Iraq Wants U.N. Security Council Mandate ~ of the multinational force ... for another 12 months."

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has asked the U.N. Security Council to extend the mandate of the 160,000-strong multinational force in Iraq, according to a letter circulated Monday.

In the letter, al-Maliki said a top priority of his government is to assume full responsibility for security and stability but it needs more time.

The United States circulated a draft resolution that would extend the mandate for one year starting on Dec. 31, with a review at the request of the Iraqi government or by June 15.

The draft, obtained Monday by the Associated Press, contains the same provision as past resolutions - a commitment that the council "will terminate this mandate earlier if requested by the government of Iraq."

Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. Mission, said since the Iraqis requested the extension "we don't expect there to be any problems with it."

Al-Maliki's request for the one-year extension with a termination clause came as the U.S. administration stepped up diplomatic efforts to stabilize the country, certain to be a top item on the agenda when President Bush meets al-Maliki later this week in Amman, Jordan.

Sectarian violence in Iraq is at its worst level in the 3 1/2 years since a U.S.-led coalition invaded the country and toppled Saddam Hussein.

Bush's summit comes as members of the Iraq Study Group mull recommendations for changes in U.S. war policy that would help restore peace and security and enable the United States to reduce its contingent of 141,000 troops.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Monday that Iraq is close to civil war.

"I think given the developments on the ground, unless something is done drastically and urgently to arrest the deteriorating situation, we could be there," Annan said. "In fact we are almost there."

Annan held a teleconference with members of the study panel Monday afternoon. Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown and top U.N. envoy Ashraf Qazi have also spoken to the group, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Al-Maliki gave no timetable for a takeover of military and security operations. But he said the government is committed to increasing the number of governorates fully under the control of Iraqi authorities until all 18 are under their control. This year, Iraqi forces took responsibility for security in the governorates of Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar.

"Establishing security and securing permanent stability are among the highest priorities of the Iraqi government's program to realize the desired peace and prosperity for the Iraqi people," al-Maliki said. "However, terrorists and forces hostile to democracy continue to target innocent citizens and the various state institutions."

The prime minister stressed that "security and stability in Iraq are the responsibility of the Iraqi government."

Over the past 2 1/2 years, Iraqi security forces have acquired new responsibilities and experience, and have grown in size and ability which has been demonstrated "by their increased ability to assume full responsibility in the fields of security and defense," he said.

In September 2006, al-Maliki said the Ministry of Defense assumed operational command of the ground, naval and air force commands as well as two military divisions.

When Iraqis assume responsibility for security in new governorates, the multinational forces have agreed they will be present at Iraqi bases to provide support if requested, he said.

"We have agreed on three common goals: first, assumption by Iraq of recruiting, training, equipping and arming of Iraqi security forces; second, assumption by Iraq of command and control over Iraqi forces; and third, transferring responsibility for security to the government of Iraq," al-Maliki said.

He said a high-level working group has been formed to make recommendations on achieving these goals.

"It has also been agreed to work toward the Iraqi authorities' assuming the apprehension, detention and imprisonment tasks on the basis of an agreement to be reached between the government of Iraq and the multinational force," al-Maliki said.

"Hence, the Iraqi government requests the extension of the mandate of the multinational force ... for another 12 months."

Al-Maliki also requested one-year extensions for the International Advisory and Monitoring Board and the Development Fund for Iraqi until Dec. 31, 2007. The Security Council authorized the board in May 2003 to ensure the "transparent" operation of the Development Fund, which was set up to receive Iraq's oil revenue and frozen assets from Saddam's regime and is now controlled by the Iraqi government.

The prime minister also reiterated Iraq's call for the council to stop using the country's oil revenue to pay compensation to victims of the 1991 Gulf War and the salaries of U.N. weapons inspectors.

