Weekly news update 9-11 May 2022
Meeting of "Save the homeland'' alliance in Erbil to form government
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi and head of the Sovereignty Alliance Khamis al-Khanjar, along with a high-level delegation from the Sadrist movement, arrived in Erbil to meet with President Masoud Barzani. "The aim of the meeting is to end the political blockage in Iraq and vote on important bills, in addition to supporting the initiative of the Sadrist movement's leader Muqtada al-Sadr to form the new government with the participation of independent parties,"
Iraq suffers from a political blockage following the early October 2021 elections, as the country is still without a government and the adoption of a budget to run its affairs and manage its affairs.
More Turkish agressions against Iraqi Sovereignity in Sinjar
More than 10,000 people have fled Sinjar after intensifying Turkish aggression in the region. A senior Iraqi army official said the clashes cost the lives of a dozen Yazidi fighters and Iraqi security soldiers. In Iraq, both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government have publicly condemned Turkish attacks on norhern Iraq as violations of the country’s sovereignty. Turkey has conducted military operations and maintained military bases in northern Iraq since the 1980s.
Iraq Rejects Saudi offer to plant deserts
Iraq rejected a US-Saudi sponsored iniatative to plant over 15 thousand square kilometers in the deserts of Najaf, Muthana and Al Anbar. The Iraq goverment claimed it would be large burden for Iraq's already limited water supply. This iniatative is also clearly political as it gives Saudi Arabia large leverage and influence over Iraq's ministry of Agriculture and its general presence in these areas. Further details behind the rejection of this project remain elusive.
Anti Iraqi-Israeli normalization bill proposed in parliament
On Wednesday a draft bill was read in the Iraqi parliament to criminalize the promotion of normalization of Iraq with Israel. Calling for normalization with Israel would then be punished with a death penalty. This bill was introduced by the Sadrist block and strongly supported by the Fattah Alliance. It is said that the direct cause of the introduction of the bill was the unprecedented
pro-normalisation conference which was strongly condemned by the Iraqi public and media.
Red dust storms are not natural, US war against Iraq key cause of climate change
A dust storm that covered seven Iraqi governorates, including Baghdad, caused more than 5,000 cases of suffocation and the death of one person. New research demonstrates that sand storms in Iraq are a direct result of the devastating climate change caused by the war on Iraq and the use of modern munitions like depleted uranium and carbon dioxide. It is estimated that the war on Iraq caused the release of 141 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, between 2003 and 2007, i.e. more than 60 per cent of all countries in the world. Among the reasons for the destruction of the Iraqi environment, which are deliberately kept quiet, is how the American forces dispose of military waste by burning it in large pits in the ground.
Protest in support of the implementation of the Silk Road Initiative in Iraq held in Basra
A protest is being held on May 13 in front of the Ports Company headquarters in Basra organized by the Silk Coordination, to demand the completion of the Faw port, the activation of the Iraqi-Chinese agreement, and Iraq's joining of the Silk road Project. The implementation of these demands are of utmost importance for Iraq's economic security especially in a time of geopolitical shifts.
