weekly good news from iraq

1) Tribal Leaders In Diyala Province Reaffirm Commitment to Unity http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/may2007/a051707ls1.html Local Iraq officials focus on recruiting police, creating peace. TIKRIT, Iraq, May 17, 2007 — As coalition and Iraqi security forces continue to provide security and stability throughout Diyala Province, Iraq, many tribal leaders are also united in their efforts to bring peace and stand up against al-Qaida in Iraq. After a peace agreement was signed between the paramount sheiks of the Karki and Shimouri tribes, April 30, other tribal leaders gathered throughout the region to do the same – provide peace and protection for their people and their lands. At the Al Abarrah Iraq Army compound, local leaders gathered, May 10, to pave a way ahead for peace between some of the rival villages and gain a commitment toward a unified stand against al-Qaida while supporting the government. 2) Iraqi Central Bank starts applying electronic payment system Translated by IRAQdirectory.com - [17/05/2007] http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3781 The Iraqi Central Bank began applying the electronic payment system RTGS, with the accession of a number of Iraqi banks effectively. A source in the Bank said that: the modern payments system would facilitate payment processes among banks and between them and the Central, as all banks have accounts in the Central Bank. 3) Transition team advances Iraqi training http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11888&Itemid=1 BAGHDAD 18 May— New Iraqi Soldiers trained on essential skills at the “Lions Academy” Sunday and Monday. Members of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team conducted additional training on essential skills for Iraqi Soldiers who recently graduated from basic training. 4) Anbar Province Getting Better, Marine Commander Says By Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20070515.aspx May 15, 2007 - 4:50:19 PM Blackanthem Military News, WASHINGTON, D.C. – Life in Iraq's Anbar province is still dangerous, but security is improving, the senior commander for ground operations in the province said yesterday in Baghdad. For example, 22 joint security stations in the town of Ramadi now are helping to tamp down violence, Marine Brig. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus, ground forces commander for Multinational Force West, said during a news conference 6) Turning The Corner In Iraq By Steve Schippert http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=28345 May 18, 2007 The progress in the past three short months in Iraq is unmistakable. Since General Petraeus has taken command of MNF-I forces in mid February, the convergence of developments has fundamentally changed the outlook in Iraq. While “The Surge” has dominated discussion – be it on operational tempo within Baghdad or withdrawal timetables within the DC Beltway – progress on several vital fronts is beginning to reshape realities on the ground. 7) Iraq's SCIRI party to change platform 11 May 2007 14:57:28 GMTSource: Reuters By Mariam Karouny BAGHDAD, May 11 (Reuters) - Iraq's most powerful Shi'ite party will make key changes to its platform, party officials said on Friday, in a move that will increasingly align it with Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. The changes could distance the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) from neighbouring Shi'ite Iran 8) As Surge Begins To Take Hold, Tribal Leaders Turn on Qaeda BY ELI LAKE - Staff Reporter of the Sun May 14, 2007 http://www.nysun.com/article/54368 ABU GHRAIB, Iraq — In the aftermath of America's recent troop surge in Iraq, tribal leaders throughout this country are turning on Al Qaeda, and American military commanders are trying to exploit the new development by bringing tribe members into the Iraqi Security Forces. For those officers overseeing the new tribal diplomacy, signs are emerging that Iraq's deepest social networks — its tribes — are withdrawing their tacit acceptance of Al Qaeda and are becoming more willing to cooperate with American authorities to combat the terror network. 9) Leading Sunni Cleric Now in Opposition to Al Qaeda http://www.time.com/ Monday, May. 14, 2007 By BOBBY GHOSH/BAGHDAD Al-Qaeda has lost its most powerful friend in Iraq: Harith al-Dari, the country’s most influential Sunni cleric and a prominent anti-American figure, has rejected al-Qaeda’s vision of an Islamic state, telling TIME that Iraqis “will not accept such a system.” In a sharp departure from his long-standing view of the terror group, al-Dari now says al-Qaeda has “gone too far.” 10) CNN Good News Report on Al Anbar Province by Nic Robertson: http://patdollard.com/2007/05/15/even-time-magazine-cant-hide-it/#more-587 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b15_1179232516