Author: Hunanian Jack

NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM SET TO REAFFIRM INDEPENDENCE BID
By Avet Demourian, Associated Press Writer

Associated Press Worldstream
December 10, 2006 Sunday 5:33 PM GMT

The disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave on Sunday held a constitutional
referendum that was expected to reaffirm its independence bid.

The draft constitution describes Nagorno-Karabakh as a "sovereign,
democratic" state.

More than 74,500 people, or 83.7 percent of the region’s 89,000
eligible voters, cast ballots, said Mikael Adzhian, a spokesman for
the region’s Central Election Commission.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s leader Arkady Gukasian hailed the vote as a landmark
move that would "determine the Nagorno-Karabakh’s people destiny."

At least one third of the region’s eligible voters were needed to
make the vote valid, and a simple majority of those who cast ballots
is necessary for the constitution’s approval.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan that has been under the
control of Armenian and ethnic-Armenian Karabakh forces since a 1994
cease-fire ended a six-year separatist war that killed about 30,000
people and drove about 1 million from their homes.

The region’s final status remains unresolved, and years of talks
under the auspices of international mediators have brought few
visible results.

Gukasian insisted the vote would not jeopardize peace talks. "The
passage of the constitution will have a positive impact on talks,"
he told reporters.

Azerbaijan has rejected the referendum as having no legal meaning.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Azeri population fled the conflict more
than a decade ago, and large numbers of them have lived as internally
displaced people since then.

In December 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum in which ethnic
Armenian residents voted overwhelmingly for independence.

Masis Mailian, deputy foreign minister in the Nagorno-Karabakh
administration, said the constitution was essential to codify the
structure of its administration and citizens’ rights.

"It’s necessary to formalize the already existing foundations of
state system and relations between the state and its citizens,"
Mailian told The Associated Press.

CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM IN NKR HELD IN COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL NORMS, FRENCH OBSERVERS SAY

ArmRadio.am
11.12.2006 13:27

"The Constitutional referendum in NKR was held in compliance
with international norms. Step by step you are approaching to your
objective, declared French observer Alen Fresner, ArmInfo correspondent
reports from Stepanakert.

Another French observer, editor of a geopolitical edition Ives
Batay, who has a rich experience of participating in elections
in different countries, noted that the voting process was very
correct and expressed hope that the people of Nagorno Karabakh will
achieve its right for independence. "Why should it be possible for
separate peoples. Standards should be equally applied to all peoples
irrespective of the place of their residence," Ives Batay underlined.

OBSERVERS: REFERENDUM IN KARABAKH MEETS MOST OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

PanARMENIAN.Net/
11.12.2006 16:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The referendum conducted on December 10, 2006 on
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) constitution meets most of the
standards of the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other international
structures in terms of democratic elections, equally used for
the referenda as well. The referendum followed the broad and open
discussions of the draft Constitution, where the proposals of both
local organizations and international experts of Constitutional
Law were taken into account. The broad public confidence, which is
typical of an election in the NKR, has impressed greatly," says the
report issued by international observers upon the outcomes of the
constitutional referendum in Karabakh, reports the RA MFA press office.

"The campaign was of pluralistic nature and gave an opportunity to
all the political parties and unions to show their stance towards the
draft Constitution to their electorates. The campaign was exercised
mainly via media by having relatively a few numbers of big meetings.

The Central Referendum Commission (CRC) has made praise-worthy
efforts to conduct this election in a professional and trustworthy
manner and the due respect and honor should be given to the election
administration for their endeavors under tough conditions.

Transparent ballot-boxes were used during the referendum that ensured
more transparency for the voting.

We have not fixed any significant violations on the very day of
the referendum.

The remarks made by the observers and the shortcomings in the work of
the referendum commissions, which were rather of a technical nature,
were taken into account and the necessary steps were undertaken to
eliminate them.

The counting of the votes in the polling stations visited by us was
exercised effectively and transparently," the document says.

