Iraq PM slammed for 'Iran loyalty'

[IndianaGreen]

Source: Al Jazeera

Iraq PM slammed for 'Iran loyalty'

UPDATED ON:
Sunday, January 03, 2010
17:57 Mecca time, 14:57 GMT

Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi president, has come in for criticism from opposition groups over what they describe as his "weak response" to Iran's seizure of an oil well that Baghdad considers its own.

Iranian soldiers seized the well in December and critics of al-Maliki say his "weak response" illustrated the prime minister's loyalty to his fellow Shia majority across the border in Iran.

Following decades of border disputes between the two countries. the Iraqi opposition is seeking to exploit the incident to its advantage ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for March.

Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports (go to VIDEO at link).



Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/01/201013135252483158.html

[struggle4progress]

1. Iraq blames oil well dispute on border problem (AP | 12 Dec 09)

Associated Press
2009-12-26 04:31 PM
An Iraqi oil official says an oil well that was temporarily seized by Iranian troops is Iraqi and that a dispute over a poorly marked border was to blame. A three-day standoff between Iraq and Iran followed the Dec. 17 takeover by Iranian troops of well No. 4 at al-Fakkah oil field along the two countries' disputed border in southern Maysan province. Ali Maarej, head of the state-run Maysan Oil Co., which runs the field, says the demarcation lines were destroyed during the Iraq-Iran war in 1980s. Maarej said during a visit to al-Fakkah on Friday that the two countries have two joint committees working to solve the border issue. http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1141893&lang=eng_news

[struggle4progress]

2. Iran downplays Iraq border incident as a “misunderstanding” (22 Dec 09 | WashingtonTV)

Updated: Tuesday, December 22, 2009
12:30GMT—7:30AM/EST

Washington, 22 December (WashingtonTV)—Iran on Tuesday described a border incident with Iraq last week as a “misunderstanding” and called for a committee to study border demarcation issues ...

http://televisionwashington.com/floater_article1.aspx?lang=en&t=1&id=16690

[struggle4progress]

5. Iran says Iraq border incident a "misunderstanding" (Reuters | 22 Dec 09)

Tue Dec 22, 2009 8:45am GMT
TEHRAN (Reuters) - ... The statement came two days after Iraqi officials said Iranian troops had withdrawn partially from a disputed oil area claimed by both Tehran and Baghdad, possibly defusing a border feud straining the two neighbours' ties. "Our stance has been crystal clear ... it was a misunderstanding," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told a news conference in comments translated by English-language state television. Saying the two countries' foreign ministers had reached an "understanding" in a phone conversation on Saturday, he added a committee should be formed to look into border demarcation issues between Iran and Iraq, which fought a 1980-88 war. "We think it is a technical and expert issue and the experts of both sides should sit down and look into ... specifying the border areas between the two countries so that such misunderstandings are removed," he said ... http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE5BL10P20091222

[struggle4progress]

3. FM:Iraq and Iran to resolve oil well crisis (22 Dec 09 | AlSumaria-TV)

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 09:52 GMT
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hosheyar Zebari affirmed that Al Fakka oil well crisis has been resolved with Iran. It has been agreed to form a joint committee to deal with the failure of non-demarcation of borders. Baghdad and Tehran agreed to contain the crisis and get the situation back as it was before Iranian troops entered the area, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Barham Saleh said ... http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-42125-.html

[struggle4progress]

4. Iraq forms committee to decide about joint oil fields with Iran (28 Dec 09 | Azzaman)

By Fatima Kamal
Azzaman, December 28, 2009

Iraq has set up a committee which is to draw up a road map on how to develop oil fields the country shares with neighboring Iran, Oil Ministry Undersecretary Abdulkarim al-Aibi said. Aibi said the committee will soon travel to Tehran to meet with Iranian officials ...

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2009-12-28\kurd.htm

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

6. oh yeah I forgot, we turned Iraq over to a bunch of Iranian terrorists

Woo-hoo!

[bemildred]

7. So Cheney and Lieberman are advising the Iraqi opposition now? nt

[PacerLJ35]

8. Standard Baghdad politics...

I knew a Shia Iraqi who wasn't liked by the others (most were Sunni) because they felt he would side with Iran if they invaded...think Sunni/Shia like our Repub/Dem politics here...