Baghdad protesters denounce 'occupation'

[bbchris]

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middl...959015.stm



Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Baghdad after Friday prayers, to protest against what they see as a foreign occupation of their country.

The marchers carried flags and banners saying "No to occupation" and demanding that the unity of Iraq be preserved.



The BBC's Christian Fraser, who is at the scene, says it is the biggest demonstration of Arab nationalism since the end of the war, and shows what powerful sentiments the US-led invasion of Iraq has stirred up.



It came as foreign ministers from Egypt and the countries neighbouring Iraq held talks in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh to discuss how to influence the post-war situation in the region.



In other developments:



Abu Dhabi television broadcasts what it says is the last known footage of Saddam Hussein - it shows a man who looks like him waving at a cheering crowd in Baghdad and was allegedly shot on 9 April, the day US forces entered the city



Iraqi opposition leader Ahmad Chalabi - widely believed to be the Pentagon's favourite to lead post-war Iraq - says an Iraqi interim authority could begin to run the country in "weeks rather than months"



The Pentagon announces that it has released more than 900 Iraqi prisoners, leaving about 6,850 Iraqis in US military custody



Iraq's ambassador to Belgrade, a Saddam Hussein appointee, tells the Associated Press news agency that he believes the ousted leader is dead



US Central Command in Qatar announces that Iraqi Kurds near Mosul have handed Samir al-Aziz al-Najem, one of the top 55 most wanted leaders of Saddam Hussein's regime, over to coalition forces

Tensions



The protesters were led by a respected and well-known Sunni Muslim scholar, Ahmed al-Kubaisi.



The footage allegedly shows Saddam Hussein on 9 April

He is reported to have used his sermon to denounce the American-led invasion, whose purpose, he said, was to defend Israel.



Our correspondent says there was a tense confrontation earlier when an American patrol stumbled into a crowd kneeling outside a mosque.



He says the worshippers surged forward angrily, but the US commander skilfully withdrew his troops and defused the situation.



The troops had entered the area of the mosque to distribute humanitarian aid.



It was the first full Friday prayers since Baghdad fell to US-led forces last week.



Future relations



The talks in Riyadh - the first such meeting since the start of the war - are to address the reconstruction of Iraq and the issue of how to deal with a future US-led administration in Baghdad.



MIDDLE EAST AFTER SADDAM

The after-effects of the war for the region



Egypt and Iran have already said they would not recognise such a government.



Officials say the ministers may decide to issue a public declaration of support for Syria, which the US has accused of harbouring fugitive members of Saddam Hussein's regime and of developing chemical weapons.



The BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo says the Riyadh meeting will give Iraq's wary neighbours the chance to assess each other's intentions.



Our correspondent says all the countries represented - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Bahrain - want a united Iraq, not one divided into Kurdish, Sunni or Shia areas.



It is not like a treasure hunt where you just run around looking everywhere, hoping you find something



Donald Rumsfeld



The meeting is also likely to address future political relations with Iraq's interim administration and the question of how to minimise the length of occupation by coalition forces.



Hunt for weapons



As decisions are made about who will run Iraq in the interim, US President George W Bush has urged the UN to lift its economic sanctions against Iraq, freeing up sales of its oil.



But diplomats who for many years have called for an end to the sanctions, which were imposed in 1990 following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, are now calling for a delay.





Blix says the UN's mission in Iraq was brought to a premature end. They say the restrictions should remain until the UN certifies that Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction.



US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said he does not believe they will be found unless Iraqis knowledgeable about the arms programmes reveal their whereabouts.



"It is not like a treasure hunt where you just run around looking everywhere, hoping you find something.



"I think what will happen is we'll discover people who will tell us where to go find it," he said.

|Blah Blah|Talk Soup|Thinking Out Loud|thewireweb|

[LarreeMP3]

No!

[DreamTone7]

It should be noted that protesters only exist (alive) in countries that are FREE!!! But instead of celebrating their freedom, they are protesting! Oh well. You get people like this in every country including here in the US. Always out for what they don't have (things exactly the way they want them....which will never realistically happen) and not thankful for what they have. Fortunately for all, this breed of individual is most always in the minority.....as I believe it is in Iraq.



How come none of the media are asking the Kurds how they feel these days? Not enough conention to stir up there I guess. After all, they're not being gassed anymore.

[Seismic Anamoly]

Quote:

---

George W Bush has urged the UN to lift its economic sanctions against Iraq, freeing up sales of its oil....but diplomats who for many years have called for an end to the sanctions, which were imposed in 1990 following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, are now calling for a delay.

---

The more things change, the more they stay the same; and True Colors surface. Looks like those dips want a little "piece of tha action" themselves. How nice.

[LarreeMP3]

...on the November 2004 ballot.



Yes or no. Should the United States remain a member of the United Nations?

[Seismic Anamoly]

UNITED Nations...now there is the ultimate oxymoron for you.



HELL, No.