"OUR CITY" NGO PROPOSES TO BUILD NEW YOUTH PALACE WITH PREVIOUS ONE’S APPEARANCE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 08 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. A number of buildings presenting
historic-cultural value, including the Youth Palace, was destroyed
as a result of wide-spread construction being implemented in Yerevan
during the recent years.

Anahit Tarkhanian, the Chairwoman of the "Our City" public organization
made such a statement at the December 8 meeting with journalists. She
stated that the organization proposes to build new one in the
place of the previous palace, which will repeat the previous one’s
appearance. In A.Tarkhanian’s words, the draft formed by them
envisages only "adding some meters" the height of the building,
what will give possibility to add the number of hotel rooms. "The
Youth Palace is a condensed and complete work, and as no owner may
change, for example, Aivazovsky’s canvases, nobody must change the
appearance of the palace," A.Tarkhanian stated. She stated that the
"Our City" NGO representatives addressed to the Yerevan Mayor’s
Office with a proposal to jointly discuss the issues of the palace
draft and building, but they got refusal from chief archtect Samvel
Danielian. In A.Tarkhanian’s words, the organization addressed with
the same proposal to one of the owners of the territory being built,
but it got no response. A.Tarkhanian emphasized that, irrespective of
everything, they intend "to go to the end and attain that the Youth
Palace is restored."

from the December 11, 2006 edition –
ml

With or without EU, Turkey is rising

EU leaders meet this week to decide whether to freeze partially the
entry bid of an increasingly self-confident Turkey.

By Yigal Schleifer | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Like a game of high-stakes chicken set on the global stage, Turkey and
the European Union have been locked in a tense standoff ahead of this
week’s deadline for Turkey to open its ports to Cypriot vessels or
face consequences.

In a last-minute bid Thursday, the Muslim country looking to join the
EU offered to provisionally open one port and one airport. But
Brussels has deemed the concession insufficient and EU leaders appear
likely to decide at a summit later this week to partially suspend
talks on Turkey’s membership.

As EU foreign ministers meet Monday to discuss the issue, some
observers – particularly in Europe – see Turkey’s stance as
self-defeating obstinancy. But others say it is in fact fueled by a
greater sense of self-confidence, the result of a surging economy and
an increased sense of its own growing strategic importance, which may
dampen the effects of any rupture with the EU.

"For the first time in my career I am seeing a Turkey that is quite
calm and confident of itself," says Kemal Kirisci, director of the
European Studies Institute at Istanbul’s Bogazici University. "There
is an element of confidence that is beginning to permeate the Turkish
economy, and a bit of politics as well, and I see this confidence
starting to permeate the Turkish foreign ministry. This is very
healthy for Turkey and for the European Union."

Economically, Turkey has never been more part of Europe. Some of
Europe’s most venerable brands, from Bosch to Fiat and Renault, are
today being manufactured in Turkey, which has grown to become the
largest exporter of televisions to Europe.

But the continent’s interests in Turkey may lie beyond the
marketplace, experts say. With its strategic location between Europe
and Asia, Turkey can act as a key conduit for delivering important
goods to Europe, from Central Asian oil and natural gas to greater
political influence in the Middle East. In addition, Turkey’s young
population could ultimately boost the productivity of a graying
European population.

Mired in a deep financial crisis only a few years ago, Turkey’s
economy has been growing at a rate of some 7 percent for the last
three years, while its formerly triple-digit inflation has been tamed
to a manageable 10 percent. If it were to join the EU right now,
Turkey would be the sixth-largest economy in the 25-member
organization.

"Both in finance and trade, Turkey is already a big part of Europe,"
says Murat Yucer, an economic analyst in Istanbul. "Turkey is a big
market. Ultimately, it’s a solid growth story."

All of this has been attracting an increasing number of European
investors, despite tensions between EU countries and Turkey.

Analysts point out that during a recent political crisis between
Turkey and France over the French lower house of parliament’s approval
of a bill that would make it a crime to deny that the mass killings of
Armenians by the Ottomans were a genocide, French businessmen worked
hard to distance themselves from the legislators’ actions.

"[European business leaders] see Turkey as a very interesting and
growing market that has a lot of opportunities," says Felix Howald,
Europe director for the World Economic Forum (WEF), a Geneva-based
organization that brings together leaders from business and politics.

