Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he would like to have U.S. military bases in his country for an extended period to prevent foreign interference in Iraq, the Washington Post said on Monday. Talabani was asked in an interview in New York last week if U.S. bases would be welcome in Iraq's Kurdistan region. "Yes, they are welcome," he said. "Kurdistan wants the Americans to stay. In some places Sunnis want the Americans to stay. Sunnis think the main danger is coming from Iran now. There is a change in the mind of the Sunnis. The...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2006 – The Iraqi government is ready to send whatever number of troops is needed to help secure Baghdad, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said today. “The commander and chief of the Iraqi army can move the units of Iraqi army from different parts of Iraq to Baghdad,” Talabani told CNN’s John King, who was sitting in for Wolf Blitzer on “Late Edition.” “Of course our capital is Baghdad, and we are much interested to secure (it).” This would help satisfy U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James Thurman’s recent statement that an additional six battalions of Iraqi soldiers, or...

Dear Americans, As I am visiting the United States for the second time representing free and democratic Iraq, I felt it my duty to give you an update on what has been achieved in Iraq over the past year and on the challenges that lie ahead. The first thing I would like to convey is the gratitude of all Iraqis, who are fighting for a democratic government and a civil society, to the Americans. Without your commitment, our struggle against despotism could not have made the progress that we have achieved. No expression of thanks could be enough for...

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani traveled to New York this week for the opening of the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly. In a letter to the people of the United States, Talabani describes Iraq’s security situation, challenges and progress, and his country’s special relationship with the U.S. “Dear Americans, As I am visiting the United States for the second time representing free and democratic Iraq, I felt it my duty to give you an update on what has been achieved in Iraq over the past year and on the challenges that lie ahead. The first thing I would...

WASHINGTON — While it’s up to the Iraqi government to make the tough decisions as the country continues its progress, the Iraqi people can continue to count on the United States for help, President Bush said in New York yesterday. Bush and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani spoke with reporters after a bilateral meeting. While praising the Iraqi people for their courage, Bush acknowledged the road ahead is difficult. “These are tough times,” he said. “There's still violence in your midst because extremists want to stop the advance of a free society.” Bush said he and Talabani discussed the way ahead...

Iraq's president appealed for national unity and the renunciation of sectarian violence ahead of a parliament meeting set for Wednesday, saying he had met with Sunni Arab insurgent leaders and observed a "great change" in their war aims. The insurgents "do not think that the Americans are the main enemy," President Jalal Talabani said in an interview on al-Hurra television Tuesday night. "They feel threatened by what they call the 'Iranian threat.' " He referred to the insurgents' fear of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, which many Sunnis believe is dominated by the neighboring Shiite theocracy in Iran. Despite their worries...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - President Jalal Talabani met with representatives of seven armed groups and is optimistic they may agree to lay down their weapons, his office said Sunday. It was the first time a senior Iraqi official has acknowledged talks with insurgents. However, Talabani did not identify the groups or specify when and where the meeting took place. The spokesman of one major insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, said his organization had not taken part in such a meeting. Last year Talabani offered to talk with insurgents but it was unclear if any took up the offer. U.S....

President Jalal Talabani met recently with representatives of armed groups and is optimistic they may agree to lay down their weapons, his office said Sunday. "I think we may reach an agreement with seven armed groups that visited me and I met with them," his office said in a statement, without indicating when the meeting took place. It was the first time a senior Iraqi official has acknowledged meeting with figures from the insurgency, although U.S. officials have said privately they have conferred directly with Iraqis who claimed to have contacts with insurgents.

<p>BAGHDAD, Iraq - After months of political deadlock, Iraq's parliament convened Saturday and filled top leadership posts, starting the process of putting together a new government aimed at pulling the country out of insurgency and sectarian strife.</p> <p>President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, was elected to a second term, and the post of parliament speaker went to Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a Sunni Arab. Al-Mashhadani's two deputies were to be Khalid al-Attiyah, a Shiite, and Aref Tayfour, a Kurd.</p>

Qubad Talabani, son of Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, believes the power of a centralized government in Baghdad should be "lessened," and that more autonomy should be given to the 18 provinces that comprise Iraq. It’s a relatively new concept, the younger Talabani told an audience at the University of South Carolina, last week. It is an idea that will put his country on a governing fast-forward, and one in which Iraq’s neighbors are watching with particular interest, perhaps even concern.

Talabani: War-torn Iraq can learn from Poland Apr 6, 2006, 12:17 GMT Warsaw/Baghdad - Poland's conservative President Lech Kaczynski began a surprise visit to Iraq Thursday in talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, whom he officially invited to visit Poland this fall, according to Polish media reports. 'Poland is a great country with a thousand years of history, which survived many wars and destruction,' Talabani said, as quoted by the Polish PAP news agency. 'Today we are in a similar moment and we can learn a lot from Poland,' said the Iraqi leader following the 40-minute meeting with Kaczynski. 'Our...

