TNT:

Tishwash:  Dissolution of Parliament .. Will the Federal Court's decision be decisive this time?

Today, Saturday, legal expert Ali Al-Tamimi confirmed that the decision of the Federal Court to dissolve Parliament will be decisive and binding.

Al-Tamimi said in an exclusive interview with "Mawazine News", "The decisions of the Federal Court are binding on all authorities, and that according to Article 94 of the Constitution, the decisions are not subject to appeal, discrimination or appeal."

And he indicated that "Parliament is dissolved from the moment the Federal Court issues its decision, and the President of the Republic will be called for early elections two months after its date," noting that "there is no harm in the invitation of the President of the Republic, even if it is expired."  link

JCNoble:  Next Wednesday the Fed court will make their ruling on if Parliament can be desolved.

KaseyKo1:  If they don't, both the UN & US will be stepping in & get the govt formed.

Yada: Agreed Kaseyko, if they don’t, the US and UN will. This is not continuous kick the can. Fact is the resolution is in place, just eliminating the last hold of the bad guys.

CharlieOK:  And don't forget the Kuwait LIE strategy. For all we outsiders know, the US/UN could swoop in tomorrow and clean house, appoint Kazemi, set up the Caretaker Govt.; and we could rv next week.

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Tishwash:  Bypassing Saudi Arabia.. Iraq exported 401 thousand barrels of oil per day to America last week (09/03)

Today, Saturday, the US Energy Information Administration announced that Iraq's oil exports to America increased during the past week, .exceeding Saudi Arabia The administration said in a report seen by (Baghdad Today), that "the average US imports of crude oil during the past week from nine countries amounted to 5.121 million barrels per day, down by 234 thousand barrels per day from the previous ".week, which amounted to 5.356 million barrels per day

She added that "Iraq's oil exports to America amounted to an average of 401,000 barrels per day last week, higher than the week before, in which oil exports to America reached an average of 225 thousand barrels per day, surpassing Saudi ".Arabia and becoming the third largest exporter to America last week

She pointed out that "the most oil revenues for America during the past week came from Canada at a rate of 3.093 million barrels per day, followed by Mexico at a rate of 440,000 barrels per day, and oil revenues from Saudi Arabia at a rate of 330,000 ".barrels per day, and then Colombia at a rate of 289,000 barrels per day

According to the administration, "the amount of US imports of crude oil from Nigeria reached an average of 137,000 barrels per day, from Brazil at a rate of 134,000 barrels per day, and from Trinidad and Tobago at a rate of 67,000 barrels per day, ".while no amount was imported from Russia  link

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Tishwash:  How did Sistani's intervention prevent Iraq from sliding into war again?

When an announcement by a cleric in Iran pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war last week, only one man had the power to prevent it: the 92-year-old Iraqi Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who once again proved to be the most powerful man in his country.

Al-Sistani did not issue a public comment regarding the unrest that erupted in the streets of Iraq. But government officials and informed Shiite sources say that only Sistani's stance behind the scenes defused the disaster.

The events of the bloodiest week in Iraq in nearly three years show the limits of traditional politics in a country where the power to start and stop wars lies in the hands of clerics, many of whom have ambiguous ties to Iran, the neighboring Shiite power.

Iraqis who took to the streets blamed Tehran for fueling the violence, which began after an Iranian-based cleric denounced the popular Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and instructed his followers, including Sadr himself, to obey the order of Iran's supreme leader.

Sadr's followers tried to storm government buildings. By nightfall they were driving around Baghdad in pickup trucks brandishing machine guns and rocket launchers.

Gunmen believed to be members of a pro-Iranian armed faction opened fire on the Sadrist protesters who were throwing stones. At least 30 people were killed.

Then, within 24 hours, it ended as suddenly as it began. Al-Sadr appeared on television and called for calm. His armed supporters and unarmed followers began leaving the streets, the army lifted a night-time curfew and a fragile calm fell over the capital.

 Seeking to understand how the unrest erupted and how it was quelled, Reuters spoke with nearly 20 officials from the Iraqi government, the Sadr movement, and rival Shiite factions seen as pro-Iran. Most spoke on condition of anonymity.

 All the interviews pointed to decisive behind-the-scenes interference by Sistani, who has never held an official political position in Iraq but is considered the most influential cleric in Najaf, the Shiite religious center in Iraq.

 According to the officials, Sistani's office has sought to make it clear to Sadr that unless he stops the violence of his followers, Sistani will denounce the unrest.

An Iraqi government official said, "Sistani sent a message to Sadr that if he did not stop the violence, Sistani would have to issue a statement calling for the fighting to stop - and that would make Sadr look weak, as if he had caused bloodshed in Iraq."

Three Shiite figures based in Najaf and close to Sistani did not confirm that his office sent an explicit message to al-Sadr. But they said it was clear to Sadr that Sistani would speak soon unless Sadr stopped the unrest.

A pro-Iranian official in the region said that without Sistani's office, "Muqtada al-Sadr would not have held his press conference" that stopped the fighting.

'betrayal'

Sistani's intervention may have averted more widespread bloodshed for the time being. But it does not solve the problem of maintaining calm in a country where much of the power lies outside the political system, in the hands of Shiite clerics, including clerics with close ties to Iran.   link

CandyKisses:  : I'M GOING TO THE BEACH!!!  

Mot:  ... soooooo - Just How Many Saturdays till ~~~