A WEF report issued ahead of a recent high-level summit in Istanbul
stated: "Turkey is perceived by many as a source of risk to Europe; it
may be just the opposite, a potential source of major risk
mitigation."

"Europe needs to look at Turkey in the context of the wider global
risks facing it in the future."

Reacting to the possibility of the EU negotiations being partially
frozen and of Turkey being forced to abandon the negotiating table,
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Europe would be
making a "dreadful mistake."

"Europe, not Turkey, would stand to lose," he said this week, adding
that Turkey would still continue to pursue its membership goal,
although it has a Plan B and C.

Mr. Erdogan didn’t specify what those other plans are, but observers
in Turkey believe Ankara can’t afford to cast aside its engagement
with Europe, no matter how rocky the relations.

Hugh Pope, an independent analyst based in Istanbul, says that even
Turkey’s growing involvement in the Middle East – often seen as laying
the groundwork for an EU alternative – is predicated on the perception
that predominantly Muslim Turkey is on the path to joining the
European big leagues.

"The relationship is really important for Turkey’s power. Even if it’s
not going anywhere, it needs to be seen as going somewhere," says
Mr. Pope. "Turkey has always got to maintain the illusion that the
European process is in motion. It will never repudiate Europe."

But Bahar Rumelili, an expert on Turkey-EU relations at Istanbul’s Koc
University, says the negotiations are as important for Brussels’
image.

"For the EU, a healthy relationship with Turkey conveys the image of
the EU as an inclusive organization and an international actor that is
able to promote change and reform," she says. "There is a growing
realization from the European side that to alienate Turkey would be a
big mistake. It would damage a major part of the EU’s image as an
international actor."

The forces of public opinion and political expediency might still get
in the way, however, with European politicians certainly giving the
impression that they are happy to alienate Turkey.

French conservative presidential hopeful Nicholas Sarkozy kicked off
his candidacy by declaring that "Turkey’s place is not in the EU."
German chancellor Angela Merkel has also made clear her desire to deny
Turkey full membership. In that sense, some say a cooling-off period
between Turkey and the EU might be a positive thing, particularly with
public opinion in some European countries decidedly against Turkey’s
membership.

"I think a pause is absolutely vital at this moment because the
European public is up in arms," says Pope.

"I think that Europe has to catch up with itself."

Copyright © 2006 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved.

SUGGESTS NEW TASKS FOR ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE

NewsBlaze, CA
Dec 6 2006

A senior U.S. diplomat has urged the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to play a larger role in ending "frozen"
regional conflicts, but also warned the 56-nation group that some
members seek to undermine their shared commitment to democratic values.

"The path to reform of the OSCE lies through action on the real
challenges of our time," R. Nicholas Burns, under secretary of state
for political affairs, said December 4 in Brussels, Belgium.

Addressing the organization’s 14th annual ministerial council, Burns
said the United States believes the OSCE has the ability to find
lasting settlements to the so-called frozen conflicts in southeast
Europe, where many ethnic minorities fought for independent enclaves
during and after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Burns visited Brussels as part of a three-nation trip. He traveled
next to Paris for talks on the Iran nuclear issue, and was scheduled
then to travel to India. (See related article.)

The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organization, with
56 participating states from Europe, Central Asia and North America.

It is active in early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management
and post-conflict rehabilitation. The OSCE’s Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights observes elections and monitors human
rights.

Since its Cold War-era founding, the OSCE has played a significant
role in helping to "rebuild communities based on a model of tolerance
and respect for others," Burns said.

"Unfortunately, recent years have seen efforts to degrade these
principles by some signatories," Burns warned. "The very commitments
that are the bedrock of our shared values are increasingly brought
into question."

Burns said there are "too many examples of backsliding by some OSCE
states," particularly Belarus. Examples include using administrative
rules to keep candidates off ballots; denying access to public media
for opposition parties; restricting freedom of assembly and detaining
human-rights defenders; harassing nongovernmental organizations;
intimidating and attacking journalists; and using criminal court
systems to silence critics and limit freedom of expression.

