Clashes in al-Falluja, releasing of foreign hostages
Iraq, Politics, 6/9/2004

The UN security council unanimously adopted the America- British draft resolution concerning the future of Iraq after amendments in the last moment requested by France and Germany.

The resolution will give International legitimacy for the provisional Iraqi government which will assume authority on June 30. It will also give the multinational forces which is led by the US, the right to take all necessary measures in order to preserve peace.

The US President George W. Bush said that this voting shows the world that members of the UN Security Council are interested in working to ensure Iraq's enjoying freedom, peace and democracy.

On the other hand, the President of the European Commision Romano Prodi considered that the adoption of the new resolution will put an end to a long period of difficulties concerning the Iraqi file.

Meantime, the secretary general of NATO Yab Hob Schiffer announced it is difficult to ignore a request by the Iraqi government in the few next coming weeks or months regarding the interference of NATO in Iraq.

Earlier, the two Kurdish leaders Masoud al-Barazani and Jalal al-Talibani threatened to withdraw from the the Iraqi government if there will be no reference to the provisional state administration law in the UN resolution concerning the future of Iraq.

In a message addressed to the American President George W. Bush, al-Talibani and al-Barazani said that the government of Iraq's Kurdistan has only to abstain from taking part in the central government and ban the existence of its representatives in Kurdistan and boycotting the elections if this law is abrogated.

On the other hand, the office of the Shiite Clergy Ayatullah Ali al-Seistani sent a message to the current President of the UN security council in which he considered that the current attempts to enrole a law under the title " running the Iraqi state for the provisional period " within the new resolution of the UN security council concerning Iraq is a violation of the laws and is rejected by most of the Iraqi people.

In the battle field, the Italian foreign minister Franco Frateini announced that three Italian hostages and one Polish used to be held in Iraq were released on Tuesday. A local Italian TV quoted that the released hostages were transported to Baghdad's airport and they are in good health conditions.

The commander of the American forces in Iraq Ricardo Sanchaise confirmed the release of the four hostages.

In a similar development, the Turkish Anadolia news agency said that gunmen released two Turks working for a company in Iraq, kidnapped last Sunday near Falluja as well as their Turkish driver.

Also in Falluja, medical sources said that 11 Iraqis including children and women were killed in the clashes between the American occupation forces and the Iraqi resistance men near this city.

In earlier field developments, at least 10 Iraqi civilians were killed and other 37 injured in a booby trapped car explosion before the governing council of Musil city. This, however, coincided with another booby trapped car explosion before a military base at Baqouba airport that resulted in killing four Iraqis and one American soldier. Two polish soldiers, three Slovak and one soldier from Latvia were killed in an operation of dismantling ammunition and weapons in a weapons warehouse in al-Sweira to the south of the Iraqi capital.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Mahdi army refuses to withdraw from the tombs; American soldier was killed   (6/8/2004)
  Allawi: The Americans will hand over Saddam Hussein after authority transfer   (6/7/2004)
  Scores killed, injured in Iraq including brother of the man cheated Ode and Qusai, suicide explosion in one American base in al-Taji   (6/7/2004)

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