February 3, 2010

Overview

 

Political: An Iraqi appeals court lifted a ban imposed on nearly 500 candidates with alleged ties to Saddam Hussein’s outlawed Baath party on Wednesday (February-3), allowing them to run in upcoming parliamentary elections, electoral authorities reported. Last month, the Justice and Accountability Commission implemented the ban, which outraged Sunnis who believed it was an attempt by Shi’ite led authorities to marginalize them. BBC News and Reuters reported Hamdiya al-Husseini, a member of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) as saying, “The appeals panel decided to allow the banned candidates to participate in the next election and decided to postpone looking into the case until after the election.” She added that successful candidates on the list will not be able to assume office until the appeals panel gave a final ruling on their cases. The ban jeopardized the elections and threatened to reignite old sectarian disputes. (BBC, Reuters, February-3)

 

On Monday (February-1), US President Barack Obama sought Congress’ approval for around US$160 billion this year, and again in fiscal year 2011 to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Monday, Obama asked for an additional US$33 billion in the current 2010 fiscal year to help pay for a surge of troops in Afghanistan, which is on top of around US$130 billion that Congress has already approved for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through Sept. 30, 2010, Reuters reported. The proposed budget will include a request for US$159.3 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for the 2011 fiscal year that begins on October 1, Reuters reported. According to the National Priorities Project, a non-partisan budget research group, this is the first year that more money has been allocated to Afghanistan than Iraq, Reuters reported. (Reuters, February-1)

 

Two separate bombings this week aimed at Shi’ite pilgrims has left at least 61 people dead and over 200 others wounded. On Wednesday (February-3), officials reported a suicide bomber driving a car detonating his explosives in a crowd of pilgrims, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 100 others. It was earlier reported that the bomber was on a motorcycle. The explosion occurred on the outskirts of the holy city of Karbala around 11 AM local time in an area known as Ibrahimia, near the east entrance of the city about 50 miles (80 km) south of Baghdad, the Associated Press (AP) reported. According to the BBC, the pilgrims were making their way to the Imam Hussein shrine where Shia Muslims were to mark Arbaine, the end of 40 days of mourning for the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. Additionally, hours before the attack, two separate roadside bombs targeting the pilgrims exploded in Baghdad, killing one person and wounding seven others, the AP reported a security official as saying. The attack came just days after another suicide attack left at least 41 dead and over 100 others wounded in northeast Baghdad. Reports say the suicide bomber was female and blew up her explosive vest among a crowd of pilgrims marching in Baghdad’s district of Bob al-Sham on their way to Karbala. The attack Wednesday occurred even after officials promised better security. The attacks raise fears of heightened sectarian tensions. According to the BBC, tens of thousands of Shias, many from Iran, are expected at the shrine before the festival’s end on Friday (February-5). (AP, Xinhua, BBC, February 1-3)

 

The Iraqi parliament, on January 26, passed a 2010 budget that sets federal spending this year at around US$72.4 billion (84.7 trillion Iraqi dollars), and a deficit of US$19.6 billion dollars (22.9 trillion dinars), Reuters reported Iraqi lawmakers as saying. The budget, which was held up for weeks due to negotiations, represents an increase of 23 percent over the 2009 budget, according to the US State Department. Lawmakers said that the budget sets an expected oil price of US$62.5 per barrel and puts expected average oil exports at 2.15 million barrels per day in 2010. According to Reuters, the head of the finance committee said the new oil projections were an increase from the previous year, which put expected oil exports at 2 million barrels per day and the oil price at US$50 per barrel. According to the budget law, the deficit amounted to 27 percent of total spending and was to be financed with surpluses from previous years and also through domestic and external borrowing. The head of parliament’s oil and gas committee said that lawmakers included in the budget a clause setting aside US$1 per barrel of oil produced for oil-producing provinces to use in investment projects, while other provinces involved in oil refining and gas production will receive similar set-asides. The total income of the Iraqi government was estimated to reach US$52.8 billion dollars (61.7 trillion dinars). The budget law also includes authorization for Iraq to seek a US$4.5 billion financing arrangement with the International Monetary Fund and contemplates US$2 billion in financing by the World Bank. (Reuters, January-26)

