21. CFR Updated December 1, 2003. Will iraqs transitional government be elected that has emerged over the Bush administrations new plan to return sovereignty to iraq by July 2004 http://www.cfr.org/background/background_iraq_govern.php

EXPERTS PRESS RELEASES TRANSCRIPTS / VIDEOS OP-EDS / ARTICLES ... BY TOPIC IRAQ The Changing Plan Updated: December 1, 2003 Sistani , wants direct elections, and his view has gained some support among members of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council . This disagreement and others have clouded the outlook for the Bush plan. Why is Sistani playing a critical role? The 73-year-old Iranian-born cleric is widely considered the most powerful Shiite leader in Iraq, which is 60 percent Shiite. After decades of Islamic study, Sistani has attained the exalted rank of majra al-taqlid Why does Sistani oppose the caucus system? Does Sistani want Iraq to be an Islamic state? Feldman , a law professor at New York University who has advised the Iraqis on the constitution-writing process, says he believes that Shiite leaders will agree to a democratic constitution that makes Islam the official religion of Iraq but guarantees freedom of religion and other civil liberties. How is the non-elective political process supposed to unfold? Agreement Iraqis, supervised by the

22. Iraq's Weapons Of Mass Destruction - The Assessment Of The British Government The September dossier, the official assessment of the British government on iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's regime. Includes video of Blair's statement to the House. http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page271.asp

prime minister contact biography speeches ... no 10 WAP search: History of Number 10 print this page home newsroom ... iraq's weapons of mass destruction Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction - The assessment of the British Government The UK government has released its dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Published on the 24th September at 8am the dossier details the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's regime. Read the dossier online: Foreword by the Prime Minister Executive Summary Part 1: Chapter 1: The role of intelligence Chapter 2: Iraq's programmes 1971-2002 Chapter 3: The current position 1998-2002 Part 2: History of UN Weapons inspections Part 3: Iraq under Saddam Download the full dossier as a PDF file (439kb) Download the full dossier in Arabic Prime Minister's statement to Parliament on Iraq View the Prime Minister's statement to the House as: Windows Media Realplayer Useful websites War on terror section FCO Website Ministry of Defence Website Department for International Development Website ... United Nations Guide to government FCO Ministry of Defence Department for International Development PM speeches Read Prime Minister Tony Blair's latest speeches.

23. Iraq - Its Infrastructure Of Concealment, Deception And Intimidation A report by the British government, published in January 2003. http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page1470.asp

prime minister contact biography speeches ... no 10 WAP search: Watch our short films print this page home newsroom ... international Iraq - its infrastructure of concealment, deception and intimidation This report draws upon a number of sources, including intelligence material, and shows organisations whose job it is to keep Saddam and his regime in power, and to prevent the international community from disarming Iraq.how the Iraqi regime is constructed to have, and to keep, WMD, and is now engaged in a campaign of obstruction of the United Nations Weapons Inspectors. Part One focusses on how Iraq's security organisations operate to conceal Weapons of Mass Destruction from UN Inspectors. It reveals that the inspectors are outnumbered by Iraqi intelligence by a ratio of 200 to 1. Part Two gives up to date details of Iraq's network of intelligence and security Part Three goes on to show the effects of the security apparatus on the ordinary people of Iraq. While the reach of this network outside Iraq may be less apparent since the Gulf War of 1990/1991, inside Iraq, its grip is formidable over all levels of society. Saddam and his inner circle control the State infrastructure of fear. Download the document in full: PDF (208 Kbs) Get the latest international news delivered direct to your desktop - register for e-mail updates Iraq WMD dossier Read the dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, published in September 2002 by the UK government.

