Iraq: Kurdish president proposes independence referendum

Massoud Barzani asks MPs to form electoral commission to carry out referendum in autonomous region in northern Iraq

Iraqi Kurdish leader, Massoud Barzani, has said independence is a natural right of the people of Kurdistan. Photograph: Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images

Thursday 3 July 2014 

Massoud Barzani, the president of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, appears to have moved the country closer to partition after asking MPs to form a committee to organise an independence referendum.

An MP from the Kurdistan Democratic party (KDP) who was present at the closed session said Barzani did not offer a timetable, but it follows the Kurdistan president telling the BBC this week that a referendum was "a question of months" away.

"The president asked us to form an independent electoral commission to carry out a referendum in the Kurdistan region and determine the way forward," the MP, Farhad Sofi, said.

In his interview with the BBC, Barzani said the lightning advance of Sunni militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) through the west of the country with the Shia prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, left in control of Baghdad and the south, had reaffirmed the Kurdish goal of full independence.

"Iraq is effectively partitioned now; should we stay in this tragic situation that Iraq is living? Of course, we are all with our Arab and Sunni brothers together in this crisis, but that doesn't mean that we will abandon our goal," he said.

"I have said many times that independence is a natural right of the people of Kurdistan. All these developments reaffirm that."

The US has urged Barzani to stick with Baghdad, though the Kurdish leader said during a meeting last month with the US secretary of state, John Kerry, that it was "very difficult" to imagine Iraq staying together.

His call for preparations for a referendum came in the same week that Iraq's parliament was beset by walkouts when it met for the first time since elections in April. Sunni and Kurdish parties withdrew their MPs, ensuring the session collapsed, when Shia politicians refused to name their candidate to replace Maliki as prime minister before the Sunni and Kurdish MPs revealed their own nominations for speaker.

By convention in Iraq, the prime minister's position goes to the Shia, the speaker's position goes to the Sunnis, while the president goes to theKurds.

The standoff underscored the deep divisions that run through the fragile state's political class, which has been unable to find unity even as the insurgency poses an imminent threat to Iraq's stability.

Across nearly all of northern Iraq, the national flag is no longer flying. The Kurds have raised their own banner above all former central government buildings in Kirkuk, which their forces took as the Iraqi army fled from Isis two weeks ago. In Iraq's west, and some of its centre, Isis has commandeered all government buildings and at least three cities.

Baghdad is caught in a pincer movement between the Kurds and Isis, which have no interest in the Iraqi state. The Kurds, who have long been cautious about their ambitions for sovereignty, are increasingly acting without restraint as central authority crumbles.

Isis, meanwhile, has been taunting the Shia-majority central government with claims it is imposing a caliphate across a vast tract of land from Aleppo in Syria to Diyala, north-east of Baghdad. The announcement has no practical significance, but shows the potent rise of the jihadist group, and the impotence of Iraq's government in dealing with it.

Also in contention is the area around Kirkuk, which is held by Kurdish forces. Officially under direct federal control, the area has long been regarded as disputed, but Barzani has said the dispute is finished, meaning Kurdish control of the area would continue.

Maliki dismissed that assertion. "No one has the right to exploit the events that took place to impose a fait accompli, as happened in some of the actions of the Kurdistan region. This is rejected," he said on Wednesday.

Elsewhere in the region, Saudi Arabia was on Thursday reported by state media to have deployed 30,000 soldiers to its border with Iraq after Iraqi soldiers withdrew, leaving the border unprotected. The state news agency SPA said King Abdullah had ordered all necessary measures to protect the kingdom against potential "terrorist threats".

The Saudi deployment came as Isis appeared to be extending its control over eastern Syria, from where it launched its assault on Iraq. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday that fighters from Isis's al-Qaida-linked rivals, the Nusra Front, had withdrawn from two towns in Deir al-Zor, leaving most of the border province under Isis control.

