National Library - A Symbol of A Non-Sectarian Future?

The diary of Saad Eskander as he, with his Sunni and Shia staff, struggle to re-open the Iraq National Library and Archive.

If they kill me they have killed an Iraqi patriot

Tim Lezard talks to a soccer-star headteacher who will not be intimidated by daily threats of death. Hassan, who is a member of the Iraqi Teachers Union, believes he has a responsibility not only to his 500 pupils, but also to wider society. Though depleted by law and starved of resources, the unions offer a rare glimpse of hope amid the wreckage of Iraq. Their leaders have been at the forefront of creating a new democratic and secular civil society and are often targeted because of that.

Kurdish Region a Shining Example

The outgoing US ambassador has pointed to the Kurdish region as being a
possible model of co-operation which the rest of the nation should follow.

Ebbing Hope in a Landscape of Loss

Here are the full details of a new national survey of Iraqi opinion.

IRAQCHILD APPEAL

LFIQ Joint President Dave Anderson MP has tabled this Commons Motion in support of the IraqChild Appeal - an initiative of the Iraqi Association in London.

Please support the appeal

Gary Kent
Director LFIQ

That this House notes that almost half of Iraqs total population is under 18 years and is particularly vulnerable to violence, abandoned ordnance, displacement, sectarianism and lack of medical treatment due to the flight of medical professionals; further notes that 818,000 children, 22.2 per cent. of the total number of students, are unable to attend school due to security concerns or in order to work to supplement the family income; believes that assisting Iraqi children is vital because they are the future of the country; applauds the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local humanitarian groups in difficult security circumstances; and welcomes the initiative of the London-based Iraqi Association, in consultation with local NGOs and other medical staff in Iraq, to establish the IraqChild Appeal, whose emergency appeal target is £250,000 and whose main goal is to provide help and assistance to Iraqi children through spreading public awareness of their needs and by providing aid and welfare protection, emergency aid and psychosocial treatment through local NGOs as well as the development of creative children's activities aimed at uniting children who have been driven apart because of sectarian violence and hate.

Electricity Workers in Kirkuk took a Strike Action

The GFIW reports that electricty workers went on strike at Taza Electricity Plant in Kirkuk.

On Tuesday 13 March 2007 Workers and Technicians at "Taza Plant 15K" outside kirkuk conducted a day strike action calling on the local authorities to improve their security from extremist attacks which aer killing many workers indiscriminately. The strikers also called on the management of the plant to increase their pay.

At another development, on same day workers at Baghdad main electricity plant protested at the Minister of Electricity's decision to abolish their allowances.

Achievements in Iraq

A mature debate on Iraq cannot and should not avoid the suffering of ordinary Iraqi people but nor should it ignore the achievements that have been carried out by Iraqis and foreign troops and governments since 2003. We have published articles outlining the former and this outlines the latter.

Gary Kent
Director LFIQ

• Iraqis adopted a new permanent constitution by referendum in October 2005, with a turnout of 63%. The constitution defines Iraq as democratic and pluralist.
• Iraqis have their first ever democratically elected government. The elections held in December 2005 saw a turnout of over 12m or 76% of the electorate. On 20 May 2006 - Iraq’s new Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, announced his government of national unity.

• The Iraqi government is fully sovereign, except in the area of security, where an agreed transition strategy is resulting in the progressive transfer of sovereign responsibility to the Iraqi government and local authorities.

• This is the first time in Iraqi history that there has been an elected government which is properly representative of all of Iraq’s major communities, as opposed to a minority-based dictatorship.

• Work to establishing a durable and representative political system for Iraq continues. For example, a Constitutional Review Committee is preparing a report on possible amendments to the Constitution; various parties are submitting views on amendments to the de-Baathification process; the draft hydrocarbons legislation has been agreed by the Council of Ministers and will now be sent to the Council of Representatives.

• No one is under any illusion that the security situation in parts of Iraq is extremely serious but It should be remembered that:

• The multinational forces ended a brutal dictatorship where torture and murder were state policy. Nobody doubts the problems in changing in culture, but the Iraqi Government with our help is doing this.
• We are building up the Iraqi military/police capabilities – over 320,000 are now trained. Capabilities and commitment are increasing.
• The Iraqi security forces are increasingly taking the lead. The Iraqi Army and Police Service are taking the lead in the Baghdad Security Plan (Iraqi name: Fardh al Qanoon), with support as necessary from the Multinational Force.
• The Transition from MNF to Iraqi Security Force control has occurred in three provinces and is progressing steadily:
Muthanna - transferred on 13 July 2006
Dhi Qhar - transferred on 21 September 2006
Najaf - transferred to Iraqi control on 20 December 2006

• With effect from 1 January 2007, the Iraqi Ground Force Command (IGFC) assumed command of the Iraqi Army

IN SOUTH EAST IRAQ

• Unlike Baghdad, there is very little sectarian conflict in these four provinces – Maysan, Basrah, Dhi Qar, and Al Muthanna. The challenges are rather criminality, infighting between Shia factions, and the corrosive influence of the militias

• One hopes that Maysan province can be handed over to full Iraqi control over the next few months, and that Basrah can be transferred to full Iraqi control in the second half of the year.