24. DefendAmerica Facing The Iraqi Threat The USDepartment of Defense offers news, background information and links to other government and military departments. http://www.defendamerica.mil/iraq.html

25. MSNBC - Bremer Says U.S. Will Leave Iraq If New Government Asks Jim MacMillan / Pool via Reuters file. Bremer says US will leave iraq if new government asks. Rulers not likely to seek quick exit, administrator says. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4978361/

MSN Home My MSN Hotmail Shopping ... Money document.write('') Web Search: logoImg("http://sc.msn.com"); MSNBC News Alerts Newsletters Help ... MSNBC Shopping Search MSNBC: Advanced Search Advertisement var fSucceed = false;   RESOURCE GUIDE Buy Life Insurance Yellow pages expedia.com Shopping ... Small Business Tips International News Jim MacMillan / Pool via Reuters file Bremer says U.S. will leave Iraq if new government asks Rulers not likely to seek quick exit, administrator says U.S. administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer The Associated Press Updated: 8:36 p.m. ET May 14, 2004 BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. administrator of Iraq told regional officials Friday that the United States would leave Iraq if requested to do so by the new Iraqi government — although he thinks such a move is unlikely. advertisement L. Paul Bremer told a delegation from Iraq’s Diyala province that American forces would not stay where they were unwelcome. “If the provisional government asks us to leave we will leave,” Bremer said, referring to an Iraqi administration due to take power June 30. “I don’t think that will happen, but obviously we don’t stay in countries where we’re not welcome.” The United States plans to keep substantial military forces here after the June 30 handover, prompting critics to question whether Iraqis will gain genuine sovereignty.

26. CNN.com - Official Previews New Iraqi Government - Apr 22, 2004 WASHINGTON (CNN) A proposed interim government that could assume power in iraq on June 30 would represent the diversity of iraq but would not include any http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/22/iraq.main/

International Edition MEMBER SERVICES The Web CNN.com Home Page World U.S. Weather ... Special Reports SERVICES Video E-mail Services CNNtoGO Contact Us SEARCH Web CNN.com Official previews new Iraqi government Senor: Only days left to prevent new offensive in Fallujah Story Tools VIDEO CNN's Jane Arraf reports on Basra, which had been relatively quiet until car bombs left scores dead. PLAY VIDEO CNN's Mike Schulder witnesses a fierce firefight in Fallujah. PLAY VIDEO CNN's Jamie McIntyre on Pentagon preparations to ship more troops to Iraq. PLAY VIDEO RELATED Gallery: Basra mourns victims of bombings Gallery: Captive U.S. soldier List: Latest on hostages in Iraq Special Report: U.S. deaths in Iraq Gallery: Grieving families Gallery: Remembering loved ones Iraq tribunal to try Saddam U.S. to probe TV crew's deaths Powell urges coalition to stay SPECIAL REPORT Inside Iraq U.S. Reaction Global Impact CNN/Money: Rebuilding Iraq War in Iraq Special Report YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Iraq Basra Diplomacy Armed Conflict or Create your own Manage alerts What is this? WASHINGTON (CNN) A proposed interim government that could assume power in Iraq on June 30 would "represent the diversity of Iraq" but would not include any legislature until elections could be held, a State Department official said Thursday. "We don't believe that the period between the first of July and the end of December should be a time for making new laws," Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman said.

27. BBC News | MIDDLE EAST | Surfing The Net In Iraq Kim Ghattas reports on the increase of Internet use despite heavy censorship by the government. BBC, UK. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1959481.stm

CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE ... INDEX SEARCH You are in: World: Middle East Front Page World ... AudioVideo SERVICES Daily E-mail News Ticker Mobiles/PDAs Feedback ... Low Graphics Wednesday, 1 May, 2002, 14:52 GMT 15:52 UK Surfing the net in Iraq There are now 26 internet centres across Iraq By Kim Ghattas in Iraq The first thing you are told when you walk into an internet centre as a foreigner in Baghdad is - don't use your own e-mail account. Access to websites such as Hotmail is barred and trying to sneak into a personal e-mail account through any website is a challenge. For Iraqis, even censored internet access is better than none All computers face away from the wall, and officials from the government's internet department pace up and down the room. If you are caught, panicked officials immediately shut down your computer. Censorship Introduced almost two years ago, the internet service in Iraq is heavily censored and e-mail access is only possible through the government provided service. But for Iraqis, even censored internet is better than none.