Water Wars in the Land of Two Rivers

Insurgents may threaten Iraq's dams as much as its oil -- with potentially dire consequences.

NOTE: This story was updated Wednesday afternoon.

• BY KEITH JOHNSON-JULY 2, 2014

The turmoil in Iraq already has the world worried about the safety of the country's mammoth oil fields. Now Iraqis must imagine massive waves of water crashing downriver from the country's shaky dams, which are smack in the terrorists' crosshairs.

Water Wars in the Land of Two Rivers by Maria Anderson

US warns of Uganda terror threat

The US government has warned its citizens in Uganda that an attack could take place at Entebbe International Airport.

THURSDAY 03 JULY 2014

The US embassy said there was a "specific threat" of an attack at the airport, located just outside the Ugandan capital city of Kampala. It advised passengers planning to travel at that time to review their arrangements.

It said the attack could take place between 9 pm and 11 pm (7pm and 9pm UK time), adding that US citizens planning to travel at that time might consider reviewing their arrangements.

In a statement, the embassy said: "The US embassy has received information from the Uganda Police Force that according to intelligence sources there is a specific threat to attack Entebbe International Airport by an unknown terrorist group."

The U.S. Embassy has issued other alerts during the year about possible attacks in Uganda, which it says faces a "continued threat".

In 2010 the Al-Shabaab Islamist group bombed sports bars in Uganda whilst people were watching the World Cup final. Last year the same group carried out an attack on a Nairobi shopping mall in neighbouring Kenya. Dozens were killed in both attacks.

Entebbe airport was the scene of a plane hijacking in 1976, when an Air France plane with 248 passengers on board was diverted to the airport by Palestinian and German terrorists. Around 100 of the passengers were held hostage for a week, before Israeli commandos staged a rescue operation to return them home.

Gold swaps to cut imports, ease payment pressure

A salesman displays gold bars inside a jewellery shop on the occasion of the Akshaya Tritiya festival in Hyderabad May 6, 2011.

- BY SUVASHREE DEY CHOUDHURY-MUMBAI Thu Jul 3, 2014 

(Reuters)  A plan by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to swap old gold in its vaults for purer metal abroad that it could pledge or sell would have the added benefits of reducing gold imports and easing pressure on the balance of payments.

The RBI would sell relatively impure gold from its own vaults - some dating back to before independence - and receive the equivalent worth of purer yellow metal delivered to the Bank of England, under a scheme outlined on Wednesday.

The swaps would not involve money changing hands, according to three officials aware of the development.

The RBI has parked gold abroad in the past, once in the throes of the 1991 financial crisis. It did a similar swap in 1998, according to a report at the time, before Russia's default and devaluation caused a meltdown across emerging markets.

Governor Raghuram Rajan had to contend with a balance-of-payments shock when appointed last autumn and has taken several steps to improve the management of India's $315 billion of gold and foreign exchange reserves.

The old gold is held in the RBI vault at Nagpur, considered to be the geographical centre of British colonial India - in other words, about as far away as possible from the international financial system.

Holding the gold offshore would make it possible for the RBI, if needed, to raise funds using the metal as collateral, or to sell it to defend the value of the rupee.

IMPORT SUBSTITUTION

The so-called location swaps would also reduce the need for imports in gold-mad India. On average, Indians bought 2.3 tonnes of gold a day - the weight of a small elephant - until about a year ago. Most was hoarded and handed down as heirlooms to hedge against inflation.

"To the extent the banks will get the gold, they will not have to import. So this should take some pressure off gold imports," one of the officials said.

The RBI has approached several state-run, private and foreign banks and agencies to carry out the swap deal, including State Bank of India, Corporation Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia and MMTC, according to industry sources.

"The entire cost will have to be borne by the local bank," said a senior official from one private bank. In a letter, the RBI asks the banks to respond by July 15 but does not specify swap ratios or timing of the deals, the official added.

No official comment was available from the banks. The officials declined to be identified as they were not authorised to talk to the media. The RBI has officially confirmed the proposed gold swap but not elaborated on the reason for it.