• The Iraqi 10th Division, based in the south, has proven itself during Operation Sinbad, which ran from September 06 – March 07. Now planning and leading security operations in Basrah with minimal or no Coalition support. The two 10th Division battalions deployed to Baghdad as part of Fardh al Qanoon arrived on time and in full strength, and have performed well.

• A Provincial Joint Command Centre has been established to coordinate security in Basrah. Iraqi police and military officers sit side by side in the Centre and are mentored by Coalition advisers.

• UK has helped the Iraqi police set up an Internal Affairs Department to root out unacceptable behaviour within police ranks. The corrupt Serious Crimes Unit has also been abolished.

• As a result of Operation Sinbad, 92% of police stations within Basra city are now assessed at a satisfactory standard (up from 9% in September), whilst in the wider province of Basrah, nearly 90% of stations are now up to standard (up from 38% in September).

• Iraqi soldiers, police and border guards in the south will benefit from a Joint Leadership Academy which the UK is setting up in Basra later this year. This will provide a wide range of courses to develop professional standards for Iraqi officers.

• The UK has helped train police and soldiers in the UK. They have then returned to Iraq to help train others.
• Divisional Training Centre will be up and running in about April 2007.

Operation Sinbad: summary of effects:

In conjunction with security training and operations by MNF and Iraqi Forces, Operation SINBAD has completed around 550 projects to improve the local environment including neighbourhood projects, infrastructure and agricultural development. As of March 2007 these included:

• 212km of new water pipe laid in an $18 million project which employed 2310 people at its peak.
• 5 Medium level Electrical Distribution Projects worth $9.8million ongoing until July 2007 and 7 other local distribution projects completed.
• 70,000 Date Palm offshoots planted with another 70,000 to be planted by June 2007 in a $12 million project to reinvigorate the regionally significant Date Palm industry
• 336 schools refurbished and basic supplies delivered
• 51 football pitches and other sporting facilities built or refurbished
• 41 Projects to supply equipment of refurbish medical facilities completed
• 29 Area Clearance Projects carried out
• 6 footbridges have been refurbished
• 81 other miscellaneous projects
• 24, 478 short term jobs created

ECONOMY & SOCIETY

The UK has disbursed the £544m pledged at the Madrid Conference in 2003. The Chancellor increased this by £100m when he visited Basra in November 2006 making a total UK commitment of £644m. The funding has contributed to international efforts which have achieved the following:

 Over 5,000 schools rehabilitated and a further 1,000 in progress. More than 100,000 primary and 40,000 secondary teachers trained.
 Over 5 million children have received life-saving vaccinations.
 1,000 healthcare facilities have been rehabilitated or equipped and more than 6,000 staff trained.

 2,500 Iraqi NGOs are now registered with the Iraqi government and trade unions

 217 Iraqi judges, 288 lawyers and 71 prosecutors trained in human rights, international humanitarian law, and independence of judiciary.

 Over 3,000 women and young people in the south trained in business skills.

 Over 180 journalists trained in independent journalism and feature writing.
 250 newspapers and magazines have been launched. New TV and radio stations have been set up.

 Debt reduction: The UK supported the negotiations of the Paris Club debt reduction deal, which should result in $96 billion worth of debt forgiveness funds which can now be spent on key areas such as education and health.

On the Iraqi economy, World Bank figures show that after hitting a low of US$13 billion after the conflict in 2003, GDP recovered by nearly 50 % in 2004 to US$26 billion. Growth in 2006 is estimated at 3%. GDP per capita has grown from $479 in 2003, to a projected $1,687 in 2006.

Oil production is now around 2 million barrels per day. Production and export facilities are much more secure. Increased oil production and prices have increased Iraq’s revenues from $US18bn (2002) to $US29bn (2005).

RECONSTRUCTION IN BASRAH

In the last decade of Saddam’s regime, the central government systematically starved Basrah and the south of funding, and also imposed various punitive measures such as the draining of the marshes, with inevitable damage to infrastructure and economic prospects.

Power

Through the Department for International Development (DfID), Basrahris have benefited from:

 Electricity transmission and distribution networks repaired post-conflict
 Transmission lines from Hartha power station to Basra city repaired – securing electricity supplies for 1.5 million residents.
• Repairing the Hartha power station chimney – securing 170MW - equivalent to enough power for a 24hr supply to 340,000 people (about as many people as live in Cardiff).
• Added and secured 350 MW of electricity and will be adding or securing a further 120 MW over the next 6 months. This is the equivalent to what is needed to provide 24 hours of power for around 1 million people.

