Iraqi resistance escalates; Annan sends a delegation

Armed men attacked yesterday four American armored vehicles procession in al-Musil city to the north of Iraq.

The attackers used RPG weapons in their attack against the convoy and destroyed one of the vehicle. It is not known whether losses were inflicted in the lines of the American soldiers.

In another development, fighters opened fire at an inspection point in the region, when fighters fired a missile on Thursday at the civil defense officers in an inspection point, 90 Km to the south of Karkouk, and killed one member of the force and wounded others slightly.

Also in Karkouk, the American occupation forces defused a booby trapped car left on the main road trodden by the American vehicles and oil trucks. The road to the south of al-Hweijah, 50 Km to the southern west of Karkouk, is used for transporting oil from oil fields to Beiji refinery.

Several shop owners in al-Ramadi city, to the west of Baghdad, said they had received threats to halt working with the Americans during the past ten days, otherwise they will be killed.

These field developments coincide with American warnings of increased resistance acts. The leader of the Central American military leadership Gen. John Abizaid expected what he called the increase in resistance acts in Iraq with the approaching of the due handing over of authority to the Iraqis by the beginning of July.

Meantime, Aytaullah al-Seistani renewed his demand to making the general elections, but he announced his readiness and openness to maintain a dialogue with the UN. Sheikh Abul Mahdi al-Karbalai, secretary of the Shiite leader said " they are an important and basic side in the Iraqi question and their view point should be listened to. It should be also consulted with us in several issues, especially in the permanent constitution and transfer of the authorities to the Iraqis." He added that "the US will see us open to dialogue on this matter and possibilities for success are great," calling on the UN to "have its study built on objective assessment and not to be affected by sides opposing the higher Shiite representation."

The UN secretary general Kofi Annan had announced that he will send a team to Iraq within days to discuss the possibility of convening early elections after he had got security guarantees from the occupation forces which are led by the USA.

Annan sent security experts to Iraq by the end of last week to discuss the possibility of the return back of the UN employees to Baghdad after their withdrawal from it by the end of October after two attacks at the headquarters of the UN in Baghdad.

Meanwhile, a Japanese transport plane landed in Abdullah al-Salem air base. Two other planes are expected to arrive later. The spokesman for the Japanese air defense forces in Kuwait said that the plane transported 40 "members of the crew and maintenance" making the number of the Japanese force which crossed Kuwait for Iraq toll 200 soldiers. A unit belonging to the Japanese forces in Iraq had started building a military base near al-Samawa city.