Protests mark Iraqi anniversary; Foreign forces should leave Afghanistan

Protests mark anniversary of Saddam's fall

Thousands of Shiite protesters marked the sixth anniversary of the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime with massive anti-American rallies in the streets of Baghdad.

American troops pulled down a 40-foot statue of Saddam Hussein at Firdos Square on April 9, 2003. The situation Thursday was similar to the gatherings six years ago, but this time protesters thronged to the downtown Baghdad square chanting anti-American slogans, the BBC reports.

Supporters of anti-American cleric Moqtada Sadr adorned in Iraqi flags chanted, "No, no America. Yes, yes Iraq," while many burned American flags and effigies of former U.S. President George W. Bush.

Sadr garnered widespread support in Iraq with his opposition to what is considered the American occupation of Iraq, taking on U.S. forces with his Mehdi Army militia.

Sadr last year called on his militia to lay down its weapons and transform into a social service organization, earning some political clout. Though Sadr is believed to be in Iran furthering his clerical studies, his supporters scored modest gains in the January provincial elections.

The protests follow an unannounced visit to Baghdad by U.S. President Barack Obama, who called on Iraq to "take responsibility" as the U.S. mission there transforms from a military to a reconstruction effort.

U.S. forces are expected to wind up their mission in Iraq under the terms of a bilateral Status of Forces Agreement. Obama announced in February that all U.S. military forces would leave the country by August 2010.

Though violence in Iraq is at its lowest levels since the 2003 invasion, a spate of suicide attacks rocked the Iraqi capital recently, leaving scores dead and hundreds wounded.

London to host Iraqi investment forum

The British Department for International Development announced a major investment conference for Iraq scheduled for the end of April in London.

"Invest Iraq, London 2009" will feature hundreds of British and international companies at a forum intended to boost investment and trade relations with Iraq, DFID said.

DFID touted the investment potential in Iraq, which includes lucrative natural resources and a strategic trade location situated on the Persian Gulf in the south of the country and access to European markets through Turkey in the north.

Apart from development potential in the oil and natural gas sector, Iraq offers a 10-year tax-free incentive for investors operating in the country and a series of other exemptions.

"With a market of 28 million people, considerable wealth, abundant natural resources and decades of underinvestment, Iraq provides significant potential for international trade and investment," DFID said.

The announcement comes on the heels of concerns that the global economic climate may undermine security developments in Iraq as Baghdad struggles with a federal budget tied heavily to the oil sector.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will lead a delegation from Baghdad for the April 30 conference.

Maliki leaves for Moscow

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki left Baghdad on Thursday, headed for Moscow to meet with officials there at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Iraqi Embassy officials in Moscow said the Shiite premier will meet with Putin to discuss a variety of issues, including plans for development of oil contracts, the Voices of Iraq news agency reports.

Russia suspended oil development in Iraq following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Both sides will discuss the resumption of that work as well as future investments in Iraq.

Several Russian majors, including Rosneft and Lukoil, expressed interest in bidding on several exploration contracts in the West Qurna and Rumaila fields. The Moscow Times reports Lukoil is negotiating for the reinstatement of a $4 billion deal signed in 1997 for West Qurna.

Moscow earlier this month reached a deal with Iraq to deliver 22 Mi-17 transport helicopters.

Meanwhile, Maliki called for NATO support for the training of Iraqi forces following a visit with visiting NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Afghan rebels seek troop departure

Washington may seek moderate rebel leaders as part of the overall Afghan strategy, but foreign troops must leave before peace can take hold there, aides said.

Asia Times Online reports that U.S. officials were initiating talks with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar as part of a broad-based initiative to bring security to the beleaguered Afghan nation. Hekmatyar, the leader of the insurgent Hezb-e Islami, is a veteran of the Afghan civil war and the fight against the Soviet army in the 1980s.

Daoud Abedi, a Hekmatyar affiliate, told the Times that before security could return to Afghanistan, the country must be free from the international intervention.

"This is the first priority: that foreign troops must leave Afghanistan as soon as possible," he said.

He also ruled out any possibility that Hekmatyar's group would be involved in the current Afghan government, saying it was not a true representative of the Afghan people.

"The Kabul government has not been able to bring peace to Afghanistan, and based on that we are hoping Kabul will also understand (it is) time for the Afghan people to choose their own future leaders in the government," he said.

The international community is consolidating its efforts to revitalize the Afghan mission. Most plans, however, lack specific metrics indicative of an exit strategy. Abedi, for his part, noted this was a requirement for rebel forces to end their insurgency.

"A cease-fire is possible once talks are over and we know the exact schedule for the departure of the foreign troops," he cautioned.

Russia to deliver aid to Afghanistan

Humanitarian aid and gasoline shipments will depart from the port of Hairaton for deliveries to Afghanistan, an Afghan ministry statement said.

"Forty-eight trucks, two firefighting vehicles, one gasoline tanker and one auto-repair shop will be supplied to Afghanistan via the port of Hairaton (on the Afghan-Uzbek border)," a statement from the Afghan Foreign Ministry said. "Russia also intends to supply Afghanistan with 7,000 tons of wheat flour."

The deliveries are part of a broader humanitarian effort for Afghanistan. RIA Novosti reports 275 rail shipments are expected to transport a total of 17,000 tons of wheat flour to Afghanistan in all.

A Russian veterans' organization, meanwhile, contributed to the weather-related aid to Afghanistan, including winter tents, as more than 300 Afghans died because of harsh winter conditions last season.

In early April Moscow said it was considering allowing U.S. military cargo shipments to cross its territory into Afghanistan. Transport across the volatile Khyber Pass into Afghanistan from Pakistan is treacherous because of insurgent attacks, while Kyrgyzstan has ordered U.S. military forces out of the country, closing a vital supply route for NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Russia has in the past allowed shipments bound for Afghanistan to travel through its territory, but only non-lethal components.

World Bank offers health aid to Afghanistan

The Afghan minister of finance along with the World Bank signed a $30 million assistance package to boost health and nutrition programs in the war-torn nation.

The World Bank announced Thursday the aid package would support the Strengthening Health Activities for Rural Poor initiative, which focuses on healthcare for women and children in poverty-stricken areas of Afghanistan.

Health conditions in Afghanistan are some of the worst in the world. Mortality rates for children younger than 5 years old are 67 percent higher than most low-income countries, the World Bank reports.

The health sector in Afghanistan has recovered somewhat since 2003, however. Mortality rates are down across the country, and the number of healthcare workers and facilities has soared.

"Considerable achievements have been made in improving the health of many Afghans despite the substantial challenges," Afghan Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal said.

The World Bank program also works to support the Afghan Health and Nutrition Sector Strategy, a proposal to expand basic services to 90 percent of the Afghan population by 2010.

The program includes basic healthcare as well as pre- and postnatal care at an estimated cost of $4.50 per capita per year.

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(dgraeber@upi.com)