. GPS News .




.
IRAQ WARS
Iraqi foreign minister set to visit Turkey: diplomat
by Staff Writers
Ankara (AFP) Oct 11, 2011


Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari will visit Turkey on Wednesday for talks on stopping recent surging attacks by Kurdish rebels which have prompting Ankara to consider a land operation, a senior Turkish diplomat said.

"The Iraqi foreign minister will be in Turkey on Wednesday and Thursday upon our invitation as part of a working visit," the diplomat told AFP speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The fight against terrorism will figure high on the agenda of the talks," he added.

Turkey's parliament extended on October 5 the government's mandate to order military strikes against Kurdish rebels holed up in neighboring Iraq.

A surge of attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) also targeting civilians are piling pressure on Ankara, which has threatened to launch an incursion into northern Iraq by its land forces to root out rebel bases.

Turkey repeatedly calls on the Iraqi government not to allow its territory to be used as a springboard by the PKK for attacks in Turkey, and if not threatens to continue strikes.

Turkish warplanes have bombed rebel bases in northern Iraq several times since August, killing between 145 and 160 rebels, according to the general staff.

The air strikes have threathened relations with neighbouring Iraq, which summoned Turkey's ambassador in August to demand an immediate end to the attacks after it was alleged that Turkish bombings killed civillians.

Turkey rejected the allegations.

Zebari, a Kurd himself, is expected to hold a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu.

The situation at a UN-run camp at Makhmour in the north of Iraq is expected to be on the agenda of the meetings with Zebari, said the diplomat.

Turkey has long been pressing for the closure of Makhmour, charging that the camp is controlled by the PKK and serves as a supply base of fresh militants to the organization.

"This is an issue which is always on our agenda," said the diplomat.

Zebari is also expected to attend the inauguration of the Iraqi consulate in Gaziantep province, near the Syrian border.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, took up arms in Kurdish-majority southeast Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 45,000 lives.

Related Links
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century




.
.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries




Corruption hampering power provision: Iraq speaker
London (AFP) Oct 11, 2011 - Corruption has spread through the Iraqi government "like an octopus" and is hampering electricity provision, parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi said on Tuesday.

Nujaifi said that corrupt "mafias" were an impediment to political reform and progress in the country, and noted that the electricity sector in Iraq was "rife with corruption."

"There are also the corruption mafias that seem to spread through the establishment like an octopus," Nujaifi said at a conference at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, according to an English translation of his Arabic remarks provided by the think tank.

"Those mafias are the biggest impediment to political reform and to any political progress being made."

Nujaifi did not elaborate on what he meant by "mafias," but pointed to corruption as the reason for a lack of progress in electricity provision, more than eight years after a US-led invasion overthrew Saddam Hussein.

Iraqi households still receive only a few hours of government-supplied power, and must use communal and private generators to fill the gaps.

The shortfall is particularly acute during Iraq's scorching summer, when temperatures top 50 degrees Celsius in much of the country, and air conditioners and fridges need to run constantly.

"After all this time, and without any traces of accountability, there is no question that there is an incredible amount of shortcoming," Nujaifi said, responding to a question regarding the power supply.

"In fact, there is a government failure in handling this particular dossier, and the main reason is corruption. This particular sector is rife with corruption."

Iraq on Monday named a new electricity minister, Abdulkarim Aftan, after the previous minister, Raad Shallal al-Ani, was fired over the summer for approving more than $2 billion in allegedly improper contracts.

Ani's dismissal came little more than a year after his predecessor resigned amid protests over poor electricity provision.

"There has to be a transparent and a clean administration of this particular sector," Nujaifi said. "There can be no question that this is a great area of failure."



.

. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



IRAQ WARS
Twin Baghdad blasts kill nine
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 10, 2011
Two bomb attacks minutes apart in west Baghdad on Monday evening killed at least nine people and wounded more than 20 others, security officials said, amid nationwide violence that left 12 dead. The first explosion occurred at around 8:30 pm (1730 GMT) in the Iskan neighbourhood near a group of civilians, an AFP journalist at the scene and an interior ministry official said. The second b ... read more


IRAQ WARS
The establishment of genetically engineered canola populations in the US

Rethinking connection between soil as a carbon reservoir and global warming

China says 100 mln farmers to move to cities by 2020

Fungus could wipe out Philippine bananas: growers

IRAQ WARS
Researchers Realize High-Power, Narrowband Terahertz Source at Room Temperature

Rice physicists move one step closer to quantum computer

New FeTRAM is promising computer memory technology

Japan's Elpida eyes chip production base in China

IRAQ WARS
Embraer selects French component supplier

EU court backs bloc in airlines emissions fight

EU wins key round in carbon fight with airlines

Moller International Seeks Sponsorships for M400X Moller Skycar

IRAQ WARS
GM China sales up 15.3% in September

Crash-safe battery protection for electric cars

Cool Colors For Cars Could Improve Fuel Economy, Reduce Emissions

Secure updates for navigation systems

IRAQ WARS
Outside View: Pass the China currency bill

Philippines sees outsourcing boom

China, Russia ink deals worth over $7bln

US needs trade deals with Taiwan, Japan: Huntsman

IRAQ WARS
Demonstrators in Bolivia resume march

International bodies to probe crackdown on Bolivia protest

Forest structure, services and biodiversity may be lost even as form remains

USDA: Wood is greenest building material

IRAQ WARS
New program to expand, enhance use of LIDAR sensing technology

Indra Tries In Madrid And Seville Space Technology To Detect Heat Islands

RADA Selected for a SAR Development Program

World's highest webcam brings Everest to Internet

IRAQ WARS
Pear-shaped 110-carat diamond to go under hammer

NIST polishes method for creating tiny diamond machines

Journey to the lower mantle and back

Diamonds show depth extent of Earth's carbon cycle


.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement