MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 33 for 29 July - 4 August 2005

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

Key Humanitarian Developments in Iraq

The international media reported the discovery of at least 19 bodies near a school in the capital, Baghdad, at the start of the week.

“Some of the dead had been blindfolded and shot, while others were beheaded, according to reports. All were men,” the BBC reported on Monday.

A truck had dumped the bodies on wasteland near the school in the Um al-Maalef area of the city, according to witnesses.

The bodies were of men aged between 18 and 45, Iraqi police officer Thair Mahmoud told the Associated Press news agency. There are no further details on their identity.

Meanwhile, in a sign of continuing insecurity for media workers, the body of an American freelance journalist was found in the southern city of Basra.

Steven Vincent died after being shot in the head and body. His female translator, who was also shot, is alive.

He and the translator were abducted at gunpoint by men in a police car on Tuesday, according to media reports.

Vincent had been in Basra for the last two months working for the Christian Science Monitor and the New York Times.

Additionally, the US military suffered one of the biggest blows yet, as 14 marines were killed in an attack in Haditha, in western Anbar province. US forces have been carrying out heavy security operations in that area to flush out insurgents.

In a separate development, Iraqi officials confirmed that the draft of the country’s constitution would be ready for the 15 August deadline, the international media reported earlier this week.

According to Sheikh Humam Hammudi, the draft would be sent to parliament for a debate and vote in two weeks' time.

This statement follows much controversy over whether the document would be completed on time, after lack of participation from Sunni members on the drafting committee.

The constitution will be agreed on through a referendum on 15 October, followed by parliamentary elections scheduled for 15 December.

In addition, the UN reported this week that nearly a quarter of a million Iraqis of all ethnic and religious groups had participated in meetings to help draft the constitution. This, it said, despite security challenges.

More than 220,000 people have been involved so far, a UN report released on Thursday stated. "The United Nations salutes the bravery of Iraqis who have often risked their lives in order to contribute to the constitutional process,” it added.

CONTENTS:

YEMEN: Experts alert to danger of locust outbreak
YEMEN: Polio cases increase, follow-up vaccinations planned
YEMEN: Journalists rail against “harsh treatment” during riots
YEMEN: Government urged to tackle human rights concerns
SYRIA: Mass celebration eases cost of marriage to the poor
SYRIA: Civil and political freedoms “still a concern”
MIDDLE EAST: Decline in breastfeeding raises malnutrition concerns
EGYPT: HRW urges inquiry into alleged police brutality
IRAQ: Housing problems increase as conflict hits hearth and home //corrected version//
IRAN: Ganji near death as one of his legal team is arrested

[ENDS]