Irak

[ThomasWach]

Arab League Ambassador Arrives in Baghdad
By Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 7, 2008; Page A15

BAGHDAD, Oct. 6 -- The Arab League dispatched an ambassador to Baghdad on Monday, the latest sign of progress in the Iraqi and U.S. effort to ease this country's diplomatic isolation.

Hani Khalaf arrived a day after the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister in 18 years. The previous envoy of the 22-member Arab League quit in January 2007, criticizing Arab countries for not doing more to ease Iraqis' suffering.

The U.S. government has urged the Sunni-dominated Arab governments in the region to reestablish ties with Iraq's Shiite-led government. Many have been hesitant because of violence here and concerns that they could appear to be endorsing the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. In addition, some nations are wary about the close ties the Iraqi government has developed with Iran.
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Quelle:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...=rss_world

Allerdings kommt in den nächsten Tagen eine echte Härteprobe auf den Irak zu. Seit Montag (sofern ich mich nicht irre), unterstehen nun gut die Hälte der Erweckungsräte mitsamt ihren Milizen und Truppen der schiitischen Zentralregierung. Alle "Söhne Iraks" in Bagdad und einige Räte in Anbar befinden sich damit im Prozess der Eingliederung in den schiitisch dominierten irakischen Staat und seine Institutionen und in der Transformation. Schließlich werden von den gut 100.000 Milizionären wohl nur gut ein Fünftel oder Viertel auch letztlich in die irakischen Sicherheitskräfte übernommen werden. Dies hat im Vorhinein für einige Spannungen gesorgt. Es bleibt zu hoffen, dass der Kommandoübergang und die Umstrukturierung auch weiterhin friedlich bleibt...

Dazu folgender Artikel:

For U.S. and Sunni Allies, a Turning Point
Sons of Iraq Despair At Imminent Takeover By Shiite Government

This week officials of Iraq's Shiite-led government will assume authority over the groups, which have been backed by the United States.
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Recognizing that the government has been wary from the outset about the creation of armed, mainly Sunni groups under U.S. control, American military officials are taking several steps to prevent their sudden disintegration. American officials see the Sons of Iraq as a central factor in the reduction in violence, along with the temporary increase in U.S. forces, a year-long cease-fire imposed by a Shiite militia leader and the stepped-up assassinations of key insurgents.
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The Sons of Iraq, also known as Awakening Councils, began in Anbar province in western Iraq in 2006 when tribal leaders joined forces with U.S. troops to fight the growing influence of al-Qaeda in Iraq, a largely homegrown insurgent group that imposed a dogmatic brand of Islam.

Desperate for solutions to curtail the endemic violence that gripped Baghdad and several Iraqi provinces in early 2007, the U.S. military sought to replicate the Anbar model across the country.
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Quelle:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...03066.html