Iraqi Prime Minister orders improved access to Green Zone for civilians

by Lobo Fri 28 Aug 2015, 1:11 pm

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Post n°1

Iraqi Prime Minister orders improved access to Green Zone for civilians

by Lobo Fri 28 Aug 2015, 1:11 pm

Iraqi Prime Minister orders improved access to Green Zone for civilians

By Yousuf Basil and Jethro Mullen, CNN

Updated 4:31 AM ET, Fri August 28, 2015

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The Green Zone was carved out of central Baghdad by U.S.-led forces after the invasion of Baghdad in 2003.
Story highlights

Many Iraqis see the Green Zone as a virtual city within a city with privileged residents
The Iraqi Prime Minister didn't specify what the timetable is for opening up the zone

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(CNN)Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered security forces to make Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, where the United States and several other Western embassies are situated, more accessible to civilians.
The announcement Friday comes amid a series of reforms proposed by al-Abadi's government, which is under pressure from protestors and religious leaders who are demanding measures to tackle corruption.
Al-Abadi also requested that officials open up streets in other parts of Iraq that have been closed off for security "by VIPs and influential parties." But he added the caveat that the moves should take into account measures needed to protect citizens and visitors to government offices from terrorist attacks.

City within a city

The Green Zone, an area carved out of central Baghdad by U.S.-led forces after their invasion of Iraq in 2003, is seen by many Iraqis as a virtual city within a city where privileged residents enjoy more security and better public services than elsewhere in Baghdad.
Militants have fired mortars at the zone and attacked checkpoints around it, but those inside have been spared the worst of the frequent suicide bombings and other extremist violence that plague parts of Baghdad.
As well as Western embassies, the district houses Iraqi government institutions and the residences of high-ranking officials and their families.
Opening up the Green Zone, which is also known as the International Zone, could potentially shorten hours-long traffic jams, making it easier for residents of Baghdad to travel from one side of the congested capital to the other.
It could also improve access to certain services that are only available inside the zone, such as applying for visas at foreign embassies and visiting Iraqi government buildings, including the parliament.

No timetable

Al-Abadi didn't provide a timetable for improving access to the protected district or specify what level of security would remain.
His statement said he had given orders to Iraqi security forces "to carry out the necessary arrangements to open the Green Zone to citizens."
Iraq formally took control of the zone from the U.S. military at the start of 2009.
The U.S. Embassy has some defenses within the Green Zone, notably a high wall that stands a significant distance from the embassy buildings.
CNN's Arwa Damon and Thomas Evans contributed to this report.[/size]

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by **notazbad2000** Fri 28 Aug 2015, 2:05 pm

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Post n°2

Re: Iraqi Prime Minister orders improved access to Green Zone for civilians

by notazbad2000 Fri 28 Aug 2015, 2:05 pm

Iraq PM orders forces to prepare to open Green Zone

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8 hours ago

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Iraqi security forces set up checkpoints on streets leading to the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad on March 26, 2012 (AFP Photo/Ahmad al-Rubaye)
Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered security forces to prepare to open Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone government and embassy area to the public, his office said Friday. The order comes in the third week of a reform drive by Abadi aimed at combating rampant corruption and streamlining the bloated government, in response to weeks of protests and calls from top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Abadi directed security forces to make "the necessary arrangements to open the Green Zone to the citizens," a statement from his office said. If the move actually goes ahead, it is likely to face significant opposition from embassies in the Green Zone -- including those of the United States and Britain -- due to security concerns. While attacks have dropped in Baghdad compared with the first half of last year, bombings that are sometimes claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group are still a frequent occurrence in the capital. The Green Zone is surrounded by high concrete walls, guarded by labyrinths of successive checkpoints and protected by Abrams tanks, armored personnel carriers and elite members of the security forces. It held lavish palaces occupied by former president Saddam Hussein and other senior figures and supporters of his regime before his overthrow in 2003, but was much more accessible then than it is now.
After his fall, those same palaces served as the headquarters for the US-led occupation, and later for Iraq's new political elite, whose corruption has aroused widespread popular ire.
Easy entry requires going through a byzantine process to obtain necessary badges that has itself been said to be a source of graft, with large payments reportedly expediting the procedures.
Abadi also ordered that streets shut by political parties and influential figures be opened in Baghdad and other provinces.
Top politicians have closed off roads leading to their homes and even those of their relatives in Baghdad, while pro-government militiamen have also shut streets, adding to the already dense traffic in the capital.
The premier also ordered the formation of committees to review the sale and rental of state properties and to return illegally obtained assets and restore to the state those that were "unfairly evaluated".
Some top politicians have managed to obtain Saddam-era palaces or other valuable properties either free of charge or for far less than their true value.
Both opening the streets and efforts to recover ill-gotten state assets are almost certain to face major resistance from politicians across the political spectrum who have benefited from both.

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The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963