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Kurdistan-Iraq News in brief
25.9.2006
- update 1 |
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Sulaimaniyah,
Erbil, Duhok, Kirkuk, Kurdistan-Iraq, 25 September
Iraqi Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia via Erbil
International Airport
For the first time in 16 years Erbil International
Airport will be used to carry pilgrims from all
Iraqi provinces to Saudi Arabia.
Erbil International Airport will be used to carry
pilgrims from all Iraqi provinces to Jeddah Airport
in Saudi Arabia to practice Al Omra.General director
of the Zagros Company said.
"With the support of Kurdistan Regional Government,
the Zagros Company and Iraqi Airlines will take
pilgrims from all provinces in Iraq to Saudi Arabia,
with the approval of airline authorities in Iraq and
Saudi Arabia."
It is worth mentioning that two daily flights take
off for Saudi Arabia, each carrying 300 passengers.
The total number of pilgrim passengers will number
close to 10,000.
Assembly members unsure of constitution
referendum date
The Constitution Drafting Committee read out the
proposed constitution for the Kurdistan Region to
the Kurdish Assembly on Sunday.
There is much speculation as to when the referendum
on the constitution should take place. One opinion,
according to committee member Khalil Ebrahim, is
that the referendum takes place before the full
implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi
constitution, which sets a framework for de-Arabization.
Others state that the referendum should wait until
after the de-Arabization process is completed, and
in the meantime, the constitution put to a vote in
the Kurdish Assembly.
Assembly members debated the draft constitution and
submitted amendments to the text. Ebrahim, who is
also a senior member of the Kurdistan Islamic Union,
states that his party will aim to change aspects of
the constitution, which describe Islam as only one
of the sources of legislation in the region.
Pakhshan Zangana, chairperson of the assembly's
women's rights committee, said that although the
constitution was not perfect, it did respect the
rights of women.
University of Sulaimaniyah's employees go on
strike
On the second day of the strike at the Sulaimaniyah
University, Hamabaqi Mahmoud, the representative of
the employees,
told the Kurdish Globe that they are not expecting
the government to take any initiative in responding
to their demands.
The strike, which began on Monday, is mainly in
response to the employees' increasing
dissatisfaction with their salaries, which they say
is not sufficient to provide for their families.
"The average salary for university employees ranges
between 99.000 and125.000 Iraqi Dinars per month.
The government has never been concerned about
improving salaries or conditions for the poorer
working classes, it is more interested in making
doctors and engineers rich," Mahmoud said.
He also added that although he had spoken to the
president of the university, the employees' main
demands have still not been addressed.
German company develops master plan for Dohuk
The council of Dohuk signed an agreement with Vosing
Company of Germany.
The agreement has signed under the supervision of
Governor Tamar Ramadan of Duhok, to develop a
progressive master plan, with a budget of $733,000,
for Duhok and its suburbs.
"We will take an overhead photo of Duhok and its
suburbs by a special airplane, and then we can set
up the master plan with a computer," the manager of
Vosing said.
A representative of the council of Duhok, said that
not only can the council of Duhok take advantage of
this master plan, but other service offices can as
well, such as electric, water, traffic, etc. "All
the projects will be very hard to carry out unless
this master plan is prepared," he said. "We can
execute all our projects through this master plan."
Two Military Aircrafts Trespass the Air Borders
of Kurdistan Region
Two jets were reported as encroaching the air
borders of Kurdistan Region above Sedekan area in
Soran Sub-district last week.
The trespassing continued for hours as reported by
local eyewitnesses who could not tell if the two
military aircrafts belonged to Iran or Turkey.
Sedekan area was earlier shelled by the Turkish army
as part of their military campaign against
separatist Kurdish P.K.K. fighters.
Journalist arrested for exposing corruption
The editor in chief of a Kurdish youth newspaper has
been freed on bail after being detained by police
for several hours.
Ayub Kareem, editor in chief of Liberal Education,
an independent newspaper based in Sulaimaniyah, was
held in custody after the newspaper published a
story about the director of Rania Youth Center,
Khalid Qadir.
The article was published last month, and talks
about money disappearing from the centre, suggesting
that the director is using the funds for his own
personal affairs. There are also interviews from
former members of the centre, who spoke out about
the corruption that is taking place. Khalid Qadir,
in response to this, filed a law suit against
Kareem, accusing him of publishing baseless
information.
Kareem is the latest one in a series of similar
arrests this year, and is due to appear in court in
the near future.
Kareem is currently out on bail, and has told the
Kurdish Globe that he does have the necessary
documents to backup the information he published
about the director of the center, and that he is
prepared to go to court and defend his story.
KRG participates in int. show
Minister of Housing and Reconstruction traveled to
Germany, to participate in the International
exhibition.
A delegation of Kurdistan government officials, led
by Imad Ahmad, Minister of Housing and
Reconstruction, traveled to Freesland, Germany, to
participate in the international exhibition for
modern technological fields. A source from the
Ministry said the exhibition included the head of
parliament and the Deputy Prime Minister as well as
German investment companies.
After ensuring them of the safety of the Kurdish
Region, Ahmad asked the German companies and other
western investors to open businesses in Kurdistan,
promising to make it easier for them to do so.
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