IRAQ GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]
Iraq’s Al Maliki Says He is Sole Party PM Nominee [May 29]
“Iraq’s prime minister says he is the only nominee from his political party to lead the next government. Nouri Al Maliki’s comments appear to rule out any consensus candidate. Other Shiite political groups and religious leaders whose support is key are lukewarm at best about his continued leadership. Reporters asked Al Maliki on Saturday if his State of Law political coalition would compromise on a candidate. He replied that there’s “only one nominee to be a prime minister.” The State of Law coalition has joined up with the religious Shiite Iraqi National Council in hopes of capturing enough seats in parliament to run the next government. The indecisive result of the March 7 election makes forming a governing coalition necessary..” [Complete Report]
Baghdad’s Wildlife Trade Runs Wild [May 29]
“A dozen fluffy white kittens with piercing blue eyes frolic in a wire cage, perched perilously atop a pen containing two African lion cubs. Neighbourhood schoolchildren stop to feed sunflower seeds to a chained monkey, while three red foxes cower in their kerbside enclosure from the street noise. Iraqis can get just about whatever animals they want, whether as pets, novelties or status symbols or for a private zoo — and as violence subsides many are stocking up at Baghdad’s several pet markets. The lack of government regulation means animals like lions and crocodiles are going home with people unequipped to take care of them. “There is no wildlife legislation here in Iraq, and that is what encourages these kinds of dealers to export and import wild species,” said Omar Fadil, of the conservation organisation Nature Iraq..” [Complete Report]
Instability in Iraq Could Hurt Support for U.S. Withdrawal [May 29]
“Support for President Obama’s planned removal of U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the August could drop significantly if Iraq cannot solve its current problems in time, according to a new national poll. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Saturday indicates that 64 percent of Americans favor the president’s plan to keep just 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of the summer, with 35 percent opposed. But public approval of the plan falls to 51 percent if Iraq does not have a stable government by August and there is widespread violence at that time, with opposition rising to 48 percent..” [Complete Report]