28. CNN.com - U.N. Envoy: Iraqi Government Could Be Set Up Soon - Apr 27, 2004 The top UN envoy to iraq said Tuesday that a caretaker government could be selected by the end of May, a month before the June 30 handover of sovereignty by http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/27/iraq.handover/

International Edition MEMBER SERVICES The Web CNN.com Home Page World U.S. Weather ... Special Reports SERVICES Video E-mail Services CNNtoGO Contact Us SEARCH Web CNN.com U.N. envoy: Iraqi government could be set up soon Handover process 'do-able' by end of May, Brahimi says Lakhdar Brahimi spoke to the U.N. Security Council Tuesday. SPECIAL REPORT Inside Iraq U.S. Reaction Global Impact CNN/Money: Rebuilding Iraq War in Iraq Special Report RELATED Freed aid worker: Kidnapping a 'nightmare' Special Report: U.S. deaths in Iraq Gallery: Grieving families Penhaul: Intense gunbattles in Fallujah Group: Protest, 'or Italian hostages die' Official: Bulgaria president shot at in Iraq ... Photos' release angers Pentagon VIDEO Clashes erupt between U.S. Marines and insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq. PLAY VIDEO Roadside bomb attack kills coalition soldier a day after attacks on an Iraqi oil terminal. PLAY VIDEO The U.S. is working closely with U.N. to finalize a plan to transfer power. PLAY VIDEO YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Iraq United Nations Lakhdar Brahimi Government or Create your own Manage alerts What is this?

29. NPR : Halliburton's High-Power Ties To U.S. Government The giant Texasbased corporation landed many lucrative iraq reconstruction contracts, which many consider a problem because Cheney is Halliburton's former CEO. John Burnett reports that the company's high-profile federal government connections have existed since World War II. NPR http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1569364

30. Sacbee.com -- Opinion -- Atrocities In Iraq: 'I Killed Innocent People For Our G Atrocities in iraq 'I killed innocent people for our government' one of the most grueling indoctrination rituals in military life Marine boot camp. The iraq war changed Massey http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/9316830p-10241546c.html

Some features on this site require that JavaScript be turned on. Sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee News Sports Business Politics ... Shopping Sacbee: / Opinion Powered by: accessBee Internet for just $13.95 Sections: 24-HOUR NEWS 24-Hour Opinion LETTERS/STAFF How to Submit Editorial Board 30-DAY ARCHIVES Editorials Forum/Other Views Letters WEBLOGS California Insider CARTOONS/COLUMNS Rex Babin Ombudsman Mark Paul Peter Schrag ... Daniel Weintraub Atrocities in Iraq: 'I killed innocent people for our government' By Paul Rockwell Special to The Bee "We forget what war is about, what it does to those who wage it and those who suffer from it. Those who hate war the most, I have often found, are veterans who know it." - Chris Hedges, New York Times reporter and author of "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning" For nearly 12 years, Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey was a hard-core, some say gung-ho, Marine. For three years he trained fellow Marines in one of the most grueling indoctrination rituals in military life - Marine boot camp. The Iraq war changed Massey. The brutality, the sheer carnage of the U.S. invasion, touched his conscience and transformed him forever. He was honorably discharged with full severance last Dec. 31 and is now back in his hometown, Waynsville, N.C. When I talked with Massey last week, he expressed his remorse at the civilian loss of life in incidents in which he himself was involved.

31. AII POW-MIA Site Map A massive POWMIA Archive featuring news, reports, email news network, documents, daily monthly updates, military, government research links, testimony on Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Korea - Cold War, World War II, Russia, China and iraq. http://www.aiipowmia.com/

W AII POW-MIA - Archives. Here you will find reports, testimony, statements, depositions, documents, daily news, articles, lists, updates and announcements on POWs and MIAs from ALL wars. The Archives are updated and added-to daily. T o better navigate the massive volume of material in the AII POW-MIA Archives, please use the Quick Click Site Map above. Please Note - It is impossible to list every single item in the Archives on one menu page as there are tens of thousands of pages. If you require a specific item, please use the dedicated Website Search Engine or email a request. WHO WE ARE Andi - Website Administrator The opinions expressed on this site are those of Advocacy and Intelligence Index for Prisoners of War - Missing in Action. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail us at the above address. AII POW-MIA BLOG IRAQ PERSIAN GULF SOUTHEAST ASIA ... EMAIL AII POW-MIA

