Iraq FM on Sadr forces joinning military; division of oil law
Iraq, Politics, 1/20/2007

The Japanese daily Nihon Keizai, quoting Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, said on Thursday that Iraq had called on the US government to release the five Iranian diplomats arrested at the Iranian consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil.

The Iraqi foreign minister's remarks were made in an exclusive interview with the Tokyo-based Japanese daily.

Nihon Keizai moreover said that Zebari had also made it clear that operations aiming to flush out all semi-militant forces were to start in Iraq soon.

Zebari said that the Iraqi government at present is required to adopt a non-discriminatory approach in security operations involving semi-militant groups in the country.

"Semi-militant groups from any faction, religion and race will be included in the mopping up operations," he said.

According to the Japanese daily, during the interview the Iraqi minister also called on Moqtada Sadr's forces to join the Iraqi national army.

Worth noting that today, the Washington Post reported that "U.S.-backed Iraqi forces arrested a top aide to anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in eastern Baghdad on Friday, amid growing signs of stepped-up efforts to quell Sadr and his supporters."

Regarding the US call on the Iraqi government to ensure equal division of the country's oil revenue among its various provinces, Zebari said that a draft bill for this purpose will soon be introduced in parliament.

Previous Stories:
  Iranian complaints against Saddam to be compiled   (1/6/2007)
  Iraq's president Saddam Hussein hanged this morning   (12/30/2006)
  Talabani to visit Syria next month   (12/30/2006)

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