 

UN: The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) launched a US$1.6 million school feeding program on Monday (November-16) to provide some 172,000 children with a free daily snack to help boost attendance and learning in eight of Iraq’s poorest districts. Funded by the Iraqi Government, the program will include each primary school child receiving an 80-gram date bar fortified with a range of micronutrients over the next three months. Additionally, the WFP plans to extend the initiative to assist 1 million children in vulnerable districts in 14 governorates next year. This effort is just one of many projects they are conducting to help the most vulnerable people in Iraq, WFP Iraq Country Director Edward Kallon said. (UN News Center, November-16)

 

Refugees/Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): Over 50 NGOs and host country government representatives met in Damascus, Syria on Monday (January-18) and developed the 2010 Regional Response Plans for Refugees (RRP), which maps out the next steps in providing critical assistance and protection for Iraqi refugees across the Middle East, the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported. According to the Plan, there are 260,000 registered Iraqi refugees in Syria, and less than 1,000 have pursued assistance to return home under the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) voluntary repatriation program.  According to Iraqi refugees, small refugee returns to Iraq can be attributed to a lack of social services and employment opportunities, and uncertainty surrounding the upcoming elections. Other strategic objectives of the RRP include ensuring refugees can continue to seek refuge in their host countries, offering vocational training to those wishing to return to Iraq and pursuing measures to get an additional 12,000 Iraqi children in Syria enrolled in school. (IRIN, January-19)

 

The International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) latest assessment of Iraqi returns in November found that food, non-food items and fuel were the most urgent needs, with the latter increasingly important for the winter. IOM’s focus has shifted to how best to help the nearly 1.6 million IDPs in Iraq, whether they wish to return, to integrate into the place of displacement or to go elsewhere. The most recent assessment reveals that about 53 percent of interviewed post-2006 IDPs wish to return, while another 45 percent of those interviewed want to integrate permanently into their places of displacement or move to a third location. Additionally, employment is also a concern, with 34 percent of IOM-assessed families saying that even though they are able to work, they are unable to find it. Other serious concerns include shelter, water, electricity, healthcare and access to potable water. In an effort to improve the lot of returning displaced families, and to find long-term solutions, IOM will provide in-kind grants this year to 500 families to help them start their own businesses and to re-establish employment and income. In the next year, IOM hopes to hook up with 6,500 more returnee families in Iraq for similar assistance. The organization is pursuing more funding to help unemployed returnees build new businesses or to find new jobs to try and find long-lasting solutions to Iraq’s severe displacement crisis. (IOM, November-3) Over 1.5 million Iraqis still live outside the country, mostly in Syria and Jordan, while another 2 million are internally displaced. (UNHCR, June-2)

 

Civil Society/Rule of Law: The number of deaths in Iraq since March 2003 is estimated by Iraq Body Count (IBC) as between 95,175 and 103,836 for civilians and 4,693 for coalition forces, including 4,375 US troops, 179 British troops and 139 troops from other nations. While 4,900-6,375 Iraqi military personnel are estimated to have died during the 2003 war, reliable figures are unavailable for the new Iraqi security forces established in late 2003. (Reuters, icasualties, February-3)  

 

Iraq’s civilian death toll dropped by more than half to 135 people in January, compared to December’s death toll of 306, Reuters reported officials as saying on Monday (February-1). In December, Iraq endured a series of suicide car bomb attacks in Baghdad, which took more than 100 lives. A major attack also took place in late January when three Baghdad hotels were bombed, killing over 30 people. US military officials expect a rise in violence ahead of parliamentary elections on March 7. Additionally, the Web site www.icasualties.org reported only two US military personnel casualties in January. (Reuters, February-1)

 

