MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 35 for 12-18 August 2005

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

Key Humanitarian Developments in Iraq

Iraqi politicians failed to meet the 15 August deadline for completion of the new draft constitution, following heated debate on contentious issues.

Members of the Constitution Committee have been given a further seven days to agree on sticking points.

“There is agreement on the structure of government, the president and prime minister, the role of the assembly. There is agreement also in regard to the role of Islam,” US Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, told CNN International on Tuesday.

“There are a couple of issues that need to still be agreed on in detail, although in principle there is agreement. One has to do with the issue of federalism,” he added.

On Wednesday in a deadly attack at least 43 people were killed and some 76 were injured following three car bombings in capital, Baghdad, international media reports said. The attacks were carried out less than 30 minutes apart from each other.

“Two of the blasts went off within 10 minutes of each other at 0800 local time at the busy Nahda bus station,” the BBC reported.

The third happened near a hospital, just as victims of the first two attacks were being brought in. Four men have been arrested and questioned on suspicion of being involved in the bombings, officials said.

An investigative BBC TV programme in the UK reported this week on new allegations of Iraqi prisoner abuse this week by British troops in the south of the country.

Newsnight aired interviews with two brothers claiming they had been beaten and denied water and sleep after being arrested in the city of Basra.

“Marhab and Asad Zaaj al-Saghir have not made an official complaint, but have asked to be compensated for the car and cash they say UK troops seized,” a BBC report said.

"They lowered me down... while I was tied up, threw me on the floor and hit me with a stick,” Marhab Zaaj al-Saghir told the programme.

The UK Ministry of Defence said it only investigated claims reported to it.

According to the ministry, 177 investigations into alleged abuse by British troops have been carried out. Of those 156 have been closed with no further action taken.

Accusations of abuse carried out by foreign military forces in Iraq first transpired following the controversial and disturbing photographs released in 2004 of Abu Ghraib prison, where Iraqi prisoners were mistreated.

Meanwhile, a full financial and internal control review of the United Nations procurement system has been ordered, following irregularities in the now defunct Iraq Oil-for-Food programme, a UN statement said on Tuesday.

In an independent inquiry report released last week, former procurement officer Alexander Yakovlev, was accused of soliciting kickbacks under the Iraq programme.

The report also concluded that the former Executive Director of the UN Office of the Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan, "corruptly benefited" from his role in the Oil-for-Food-programme.

In response to the findings, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan waived the immunity of Yakovlev, and said he would do the same for Sevan, if requested by law enforcement authorities.

Finally, the UN Security Council extended the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) for another 12 months.

At present, there are some 260 UN civilian and military personnel based in Iraq, and that number is expected to rise.

UNAMI was established in August 2003 for a one-year period, but following the deadly attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003 the mission relocated and only resumed operations in Iraq in August 2004.

CONTENTS:

IRAQ: Focus on constitutional concerns
IRAQ: ‘Expired food causing health problems’
YEMEN: Arab civil society groups call for greater political participation
JORDAN: Human rights activists denounce deportation deal with UK
SYRIA: Efforts to improve conditions for Palestinian refugees
SYRIA: Interview with outspoken writer, Maha Hassan
EGYPT: Special report on press freedom
EGYPT: Focus on election campaigning

[ENDS]