32. Iraqcoalition.org: Homepage Of The New Iraq to iraqi leadership. The United States will continue to play an active role in providing security in iraq and will help the new government by training iraqi http://www.cpa-iraq.org/

to A Sovereign Iraq Security Council Unanimously Endorses Iraqi Interim Government United Nations The Security Council June 8 recognized the restoration of full sovereignty to Iraq in a unanimous resolution marking a new political phase in the relationship between Iraq and the international community. The resolution, sponsored by the United States, the United Kingdom and Romania, endorses the new Interim Government of Iraq which will assume authority with the end of the occupation and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) June 30, allows the multinational force (MNF) to provide security in partnership with the new government, sets out a leading role for the United Nations in helping the political process over the next year; and calls on the international community to aid Iraq in its transition. Negroponte Calls U.N. Resolution a "Milestone" for Iraq

33. Peace And Progress Outlines the case against war in iraq, proposes solutions for the iraqi people, and calls for the defense of democratic and human rights, and for a government of peace in London. Manifesto, signatories, and contact information. http://www.peaceandprogress.org/

Home Manifesto Contact A Manifesto for Peace and Progress Posted: Thursday 2nd October 2003 With our demand to end the occupation we must force this government out of office. Let the shape and colour of the next government be what it will. We will have no government that continues this occupation. We will have a government of peace and progress. Read and sign this manifesto Signatories Previous manifestos A Manifesto for Peace and Progress - War Crimes A Manifesto for Peace and Progress - Part II A Manifesto for Peace and Progress Events Guantanamo - 'Honor Bound to Defend Freedom' Theatre Event Date: May 20th - June 12th 2004 at 7:30pm Location: Tricycle Theatre, London Weaving together personal stories, legal opinion and political debate, Guantanamo 'Honor Bound to Defend Freedom' looks at the questions surrounding the detentions in Guantanamo Bay, and asks how much damage is being done to Western democratic values during the 'war-on-terror'. Just Law: is there a conflict between human rights and security? Public debate Date: Monday 14th June at 7.30pm

34. Bad Government Opinions about George W. Bush, the war with Afghanistan and iraq, tax cuts, Israel, Iran and the FCC. Features an archive and links. http://www.badgovernment.blogspot.com/

Government Gone Bad The sorry state of the U.S. Government. From the war with Afghanistan and Iraq to tax cuts, Israel, Iran and the FCC. What's happening to our government? Why don't people seem to care? A look at some of the things wrong with our GOVERNMENT. Tuesday, August 12, 2003 ::: Bush is a Bad Roll Model for Our Children We all want our children to become the best that they can be intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. We know that children learn from observing adults around them and from authoritative figures. They learn by example. Seeing how the President of the United States is considered by our children and some adults to be one of the most authoritative people in the country, (even if he isn’t) what he says and does has some impact on the their values. Americans must ask themselves this question: What are the children learning from this sad episode in our countries history? The sad truth is that our children are learning from the Bush Administration and the people who support him that it’s okay to tell a lie to get something you really desire. They’re learning not to let the real truth get in the way of their desires. If you have to tell more lies to cover for the first lie so be it. The only thing that matters is that you get what you want. President Bush himself has never admitted to being a liar, but anybody with an open mind now knows or should know that the uranium from Niger story is nothing but a lie. Some in this Administration continue to call the lie technically correct and that President Bush didn’t know at the time of his State of the Union Address that the story was based on a forgery (another lie to cover for the first lie).