In 2009, the number of Iraqi civilians killed in violence dropped by half to about 4,500 from the previous year’s death toll of 9,226. Despite the decrease in deaths, improvements in security have slowed, while large-scale bombings that have killed hundreds of people, has become the troubling new trend. Additionally, although there has been a dramatic drop in violence since the height of sectarian violence in 2003, human rights group Iraq Body Count’s co founder and spokesman, John Sloboda, was quoted by Reuters as saying, “Iraq is clearly suffering more daily violence from terrorism and instability than any other country, considerably more violence even than Afghanistan and Pakistan.” (Reuters, January-1)

 

Humanitarian Situation and Access: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Iraq wants a closer relationship with local Iraqi NGOs in 2010, and Basil Abdul-Wahab al-Azawi, head of the Commission of Society Enterprises, an umbrella group of more than 1,000 NGOs inside and outside Iraq, feels more effective aid can be given to Iraqi returnees if cooperation between local NGOs and the UN agency is increased, the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported. However, ongoing violence, the process of establishing a legal NGO and cooperation between NGOs and the government are constraints. One of UNHCR’s 2010 goals is the expansion of the “national NGO partnership programme” to expand the agency’s impact at the community level. Al-Azawi thinks if given “equal opportunities with international NGOs,” Iraq’s government will help provide necessary support and successful outcomes. (IRIN, December-31)

 

The Iraqi parliament passed a new NGO law on Monday (January-25), and now awaits approval by the three-man presidential council, the NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI) reported. AKnews reported Alaa Talabany, chief of the civil society committee, calling the adoption of the law a “big achievement” after the law had been adjusted several times.  Civil society activists are appealing to those involved in the advocacy process to use any connections they have with the presidential council to ensure that the law is passed. Among the many improvements made to the NGO law since the March 2009 draft, one major change includes the reversal of prohibiting Iraqi NGOs from receiving foreign funding or from “affiliating” with any foreign entity without the approval of the government. The new law has removed those provisions, enabling NGOs to efficiently partner with the international community on reconstruction and humanitarian assistance projects, according to the NCCI. (NCCI, AKnews, January-26)

 

At least 12,000 community members, including teachers, staff from community based organizations and youth, from Baghdad, Basrah, Kirkuk and Diyala governorates, will participate in  training from Mine Advisory Group (MAG) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to learn about the dangers of small arms and weapons in Iraq. Because of the large number of guns and easy access to them in Iraq, children are particularly at risk. In 2008, the Kirkuk Provincial Department of Health recorded 313 deaths and 975 accidental gunfire injures of mostly children and youth. “This training is a critical start to raise awareness of how the widespread presence of guns and other light arms in Iraq threaten the safety and lives of Iraqi children,” UNICEF Iraq Representative Sikander Khan said, hoping to avoid needless child deaths in the future. (UNICEF, January-20)

 

Economy/Oil: Iraqi crude oil production averaged 2.48 million barrels per day (MBPD) as of January 27, which is the same as the previous week. (USDOS, January-27) Iraqi crude oil exports averaged 1.90 MBPD as of January 27, which is a decrease of 0.09 from the previous week. (USDOS, January-27)

 

Iraq’s oil ministry said January 21 that the country’s oil exports climbed by about 8.5 percent while revenues soared almost 43 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to the same period a year earlier, the Associated Press (AP) reported. According to the AP, oil exports for the last three months of 2009 averaged almost 1.92 million barrels per day versus around 1.76 million barrels per day in 2008, while revenue from oil sales came in at around US$12.89 billion compared to US$7.35 billion. According to the AP, the surge in revenue is more likely linked to the rebound in oil prices. The country produces some 2.5 million barrels of oil per day. Iraq has been trying to boost output and exports, and as of the end of 2009, Iraq has made agreements for the development of 11 oil fields with international companies. (AP, February-2)

 

According to United Press International, (UPI), a Shi’ite lawmaker says that a deal struck with the Iraqi government, BP and the China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) violates the terms of the Iraqi Constitution. BP and CNPC were the first companies to receive long-term oil contracts in postwar Iraq during an auction in June for the Rumalia oil field and signed an agreement in November, the UPI reported. The parliament member, Shatha al-Musawi, complained that any deal between Baghdad and foreign oil companies could be illegal without the consent of lawmakers, the Telegraph newspaper reported. According to UPI, Musawi’s complaint, filed against the Iraqi premier, Nouri al-Maliki, and oil minister, Hussein al-Shahristani, could derail all of the contracts given to international oil companies in 2009, including with Russia’s Gazprom and LUKoil, as well as Exxon Mobil. Court proceedings on the case begin on February 1, according to the UPI. (UPI, January-25)