"We should emerge from this ministerial [council] rededicated to
enlisting OSCE to affect positive change," Burns said.

The United States over the past year has offered numerous ideas aimed
at reinvigorating the OSCE’s core missions, he said.

In Georgia, the OSCE should expand its activities in South Ossetia
and press authorities in that breakaway region to take demilitarizing
steps matching those taken by the government of Georgia. OSCE should
increase the number of monitors with access to the entire region,
including the Roki Tunnel, currently controlled by South Ossetian
separatists and a Russian peacekeeping force. Burns invited Russia to
"play a major role in the search for confidence and peaceful resolution
of these frozen conflicts. (See related article.)

On Nagorno-Karabakh, Burns thanked Russia and France – co-chairs
of the Minsk Group – for working with the leaders of Azerbaijan
and Armenia to develop "a reasoned approach which promises to lead
to a negotiated settlement." Burns urged OSCE to call on leaders
to implement a peaceful settlement based on those discussions and
agreements. (See related article.)

In Moldova, the United States has called for an immediate resumption of
talks on the region of Transnistria. The OSCE should support Moldova’s
unilateral disarmament steps and demand similar reductions from the
Transnistrian side, he said. The United States continues to call for
a resumption of Russian military withdrawal. (See related article.)

The United States also has proposed strengthening the OSCE’s Personal
Representatives on Tolerance, and has called for an OSCE conference
on anti-Semitism in 2007.

The United States and other OSCE members have pushed for OSCE
involvement in fighting the sexual exploitation of children.

Russia and the United States have proposed that the OSCE embrace a
concept for fighting terrorism through public-private partnership.

(See related article.)

The OSCE mission in Kosovo should be given a clear mandate to continue
to support the transformation of Kosovo, Burns said. He added that
OSCE should contribute wherever possible in the implementation of
a future-status settlement for Kosovo, expected to be proposed by
the United Nations following Serbian elections in January 2007. (See
related article.)

The full text of Burns’ remarks is available on the U.S. Mission to
the OSCE Web site.

Source: U.S. Department of State

op.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html

IN JANUARY-OCTOBER, ELECTRICITY GENERATION VOLUMES DECREASE BY 5.7% IN ARMENIA AS COMPARED WITH SAME PERIOD OF PREVIOUS YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Dec 06 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. 4885.7 mln kWt/h electricity was
generated in January-October this year in Armenia, which is less by
5.7% as compared with the same period of the previous year. According
to the data of RA National Statistical Service, the volume of
electricity generated at HPPs increased by 6.4% and at TPPs and
ANPP decreased by 19.8% and 5.3%, respectively. In January-October,
ANPP generated 2188.6 mln kWt/h electricity, which made 44.8% of
total volume of electricity generated in the republic, TPPs 1106.7
mln kWt/ h and 22.6%, respectively, HPPs 1588.4 mln kWt/h and 32.5%
and the wind power plant 2 mln kWt/h and 0.1%.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA CAPITAL GATEWAY PROGRAM BEGINS FOURTH YEAR
OF OPENING DOORS FOR YOUNG ARMENIAN AMERICANS

— Hovig Apo Saghdejian Memorial Fund Fuels Growth of Program

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America’s Capital
Gateway Program – the innovative Armenian American job placement program
now approaching its fourth year of operations in the nation’s capital –
continues to provide recent college graduates with opportunities to
launch successful careers in Washington, DC.

In addition to being granted access to the full use of ANCA facilities,
those who are accepted into the program are provided free housing in
downtown Washington, DC, as well as training, networking, and job
placement support as they seek full-time government, public policy, and
media-related job opportunities in the nation’s capital.

Officially inaugurated in May 2003 – with the support of the Cafesjian
Family Foundation – the Capital Gateway Program has benefited
tremendously over the past three years from the generosity of donors
committed to creating public service opportunities for young Armenian
Americans. The leading financial contributor to the Program has been
the family of Hovig Apo Saghdejian, a 23-year old youth leader and
community activist from Fresno, California, who lost his life in 2004 in
a tragic car accident. His family established the Hovig Apo Saghdejian
Memorial Fund in Hovig’s memory. These funds are held in perpetuity,
with all their income being used to finance the participation of young
Armenian Americans in the Capital Gateway Program.

