Iraq rounds up Baathists ahead of U.S. pullout

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By Ahmed Rasheed and Suadad al-Salhy

BAGHDAD | Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:20pm EDT

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has arrested at least 240 former members of Saddam Hussein's banned Baath Party and ex-military officers over what some senior officials described as a plot to seize power after U.S. troops withdraw at year's end.

While several officials characterized the round-up which began this week as the foiling of a specific plot, others said it was a precautionary measure before the U.S. withdrawal, nearly nine years after the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam.

Government officials have long expressed concern that Baathists would try to retake power when U.S. troops depart.

"We have arrested a group belonging to the former Baath party that were planning to launch sabotage actions and revolt to topple the political process in the country after withdrawal of American forces," Lieutenant-General Hussein Kamal, Iraq's deputy interior minister for intelligence, told Reuters.

After ousting Saddam, U.S. forces dissolved the Iraqi security forces and purged state institutions of members of his Sunni-dominated Baath party, moves that contributed to a bloody Sunni insurgency. Iraq has since tried to bring some Baath party members not accused of major crimes back into public life.

Kamal said intelligence reports indicated that more than 300 suspects were part of a group which had been operating across Iraq, including the provinces of Baghdad, Najaf, Nassiriya, Wasit, Nineveh, Diyala, Kirkuk and Anbar.

"We are still following this dangerous group and we are working to neutralize this network with branches across Iraq," he added, declining to offer any details of the plot.

The crackdown could further alienate Sunnis, many of whom are deeply suspicious of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government. The Iraqiya political bloc, a secularist group that is supported by many Sunnis and has joined Maliki's coalition government, condemned the arrest campaign.

"Creating a crisis at this time is not in the interests of the nation," Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, a prominent Sunni and a leader of Iraqiya, said. "Such a thing will hinder the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq."

At a meeting on Tuesday, the bloc's leaders discussed the possibility of quitting the government but decided after meeting with a Maliki envoy to monitor the crackdown for now, an Iraqiya source who attended the meeting said.

LEGACY

More than eight years after the invasion and just two months ahead of a complete U.S. withdrawal, Iraq is grappling with the question of how to deal with the legacy of decades of Baathist rule. Many Iraqis joined the party just to advance in government positions and feel discrimination against members is unfair.

Iraq has passed legislation designed to partially reverse the U.S. decision in 2003 to purge the government of Baath Party members, but some accuse the Shi'ite-led government of stalling its implementation.

Since the round-up of ex-Baathists and former high-ranking army officers started earlier this week, at least 240 people have been arrested, including 33 in Salahuddin province, 33 in Diyala, 60 in Kirkuk, 40 in Basra, eight in Wasit, 27 in Nassiriya and 56 in Babil, senior security officials said.

Security and police officials said Maliki had issued arrest warrants for around 350 former Baath Party members.

"We have arrested 33 former members of the Baath Party after receiving intelligence they were organizing clandestine meetings recently," said one local official, Tikrit police Lieutenant Abdulla al-Douri. "It's a precautionary measure to stop any possible moves to restore Baath activities."

A source close to Maliki told Reuters that intelligence reports revealed the plot by a group of former Baath members to take power after the U.S. withdrawal.

"Who knows? Anything could happen in Iraq," the source said when asked if the ex-Baathists had the ability to seize power. "They still have this dream."

Concerns about the possibility of a coup are partly a response to the growing assertiveness of Maliki, a Shi'ite politician who heads a fragile and often fractious coalition government including Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds.

Maliki has sought to consolidate his power as violence drops and the United States narrows its role in Iraq. Some rivals resent or are suspicious of his growing stature.

The United States has about 40,000 troops in Iraq. President Barack Obama said last week that they will be withdrawn by December 31 according to the terms of a 2008 bilateral security pact.

(Additional reporting by Waleed Ibrahim and Kareem Raheem in Baghdad; Ghazwan Hassan in Tikrit; Aref Mohammed in Basra; Mustafa Mahmoud in Kirkuk; Writing by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Jim Loney)

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Obama ahead with jobs Act

WASHINGTON-A day after Senate Republicans its $447 billion jobs Bill killed, President Barack Obama said he is not here not for a response.

His first, belligerent occurs when as a United States Senate of GOP Caucus the jobs plan to death, filibustered promised Obama, to keep the pressure on Congress for his job initiatives.

"Now a lot of people in Washington and the media vote last night and say look at is," well, that's it. Let's move on to the next fight. "But I have news for them: not this time." Not with so many Americans out of work, "he said." "With so many people in your communities injured." We are not for a response. "

After a package press on the Congress awarded to his orders or below vote to force Obama and his democratic allies promises additional voices on piece of the action, such as infrastructure spending, jobless aid to separate and tax cuts for individuals and businesses.

[View our editorial cartoons on President Obama.]

"We believe that the organization is and we keep on pressure and we keep their tasks fulfilled and actually to put something, until Congress finally votes that people back to work and improve the economy," said Obama, who spoke to an event by the White House recognize contributions to the history of the American Latino organized.

The White House uses the issue of employment as a political sword as it warms campaign in 2012. But it takes a more cross-party how to really deliver results, by a disgruntled public wanted.

