installment on the payment; even if it might actually be the full amount. I see it as a first payment that could fulfill the needs of our program, but will it be enough for our entire program for Babylon right now? I’d like to point out to the dear viewer that the Babylon that exists right now is in its 5th period.

Reporter, Male # 1
UNESCO is the other organization that has put in place plans to get rid of what Iraqi archeologists have called the obstruction of Saddam’s rule on the historic city of Babylon because of his construction of walls on the ancient city for no reason other than to write his name on them.

Guest, Male # 2
The previous government truly abused the heritage of ancient Iraq by leaving its fingerprints over it on the basis of the political agenda it was trying to promote. For example, and this concerns Saddam. A program for development projects was implemented, from the end of the 80’s until the fall of Saddam in 2004, to build and renovate sites without subjecting them to archeological studies.

Reporter, Male # 1
Iraq does not have the expertise or the means to explore or even conserve this important historical site.

Guest, Male # 2
In my personal opinion, I believe that the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage cannot even stand up by itself.

Reporter, Male # 1
Iraqis are hoping to launch a campaign, with the contributions of international organizations, to preserve Iraq’s heritage which spans over its 4 sides, after it had been damaged and looted for the past 2 decades. From the historic city of Babylon, Moutaza el-Rachid, al Arabiya.

Chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, and Iraq’s antiquities and heritage board announced a project that will digitize and electronically catalogue artifacts and documents at Iraq's National Museum. The move is part of the ongoing American commitment to partner with Iraq to support and showcase its rich cultural heritage and history.