Kathleen Ridolfo

Also by Kathleen Ridolfo

• May 11, 2005

  Iraq: Months Of Insurgent Activity Preceded Operation In Western Iraq

  U.S. Marines launched Operation Matador on 8 May along Iraq's western border with Syria in what U.S. Lieutenant General James Conway called an effort "to eliminate insurgents and foreign fighters in this region that's known for its smuggling" and as a safe haven for insurgents.

• May 09, 2005

  Iraq: Baghdad Settles Wheat Scandal With Australia

  The Australian Wheat Board (AWB) has reportedly reached a deal with Iraqi transitional Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'fari that includes a price cut on the sale of wheat after a scandal threatened Australian wheat exports to Iraq.

• May 06, 2005

  Iraq: Will The Turkoman Split Break Turkish Interference?

  Turkey has suggested in the past it had historical rights to oil-rich Kirkuk and Mosul The Iraqi Turkoman Front broke up in late April in what appears to be an internal conflict over Turkey's influence on party decisions, which detractors have said has adversely affected the party's ability to gain ground on the Iraqi political scene. The Turkoman Front comprised six Turkoman political parties and reportedly received more than $300,000 per month in support from the Turkish government, which claims an ethnic kinship to Iraq's Turkomans.

• April 06, 2005

  Iraq: Presidential Choice Is Landmark For Kurds

  Newly elected Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (file photo) 6 April 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The Iraqi National Assembly elected Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) head Jalal Talabani to be the country's new president on 6 April. Talabani's rise is a milestone in the history of Iraq's long-oppressed Kurds. He is the first Kurd ever to fill the seat, and has worked hard to maintain Kurdish autonomy within a federal Iraq.

• April 06, 2005

  Iraq: Choice Of Parliamentary Speaker Reveals Sunni Discord

  6 April 2005 -- Sunnis successfully nominated fellow parliamentarian Hajim al-Hassani as speaker of the National Assembly on 3 April. The choice followed several days of internal friction and disagreements with the Shi'ite-led United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) over a Sunni candidate. Such friction suggests a growing fissure between mainstream Sunnis and the Muslim Scholars Association, a group that claims to represent some 3,000 mosques in Iraq.

• April 03, 2005

  Iraq: Pope Remembered As Advocate For Peace

  Iraq's Christian community mourned the passing of Pope John Paul II on 3 April. In Baghdad, Father Butros Haddad, head of Church of the Virgin Mary, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI): "The pope had many positions on Iraq. He was against the war in Iraq until the last minute, and even after the war. In every place and every international event, and every meeting with presidents and with kings, he was against the war."

• April 02, 2005

  Iraq: Alleged Terrorist Leader To Be Deported From Norway

  Media reports emanating from Norway in recent weeks indicate that the Norwegian government intends to deport purported Ansar Al-Islam leader Najm al-Din Faraj Ahmad, aka Mullah Krekar, to Iraq. Krekar sought asylum in Norway in 1991, but reportedly continues to serves as the titular head of Ansar Al-Islam, making frequent trips to Iraq since 1991. The group is deemed a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. Iraqi authorities may attempt to charge Krekar with human rights abuses against Iraqi Kurds in northern Iraq.

• March 29, 2005

  Militiamen Push Islam In Al-Basrah

  British soldiers on patrol in Al-Basrah, 20 March Thirty militiamen loyal to Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr allegedly attacked 600 picnicking students from Al-Basrah University's College of Engineering at the city's Al-Andulus park on 17 March, claiming the students had violated Islamic norms by dressing in Western clothing, singing, and dancing. The incident sparked several days of protests and raised questions about the absence of the rule of law in the face of the religious extremism that appears to be dictating new societal norms in Iraq's Shi'ite-dominated south.

• March 21, 2005

  Analysis: Iraq-Jordan Dispute Portends Economic Problems For Amman

  Iraqis in Baghdad protest against Jordan Tensions between Iraq and Jordan have spiraled to an unprecedented low two weeks after the Jordanian daily "Al-Ghadd" printed an apparently fabricated report claiming that a Jordanian father celebrated his son's martyrdom in a suicide operation in Iraq (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 21 March 2005).