Obama plan who died in the hands of the Senate Republicans had on Tuesday, even though the President it was campaign throughout the country for weeks. The 447-billion dollar plan fell to a 50-49 counter in the 100-member Senate, failure, a filibuster had well 60 voices cracking of Republicans. You against its charm style issues and his tax surcharge for the very rich.

Now, the White House and leaders in Congress, alternative ways to deal with the country's painful 9.1 per cent unemployment, including breaking legislation into smaller, more digestible pieces move on. And on Wednesday, House and Senate, ground to a halt get long trade to approve pacts with Korea, Panama and Colombia.

In the weeks and months of promises, Democrats more votes on jobs. But it remains to be seen how much that effort stirred up more campaign includes battles with include Republicans and how much will search for common ground in the hope of adoption of legislation. A deficit of "Supercommittee", is further complications of the questions is to - come with at least $1.2 trillion deficit savings of which some Democrats for jobs initiatives in take.

[See a slideshow of 5 bright spots in the U.S. economy.]

Tuesday counter also shows that Republicans believe that they have little fear of tangles with Obama.

"Republicans continue any Democrat looking for more, jobs than in political stance and work with them on bipartisan legislation including trade payments, which we will vote today," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R - KY, Wednesday. "What we will not do is invoices vote on any more wrong appeal but, because some writers defeated Bill the word"Jobs"on the cover page."

The White House appears most confidence that there is still a 2 percentage points social security payroll tax cut by 2012 and emergency unemployment benefits for millions of people can - if only want to accept because Republicans in the White House view that the political damage is not these provisions expire.

White House officials hope the ultimately garnering votes for the approval of infrastructure spending and tax credits for businesses, the unemployed veterans to rent.

Senate begins sorting through their options on jobs at one of the closed-door Caucus Democrats on Wednesday.

Obama the plan would have combined, social security, payroll and payroll tax cuts for workers and enterprises and other tax relief, that a total of about $270 billion with $175 billion in new spending for roads, school repairs and other infrastructure, as well as unemployment benefits and local governments avoid layoffs of teachers, firefighters and police help.

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Appeal to the Public Vigilance Ahead of 9/11 reap these rewards in New York

The New York Police Department, says that its programme to protect the city against a terrorist strike by asking the people that "see something" to "say something of" helps protect against a specific city, but not confirmed terrorist threat against NYC and Washington.

Officials said senior police through civil vigilance campaign of the New York police, the number of reports of suspicious packages and vehicles is now double to triple the average daily.

Of Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Browne, head of communications Commissioner of police of Raymond w. Kelly and a key Adviser, said that, as of this afternoon, the number of reports of suspicious package throughout the city, which normally total approximately 15 per day, stood at 45 for the past eight hours - about three times the average number of reports.

Reports of suspicious vehicles, said, which normally total about 100 a day, amounted to 200 by the middle of the afternoon, or double the average daily.

"This shows that the campaign"If you see any thing, something to say"works," said Browne. "It's everything we wanted."

None of the reports proved to be connected to terrorist activities, he said. But it was less important than the fact that New Yorkers have been helping spot unusual or suspect activity.

Mr. Browne said that the bomb team was called to check on a report of unusual activity on the 59(e) Bridge Street some time after 20 Friday night. A passenger in a vehicle travelling slowly on the bridge because of checkpoints at the entrance to and exit from the bridge spotted what he considered an unusual cluster of gadgets and wires attached to one of the beams of the bridge. After the taking of a photograph of the suspicious cluster on his cell phone, he showed it to a police officer at a checkpoint on the bridge, Manhattan Browne said.

The police officer, called in turn, unit of the NYPD's Emergency Service, who then called the squad of bomb to test the beam from wire-laden suspect. The team quickly determined that there was no explosive material in the gadget and bomb that the device is connected to some ongoing work on the bridge. "But this is precisely what we want," said Browne.

By asking New Yorkers, in effect, as the police department civil eyes and ears, he said, millions of New Yorkers were potentially strengthen the effort of approximately 50,000 employees of the city, 34,000 of them uniformed officers, are to identify any suspicious activity.

Since the Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly held a press conference of 22 two days ago, the police service has flooded the city with an army of cops to identify suspicious activity and deter a terrorist strike on the city. The demonstration of force sparked a torrent of complaints of citizens on the snarled traffic, additional bags and backpack checks to the Metro and train stations and on the major bridges, tunnels and entry checkpoints to the points of the city. But Browne insisted that the city had no choice given that federal officials have been characterizing as a "credible" threat that Al Qaeda three car bombs were bound for New York, Washington and possibly up to five cities American to conduct a terrorist strike during the commemoration of the anniversary of 9/11.

Dependence of the city of his campaign "If you see any thing, say something" is regarded as highly effective by city officials and independent experts to fight against terrorism who have studied the program. Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security incorporated New York injunction in the Federal counter-terrorism effort.

And a report to the soon by the Policy Forum Madison, a group of experts in security based in New York, concluded that the campaign is not only very cost effective, but a multiplier of strength for the police.

"The program costs very little but effectively involves the public in his own defence, Michael Sheehan, former Assistant Commissioner NYPD for the fight against terrorism and the author of the study, said." "". "Tip-offs" of a member of family or community concerned that proved an extremely effective tool counter-terror, said.

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