Iraqspeaker calls for US withdrawal; announces peace plan

[ProSense]

Iraq parliament speaker calls for US withdrawal

Sat Jul 22, 5:43 AM ET

BAGHDAD (AFP) -

Iraq's parliament speaker Mahmud Mashhadani bitterly criticized US forces in Iraq, accusing them of "butchery" and demanded that they pull out of the country.

Mashhadani was speaking at a UN-sponsored conference on transitional justice and reconciliation in Baghdad, and his strongly worded attack appeared to embarrass his international hosts, who grimaced on the podium.

"Just get your hands off Iraq and the Iraqi people and Muslim countries, and everything will be all right," the conservative Sunni Islamist said, in a speech opening the conference.

Snip..

The UN representative who then opened the conference subsequently referred to Mashhadani's speech as "spirited".

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060722/wl_mideast_afp/iraqusparliament_060722094307

Iraq announces peace plan -- without foreign interference

by Paul Schemm 2 hours, 44 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (AFP) -
Iraq held the first meeting of a homegrown peace initiative, with the country's top leaders vowing to reconcile the warring factions amid protests over US meddling.

"This is an Iraqi initiative for those who are part of the political process," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told reporters Saturday, while the speaker of parliament urged US-led coalition forces not to interfere.

Maliki said the Supreme Committee for National Reconciliation had already received positive signals from some of the insurgent groups battling security forces and US troops, including one led by a former army officer.

Snip...

"We will contact those who oppose us on certain issues and will try to convince them and tell them the detail of the project to win their consent," he said, standing alongside Maliki and Iraq's President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd.

Snip...

An Iraqi politician at the conference, who declined to be named, said that while Mashhadani's sentiments echoed those of most Iraqi people, they did not necessarily help the situation.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060722/ts_afp/iraq_060722130907

[SpiralHawk]

1. Iraq to Bush: "Get out of here you steenkin AWOL neoCON oil profiteer."

"We don't need no steenkin phony AWOL preppy commanders, or their corrupt republicon oil-profiteering fat-cat corporate cronies." - Iraq

[Auntie Bush]

2. So this is an opportunity for a face saving withdrawal

of our troops. We didn't cut and run...We didn't admit defeat...and we left Iraq when asked. See, we told you we didn't want to occupy Iraq.
Ahhhh! Now we can send all that military power to Isriel...maybe even get Syria and Iran while we're at it.(just as planned) Mission Accomplished! Americans scared stiff and vote for all those good old Republicans who defend us so well from all those terrorists whom we fight over there so we don't have to fight them here. Listen to Daddy.
:puke: :puke: :puke:

[ProSense]

3. Not saving face, saving lives!

Bush isn't interested in saving face!

From the article:

"What has been done in Iraq is a kind of butchery of the Iraqi people," he said in a long winded speech that criticized the tactics of the coalition forces as well as US support for Israeli strikes against Lebanon.

[Vidar]

4. Could be, but I doubt they'll take it.

[ProSense]

5. Now they're fighting the Iraqis?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1707832&mesg_id=1707832