• March 19, 2005

  Analysis: Iraq Two Years After The Invasion: Progress And Challenges

  A recent poll of Iraqis has found that more than 60 percent of those surveyed believe that their country is heading in the right direction, more than twice the percentage who thought the same in a poll taken in mid-January.

• March 16, 2005

  Analysis: Arab Media Contribute To Instability In Iraq

  The blast scene on 28 February in al-Hillah, where more than 130 Iraqis died. Iraqis took to the streets this week in three days of protests against an 11 March article published in Jordan's "Al-Ghadd" newspaper that claimed the family of an alleged Jordanian suicide bomber celebrated their son's "martyrdom" in Iraq.

• March 14, 2005

  Analysis: Negotiations Between Iraqi Political Groups Stalled

  Negotiations between the United Iraqi Alliance and Kurdistan Coalition lists reportedly reached an impasse on 12 March, just one day before the two groups were expected to formalize a preliminary agreement reached on 10 March for the formation of a transitional government. Talks will reportedly not resume until after the transitional National Assembly holds its first session on 16 March. The impasse will effectively leave the interim cabinet of Iyad Allawi in power, until an agreement can be reached.

• March 10, 2005

  UN Mulls Continuing WMD Monitoring Regime

  The United Nations Security Council is coming under increasing pressure from the Iraqi interim government to close the United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), which was established in 1999 to verify Iraq's compliance in ridding itself of its weapons of mass destruction.

• March 03, 2005

  Analysis: Iraqi Groups Discuss Transitional Government

  Iraqi political groups have held numerous meetings in recent days as they work to negotiate the shape of the transitional administration. There is no word on when the transitional National Assembly -- responsible for naming a presidency council that will in turn appoint a prime minister -- will hold its first session.

• February 28, 2005

  Analysis: Terrorists On Parade

  Terrorists pose with a South Korean man taken hostage last year At a 21 February press briefing by Colonel Salam Tirad Abd, director of criminal intelligence in the Babil governorate, purported Iraqi terrorists confessed in front of the media to their involvement in assassinations and beheadings. According to RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI), a number of the arrested said they were recruited to chase police cars in Babil and assassinate those inside. When asked why he was killing policemen and soldiers, one of those in custody, Amir Latif Mutlaq, said: "It is being said in schools of Islam that they are the agents of the Americans."

• February 22, 2005

  Analysis: Allawi, Al-Ja'fari To Vie For Iraqi Premiership

  Ibrahim al-Ja'fari (file photo) Negotiations between members of the Shi'ite United Iraqi Alliance list concluded on 22 February with alliance members agreeing to nominate Islamic Al-Da'wah leader Ibrahim al-Ja'fari as its candidate for the position of prime minister in the transitional government. Iraqi National Congress head Ahmad Chalabi had challenged al-Ja'fari for the nomination, but dropped out earlier in the day. Al-Ja'fari will now face interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi for the post, the latter having announced on 21 February that his party nominated him for the position.

• February 22, 2005

  Profile: Ibrahim al-Ja'fari

  (file photo) Many would say that Ibrahim al-Ja'fari is the logical choice to lead Iraq's transitional stage. Long viewed as a man of principle, he has always stood firm in his call for a democratic and pluralistic Iraq and has never shied away from expressing his opinions on the future of Iraq -- even when those opinions challenged the Iraqi opposition, and, at times, U.S. policy.

• February 02, 2005

  Analysis: Iraq's Political Groups Start Jockeying For Power

  Iraqi groups are looking for ways to make good on their campaign promises (file photo) Although the final vote count on Iraq's transitional National Assembly is still days away from being announced, Iraqi political parties and groups have already begun jockeying for power in the new government. Shi'ite, Kurdish, and Sunni groups have issued a number of statements since the 30 January election that give some insight into how they intend to proceed in the coming months.

• February 01, 2005

  Analysis: Anatomy Of An Election

  Iraq's first foray into democratic elections in 54 years has been hailed as the first step in the transformation of the country.

• January 30, 2005

  Voter Turnout Strong In Nearly All Iraqi Provinces

  The Iraqi Election Commission announced about two hours before the close of polls on 30 January that voter turnout has been strong among registered voters.

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