The current Hovig Apo Saghdejian Fellow is Hovig Shirikian, who is
interning with California Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) as a
stepping-stone for a Washington career in public policy. After learning
about the Capital Gateway Program before graduating from the University
of California at Santa Barbara, Shirikian decided to apply for the
program and come to Washington, DC to pursue his interest in political
advocacy. "I wanted to come to DC because that is where the action is,"
says Shirikian. "I wanted to learn first-hand how things are run and
gain experience that will be respected no matter where I decide to go in
the future." Past Hovig Apo Saghdejian Fellows have included: Ani
Bedrosian, Andrew Gregorian, and Vasken Kassakhian.

Other current participants include Taline Ghazarian, Rita Garabedian,
and Antranik Boyadjian. The program recently helped Ghazarian, a
graduate in Sociology from UCLA and former English-section editor for
the Asbarez Armenian Daily Newspaper, land an internship with
Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-CA). She hopes to use the position to
learn more about the inner workings of Congress and gain a foothold in
the policy-making arena. "It’s really interesting getting a first-hand
look into how government works and figuring out your particular niche in
it," said Ghazarian.

The program has also provided opportunities for Rita Garabedian, a
native of Kenner, Louisiana. After graduating from the University of
New Orleans with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History,
Garabadian came to DC to find work as a Congressional staffer. She is
currently serving as an intern for Representative Albert Wynn (D-MD 4)
while continuing to explore full-time staff positions. She believes the
recent shakeup in the House of Representatives could provide her a
unique opportunity to fill a position with one of the many new members
of Congress. "I feel very fortunate to be here on the Hill at such an
exciting moment," Garabedian commented. "Both job-wise and politically,
there are a lot of encouraging prospects."

Antranik Boyadjian, a university student from France, has come to
Washington, DC to volunteer at the ANCA office. Robert Khatchadurian,
who recently graduated from the program, has secured a consulting
position with Booz Allen Hamilton. These exceptional individuals add
their names to a growing list of participants who have taken advantage
of the unique opportunities offered by the Capital Gateway Program.

Additional information about the program is available on the ANCA
website –

#####

KERKORIAN’S FAILED GAMBLE MAY HAUNT GM SHAREHOLDERS
Barrie McKenna

Globe and Mail, Canada
Dec 5 2006

WASHINGTON — The job was perilous, but the pay was pretty good.

During the Second World War, a twentysomething Kirk Kerkorian flew
Montreal-built Mosquito fighters to Scotland for the Royal Air Force.

The transatlantic flights, via Labrador, pushed the range of the
twin-engine plane to the extreme. Countless pilots and aircraft were
lost during the daring wartime ferry mission.

Mr. Kerkorian successfully delivered 33 Mosquitos to the British,
pocketed thousands of dollars, and used his savings to launch an air
charter service after the war, flying gamblers from Los Angeles to
Las Vegas.

It was a big gamble, and it paid off.

The 89-year-old billionaire investor has been using the same M.O.
ever since: Take big risks, make a buck and get out.

That was the plan for General Motors too. Mr. Kerkorian’s investment
company Tracinda Corp. (named for his daughters Tracy and Linda)
built up a 9.9-per-cent stake in the venerable automotive company at
a cost of about $1.7-billion (U.S.).

He had done it successfully in the airline business, the casino
business and at Chrysler.

In GM, Mr. Kerkorian saw a bloated giant — a car maker with too
many models, too many plants, too many employees and an intransigent
chief executive officer (Rick Wagoner). He thought he could prod the
struggling giant to make big changes, including eventually ousting
Mr. Wagoner through an alliance with Nissan-Renault and its CEO
Carlos Ghosn.

The stock was languishing in the $30 range when he amassed his stake,
Mr. Kerkorian apparently believed GM could be a $50 or $60 stock again.

But when he started dumping the last of his shares late last week,
the stock had slipped below $29.