35. Human Rights Watch: Bureaucracy Of Repression: The Iraqi Government In Its Own W February 1994 Bureaucracy of Repression The Iraqi government in Its Own Words. TEXT OF THE REPORT In two separate shipments in May http://www.hrw.org/reports/1994/iraq/

Home News Releases About HRW Contribute ... Contact Us February 1994 Bureaucracy of Repression: The Iraqi Government in Its Own Words TEXT OF THE REPORT In two separate shipments in May 1992 and August 1993, eighteen tons of official Iraqi state documents captured by Kurdish parties in the March 1991 uprising arrived in the United States for safekeeping and analysis. A Middle East Watch-led team has conducted research on these documents since October 1992; to date, approximately forty percent of the materials has been catalogued and studied. This is the first report that discusses these documents. APPENDIX: SAMPLE DOCUMENTS Sample documents captured by the Kurds of northern Iraq in the March 1991 uprising against the regime of Saddam Hussein. Acknowledgments This report was written by Joost Hiltermann, Kurds' Project director at Middle East Watch, and is based on fourteen months of archival research by a Middle East Watch-led team. Shorsh Resool, a researcher on that team, has contributed to the editing process. Overall editorial responsibility for the report lies with Andrew Whitley, executive director of Middle East Watch. Mr. Resool and Mr. Hiltermann jointly provided the translations of the documents that are included in the Appendix. Suzanne Howard was responsible for preparing the manuscript for publication. Middle East Watch thanks Medico International for its generous financial support for our work on the captured Iraq documents. Without its support and that of several private donors this work would not have been possible.

36. CIA - The World Factbook -- Iraq Country profile covers geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues. http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iz.html

Select a Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Arctic Ocean Argentina Armenia Aruba Ashmore and Cartier Islands Atlantic Ocean Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas, The Bahrain Baker Island Bangladesh Barbados Bassas da India Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Coral Sea Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Europa Island Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern and Antarctic Lands Gabon Gambia, The

37. Background On Iraq - Human Rights Watch Policy On Iraq prisonersof-war. Criticism of the US government s conduct in a possible war in iraq should not be read as opposition to that war. http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/iraq/hrwpolicy.htm

Home News Releases About HRW Contribute ... Contact Us Human Rights Watch Policy on Iraq Human Rights Watch has worked for more than twenty years in war zones. We believe that our most important contribution to reducing the suffering that war so often entails is to monitor and promote all warring parties' compliance with international humanitarian law. This law - principally the Geneva Conventions and their Protocols - is designed to spare civilians and noncombatants as much as possible the hazards of war. Human Rights Watch does not make judgments about the decision whether to go to war - about whether a war complies with international law against aggression. We care deeply about the humanitarian consequences of war, but we avoid judgments on the legality of war itself because they tend to compromise the neutrality needed to monitor most effectively how the war is waged - that is, compliance with international humanitarian law - and because they often require political and security assessments that are beyond our expertise. Whether or not one favors launching a war, whether or not a war is legally justified, we believe that agreement should be possible on the necessity of waging war in a way that minimizes harm to noncombatants, as international humanitarian law requires. As in the case of other armed conflicts, Human Rights Watch thus does not support or oppose the threatened war with Iraq. We do not opine on whether the dangers to civilians in Iraq and neighboring countries of launching a war are greater or lesser than the dangers to U.S. or allied civilians - or, ultimately, the Iraqi people - of not launching one. We make no comment on the intense debate surrounding the legality of President George Bush's proposed doctrine of "pre-emptive self-defense" or the need for U.N. Security Council approval of a war.

38. U.S. Media Circus And The Bush War For Oil: Government Watch 2002 US Media bias in iraq War. How US Media believes its patriotic duty is to become the Propaganda Ministers for the Bush Regime. http://www.geocities.com/blubakhe777/oilwar.html

The U.S. Media Circus and the U.S. War For Oil CONSIDER THESE FACTS But First A Brief Sampling of the Government Watch 2002 Website Saddam Hussein Capture - Tempering the Self-Congratulatory Hysteria http://www.geocities.com/governmentwatch2002/iraq_hysteria.html U.S. Media Sophistry http://www.geocities.com/blubakhe777/rahrah.html Bush Support and The Mainstream Herd Mentality http://www.geocities.com/governmentwatch2002/herd.html Bush Selectively Doling Out Lucrative Iraq Re-construction Contracts to Cronies and Tax Cheats http://www.geocities.com/governmentwatch2002/iraq_tax_cheats.html The Art of Scapegoating A Pandering Tool In The Demagogue's Toolbox http://www.geocities.com/blubakhe777/oilwar.html#scapegoat_iraq NON - U.S. World News Media Sources http://www.geocities.com/blubakhe777/oilwar.html#world_news http://www.geocities.com/blubakhe777/gameplan.html Anti-War Websites and E-mail Links http://www.geocities.com/blubakhe777/oilwar.html#email_links More Related Websites and Links http://www.geocities.com/blubakhe777/oilwar.html#email_links By The Herd Mentality U.S. Media ... The Media Which Has Repeatedly Lied To YOU ... With Claims Like ......