From The Counterterrorism Blog....:

Portraying the United States as a bleeding bull in disarray,....al Qaeda wants an "American Madrid"
By Walid Phares

***************AN EXCERPT ************************************

The Washington Times. November 22, 3006

The latest audio by al Qaeda's Iraq commander -- posted 48 hours after the midterm elections -- sends a clear signal to the readers of the jihadi strategic mind: Al Qaeda and its advisers around the world want to provoke an "American Madrid." Portraying the United States as a bleeding bull in disarray, the war room projects its wish to see America's will crippled. The video attempts to do the following:

1. Convince the jihadists that the United States is now defeated in Iraq and beyond. While no reversal of the balance of power has taken place on the ground, the jihadi propaganda machine is linking the shift in domestic politics to a withdrawal from Iraq. It projects the change in Washington as a crumbling of the political process in Baghdad and America's foreign policy. Interestingly, others in the region are also "announcing" the upcoming defeat of America in the war on terror. Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah declared: "The Americans are leaving, and their allies will pay the price."

2. Spread political chaos at home. Jihadists portray the Democratic takeover of Congress and the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (and maybe others) as signs of American weakening in the resolve to fight jihadism. The video had a potential to frustrate U.S. citizens if it is not accurately interpreted by experts. Americans may end up believing that the message reflects the situation in the Middle East and that it is a logical outcome of a faulty U.S. policy. If the Bush administration and the new congressional leaders do not respond adequately to the video, some "chaos" of this sort may ensue.

3. The terminology used in the videotape is a powerful indicator that al Qaeda's political network relies on Western-educated minds, familiar with political processes in the United States and serving as advisers to the jihadists. A regular al Qaeda emir does not use the term "lame duck." It is more likely that a U.S.-based cadre, who understands the impact of political jargon on domestic audiences, had suggested the use of this word. Abu Hamza al Muhajir's use of the term batta arjaaa (lame duck) is striking to any native speaker of Arabic. This term does not exist in Arab culture, let alone in jihadi rhetoric. Its use is yet another proof of the Americanization jihad has undergone. Thus, Iraq's al Qaeda is using the term as a weapon -- something most likely requested by the jihadi brains operating on the other side of the Atlantic.

So what do the speechwriters want to achieve with these kinds of tapes? They aim at sapping American public morale during a time when reorganization is taking place in the U.S. government. Reading from the jihadi wishful thinking, the audiotape of al Muhajir and the statements made by other radical Islamists send the following message: Americans are being thanked for removing Mr. Bush's party from the leadership of Congress, which the jihadists attribute to the war on terror rather than U.S. domestic problems. Al Qaeda's audio tells citizens in the United States that they were wise for having responded positively to the previous messages by Osama bin Laden. Al Masri's words aim at convincing the American public to pressure their newly elected legislators to pull U.S. forces hastily from Iraq.

In short, al Qaeda wants an American Madrid: it wishes that a change of power in January would be accompanied by a change of national determination, not just a change of course within Iraq. In the Salafis chat rooms, the commissaries explained to their audiences, that the Democratic Party victory in Congress means that America is now divided and al Qaeda can push to create more cracks in the system -- as it has successfully done in Spain. T

This is a TWO FRONT WAR......

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There is a book (now available in paperback ):

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Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left
(Hardcover)
by David Horowitz

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And reviews:

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Editorial Reviews

Rich Lowry, Editor National Review

David Horowitz is synonymous with pyrotechnics. A historian and polemicist of the first order, he is paid the ultimate compliment --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Davis Hanson, Author, Ripples of Battle

An original look at those who want us to fail in the Middle East, both at home and abroad. The --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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See all Editorial Reviews

Fascinating Analysis of Leftist Goals, August 13, 2006

Reviewer: N. Sincerity - See all my reviews

A former 1960s radical, Horowitz is well-acquainted with the Leftist mindset. In this book, he strives to explain the modern alliance between left wing progressivists and radical Islamofascists. He argues that this alliance is based on a common desire to destroy Western capitalism. Leftist sympathy with Islamofascist ideas makes no sense from an intellectual point of view, given that countries ruled by radical Islamists are among the most racist, sexist, theocratic states in the world today. However, Leftists have recognized that they can benefit politically from destructive terrorist attacks on the Western world. A West under attack can be made to turn on its leaders in fear and desperation (as they did in Spain after the Madrid train bombings). Only once people reject current government structures can the Left execute its anti-capitalist revolution and build a new reality that mirrors the Leftist view of utopia. The complete and utter idealogical hypocrisy of the Islamofascist-Leftist alliance is distressing, but as Horowitz reminds us, Leftists radicals truly believe the ends justify the means.

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