The central bank in September announced steps to raise money from overseas investors and has intervened frequently since March to buy dollars, building its reserves to guard against any possible selloff of the rupee.

At the same time, India is seeking to reduce its reliance on gold imports, which have cost the country dearly. India paid $54 billion to import 1,017 tonnes of gold in the year ending March 2013, which helped the current account deficit balloon to a record high of 4.8 percent of gross domestic product.

The current account deficit was a major factor in last year's rupee crisis, in which capital outflows were triggered by a warning that the U.S. Federal Reserve would wind down its monetary stimulus. As a result, the RBI and government took stringent steps to curb gold imports.

After those measures, gold imports slumped to just $5.3 billion in the March quarter, helping to narrow the current account deficit to just 0.2 percent of GDP versus 3.6 percent a year earlier.

But the World Gold Council reckons that 200-250 tonnes of gold have been smuggled into India since the imposition of import controls.

"The moment the supply of gold increases, the supply from smuggling will come down," said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at CARE Ratings.

The RBI holds 557 tonnes of gold, and according to the World Gold Council it has the 11th-largest gold reserves.

However, the officials said there was no deeper meaning attached to the timing of the gold swap and no connection to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's maiden budget on July 10. One of the officials called it a "housekeeping" activity.

"There is no monetary angle to this. It is an executive decision. It would be far fetched to connect this operation to the budget," the second official said.

Can your face reveal how long you’ll live? New technology may provide the answer.

Researchers are working on technology that will look at the way a person's face has aged so far to estimate how it may age in the future. (Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)

BY TARA BAHRAMPOUR July 2 at 1:59 PM
Imagine that an insurance underwriter comes to your house and, along with noting your weight and blood pressure, snaps a photo of your face. And that those wrinkles, mottled spots and saggy parts, when fed into a computer, could estimate how long you will live.

Can Your Face Reveal How Long You’Ll Live New Technology May Provide the Answer. by Maria Anderson

Govt. ‘blatantly misinformed’ UNHRC about Aluthgama clashes: Muslim Council

• Council fires letter to External Affairs Minister
• Alleges Govt. informed Council in Geneva that violence was instigated by Muslims
• Govt. statement in Geneva similar to versions propagated by ‘anti Muslim interests’
• Geneva statement missed golden opportunity to stand against hate speech, violence: Council

By Dharisha Bastians- July 2, 2014 
A prominent Muslim civil society group has taken issue with official Government statements to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva about the communal violence in Aluthgama, charging that the version of the clashes relayed to the international rights body mirrors the ‘anti-Muslim propaganda’ by vested interests in Sri Lanka.
In a letter addressed to External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris last week, the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka said “blatant misinformation” had been disseminated by Sri Lanka’s Permanent Mission in Geneva with
regard to the clashes.
The Council accused the Government of informing the international community that the violence in Aluthgama on 15 June was instigated by the Muslim community.
“It appears that the statement made in Geneva is very similar to the anti-Muslim statements made for local consumption by certain vested interests,” the Council said in its letter.
The Council told the External Affairs Minister that the report that had been presented before the UN Human Rights Council by Deputy Permanent Representative Manisha Gunasekera had given ‘ridiculous’ casualty figures.
“She, like the IGP, is implying that the Muslims were the cause of the violence as they have cast the first stone when the procession was allowed to go through a Muslim village,” the letter to the Minister noted.
The Muslim Council said it was in possession of video evidence to the contrary, which could be presented to the Minister if he wished.
“We do not understand the reasons for accusing the Muslim community for the incident in an international forum,” the letter said.
The Council said what would have been expected was an assurance from the Government that such ugly incidents would be prevented and action taken to hold the offenders accountable for their misdeeds.
“It seems that the Geneva statement has missed out on a golden opportunity to state our position against violence and hate campaigns in Sri Lanka,” the letter to Minister Peiris asserted.
In her statement to the UNHRC on 20 June, Deputy Head of Mission Gunesekera informed the 47-member body a Buddhist monk had been assaulted by three Muslim youth on Poson Poya Day, three days before the violence in Aluthgama.
The Government statement asserted stones had been thrown at the Buddhist monk as he was proceeding to the temple, accompanied by other monks and lay persons, as they passed through a mosque in Dharga Town. “This incident led to the violence,” the Government statement said.
Muslim Ministers and representatives have criticised the statement in Geneva for failing to make mention of the Bodu Bala Sena rally permitted to be held in Aluthgama shortly before the violence erupted later that evening.
In its letter to Minister Peiris, the Muslim Council said that fabricated charges levelled against the Muslim youth who were part of the conflict with the monk’s driver had resulted “in the entire Muslim community coming under attack by Buddhist monks incited by the inflammatory hate speech of Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero”.

