Iraq Press Roundup

The Sunni Al Basaer Newspaper said Wednesday that at the end of the fifth year of the occupation, U.S. promises haven't come true.

The editorial, titled "On the doors of the fifth year of the U.S. occupation," said the United States succeeded in failing Saddam, presenting the "symbols" of his government to a formal court, and executing many without showing clear evidence.

"The U.S. has violated the Iraqi Constitution set up by the previous government," the paper said.

The Saudi-based newspaper said the United States and the new government it backs think they achieved victory, but the ousting of Saddam's government has led to a bloody path.

Of the U.S. decision to dissolve the Iraqi army and intelligence services, the paper said the move served the "Zionists" because the Iraqi army fought them in 1948, 1967, 1982 and 1991.

It said the decision to dissolve the Iraqi army caused a security gap and chaos that led to violence and sectarian terrorism taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis and intellectuals in addition to displacing millions of Iraqis inside and outside Iraq.

"Although the U.S. is the reason of the millions of displaced Iraqis, Americans refuse to participate in conferences to solve or even assist in solving this crisis," said the paper, backed by the Association of Muslim Scholars.

It said the United States has achieved a sectarian democracy resulting in a constitution devoted to sectarianism underlined by the federal government.

The paper said the highlighted points of the new constitution included disposing Kirkuk as per Article 140 that allows Kurdish authorities to throw the Arabs out of Kirkuk and replace them with Kurds ahead of elections.

It pointed out that one reason for the crisis between Turkey and Kurdistan was Kirkuk and the marginalization of the Turkmen who live in it, in addition to the Kurdistan Workers Party clashing with Turkey.

It said the U.S. occupation "opened the doors" to regional powers to enter Iraq and interfere with its internal issues, adding Iraq has become a "hot bed" of Iranian, Zionist and regional espionage.

It said the "neighboring countries' conferences," instead of discussing the security of Iraq and ways to stop the "blood flow," address ways to prevent terrorists from attacking these neighboring countries.

Al Basaer said the United States opened the doors to Iran to take part in Iraq.

"During the last conference for the neighboring countries, Iran suggested that Iranian, Syrian and other Arab forces replace the occupation forces so they are allowed officially to interfere with Iraq's interior issues," the paper said.

"Whereas the U.S. allows Iran to take part in Iraq, Iran would give up Iraq oil to the U.S.," the paper said.

The editorial called the U.S. policy in Iraq opportunistic and unreal.

"Although the U.S. has assured the necessity of the political parties' unity, it didn't take a step toward that direction until the 'fire of terrorism' burned them," the paper said.