Mr. Kerkorian’s GM gambit is over, at least for now.

He’ll still earn about $100-million on his investment. But it’s not
the windfall Mr. Kerkorian had in mind.

The Wall Street Journal likened the denouement to a gambler folding
his hand when he knew he couldn’t win.

Mr. Kerkorian, a former high-stakes Las Vegas gambler, apparently
concluded that the only way to push GM to make the necessary changes
was the get rid of Mr. Wagoner. But he wasn’t going to go without a
long drawn-out fight, and at 89, Mr. Kerkorian wasn’t up to it.

Mr. Kerkorian isn’t the feisty daredevil of his youth. He long ago
gave up gambling.

The son of an Armenian immigrant fruit vendor, Mr. Kerkorian has
always lived life on the edge. He dropped out of school in grade 8 to
pursue a career as a professional boxer. When that didn’t work out,
he became a bouncer at a bowling alley. He later learned to fly while
working an airfield outside Los Angeles.

During the Second World War, he jumped at the chance to fly for the
RAF, in part because he feared he might be drafted into the infantry.

After the war, Mr. Kerkorian turned his passion for flying into a
business. He bought a small charter airline in 1947, and took it
public in 1965. He eventually sold the company, which specialized in
flying high rollers to Vegas, to TWA.

Mr. Kerkorian was seduced by the Vegas lifestyle. He gambled and
married a dancer (his second wife, Jean Hardy). During the early 1960s,
he also began buying up real estate along the city’s "strip" that
would eventually become the foundation of a casino and resort empire.

After a series of flips and land deals, Mr. Kerkorian was ready
to become a player in Vegas. In 1969, he built what was then the
largest hotel in the world — the International — on a remote patch
of the strip that critics said was destined to fail. It’s now the
Las Vegas Hilton.

Mr. Kerkorian also made a fortune in the movie industry, twice buying
into Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, and then selling out.

Mr. Kerkorian’s life has come full-circle. With his exit from GM, Mr.

Kerkorian is getting back to his roots. Yesterday, Tracinda launched
an $825-million cash tender offer for up to 15 per cent of MGM Mirage,
which owns nearly half the Vegas strip. The offer would raise his
stake in MGM to 61.1 per cent from 55.9 per cent.

GM will be remembered as a failure for a legendary investor.

But it says more about GM’s lack of imagination that it wasn’t willing
to embrace Mr. Kerkorian’s vision of a radically overhauled, global
car giant.

If Mr. Wagoner’s more modest turnaround falters, the company’s
shareholders will wish GM had taken a gamble with a master risk-taker.

IRAQ MUST SOLVE ITS PROBLEMS BY ITSELF, SAID THE LEADER OF THE SHIITES TO PRESIDENT BUSH
By Petros Keshishian

AZG Armenian Daily
06/12/2006

The head of the Iraqi Islamic Revolution Council Abdel Aziz al-Haqim,
leader of the Shiite movement, said on his meeting with President
George Bush in Washington that he stands categorically against the
international interference to the crisis in Iraq. He said that the
problems must be overcome by the people of Iraq itself.

In his return George Bush said that he is disturbed by the situation
in Iraq and that the Unites States wholly support the Government of
Nouri al-Maliqi.

Al-Haqim, although being the advocate of Iraq’s sovereignty, does
not argue the presence of the US military forces in the country,
BBC reports.

Al-Haqim’s party has the support of the Shiite of Iraq’s population. In
the days of Saddam Hussein he was forced to migrate to Iran. The
military wing of his organization became part of the army and the
police.

Some political scientists think that Bush, having meetings with the
outstanding people of Iraq, is trying to insure the "proper" work of
the Iraqi Government. It is also possible that the US President is
getting prepared to decreasing the number of military forces quartered
in Iraq. It should be noted that the military wing of the Iraqi Islamic
Revolution Council has serious contradictions with Muqtada al-Sadr,
one of the most outstanding preachers of Shiitism, and his "Army of
Mahdi". The confrontation seems to grow into an armed conflict. In
October the Americans even tried to arrest Al-Sadr, but their efforts
remained fruitless.