Aluthgama: UPFA Muslim parties to ‘rectify’ Govt. version in Geneva Two Muslim parties within the ruling UPFA coalition are preparing rejoinders to the Government’s official statement to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, in the aftermath of the religious violence in Aluthgama, highly placed sources told the Daily FT. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), the country’s largest Muslim party has put together a team to study the Government statement to the UNHRC in Geneva and prepare a response. Highly-placed ministerial sources said the Government statement to the UNHRC in Geneva had “glossed over” the issues and total falsehoods had been propagated to the international community. The SLMC is unhappy with the contents of the Government’s official statement in Geneva, the sources added, explaining that a rejoinder would be issued by the party in due course. Meanwhile, Minister Rishard Bathiudeen’s lawyers were also in the process of drafting a ‘corrected’ version of events that unfolded in Aluthgama on the night of the clashes, Daily FT learns.

Possibility of sanctions surface... 

Govt. Parliamentary Group pow wow at Chaaya Bey

BY RAVI LADDUWAHETTY]-July 2, 2014 

The possibility of sanctions being imposed on Sri Lanka in the wake of the ongoing probes by the United Nations Human Rights Council for alleged human rights abuses and war crimes in Sri Lanka had surfaced during the Government Parliamentary Group meeting chaired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday.
This was one of the key points which were raised by a group of SLFP members, senior political sources told Ceylon Today.

There was also some views expressed on the possibility of Sri Lanka's war crimes being referred to the United Nations Security Council as pointed out by a member and others said that China and Russia, like before, will come to Sri Lanka's rescue. It was also pointed out that Sri Lanka should not be over dependent on Russia in the wake of Russia turning a blind eye on Bolivia some years ago.

The meeting of the government Parliamentary Group was held at the John Keells Holdings PLC Group owned and managed five star hotel Chaya Bey, at Beruwela throughout Monday from dawn to dusk.
The morning session included a presentation of the economy and the progress since 2005, which was a power point presentation delivered by Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, which was opened only to the SLFP members of the government group which ran from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m. but, the meeting on the political aspects, was open to all government members of the Group, which was from 3 p.m. till 7 p.m. these sources said.

NLF Leader and Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara had pointed out the need for the abolition of the Executive Presidency, but some SLFP Members had argued that this was not the most opportune time for that.
"It was a free for all discussion as these sources said that it was the thinking of Rajapaksa to cull the views of the government members at this meeting. The issues of cost of living and the current ethnic tensions had also come up during the discussions," these sources said.

One of the salient features of the meeting was that neither Rajapaksa nor any of the SLFP seniors such as general secretary and Health Minister Sirisena ever spoke, but they just listened very attentively.
The sources also said that the power point presentation, which was made by Treasury Secretary Dr. Jayasundera was on the economic highlights of the Rajapaksa Presidency from 2005 till 2014, based on the Central Bank Annual Report.

EU calls for LLRC full implementation

By admin on July 2, 2014

The European Union (EU) today called for the full implementation of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and advancing a sustainable political solution saying they are essential for peaceful growth and stability in Sri Lanka.