 

US companies have been arriving in Iraq in recent months to pursue multi-billion dollar oil projects in Iraq, according to a report by the New York Times (NYT). Among the US companies that have started sending workers and equipment to Iraq or have plans to are: Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Weatherford International and Schlumberger, as well as several construction and engineering companies, including KBR, Bechtel, Parsons, Fluor and Foster Wheeler. According to the NYT, Halliburton and its former subsidiary KBR, as well as Bechtel and Parsons have been criticized by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction for their previous work in Iraq. Over the past several months, Iraq has signed 10 production contracts with international companies as it tries to increase oil output from 2.4 million barrels per day to as much as 12 million barrels a day within six years. According to the NYT, officials say that they hope to drill at least 430 oil wells over the next two years. The work will require new pipelines, including as many as three undersea lines, floating terminals, water treatment facilities, pump stations, oil storage tanks, power plants and possibly a new Persian Gulf port. (NYT, January-14)

 

Water/Power: The electricity supply from the grid between January 14-20 was 13 percent higher than the year-earlier period and met 66 percent of the estimated demand, compared with 60 percent from the year-earlier period.  (USDOS, January-27) During 2009, there was a continued and accelerated growth in grid power that started in September 2007. The growth has significantly reduced the gap between grid supply and estimated demand for the first time. (USDOS, January-13)

 

Food: On Monday (January-4), Iraq’s acting trade minister, Safa-Eddin al-Safi, announced a partnership between Iraq’s Ministry of Trade and the UN World Food Program (WFP) to improve the state-run food aid system, which has deteriorated since 2003 because of insecurity, poor management and corruption, the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported. According to the 2010-2014 memorandum of understanding, the WFP will offer consultation and training to Trade Ministry employees on how to buy, transport, store and distribute food items nationwide in a timely manner while maintaining quality. Al-Safi was quoted by IRIN as saying that the partnership is “a major and important step on the path of improving the food rationing system.” He hopes the partnership will accomplish the Ministry’s goal of securing the food rationing system’s items nationwide. (IRIN, January-6)

 

Health/Medical: As of Thursday (January-28), the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported Iraq’s H1N1 flu death toll at 42, which is the same as the previous update. According to the UN agency, the Eastern Mediterranean Region Office (EMRO) has cumulatively confirmed 1,002 H1N1 flu deaths in 20 member states. (WHO, January-28) The WHO says the reported death toll is an under representation of the actual numbers as many deaths are never tested or recognized as influenza related. Iraq is one of the countries in the EMRO to have already experienced a peak in activity during December 2009 and in the first week of January 2010. (WHO, January-26)

 

The Iraqi cabinet approved a law on Sunday (January-17), allowing Iraqi doctors to carry weapons to help protect physicians subjected to kidnapping, murder and tribal demands for blood money from relatives of deceased patients. The proposed law could help prevent doctors from fleeing the violence of Iraq and encourage those abroad to return. However, the law awaits approval by parliament. Under the draft law, anyone who demands a tribal settlement from a doctor will face a possible prison sentence of three years or a fine of no less than US$8,000 (10 million Iraqi dinars). Additionally, the law would push back the retirement age to 70 from 63 if doctors are needed, and would allow for construction of residential compounds to begin for physicians near hospitals and other health institutions. (Reuters, January-17)

 

 

 

In-Country Humanitarian Assistance Information by Region

 

North Region

 

 

