Baghdad newspaper calls for bright Iraq in the media
Baghdad, 04 December 2007 (Voices of Iraq)
An Iraqi newspaper on Tuesday called on the local media to portray the positive aspects of life in the country and ongoing efforts to build a new Iraq free of violence.
The government-funded al-Sabah newspaper published an article by its editor-in-chief Fallah al-Mashaal in which he said, “Security improvements, al-Qaeda defeat, reconciliation triumph and the return of the sovereignty of law have all become observable facts in Iraq. What is really astonishing is the absence of media coverage of all these positive transformations on the Iraqi scene.”
Al-Mashaal blamed many Arab news channels, including al-Jazeera, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Future TV, LBC, MBC, al-Manar, al-Kuwaitiya, al-Bahrain, in addition to other Egyptian and Saudi TV stations, for overlooking all bright aspects in Iraqi society, and rather focusing on the gloomy and negative features in the country.
The independent daily al-Mashriq newspaper published an article by Hamid Abdullah in which he gave hope of a brighter future based on reconciliation, democracy, good governance and economic prosperity.
“No one should be unhappy about the return of security and stability except those whose hearts are engorged with envy and hatred,” the author said.
Al-Adala newspaper, issued by the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakeem, devoted most of its front page to the outcome of a recent meeting of the Iraqi National Security Political Council and discussions on the possibility of granting a general amnesty to all prisoners and detainees who were cleared of any wrongdoing.
The newspaper also highlighted statements by the media advisor to the Iraqi prime minister, Yassin Majeed, in which he called on Iraqi politicians and bloc leaders to back the government in its efforts to disentangle Iraq from Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
“Bringing Iraq out of Chapter VII of the UN Charter is a prelude to its regaining of sovereignty and its return to the international community,” Majeed said.
UN Security Council Resolution 678 was the legal authorization for the Gulf War, which was passed on 29 November 1990. It gave Iraq an opportunity to withdraw from Kuwait by 15 January 1991 and authorized UN member states in cooperation with the government of Kuwait to use “all necessary means to uphold and implement” Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which authorizes the use of force restore peace.
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets forth the powers of the UN Security Council’s to maintain peace. It allows the council to “determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression” and to take military and non-military action to “restore international peace and security.” Iraq Updates