Middle East

Chicago, IL | March 04, 2008 -- "I welcome the UN Security Council's decision to increase international pressure on Iran because of its continued defiance of the international community and its illicit nuclear program. However, like its two predecessors, this resolution represents a lowest common denominator because Russia and China did not agree to tougher sanctions.    » read more »

04 March 2008 -- The Bush administration Tuesday denied a published report that it covertly sought to oust Hamas from power after the radical group won Palestinian elections in 2006, triggering a Palestinian civil conflict a year later. The State Department says Hamas itself provoked the fighting that left it in control of Gaza.

Officials here are rejecting, in unusually strong terms, a U.S. magazine report claiming the Bush administration tried to organize the armed overthrow of Hamas, after the militant Islamic group took over the Palestinian government after 2006 elections.    » read more »

03 March 2008 -- Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has called for U.S.-led forces to leave Iraq, saying there can be no peace in the region as long as foreign troops are there.

In a live broadcast on Iraqi television, the Iranian leader said Iraqis hated the presence of foreign troops. He said foreign forces needed to respect people in the region by leaving and allowing them to run their own affairs.    » read more »

3/2/2008 -- "I deplore and condemn the Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel, including the city of Ashkelon. Israel has the right to defend its citizens.

"I regret the civilian loss of life and casualties on both sides that this provocative action has caused.

"I call on Hamas to stop this irresponsible aggression immediately, which would enable Israeli and Palestinian civilians to return to normal life.    » read more »

02 March 2008 -- The presidents of Iraq and Iran have declared a new chapter in friendly relations, despite accusations of Iran interfering in Iraq. During the Iranian president's first visit to Iraq, the neighboring country leaders have said their renewed ties were an example for other nations in the region to follow.

Iraq's President Jalal Talabani welcomed Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and both leaders hailed the visit as a new chapter in relations.

After a red carpet welcoming ceremony the two leaders held a meeting to discuss cooperation between Iran and Iraq.    » read more »

Amman, Jordan, Feb. 11, 2008 — U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez spoke at the U.S.-Middle East and North Africa Trade and Investment Conference on the potential for prosperity and stronger economic ties through open markets. “When markets are open, trade is liberalized, freedom is fostered, entrepreneurial spirits are unleashed, and the quality of life improves,” said Gutierrez. “This Conference presents a great opportunity to take our economic partnerships to the next level and to create stronger intra-regional commercial ties with U.S. suppliers and investors.”    » read more »

11 February 2008 -- Russia has agreed to write off most of Iraq's multi-billion-dollar debt as Moscow expresses hope for increased economic relations between the two countries.

The deal to write off $12 billion, more than 90 percent of Iraq's nearly $13 billion debt to Russia, was reached in Moscow during a visit by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Baghdad's remaining $900 million arrears to Moscow would be restructured over the next 17 years.    » read more »

11 February 2008 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says there may need to be a "pause" in troop reductions in Iraq once the initial pullouts are complete in July.

Gates spoke Monday in Baghdad, during a previously unannounced visit to discuss troop reductions with top American military officials.    » read more »

03 February 2008 -- The Iraqi government's top executive body, called the president's council, has issued a controversial law that allows some former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to return to government service.

The Kurdish, Jalal Talabani, and Shi'ite, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, representatives of the three-member presidency council issued the law Sunday despite the objection of the Sunni representative, Tareq al-Hashemi.

Sunni politicians say the law contains provisions that will force out many current government workers.    » read more »

02 February 2008 -- Iraqi authorities have raised the death toll from Friday's suicide bombings in two popular Baghdad pet markets to 99, making it the deadliest day in the capital in several months.

Authorities say the two blasts, which occurred 20 minutes apart, were carried out by two mentally disabled women strapped with explosives set off by remote control.

The U.S military says al-Qaida in Iraq was responsible for the bombings.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday such attacks will not sidetrack Iraq's military from its goal of restoring security to the country.    » read more »

31 January 2008 -- Internet speeds have slowed to a crawl in much of the Middle East and parts of South Asia after two underwater telecommunications cables were damaged Wednesday in the Mediterranean Sea. The problems are also affecting telephone service in some places, and many businesses are struggling to work around the outages.    » read more »

29 January 2008 -- Iraq has halted crude oil exports to South Korea, in protest of an exploration deal between Korean firms and the Kurdish regional government.

The annual contract between Iraq and South Korea's top refiner, SK Energy, was due for renewal January 1. SK Energy says it has been told to back out of the Kurdistan deal if it wants exports to resume.    » read more »

26 January 2008 -- After two years of almost complete isolation, the people of the Gaza Strip breached the iron wall along the border with Egypt, pouring over the border to seek basic supplies, receive needed health care, and some said, to "breathe a breath of freedom." Although Egypt seems poised to close the border again, most Gazans are giving Hamas credit for relieving their misery, even if the relief is temporary.    » read more »

25 January 2008 -- The coming negotiations on a long-term agreement to cover the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq are generating controversy even before they start. But U.S. officials say much of the concern is overblown.    » read more »

27 January 2008 -- There was a chaotic scene Saturday at the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Egyptian security forces practically abandoned the border after clashes erputed with Palestinians on Friday when they tried to close it down. They tried instead to keep the Palestinians from leaving the border town of Rafah. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans continued to flood across into Egypt to buy food and vital supplies during an Israeli blockade that has lasted more than a week.    » read more »