Central/West Regions

Baghdad

Baghdad
Coordination	On August 23, US forces transferred authority of the new Iraqi Air Force Headquarters Complex to the Iraqi Air Force (IAF). The new name of the headquarters complex is called “Hawk Base” and is located near the new Al-Muthanna Air Base at the Baghdad International Airport. Currently, there are more than 2,100 IAF members and the new complex will house more than 270 IAF personnel. (USDOS, Sept-2) Control over Joint Security Station (JSS) Zubaida, located south of Baghdad was transferred to the Iraq Security Forces (ISF) from US Forces on August 10. Two homes and a few acres of land were given back to the previous civilian owners, but the majority of JSS Zubaida is still under ISF control. (USDOS, Aug-19)
Population	Population: 7,145,470
IDP Movement	Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate   Current Historical   Province  Individuals displaced after Feb 2006 Families displaced after Feb 2006 Families displaced 2003-2005 Families displaced pre-2003 Baghdad 602,022 100,337 1,586 2,281 (IOM, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, July 2009)
Food	No New Information
Health	No New Information
Non-Food Items –Shelter	In its first phase of a US$10 billion plan to rebuild Sadr City slum, Baghdad asked foreign companies on Thursday (Jan-21) to sign up for a project to design and build 75,000 apartments. The projects will span 22 sq miles (56 sq km) to be constructed over 10 years, and will include 150,000 apartments, stores, service buildings, a medical complex, a university and entertainment center. Baghdad has hired British-based architects, Broadway Maylan, for the Sadr city project. (Reuters, Jan-21)
Security	On Thursday (Jan-28), during joint security operations, Iraqi security forces with US advisors arrested seven people, including two al-Qaeda Iraq members. A Sunni Imam was shot by unknown gunmen as he was leaving a mosque in western Baghdad. In southern Baghdad, gunmen shot and wounded a policeman.   On Friday (Jan-29), a roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol exploded in northern Baghdad, wounding four soldiers.    On Saturday (Jan-30), a militant threw a grenade at Shi’ite pilgrims in Baghdad’s southern district of Saidiya, killing one pilgrim and wounding two others. In Baghdad’s southern district of Doura, gunfire injured two pilgrims. In western Baghdad, a roadside bomb seriously wounded a justice ministry official.   On Sunday (Jan-31), four people were wounded in al-Nusoor Square when a militant threw a hand grenade at Shi’ite pilgrims in central Baghdad. In eastern Baghdad, two pilgrims were wounded by a roadside bomb in Zayouna district. In Mashtal district, another roadside bomb wounded three pilgrims.   On Monday (Feb-1), at least 41 people were killed and 106 wounded when a female suicide bomber blew herself up among Shi’ite pilgrims making the trek to Karbala for the religious rite of Arbaine. In southern Baghdad, a roadside bomb wounded 12 Shi’ite pilgrims.      On Tuesday (Feb-2), a roadside bomb exploded in the Zaafaraniya district of southeastern Baghdad, wounding three Shi’ite pilgrims. A bomb fixed to a car wounded a policeman in the town of Taji, 12 miles (20 km) north of Baghdad.      On Wednesday (Feb-3), a bomb targeting Shi’ite pilgrims killed one pilgrim and wounded three others in western Baghdad. In the Amil district of southwest Baghdad, a roadside bomb injured three people.   (Reuters, Jan 28 – Feb 3)
Water & Sanitation	At a US military base near Baghdad, Camp Taji, US bomb disposal experts are training Iraqis to take over once they leave at the end of 2011. Reuters reported on Sunday (Oct-11) that four Iraqi army staff had received training this week from a US explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team. (Reuters, Oct-11)
Other/Comments	No New Information

South Region

 

 

 

Neighboring Countries’ Humanitarian Activities/Preparations

 

Jordan

 

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) established a representation office in Amman, Jordan for arranging and supervising the voting process for an estimated 500,000 Iraqis living in Iraq’s neighboring country, the Deutsche Press-Agentur (DPA) reported government officials as saying on Friday (January-29). Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh met with Jordanian Interior Minister Nayef Qadi to talk about measures taken by the Jordanian authorities to make sure a smooth polling process for Iraqis in Jordan. The agreement involved eight polling stations in the cities of Amman, Zarqa and Irabid for Iraqis. (DPA, January-29)

 