“We welcome the appointment by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, of three renowned experts – Martti Ahtisaari, Silvia Cartwright and Asma Jahangir – to assist the investigation team for Sri Lanka led by her office. We urge the Government of Sri Lanka to fully cooperate with the investigation to address accountability issues as an important step for fostering genuine reconciliation. It should also allow all stakeholders to engage without fear of reprisals,” the EU said in a statement from Brussels.

The EU statement said that Sri Lanka has come a long way in rebuilding the country since the end of the conflict five years ago but added that efforts should not stop here.

“Notably the full implementation of the recommendations of Sri Lanka’s own Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission and advancing a sustainable political solution are essential for peaceful growth and stability in Sri Lanka,” the EU added.

The EU says it is willing to continue assisting Sri Lanka in its efforts to make further progress on these issues. (Colombo Gazette)

President should invite TNA - Vasu 
PSC on ethnic problem:


By Umesh Moramudali- July 2, 2014 

National Languages and Social Integration Minister, Vasudewa Nanayakkara, yesterday stressed that the President needs to invite the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to join the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), appointed to find solutions to the ethnic problem.

Answering a question at a media briefing yesterday, Nanayakkara said the President needs to have cordial discussions and should imply to the TNA that the government has a genuine intention to solve the ethnic problem.
He said, however, there are certain factions in the TNA who do not want to come for the discussions with the government.
"MPs who do not want to discuss are funded by certain factions of the Tamil Diaspora. However, the Diaspora is also splitting now. It had split into several factions creating lots of issues within the movement," he added.
However, TNA had earlier claimed that they have no faith on the PSC appointed to resolve the ethnic issue.

Kalinga goes all the way to UK to sue Lanka e news

Kalinga goes all the way to UK to sue Lanka e news(Lanka-e-News-01.July.2014, 11.30PM) It is a well and widely known fact locally and internationally that Lanka e news website portal was a most unfortunate news website that fell victim to the cruelest witch hunt of the uncouth, uncivilized unlawful Rajapakse regime in Sri Lanka. It is common knowledge that one of its journalists was abducted and subsequently went missing ; one of its news editors was jailed without any valid ground after being subjected to the most vicious and venomous interrogation by the CID ; the chief editor was forced to flee the country ;the website portal was razed to the ground ; case after case were filed against it claiming Rs.500 million in damages for not revealing the source of information regarding its news report on the attack launched on another journalist , Poddala Jayantha; Office arson attacked and finally the website was banned. In other words the Rajapakse regime left no stone unturned in its monumental effort to annihilate the LeN news website which was a thorn in the side of the corrupt, murderous and lawless Rajapakses , all along exposing the corruption , criminal activities and evil abuse of power of the Rajapakses fearlessly , forthrightly and frankly.

Now in a last ditch attempt the desperate demented Rajapakse regime is contemplating suing the news website in England. Towards this end , PC Kalinga Indratissa has been dispatched to England to explore the possibilities of this legal action.

At the moment Kalinga is headed for UK to investigate the prospects of filing legal action. On many occasions previously , groups were sent to London to assassinate the LeN Editor but without success. The Rajapakse regime had ultimately decided that the Lanka e news website should somehow be stopped once and for all before the upcoming Presidential elections. Meanwhile another prominent businessman is to be sent to England with a view to meet the LeN editor and offer money , and see whether it is possible to extract an undertaking from the LeN Editor that until the Presidential election is over nothing against Mahinda Rajapakse will be reported.

Kalinga Indratissa has a rare distinction of being a one in all dubious crony, lackey and lickspittle of the Rajapakse regime. He is not only a lawyer but also holds the posts of Director , Telecom PLC Co.; Telecom manpower solution Pvt. Co.; Sri Lanka foundation Institute; and a member of the Cricket interim administration board. He has been holding many posts under the regime and even now . The Rajapakses have chosen him for the tour to file action in England against LeN , because this zero before the masked Rajapakse villainous Zorros , is a hero because he has written a law book on cyber crimes.