39. Powell Says Troops Would Leave Iraq If New Leaders Asked (washingtonpost.com) of Britain, Italy and Japan, and by the US administrator in iraq, came one day of State Marc Grossman appeared to say that the interim government could order http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27950-2004May14.html

thisNode = 'world/mideast/gulf/iraq'; commercialNode =''; var SA_Message="SACategory=" + thisNode; PRINT EDITION Subscribe to NEWS OPINION ... REAL ESTATE SEARCH: Top 20 E-mailed Articles washingtonpost.com World Middle East ... Iraq Powell Says Troops Would Leave Iraq if New Leaders Asked By Glenn Kessler Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, May 15, 2004; Page A01 Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, joined by the foreign ministers of nations making key contributions of military forces in Iraq, emphatically said yesterday that if the incoming Iraqi interim government ordered the departure of foreign troops after July 1, they would pack up without protest. "We would leave," Powell said, noting that he was "not ducking the hypothetical, which I usually do," to avoid confusion on the extent of the new government's authority. His statement, which was echoed by the foreign ministers of Britain, Italy and Japan, and by the U.S. administrator in Iraq, came one day after conflicting testimony on Capitol Hill by administration officials on the issue. Testifying before the House International Relations Committee on Thursday, Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman appeared to say that the interim government could order the departure of foreign troops, only to be contradicted by Lt. Gen. Walter Sharp, sitting at his side, who asserted that only an elected government could do so. Iraqi elections are scheduled for January. U.S. officials emphasized that they could not imagine the new government requesting the departure of almost 170,000 troops when the security situation in the country is so dire. But the new government's ability to assert its authority after the occupation authority dissolves on June 30 has been a central question in the international consultations over the shape of the incoming government, with the United States under pressure to transfer as much political power as possible to the Iraqi people.

40. Iraqis Say Council-Approved National Flag Won't Fly (washingtonpost.com) UN special representative to iraq, calls for the council to be scrapped and replaced by what he described in an interview Friday as a government composed of http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43438-2004Apr26.html

thisNode = 'world/mideast/gulf/iraq'; commercialNode =''; var SA_Message="SACategory=" + thisNode; PRINT EDITION Subscribe to NEWS OPINION ... REAL ESTATE SEARCH: Top 20 E-mailed Articles washingtonpost.com World Middle East ... Iraq Iraqis Say Council-Approved National Flag Won't Fly By Pamela Constable Washington Post Foreign Service Tuesday, April 27, 2004; Page A15 BAGHDAD, April 26 It was supposed to be the perfect symbol for a new and unified Iraq: an Islamic crescent on a field of pure white, with two blue stripes representing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and a third yellow stripe to symbolize the country's Kurdish minority. But the new national flag, presented Monday after an artistic competition sponsored by the Iraqi Governing Council, appears to have met with widespread public disapproval here in part because of its design and in part because of the increasing unpopularity of the U.S.-appointed council. In interviews in several Baghdad neighborhoods, a variety of residents expressed strong negative reactions to the flag, which was reproduced in most daily newspapers. In particular, people objected to the pale blue color of the crescent and stripes, saying it was identical to the dominant color in the flag of Israel, a Jewish state. "When I saw it in the newspaper, I felt very sad," said Muthana Khalil, 50, a supermarket owner in Saadoun, a commercial area in central Baghdad. "The flags of other Arab countries are red and green and black. Why did they put in these colors that are the same as Israel? Why was the public opinion not consulted?"

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Page 2     21-40 of 140    Back | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 6  | 7  | Next 20