Water and sanitation

 Replaced 200 km of water mains, repaired over 5,000 leaks, cleared out 7,000 septic tanks and cleared over 40 kms of drains.
 Constructed a water training centre in Basra to increase the skills of Iraqi engineers in water treatment and leakage repair.
 Refurbished a reverse osmosis unit to supply potable water to about 500,000 people.
 Technical advice for a major sewage installation in Al Amarah, providing up to half the city’s population with access to a piped system and replacing open sewage channels.
 Improved water supply to 60,000 people in Al Amtahiyah.
 By late 2007 DFID will have improved access to water for 1m people.

DFID power and water projects will employ around 450 people, generate almost 100,000 workdays and secure around 17,000 workdays per year for operation and maintenance.

Institution-building

• The focus of UK efforts has been to build capacity of local authorities to plan for, access and spend central and local funds. In Basrah, supported production of a Provincial Development Strategy by the Provincial Council.
• On the back of this work, Basrah Provincial Council was able to access $US172 million of central government funding in 2006 and $205 million in 2007 (after receiving none in 2005) and is undertaking more than 300 local reconstruction projects based on this work.
• Refurbished Governorate offices; trained Governorates officials
• Built up financial management and budgeting capacity of governorates
• 216 Iraqi judges, lawyers and prosecutors trained in human rights, international humanitarian law, and independence of the judiciary

Private sector development

• Establish a local Business Journal and Business Information Centre.
• Over 3,000 women and young people in the south trained in business and enterprise skills;

Agriculture
• 60 Agricultural directorate staff trained in administrative, IT and planning skills
• Restoration of the marshlands in Basrah, Maysan and Dhi Qar. Return of Marsh Arabs
• Growth in tomato, rice and wheat production

Iraqi opinion poll

It is being reported that twice as many Iraqis think life is better now than under Saddam Hussein, a new poll reveals. And six out of ten deny claims they are living through a civil war. In the survey of 5,000 Iraqis by poll firm Opinion Research Business, 49 per cent said that their life was better now. Only 26 per cent preferred having Saddam in charge. The rest were undecided or said their lives were the same.

A bleak survey of Iraq

Peter Beaumont reflects on four years in Iraq. It’s a sad journey but I am surprised that he doesn’t mention the rise of an organised labour movement – the trade unions have gone from virtually nothing – after decades of Saddam’s fascist-type regime – to about a million members in a movement that is consciously non-sectarian and seeking to build a decent civil society and democracy in Iraq. They are doing so in terrible circumstances and deserve all the support we can give.

Gary Kent
Director LFIQ

ICTUR Protest To Bush

The International Centre for Trade Union Rights has sent a letter to the
American President following three armed raids on two Iraqi union offices.

Funfair Alternative to Extremist Violence

One of the most violent regions of Baghdad has seen a marked decrease in killings since one of the Mayors outlined plans to build an amusement park and provide employment for thousands of local residents. (Dave Spector)

Peter Hain on the importance of Iraqi Unions

Earlier this week Peter Hain spoke about foreign policy to numerous representatives of embassies, charities and other NGOs. The meeting was organised by a think tank, The Foreign Policy Centre. Peter, a candidate for the role of Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, articulated his belief in an America led by the Democrats which followed the traditional internationalism espoused by Bill Clinton. Much of the Labour MP’s Iraqi policy was based around an unqualified support for the region's unions. They "counterweighted the evil of sectarianism" and formed a buttress "against theocracy". Overall, Peter reiterated his hope that unions would be "at the heart of progressive internationalism." (Dave Spector)

LFIQ Joint President Dave Anderson MP raises raid on Iraqi union offices in the Commons

Mr. David Anderson (Blaydon) (Lab): Can my right hon. Friend, or the appropriate Minister, investigate the recent actions of American troops in Iraq, who, on three occasions in the past two weeks, have raided trade union offices, destroyed equipment, confiscated computers and fax machines and arrested some of the employees?

Mr. Straw: I will certainly pass on to the Foreign Secretary the concerns raised by my hon. Friend for the trade union movement in Iraq. Although I know nothing about that particular incident, I know a lot about the bravery and commitment of the trade union officials and movement in Iraq.

LFIQ entirely associates itself with Dave's question and urges all comrades to support the General Federation of Iraqi Workers

Gary Kent
Director LFIQ

Support growing for Iraqi trade unionists after raids

LFIQ President Dave Anderson MP today raised the raids with Jack Straw who promised to investigate and praised the bravery of Iraqi trade union comrades. Please go here to support Iraqi unions protesting against the armed raid on their headquarters.