Iraq Press Roundup

The Kitabat Newspaper published an editorial titled: "Signs of forming a political council for the Iraqi resistance, and liberating Iraq agenda," detailing that six Iraqi main national resistance groups to resist the U.S. occupation have announced establishing the "Political Council for the Iraqi Resistance."

The editorial said that "the six groups called, in a statement, for the liberation of Iraq from the foreign occupation."

The paper commented that this is the first time an armed group announced the formation of a political council.

The political spokesman said there are two principles we work on carrying out: "first, the occupation of Iraq which is led by the U.S. is not legitimate, and second armed resistance is a legitimate way to force the foreign forces out of our land."

Its agenda consists of 14 articles, some of which consider the U.S. occupation of Iraq as "an assault and oppression that is rejected legally and traditionally, and resisting the occupation is a right by all laws and legislations" the editorial cited the spokesman commenting.

On their vision of what will be next after the occupation forces leave Iraq, the political council said that there will be a "transitional professional government to manage Iraq's affairs."

"The armed groups will rebuild Iraq in a fair way to be for all Iraqis because Iraq is a part that can't be apart from the Arabic Islamic nation."

According to Kitabat Newspaper, "This strategic announcement was timed with the U.S. military leadership admitting that the U.S. army has become imbalanced because of the war they are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The paper said that by the time the United States and others who are loyal to it (the Iraqi government), try to convince the public that the Iraqi resistance is retreating or faces infiltration and infighting, the "establishing of the political council to the Iraqi resistance is a hit on their face."

The editorial ended by saying that "without doubts, what the U.S. has been and is facing from strong resisting through the four and a half years, have created an embarrassing bloody burden on the U.S. administration."

The paper added that the public opinion in most of the countries participating in this war is pressing on their governments for an immediate withdrawal after the failure and defeat that the occupation forces faced without achieving any victory.

"The resistance groups see the day of liberation becomes very close, and that is why we are planning now for the next step after they leave," the editorial said.

The Shabab Al Iraq Newspaper had another editorial on its front page commenting that Iraqis live between the "fires of the occupation, its consequences, and its transgression and between the fires of the resistance that flirts with the Americans and kill the Iraqi civilians."

"Other groups of resistance," the paper said, "are waiting to sign an agreement of collaboration with the Americans to achieve their goals of ruling the country."

The paper agreed that in any occupied country, there is resistance and it is a legitimate ideology, but also disagreed with some of the methods and killings.

"Some militia leaders who still live in the past, want to rule Iraq using sick attempts that can only paralyze the situation in Iraq believing in the saying, 'the goal justifies the aim.'"

The paper also referred to the meetings that take place between the Americans to convince them that they "can fill the security gap."

"They tell the Americans that they can put out the armed groups phenomenon and end the daily killing so that they gain their goals," the paper commented.

It also agreed that the step that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took getting close to the Sunni tribes that fight al-Qaida today was a good step because "these people are trustworthy."

"Though cooperating with the tribesmen was a step forward, yet the political dispute between politicians took back the situation two steps backwards."