After this News published in Sinhala on LeN Face Book, Kalinga Indratissa commented as follows:

Kalinga Indatissa: I feel very sorry for people like you. I am not in London. I am in some other part of England for a personal matter. I have not come here to prosecute any one. I have better things to do rather than talk rubbish about other people. Before you publish something check the correctness of the story. I don’t live on political asylum. I have come here for my daughters graduation. You can believe whatever you want to believe. I feel sorry for the mothers who gave birth to fools like you.

Dayan Jayatilleka Skips Logic; Flies At A Tangent

By Shyamon Jayasinghe -July 3, 2014

Shyamon Jayasinghe

In his article published in the Colombo Telegraph of the 2^nd of July Dayan Jayatilleka (DJ) states as follows: “In a newspaper interview, Secretary of Defense Gotabaya Rajapakse denies allegations of any links with the BBS. He may be telling the truth.”

This assertion is a modifying statement that DJ makes after a limp, lukewarm and covered attack on the President and the Defense establishment over the running tragic soap opera that is the BBS. This kind of writing strategy typically shows up Dayan Jayatilleka’s ambivalence toward the Rajapaksa government.  Politically literate persons already know that there is enough evidence to lay the blame on the President and his brother, the Defense Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. They are not stupid. In fact DJ himself earlier in his piece makes some points that implicate the regime over this sordid affair. Example, how the President and Defense Secretary did not lift a finger over the whole last year when this mob went on the rampage trampling other peoples’ human rights and grossly violating the law. Even after Aluthgama, we still have to see whether any investigation will take place. Two weeks have elapsed but nothing of the sort has happened.  DJ admits Gotabaya had refrained from condemning the BBS in his recent statement.  We also know that Gota was present at the BBS AGM in Galle.  A few days ago, Gotabaya is reported to have said that there is nothing he can do about the BBS.  If the man in charge of Defense, aided by Duminda Silva the official Ministry advisor, cannot do anything over a serious violation of the law we need not have to tell them to resign and make way for someone else who can do that. And, mind you, Gota is the official war hero who won what was regarded as the unwinnable war against terrorism; not the fearless and decisive Sarath Fonseka who was dragged and put to jail under the most barbaric and inhumane manner. All these bits of circumstantial evidence are ample to make any morally conscious and sensitive writer to feel a worm when asserting that “Gotabaya may be telling the truth.”

                                      Read More

Whitewashing Saffron Fascism

By Dayan Jayatilleka -July 2, 2014

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

What is the role of the regime and state in a multiethnic, multilingual, multi-religious, multicultural i.e. pluralist setting and in a fraught, conflicted, actually or potentially violent situation? How should and how do the regime and state function?

Are the UPFA regime and the State a neutral umpire –as it should be– between the constituent communities of Sri Lanka where all citizens are constitutionally equal, or are they a biased (“hora”) umpire? If the case is the latter do the rulers and state managers not know or care that there is an ‘action replay’ at work in the international system in the 21^st century?

Do the regime and the state apparatuses under its command, including the security services, regard violent Sinhala Buddhist extremism as a threat to the stability of the state—as it should? Or are the regime and state benignly neutral towards it?

Do the regime and state regard only non-Sinhalese Buddhists or politically dissenting Sinhala Buddhists (such as the JVP, FSP, elements of the UNP and human rights activists) as foes or potential threats, however non-violent they may be? As the JR Jayewardene regime did with regard to Cyril Mathew and his JSS goon squads in the early 1980s, do elements of the regime regard the BBS and its Sangha Parivar as potential allies against the JVP, FSP and student unions and trade unions led by them?

Is it that the BBS is sought to be coddled so as to prevent its social constituency from shifting to its more natural leader Sarath Fonseka or peeling off a segment of the regime’s voter base?

                                    .Read More