Iraq's president issued a highly optimistic report Friday on progress among politicians trying to hammer out the shape of a new unity government. At least 51 more people, including two U.S. soldiers, were reported dead in rampant violence. President Jalal Talabani said the government could be in place for parliamentary approval by the end of the month, though he acknowledged "I am usually a very optimistic person." He spoke to reporters after a fifth round of multiparty talks among the country's polarized political factions. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad brokered the sessions, with the Bush administration applying extreme pressure on Iraqi...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - President Jalal Talabani on Saturday underscored the need for a unity government in Iraq after a spasm of sectarian killing and said he had been assured U.S. forces would remain in the country as long as needed - ``no matter what the period.'' His comments came after a bomb exploded at a minibus terminal during morning rush hour in a southeastern Baghdad suburb, killing seven people and wounding 25, one of a string of explosions in the capital and elsewhere. The violence shattered the relative calm brought by Fridays' driving ban in Baghdad and its outskirts,...

<p>BASRA, Iraq (AP) - Ali Hassan al-Majid, dubbed ``Chemical Ali'' by opponents of the Iraqi regime for ordering a poison gas attack that killed thousands of Kurds, has been found dead, a British officer said Monday.</p> <p>Maj. Andrew Jackson of the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment told The Associated Press that his superiors had confirmed the death of the man who is also President Saddam Hussein's first cousin.</p> <p>Jackson said the body was found along with that of his bodyguard and the head of Iraqi intelligence services in Basra.</p>

Saddam's nephew finds sanctuary in Syria By Con Coughlin in Baghdad (Filed: 18/05/2003) A leading member of Saddam Hussein's family has been discovered living in Damascus under the protection of the Syrian government after fleeing Iraq last week, The Telegraph can reveal. Fatiq al-Majid, one of Saddam's nephews, entered Syria last Monday after leaving Iraq at the al-Rabie'a checkpoint, which is under the control of American troops. Majid was given a Syrian visa and made his way to Damascus, where he is now living in exile. Majid confirmed his presence in Damascus when contacted by telephone by The Telegraph last...

A MASS grave containing the bodies of 22 people believed to have been killed during a failed Shiite uprising against Saddam Hussein in 1991 has been found near one of Iraq's holiest cities, security officials said overnight. The discovery was revealed as Iraq remained shrouded in political uncertainty following the December election, with Sunni Arab leaders angry over a decision to annul less than 1 per cent of the votes because of fraud, although they did not rule out taking part in the new government. At least 12 people were killed in attacks across the country, including seven workers slain...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY As is their custom when in Washington on a weekend, the President and First Lady attended St. Johns Episcopal Church this morning. The President will address the nation this evening from the Oval Office. In the meantime, Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Iraq on the first leg of his Middle Eastern trip. QUOTE OF THE DAY: From the Vice President's remarks to the troops at Al-Asad Air Base, Al-Asad, Iraq, Sunday, December 18, 2005. (Click here to read the entire transcript.) THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I'm not Jessica Simpson. (Laughter.) But...

From AFX via Forbes: TEHRAN - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani wrapped up a landmark visit to neighbouring Iran today, saying he had won promises of support for his bid to end the insurgency ravaging his country. 'Iran is interested in our security just as it is interested in its own security. We should use all means to establish security in Iraq,' Talabani said as he was seen off by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Talabani is the first Iraqi head of state to visit Iran since the late 1960s. He said he had received pledges of support in his closed-door talks...

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met Thursday with Pope Benedict XVI amid tight security that closed down the main boulevard leading to the Vatican.Talabani is on a weeklong visit to Italy and has met with the country's top officials, including Premier Silvio Berlusconi.Benedict met with Iraq's foreign minister in August and discussed religious freedom in Iraq and the country's constitution.The Vatican has expressed concern about Iraq's constitution, fearing that any legal system based on Islamic law might not guarantee the rights of religious minorities.Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said after his Aug. 25 meeting with the pope that he had sought to...

EVENTS OF recent weeks have reaffirmed the need for the alliance between the new Iraq and Britain. The lesson of the ghastly drumbeat of terrorism, the rioting in Basra and the vile murder of the leadership of the Iraqi Anglican Church is that the battle of Iraq cannot be won by retreat or compromise, but by the vision and determination for which Britain is renowned. Above all, Britain owes no apology for delivering the enslaved people of Iraq from the hands of a callous tyranny. The challenge is to show fortitude in the face of horror so that we can...