Author: ericlee

Henry McDonald examines the educational links between Northern Ireland and Iraq. He quotes a British Council official saying that they have given Iraqi and UK school children a means of exchanging ideas, sharing their cultural experiences, and that is a remarkable achievement, given the circumstances. He concludes that until recently, the relationship between the UK and Iraq has been seen solely through the prism of the military presence in their country. Now we want to change that – and education is one way of doing it.

The Baghdad Blogger Salam Pax returns, as many are doing and will blog from Iraq. He says – on the politics front, I have never felt as supportive of the current Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki as I was during the negotiations for the Status of Forces Agreement with the United States. For once it felt as if the Iraqi government could stand up for itself and not be a pushover. Yes, the negotiations were messy and the Iraqi parliament acted, in the end, like a bunch of kindergarten kids, but as an executive authority the prime minister and his … Continue reading Baghdad Blogger goes home

Meg Munn reports on LFIQ meeting with FCO Minister Bill Rammell. Meg and Gary Kent, Director of Labour Friends of Iraq (LFIQ), recently met Bill Rammell, Minister of State at the Foreign Office with responsibility for the Middle East. They discussed how to help improve the understanding of Iraq within the UK and enhance relations between the two countries. Meg and Gary explained that LFIQ aims to build support for the new Iraq, working closely with Iraqi politicians from a variety of political parties, Iraqi trade unions and other organisations in civil society. With British troops scheduled to leave Iraq … Continue reading Increasing dialogue with Iraqis

Please support this humanitarian appeal All proceeds will be forwarded through the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to support emergency humanitarian relief operations carried out by them in Gaza. All trade union relief operations are co-ordinated through Red Crescent in Jordan, Egypt and Gaza and focused on the identified needs of the people affected by the events. The first ITF-PGFTU humanitarian flight is due to leave for Gaza on 08 Jan 2009. The TUC supports an immediate ceasefire by both sides, and the pursuit of a political solution to the problems … Continue reading TUC Aid Appeal – Give for Gaza

The New York Times reports on the provincial elections at the end of the month. It says, for example – it is also the first time that large numbers of candidates like Mr. Kareem have decided for themselves that Iraq is sufficiently safe to campaign publicly and put their oversize pictures on posters and banners around the city. It sometimes seems that every square inch of blast wall in Baghdad is covered with them.

The LA Times reports the visit of the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to Iran to discuss economic, transportation and electricity issues. He said – our security achievements and redeeming Iraq from the sectarian war gave us the chance to exert more efforts to accelerate the process of reconstruction and development, which needs the presence of neighboring countries’ companies. Iraq’s minister of education, Khudair Khuzai, also an Islamic Dawa member, said Maliki had an additional aim: to help improve relations between the U.S. and Iran. He said – we believe that having any tension between those countries will reflect negatively … Continue reading Iraq as a bridge between America and Iran

Here are youtube videos of keynote speeches at the first Partnership with Iraq, Forum on Human Rights Support was held at the FCO on 16 December 2008. It brought together representatives of the Iraqi, UK and other foreign governments, along with NGOs, civil society groups and international organisations. They discussed the human rights issues facing Iraq now and of concern for the future. The Forum plans to meet again in 2009 to look at how to take forward the issues raised.

In a letter to the Guardian, Rev David Williams makes a pertinent and pithy point. He writes – Sam Leith (Letters, 18 December) likens George Bush to Saddam Hussein as someone who “buggered up Iraq”. But nobody ever interrupted a Saddam Hussein speech by throwing shoes. I wonder why? Happy Christmas and a peaceful new year from LFIQ

In the Guardian, Martin Chulov examines some key challenges facing Iraq in 2009 including the return of exiles. He says – Up to 2 million Iraqis are still scattered across the Arab world and Europe. And among them are up to 200,000 professionals who hold the key to whether a country that lost the lot can start again from scratch.

The Foreign Office this week hosted a very useful Forum on human rights and partnership in Iraq. With the news that British combat troops are returning home in the next few months, we are moving into a new phase of relations between our countries. We hope that the bitterness and division over the intervention and the role of our troops can be replaced, not by indifference, but by engagement and a focus on how Britain can assist Iraqis in reconstructing their country. LFIQ continues to emphasise the need for increased investment, trade and other exchanges with Iraq to help them … Continue reading Forum could increase dialogue and understanding