MERIP
Media Resource List, January 24, 2005
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS
on the following topic:
- Iraq's election, January 30
CHRIS
TOENSING
Chris
Toensing is editor of Middle East Report and director
of the Middle East Research and Information Project. He said
today: "Like the late June
handover of 'sovereignty,' the upcoming Iraqi elections have
been invested with symbolic importance that will not
necessarily translate into improvements on the ground. There
is no reason why the elections should weaken the insurgency,
for example. The dominant problems in Iraq are and will remain
the US-led occupation and clashing conceptions of 'democracy'
among different groups of Iraqis."
RAAD
ALKADIRI
Alkadiri is director of
the Markets and Countries Group at PFC Energy. As policy adviser
and assistant private secretary to the UK Special Representatives
to Iraq, Sir Jeremy Greenstock and David Richmond, he was
intimately involved with shaping UK policy toward Iraq during
the occupation period, as well as planning Iraq's transition
to sovereignty. Alkadiri said today: “US policy will remain
flawed, and Iraq will remain unstable, so long as Washington
continues to try to shape Iraq to meet its goals rather than
shaping its approach to address realities on the ground.”
ANAS
SHALLAL
Anas Shallal is an Iraqi
American activist and businessman. He is the founder of Iraqi
Americans for Peaceful Alternatives and co-founder of the
Peace Café, which promotes Arab-Jewish dialogue and
improved understanding. He is also an analyst for Foreign
Policy in Focus and a spokesperson for the Education for Peace
in Iraq Center (EPIC). While he has registered for the Iraqi
election, he is not certain he will vote. Shallal said today,
“Elections need to be postponed to allow more time for dealing
with the despicable security crisis and to provide an opportunity
for Iraqis to make an informed choice from the over 100 parties
on the ballot.”
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