An estimated 2.4 million Palestinian and Iraqi refugees are currently residing in Jordan, which has put an added burden on the country’s economy and social structure, according to UN estimates. The Norwegian Institute for Applied Social Sciences in 2007 conducted a study that estimated the number of Iraqi refugees in Jordan as 450,000 to 500,000. The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Suhair al-Ali, also noted that the Jordanian treasury endured a burden of US$2 billion dollars in terms of infrastructure and services due to the influx of Iraqi refugees between 2005 and 2008. Due to the crumbling security situation in Iraq, the Jordanian government and the UNHCR teamed up to create solutions for Iraq and other refugees who fled to Jordan. (DPA, December-9)

 

Iran

 

On Wednesday (January-27), a small contingent of Iranian troops fully withdrew from an area near Fakka oilfield, an inactive oil well in Iraq’s southeastern Maysan province, according to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. The ministry said in a statement that both Iraq and Iran’s foreign ministers agreed to maintain friendly relations and pull out all military forces in the area to their original positions, displaying a common goal of enhancing bilateral relations.  In mid-December, a dozen Iranian soldiers crossed into Iraqi territory and raised the Iranian flag over the well, triggering protests from Baghdad and concerns from world oil markets. (Reuters, January-27)

 

Turkey

 

On Friday (November-13), Turkey unveiled plans to expand the rights of its Kurdish population, which are seen as boosting the country’s hopes of joining the European Union (EU), and ending a 25-year old conflict with the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) rebels that has killed over 40,000 people, Reuters reported. Reforms include the creation of an independent body to investigate cases of torture and loosening the restrictions on the Kurdish language. Additionally, the reforms are designed to encourage PKK rebels to disband, as they are seen as a terrorist group by Ankara, the US and the EU. Displaying resistance the reform process faces in parliament, the main opposition party, Republican People’s Party (CHP), walked out of the chamber when Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan accused opponents of not wanting the conflict to end. (Reuters, November-13)

 

Kuwait

 

According to Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad al-Salem al-Sabah, his country is concerned of a rise in militant attacks and sectarian tensions in Iraq that could create a new security threat for the Gulf Arab oil producer. Al-Sabah was quoted by Reuters as saying, “I’m worried about the collapse of the security system in Iraq, which could drive many Iraqis to seek refuge in Kuwait.” He focused on the numerous large-scale bombings across Iraq, and expressed his fears of sectarian conflict, terrorism, and al-Qaeda groups spreading into his country. Kuwait has been largely successful in abating violence by Islamist militants. Last year, they defeated an al-Qaeda linked plan to bomb a US army camp and an oil refinery in the OPEC oil exporting state.   (Reuters, January-17)

 

Syria

 

On Monday (February-1), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) closed the Al Tanf refugee camp, located between the borders of Syria and Iraq, moving the last of the Palestinian refugees temporarily to a refugee camp inside Syria, Al Hol,  UNHCR reported. The UN refugee agency had been working in cooperation with Syrian authorities to allow the relocation of 60 camp residents. Al Tanf was supposed to be a temporary stay, but the refugees ended up staying almost four years, and endured harsh desert conditions. UNHCR and its partners have provided relief and have been proactive in finding humanitarian solutions for refugees in hopes of giving them a new start at life. Although Syria’s Al Hol camp is slightly better than Al Tanf camp, circumstances are not sustainable and a solution is needed to help over 600 Palestinians from Iraq now living there, according to UNHCR. (UNHCR, February-1)

 

Saudi Arabia

 

On May-28, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Iraq has no intention of making new goodwill gestures towards Saudi Arabia as Maliki’s efforts have been called a sign of weakness by Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. Bilateral ties between the two countries have been strained since the US-led invasion in 2003 and continue to decline. Al-Maliki’s Shi’ite-led government accuses Riyadh of not taking enough action to prevent its citizens from crossing the border to join the mainly Sunni insurgency. The Agence France-Presse quoted al-Maliki as saying, “There will be no other initiatives on our part as long as there is no sign from Saudi Arabia that it wants to have good ties with Baghdad.” During an April 25 visit to Baghdad, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed